For those who bought from the Developer, having a smug resale buyer throw it in their face that they overspent is not only insulting, it makes them feel foolish. Nobody wants to feel like they were played. Anger is quite often a natural response, and arguing that the resale buyer has a diminished ownership is a natural reaction, even if all based on speculation, or Developer lies during a sales pitch. I have never bragged about what I got resale (for $X) to a Developer-purchaser (for $XXX), but I have asked them, "Have you ever explored the resale market?" It usually opens a conversation that can be a teaching moment, and less of a back and forth about how they had spent way too much for the same thing. It's a delicate dance.
I've told the story before: Back in the 1980's, I used to attend timeshare sales presentations just for the gifts. It was a game, because I had no intention of purchasing anything, and knew going in that I wouldn't be buying. I never bought, because I just knew they were too much money. At the time, I did a lot of tent camping, or progressive vacationing where I'd stay only a day or two in one area. The timeshare model didn't fit my vacationing style. Timeshares fell into a place in my head as an outrageous expense for a limited return. I didn't know anyone who had bought a timeshare who was happy about it. (Granted, I didn't ask a lot of people.) But even then, timeshares had a sour reputation.
About 2004, my brother and his then-wife were on a vacation to Cabo San Lucas, and fell for a sales pitch at Hacienda del Mar. For the free gift of a (mediocre) bottle of tequila, they ended up spending about $15K (I think) for a studio unit. When they went to use the unit for the first time, they invited us to go along. We'd never been to Mexico, so agreed to go. The place was nice, (if cramped), and we did enjoy ourselves, but I couldn't get around the idea that they'd spent way too much for what they got.
After that trip, I decided maybe timeshares weren't a bad thing after all, but there had to be a better way. I did a bit of creative Googling, found Tug, learned about the resale market, and went from there. Ebay and Sumday became my timeshare stores. In the years since, I've bought and sold maybe a dozen timeshares of all types, believing the only way to know the whole truth about a given resort or system was to "learn by owning." I went through a lot of independents, mini-systems, and clubs, (admittedly, most were second-tier locations), until I came to the realization that Weeks are great, as long as you want to spend seven nights at the same resort, either as an Owner or Exchanger. I have since sold all my Weeks, and I own only WorldMark now, mainly so I can book shorter stays (and still enjoy a lot of system-level perks.)
I'm pleased, but wouldn't be so comfortable if I didn't know what's what about things. My experience has given me a level of comfort that I feel I've earned. A lot of people who own timeshares don't know what they truly own, or how to use it to their full advantage. It's easier to go with what they know, (or have been told), rather than make the leap to learn the other side of things.
Dave