winger
TUG Member
Just came across this 8 month old video. Somewhat comical, but is there really anything that can be done to eliminate salesperson lies at Marriott? I expect more from Marriott - they aren't just a mom & p OP company!
I've watched that video. I beleive I left a comment on it. To be fair, the presentation was just after the affiliation of DVC with II rolled out, so I give the salesperson a small pass on the "lie". They really should have said nothing at all. However, we continue to see this perpetuate currently. Some will defend the sales reps and claim it is only a half lie, because, well you can use Club Points to book DVC resorts. It just has to happen through II. Sales likes to talk everything up like it is the greatest thing ever without getting into the weeds of the details. They have told us in the past it is because they are always excited to share news with their owners. Yeah sure.... It is so they can make more sales. People need to stop defending even half lies. Sales should be 100% upfront about what it is they are selling.Just came across this 8 month old video. Somewhat comical, but is there really anything that can be done to eliminate salesperson lies at Marriott? I expect more from Marriott - they aren't just a mom & p OP company!
Marriott is a respected company, or at least somewhat, and their product is good. It does not need lies of any shade to sell.I've watched that video. I beleive I left a comment on it. To be fair, the presentation was just after the affiliation of DVC with II rolled out, so I give the salesperson a small pass on the "lie". They really should have said nothing at all. However, we continue to see this perpetuate currently. Some will defend the sales reps and claim it is only a half lie, because, well you can use Club Points to book DVC resorts. It just has to happen through II. Sales likes to talk everything up like it is the greatest thing ever without getting into the weeds of the details. They have told us in the past it is because they are always excited to share news with their owners. Yeah sure.... It is so they can make more sales. People need to stop defending even half lies. Sales should be 100% upfront about what it is they are selling.
Agreed, yet a hard-up salesperson will say anything to make a sale. I have attended one Marriott presentation that was so bad, I was shocked at the claims this salesperson made in Orlando. TUG's own Dave M confirmed that the guy was lying about everything he claimed. He made outrageous claims. Nice guy, but a liar.Marriott is a respected company, or at least somewhat, and their product is good. It does not need lies of any shade to sell.
This past summer, we had a rudish rep who went as far as claiming we will no longer be able to exchange into MVC's because II removed all Marriott's from its inventory. We can only get into MVC's using DC Points. Well, I am thinking of asking for him by name on Owner Updates the next times we visit there in Nov and next July on II exchanges .Agreed, yet a hard-up salesperson will say anything to make a sale. I have attended one Marriott presentation that was so bad, I was shocked at the claims this salesperson made in Orlando. TUG's own Dave M confirmed that the guy was lying about everything he claimed. He made outrageous claims. Nice guy, but a liar.
The problem is, that Marriott is a very expensive product and when you run all the numbers there are only a few edge cases where it makes financial sense to own developer purchased points. Notice how they no longer do the "comparison to rental rates" like they used to years ago? It is mainly because it is hard to make the numbers work out, even in a high inflationary environment. They have resorted to the same smoke and mirrors to sell a product that most people buying it simply don't need.Marriott is a respected company, or at least somewhat, and their product is good. It does not need lies of any shade to sell.
Short of a draw such as WDW, timeshares are a difficult sell on a good day. Most timeshares are sold, not bought. If the only people who bought them were those where they made sense, the system would likely collapse. If you removed those that couldn't truly afford it, then the system would fail almost instantly. IMO one has to be able to hold their nose on the sales side to participate and those that can't likely should exit or just avoid them altogether. It's somewhat like taking state college assistance in states that fund that with a lottery since a lottery is basically a tax on the poor portions of the state.Marriott is a respected company, or at least somewhat, and their product is good. It does not need lies of any shade to sell.
Would a system based strictly on sales/resales survive? Developer only gets involved if they have unsold inventory, in which case they will sell but without the highly costly, heavy handed marketing/sales that most of us detest. This removes a lot of the upfront cost that owners end up paying. The underlying operations of resorts would be supported by the MF (HOAs) structure in place today.Short of a draw such as WDW, timeshares are a difficult sell on a good day. Most timeshares are sold, not bought. If the only people who bought them were those where they made sense, the system would likely collapse. If you removed those that couldn't truly afford it, then the system would fail almost instantly. IMO one has to be able to hold their nose on the sales side to participate and those that can't likely should exit or just avoid them altogether. It's somewhat like taking state college assistance in states that fund that with a lottery since a lottery is basically a tax on the poor portions of the state.
Likely not and it would remove all potential expansion options and take the most of the usual players out of the management business. It's just the reality of the system. It appears to me that when there is an economic downturn the sales force is more aggressive which makes sense. However, I don't think your questions actually matters in that it's not going to happen so were back to my point of being willing to accept issues or not play in the sandbox. That's not to say that we shouldn't push back but I'm not personally willing to beat my head against the wall for something that, IMO, is a lost cause. And the reality is that MVC is better than most in this area.Would a system based strictly on sales/resales survive? Developer only gets involved if they have unsold inventory, in which case they will sell but without the highly costly, heavy handed marketing/sales that most of us detest. This removes a lot of the upfront cost that owners end up paying. The underlying operations of resorts would be supported by the MF (HOAs) structure in place today.
Who is IBM?...
Having sold at IBM (inam sure a subset of members may not know who IBM is) for 30 years across divisions and at multiple levels, I understand the need to sell value....
Who is IBM?
People have to make a distinction between how the Marriott resorts are managed and how everything else related to the timeshare business is managed.Marriott is a respected company, or at least somewhat, and their product is good. It does not need lies of any shade to sell.
You can spot one by the white shirt and solid dark tie.Who is IBM?