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[Coriolanus]

In the timeshare presentation i went to, they said that they wouldnt be able to provide the discounts if we kept using the smartphones. Welp. That was three hours of pain. After giving us a tour of a demo unit, pointed out to him that the apartment had a larger balcony and different (way the fuck better) furniture from every other unit i could see from the balcony, so that didnt quite strike me as an honest demo. Dude said all units had the same quality standard. Since he was lying to my face, i then became perfectly comfortable with calling him a liar and asked to see another, randomly selected unit.

The discounts were delivered not long after that.

That sounds a bit rude. The discount was optional based on you listening to what they have to say. You're not being forced into it.

They asked for two hours. They got two hours. They weren't forced to take longer than that with their presentation. Seems fair.

 

[the_batman]

They asked for two hours. They got two hours. They weren't forced to take longer than that with their presentation. Seems fair.

instead of acting like an asshole, can't you just quietly walk over to an organizer and explain the situation

 

[HStallion]

I love going to time share stuff because I'll never ever ever buy into them. But I can sit through a couple hours of sales pitches no problem for a few days of vacation. I won't even be rude I'll just say no without ever wavering. I'm not dumb but I enjoy what is basically a free vacation.

 

[Gravy Boat]

instead of acting like an asshole, can't you just quietly walk over to an organizer and explain the situation

To be fair, in the one I got sucked into, the people who were trying to sell to us were being incredibly rude. So if the OP had to deal with people similar to the ones I had to deal with, you almost need to be rude to get them to back off and let you leave.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

i suggest smiling politely and refusing everything

Basically this. The people will be pushy, but they're only doing their job so no need to be rude with them. Just be firm and remember that these deals no matter how sweet they sound always come with not inconsiderable caveats.

 

[Crema]

instead of acting like an asshole, can't you just quietly walk over to an organizer and explain the situation

Surely the asshole in this case would be the presenter going over the promised two hour timeslot.

 

[HStallion]

Basically this. The people will be pushy, but they're only doing their job so no need to be rude with them. Just be firm and remember that these deals no matter how sweet they sound always come with not inconsiderable caveats.

I don't even really talk to them. I just give monosyllabic answers which they hate as they can't read you and then parrot off something about you like,"Oh you've got kids? I've got kids too!" or "You had surgery? Well I just got some done too!". I remember asking what the surgery entailed and he had no clue and had to laugh at how blatant and bad he was about that.

 

[Coriolanus]

instead of acting like an asshole, can't you just quietly walk over to an organizer and explain the situation

Sure you can. Youll most likely be guilt-tripped into staying for another hour. But you can.

 

[vypek]

Hilton Grand Vacation? My trip to Vegas this year is the same. 4 days and 3 nights for the price of one. Well, a little under one.

My boss coincidentally had a deal as well. He has one cause he can afford it but it took the second or third trip before he got it and he also happened to get a special deal on his.

The advice he gave me was that I might be tempted cause they do have a good properties to stay at and the deals will be okay but you just have to consistently say no over and over and they'll give up on you at the moment but depending on some things (like perceived income) will invite you back.



I had assumed that the presentation was just two hours long not that it goes longer. I think I'm okay going with the leave after two hours. I wonder if you have to sign in AND out though

 

[Lagamorph]

Hilton Grand Vacation? My trip to Vegas this year is the same. 4 days and 3 nights for the price of one. Well, a little under one.

My boss coincidentally had a deal as well. He has one cause he can afford it but it took the second or third trip before he got it and he also happened to get a special deal on his.

The advice he gave me was that I might be tempted cause they do have a good properties to stay at and the deals will be okay but you just have to consistently say no over and over and they'll give up on you at the moment but depending on some things (like perceived income) will invite you back.



I had assumed that the presentation was just two hours long not that it goes longer. I think I'm okay going with the leave after two hours. I wonder if you have to sign in AND out though

Yeah Hilton Grand Vacation.
I didn't have to sign in/out, just give them my name on arrival.

The timeshare person was actually late, making no apology for being so, and the room was ridiculously uncomfortable. Glaring sunlight in our faces with no blinds and she spent half the pitch with the world's strongest smelling coffee on her desk. (I dislike even the smell of coffee, never mind the taste).

No way was my phone going away during some shitty videos of places like Tuscany that I have no interest in, especially when the sales person walks off during the videos.
There was talk of some marketing person talking to us but I think my utter disinterest and I'm sure expression of abject boredom gave her the impression not to bother.


And the deal was only to attend a 2 hour pitch. Nobody ever said anything about paying attention.


No idea how £3,400/year for 15 years and a grand a year for the rest of my life after that, and that's before I even pay for flights, is supposed to be a good deal. She kept using words like luxury and suite, trying to push that this gave you access to some club only resorts or something that cost the equivalent of £11k/week, but they were all in the middle of bumblefuck nowhere anyway. None in places I plan to visit like Tokyo or Vancouver.

 

[Krakatoa]

The one thing they always forget to mention on these time share deals is travel costs. You have to pay to get to and from the place you are going. When you add this into the already annual cost its a no brainer to stay away.

Be nice, but say no thanks. After they've sent over the third guy they will back off. Each person will pull some paper out and write down some BS numbers, Then rinse and repeat until they are done. . From the outside in its actually fun watching them prey on people.

 

[Rest]

Just keep saying no. When they tell you they have children to feed tell them you hope they starve.

Jesus, I spit my drink out.

 

[Faiz]

Say no.

First last and only solution.

 

[Goldenroad]

Just say no to everything. Their sales pitch is to make you feel bad or stupid for not buying their bullshit. "What, you don't like free money?" "No". "Well, what if I just offered you $3000?" "I'd say no".

 

[JoeNut]

I used to work for a timeshare company doing the sales, it was great!

My advice is, don't listen to a word, and walk out at the moment you're able to without incurring the cost.

 

[andythinkpad]

Let them make the pitch, smile politely and be firm. Pretend to discuss with your partner if you two can speak in a different language.

They generally can tell right away if you are going to take the bait. If you stay firm and polite, they will let you go early.

We got 2 free tickets to the Blue Man Group from the time sharers.

 

[dragonyeuw]

Oh fuck I can't wait till next month when I go Vegas and have to deal with these people up in my shit every 5 minutes. Last time my wife and I were there we walked separately in the hotel and acted like we were total strangers, just so these fucking people wouldn't bother us. I've actually had a couple of them walk right in front of me and block my path to where I had to literally say to one 'get the fuck outta my face'.

I don't have a kind word to say about that predatory practice.

 

[ZOONAMI]

Don't do it?

My gf "won" a hotel stay but we saw the fine print on "presentations" plural, and we said yeah that isn't worth the 2 nights in the black hills. I ain't driving 12 hours to get there and sit through 4 hours of that shit.

 

[Tertullian]

Damn, trying to sell those things must be a miserable job. Some Glengarry Glen Ross shit.

 

[Gandara]

Everytime they say it's only going to be 2 hrs it always ends up closer to 4 hrs. They will wear you down and keep giving you different options until you bit. Reminds me of a jewelry shop in Hawaii. 1st floor is over priced expensive stuff, 2nd floor is mid range and 3rd floor is the gift shop. They will always try to convince you that you are throwing money away. And the worst part is your family can inherit all the yearly fee which they always tell you is a plus.

 

[ZOONAMI]

Everytime they say it's only going to be 2 hrs it always ends up closer to 4 hrs. They will wear you down and keep giving you different options until you bit. Reminds me of a jewelry shop in Hawaii. 1st floor is over priced expensive stuff, 2nd floor is mid range and 3rd floor is the gift shop. They will always try to convince you that you are throwing money away. And the worst part is your family can inherit all the yearly fee which they always tell you is a plus.

I remember my parents doing one of these for free universal studios tickets. My dad was about to lose it. How many fucking times do I have to say no lol.

 

[Luschient]

Can't think of a worse hell than a 2+ hour timeshare presentation.

 

[Thaedolus]

After doing one at a resort in Mexico my wife and I swore to never do it again. Super obnoxious high pressure sales and I think they might've spiked the beer they gave me (no joke). Never again.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

Just say no to everything. Their sales pitch is to make you feel bad or stupid for not buying their bullshit. "What, you don't like free money?" "No". "Well, what if I just offered you $3000?" "I'd say no".

"Do you want to not buy this timeshare?"

Can't think of a worse hell than a 2+ hour timeshare presentation.

Easy. A 3+ hour timeshare presentation

 

[Earthbound64]

GAF really has this much trouble declining propositions?
Just ask whatever girl you last asked out for tips on how to say no.

 

[Gravy Boat]

GAF really has this much trouble declining propositions?
Just ask whatever girl you last asked out for tips on how to say no.

I'm sure nobody has problems saying no, it's just saying that no for 4 hours gets tedious and irritating.

 

[butalala]

My wife (then girlfriend) and I went to one of these things in Puerto Vallarta in Mexico a couple of years ago. We made a couple of mistakes.

The first mistake was that we agreed to go through the sales pitch on our first full day of the vacation. The hotel/resort we stayed at was connected to this timeshare company, so they had sales people waiting for us in the hotel lobby, and asked what "rewards" we wanted. We didn't even get to our hotel room! We were tired, hot, hungry and disoriented during this conversation and let the sales people talk us into something we probably shouldn't have.

The second mistake was not taking them for everything thing they were worth. The only reward that we asked for was a snorkling day trip excursion thing. Really touristy, but still a kind of fun experience. I met some people that got tickets for 3-4 excursions, bottles of booze, dumb souvenirs, etc.

If I could do it over again, I'd try to delay that initial sales conversation as long as I could to get some refreshments and a bit of rest. I'd also plan to start this negotiation by asking for as much as they had to offer, just so that they could talk me down to something that was still pretty rewarding. I'd maybe even let them think that I was interested for a while.

During the actual sales pitch, we got tossed between four or five sales people who all took various tactics to get us to buy. We were honest about the fact that we had absolutely no money. My wife/then gf was just out of grad school with a mountain of debt, and I had a ok job, but no room in my budget for things like time shares.

Most of the sales people were polite, but there was one guy who seemed to try to get me to buy by insulting me, I guess? He said something like my girlfriend was way too hot to be with a guy like me, as if that would start up some kind of macho fire in my belly and make me decide to spend money that I didn't have.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that you should try to take these people for all that they are worth because they are total slime.

 

[HStallion]

Shit your pants. That will end things really quick

 

[Skellig Gra]

It's going to be more than 2 hours. And if you walk out you most likely won't get the appropriate paperwork to get your discount/free shit.

I remember my parents doing one of these for free universal studios tickets. My dad was about to lose it. How many fucking times do I have to say no lol.

lmao

 

[ZOONAMI]

"Do you want to not buy this timeshare?"

Ahahahaha dead

 

[Random Painted HIghway]

We need a post from someone who has tried to sell these things. Would love to know how many suckers they need to land make a profit.

 

[Amory]

GAF really has this much trouble declining propositions?
Just ask whatever girl you last asked out for tips on how to say no.

 

[bachikarn]

The ones I have been were more personalized. They only had one person talking to us. I was pretty upfront that I didn't want to do it. They cut it early.

In theory, if it is pretty obvious you arent going to get it, a sales person isn't going to want to waste time with a person who definitely isn't going to buy.

 

[vypek]

Yeah Hilton Grand Vacation.
I didn't have to sign in/out, just give them my name on arrival.

The timeshare person was actually late, making no apology for being so, and the room was ridiculously uncomfortable. Glaring sunlight in our faces with no blinds and she spent half the pitch with the world's strongest smelling coffee on her desk. (I dislike even the smell of coffee, never mind the taste).

No way was my phone going away during some shitty videos of places like Tuscany that I have no interest in, especially when the sales person walks off during the videos.
There was talk of some marketing person talking to us but I think my utter disinterest and I'm sure expression of abject boredom gave her the impression not to bother.


And the deal was only to attend a 2 hour pitch. Nobody ever said anything about paying attention.


No idea how £3,400/year for 15 years and a grand a year for the rest of my life after that, and that's before I even pay for flights, is supposed to be a good deal. She kept using words like luxury and suite, trying to push that this gave you access to some club only resorts or something that cost the equivalent of £11k/week, but they were all in the middle of bumblefuck nowhere anyway. None in places I plan to visit like Tokyo or Vancouver.

What an awful sounding presentation. The salesperson must have mentally checked out. With no sign in I wonder how they would have reacted (if at all) had you just not shown up to the presentation and just enjoyed the stay as if it was just a normal vacation.

 

[Bam Bam Baklava]

Most people have trouble saying no. That's why people stand outside stores trying to get you to sign up for something. They key is enjoying saying no to people.

 

[Earthbound64]

Most people have trouble saying no.

Do they really?

That's why people stand outside stores trying to get you to sign up for something.

If 5 people say no and 1 says yes, it's still worthwhile for them, despite more people saying no than yes.

 

[ZOONAMI]

We need a post from someone who has tried to sell these things. Would love to know how many suckers they need to land make a profit.

I'm not in timeshare sales but the tactic is to get people to say yes just to get out of the room quickly. There are some people who don't want to keep repeatedly saying no for four hours without at least giving the salesperson a fair shot, the salesman starts to break them down, and eventually the person may even see some value in the timeshare if the salesman is doing a good job.

Or to keep badgering so the people leave without completing the presentation so they don't have to give anything away. If someone has money and they see even some value in the timeshare they might just say fuck ok sign me up and get me out of here.

Yep ^

 

[Goldenroad]

"Do you want to not buy this timeshare?"

Touche.

Also, don't drink. Alcohol lessens your inhibitions and makes you more susceptible to being pressured into the sale.

 

[Boylamite]

Went to one in mexico. They gave us a tour, and then at the end we were led to some "exclusive" bar where they turned up the pressure. There was literally no way I was going to agree to anything which I made perfectly clear at every opportunity.
They started feeding us drinks and then brought out their "closer".
I told him that 1) 80 thousand dollar impulse buys are completely irresponsible, and 2)if we ever fell on financial hardships, holidays would be the first thing we cut out.
Guy got up very angrily and stormed off, practically shouting at us.
The girl who gave us the tour handed me the vouchers without even looking at me. It was hilarious seeing the switch from them being our best friends to pure contempt.
IMO It's a waste of time. I wouldn't go through it again, I just want to be drinking on the beach.

 

[Coriolanus]

Do they really?

i mean, we live in a world where a lotta people don't instantly hang up as soon as they realize they're talking to a telemarketer, so sure, probably.

 

[Hari Seldon]

I have attended a few of these in my time. The tactic they seem to like to use (if they are good), is to ask how much money you paid for the trip and then show you how much money you would save if you have a timeshare and how you can resell it and shit, and how much nicer it is compared to a hotel.

If you say: "but I don't necessarily want to travel to the same place."
They will say: "You can transfer it and stay somewhere else!"

If you say: "I don't take a vacation every year."
They will say: "No problem, you can bank the points to use later!" (maybe, depending on the timeshare)

They will have an answer for every objection you can make because they have a playbook.

The easy way out if you don't want to be rude (which I don't have the balls to do) is to lie and say you are staying free on points and that you travel so much for work you always vacation for free. That is what I usually do lol.

But seriously some of those timeshares are nice as fuck and I wouldn't mind buying one if I had the cash.

 

[Jeronimo Jones]

Never sat through one but I'll hit a salesperson with a "no, not interested" in a heartbeat.

Store credit card? Loyalty/rewards card? Email list sign up? Disc scratch protection? Preorder? Assistance of any kind? Telemarketer? I give out no's like candy.

 

[reggieandTFE]

They told us 2 hours, and it ended up taking over 4. The free food was a crappy premade sandwich right at the very beginning.

This happened to my wife and I. It was supppsed to be 2 hours and almost took 4. Also, she was 6.5 months pregnant and cranky the whole time. That didn't stop them from putting on the hard sell and having 8 different people make an ask.

We got 2 Disney tickets and our hotel was $60/night so it was ultimately worth it though.

 

[Outtrigger888]

Can't wait for the "I just bought a time share" thread.

 

[Man Called Aerodynamics]

Do they really?

If everyone who thinks that they are a free thinker who doesn't follow the crowd and isn't susceptible to pressure was actually right, there wouldn't be an advertising industry.

 

[Begbie]

"I don't sign anything until my lawyer reviews it"

 

[MindofKB]

I went to one of these in Maui in September. In exchange for attending, the wife and I were able to get $500 worth of events (luaus, snorkeling, etc) for $50.

When I signed up for it, I explicitly asked if they would try to run my credit or swipe my debit card. The lady who signed us up said "no." When we got there the next day, they asked for my debit card RIGHT when we walked in and I declined. This pissed them off, but it pissed me off more because I had to deal with a lie right off the bat.

Then we sit down with our personal agent and she tries to run my credit. At this point, I'm REALLY pissed because that's lie #2 in a 10 minute span. I tell her I'm not gonna let her run my credit and she says,"It's a soft credit check." LOL! Soft, hard, whatever the hell you wanna call it, it's a credit check and the answer is no.

Then we go into the PPT presentation with the other couples and I realize that we're the youngest people there by FAR. Most of the couples are in their 60s. At the time, I was 30 and the wife was 28. We were in no position to buy a vacation home, because we don't even own a regular home. That being said, they still tried to convince me to prioritize a vacation home over a regular house and I declined for a smooth 2 hours. I've never said,"No thank you" more times in my life.

When I'm presented with the exit paperwork, I read over it before I sign it and the agent says,"Just sign it" in an annoyed voice. I tell her,"I just met you 2 hours ago and you tried to convince me to spend tens of thousands of dollars. I'm going to read everything you hand me before I sign it." Then after I sign it, she throws a shot at me. As she's signing her part, she says,"You know, you think you're so smart coming to this to get vacation discounts. But really, you made a stupid move by wasting your time here." I looked at her like,"Bitch, did you just insult me?!" and apparently that look at my face was really telling because my wife squeezed my leg and said,"OK LET'S GO."

It was a terrible ordeal overall, but we saved a lot of money on events. Just make sure you decline everything and you'll be straight.

 

[Google]

Guys,

You're getting a free vacation for 2 hours of your time. Just suck it up

 

[Apathy]

 

[Lagamorph]

She asked me some question about something and the answer I gave was "I don't know. Her response to that was "Well what if you did know?"

How do you even answer that? I was polite enough to hold myself back from my first answer of "If I did know I wouldn't have said I don't know and would've given an answer instead" and instead went with another "I don't know"