Take Back the Day
Today we got suckered into a timeshare presentation. My husband tried to advert disaster by asking if this was “a timeshare presentation.” But he was told in no uncertain terms that it was not…and he believed them…and I believed him. So innocently, stupidly, we went, thinking that a “free breakfast and a tour of the Presidente beach club” might actually be a “free breakfast and a tour of the President beach club.” We are such suckers.
Eventually the presenter told us “it’s not timeshare, it’s a vacation club presentation.” But the sales tactics are exactly the same as timeshare sales. The drill is the same. And all the salespeople “used to work in timeshare.”
So what’s the difference between a Vacation Club and a Timeshare? Well, the difference I see is that a timeshare actually needs a deed because it’s actually (at least under U.S. law) a real estate transaction. But buying your way into a vacation club just means you are paying for the right to have “guaranteed discounts” at some hotel chain and that you get to carry some nice shiny membership card. Oh, and they send you a magazine every month. For $9000 USD. What a great deal.
If it’s a good thing for some people then that’s fine. For me, sitting through the presentation is a total waste of my life. I feel I was robbed of 3 hours of my time. Three hours are gone that won’t come back.
And I recently canceled a much cheaper subscription to National Geographic Magazine because the Mexican postal system could not be relied upon to actually deliver it, except in the rain. Can you imagine relying on the Mexican postal system to deliver a $9000 USD magazine subscription? They would probably wait until the middle of a hurricane to deliver it.
Anyway, I feel scummy, I feel like I have dirt on me that won’t come off. I want my day back. I want those 3 hours back. They can have their free breakfast back if they want…grin…just give me back my time.
December 14th, 2008 23:38
Thank you! We were recently tempted to go for one of these as well but fought the urge off. You have re-set my resolve. At least I will hold out for more than a free breakfast. On our way through P.V. we were actually offered $200 USA.
December 15th, 2008 08:50
Hey there. I totally know what you mean. And it seems almost worse since we moved here. It is like it becomes the goal of the sales person to get through your resistance. So sad. And for $9000 UDS I could buy another spot of land that I would own EVERY DAY of EVERY YEAR in any number places in the Yucatan. Sorry you were robbed. I hate crime.
December 15th, 2008 09:16
Croft – If you can get money then go for it. They didn’t even offer us money, just breakfast. The worst was just that we truly did not know what it was until we were trapped. And it’s not like we haven’t deliberately seen timeshare presentations in order to get freebies before, we have. But we didn’t see this coming.
Mindy – I totally agree. And for $9000 USD I could take a LOT of nice vacations.
December 16th, 2008 03:38
That’s unfortunate. I’m visiting Cancun in a month and wondering how I will avoid the inevitable timeshare annoyances.
December 16th, 2008 11:39
I had to sit through a ’90’ minute (cum 2 and a half hour) timeshare presentation in Las Vegas in the summer. We did get three tickets to a great show though, and a lunch. If stale sandwiches and fizzless coke is what passes as a lunch in Vegas…
But it is sooo boring, and these guys just don’t seem to be able to spot a penniless ponce who’s just there for a freebie.
December 17th, 2008 07:53
My one and only timeshare experience was a good one. Back when I was young and poor, I was sent an invitation for a free flight to Orlando Florida and a mini-cruise to the Bahamas if I sat through a timeshare presentation in Kissimee. I took them up on it and while I did not purchase the timeshare in question, they pleasantly made good on all of their promises and we had a nice vacation. Either they must have been pretty confident in their sales staff or grossly under estimated how truly poor we were, ha, ha!
April 7th, 2009 01:07
Hello..
I was just curious. I have 12 days coming up. I really like to see the timeshare/vacation club tours because you can buy them for 100.00 on Ebay whey you get home.. Ha.. But… Do the fact that the tours are so, so expensive did they have anytime share presentations to give away atv, dolphin, cruise tours ect..