BajaNomad

Timeshares

bajagrouper - 8-27-2006 at 03:23 PM

I am hearing that time share salespersons offering all kinds of stuff from cash to meals to Tequilia to flights down to resorts to go to a timeshare presentation...What kinds of things have you been offered to go to a presentation??? and if you went did you get what was promised??? Thanks

bajajudy - 8-27-2006 at 03:27 PM

15 years ago I went to a presentation because they offered me a free ride to San Lucas and back....They also offered free hamburgers but one look at them, and I declined(never been a fan of gray burgers). The free ride was nice.
Never done it again but have heard of people getting $100 cash

Oso - 8-27-2006 at 10:11 PM

Fell for one of those pitches exactly once, in the NC mountains. Was promised 25 silver dollars & free burgers. Visions of 1908 Libertyheads made me agree. After an hour of concentrated hard sell, the "Real-i-tor" finally realized he wasn't getting anywhere and grudgingly handed over a paper roll of what later proved to be 24 Susan B. Anthony dollars. Of course he'd P-nched one out each roll. Not worth going back for but a good indication of the honesty inherent in this trade. Oh, and yeah the burgers sucked.

oxxo - 8-28-2006 at 08:38 AM

I've been to several timeshare presentations. I am somewhat demented and enjoy the whole song and dance to some extent. If you have the right kind of attitude going in, it is an interesting case study in buying and selling psychology. I have always been able to find out a lot of local "insider" information from our hosts.

I have found that the promised merchandise is always delivered........at some point! The hawkers will tell you that it is a 90 minute presentation (including breakfast) but most times you will not get your merchandise for 2 to 4 hours!!!!! Be firm but be polite. If you you lose your self control then they win.

I visited Zihuatenejo last year. When I got off the plane I was approached with an offer of a free buffet breakfast at a new restuarant. I asked if there was going to be a presentation, I was told no, it was a brand new restaurant at a nice resort and they were trying to drum up business. I knew this was a time share pitch but I said okay. We were picked up the next morning and taken to a nice resort and restaurant. We were introduced to our "host." I asked if this was a time share presentation. They said no, they just wanted to tell us about their resort. I resisted and said we were there just for breakfast and I didn't need a host for that. After some discussion, our "host" lost his composure and stomped off. We got our breakfast and found our own way back to our hotel.

The greatest premium I have received for a time share presentation is a one week economy car rental (including Mexican insurance) valued at around $350 USD. And the breakfast was terrific!

Westin Regina in Los Cabos has the best time share breakfast.

[Edited on 8-28-2006 by oxxo]

timeshares

CaboBrian - 8-28-2006 at 06:20 PM

2 years ago in Cabo, i got a free round of golf at Cabo Real, a 1 1/2 hour massage for my girlfriend, the weeks car rental paid and some c-cktails for sitting through a 90 min. deal at Dreams! I thought all that was worth it. We started by signing up for a timeshare at the airport, trumped that at the car rental and trumped all of that at Dreams!

Bruce R Leech - 8-28-2006 at 07:38 PM

dose anyone realy every buy one of those things? If so why?

timeshares

CaboBrian - 8-28-2006 at 07:49 PM

I didn't...it doesn't make sense! I bought a timeshare off a gal at my work for the Marina Fiesta. I got her out of her yearly maint. fee and took it over. You can get them resale for very cheap!

oxxo - 8-28-2006 at 08:48 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bruce R Leech
dose anyone realy every buy one of those things? If so why?


Forced vacation.

bajarich - 8-30-2006 at 06:55 PM

We went to Mazatlan in March. On the bus to our hotel we were offered $250 worth of coupons to use at the Puebo Bonito restaurants if we would sit through the promotion for their new Emerald Bay Resort. They also gave us breakfast and coupons for a tour of the city and a Mexican fiesta. The only negative on the incentives was that on the city tour, the bus stopped at a reataurant in town and we all went in to eat (on our dime). We wouldn't have minded if the food had been good but it wasn't. Our meals at the Pueblo Bonito restrauants were very good, although out of our league if we had had to pay for them.

Paula - 8-30-2006 at 09:40 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bruce R Leech
dose anyone realy every buy one of those things? If so why?


We have very gullible friends (they've been known to buy snow in Montana) who bought a time share in Solmar years ago. They found that they hated Cabo, but used it for trade to travel to other places. But as the fees are rising, they decided to sell it. So Karen decided to go one last time last March but Doug said no way. Karen flew down with a friend and I drove down from Loreto to meet them and stay in the elegant digs. We had a great time, drinking good wine, eating in good restaurants, driving up to Todos Santos-- all the touristy stuff.

So why did they buy it? Beats me, and they don't seem to remember why. But I hope they don't sell it, cuz I wanna go back next year!

bajarich - 9-6-2006 at 08:47 PM

I was thinking about it, and I decided that a timeshare is much less expensive than the first years depreciation on an expensive motor home, let alone the first 5 years depreciation. Now that's a load of money, and people don't have a problem with doing that. Plus, a motor home is hardly a 5-star resort. The real secret for a timeshare is that you have to use it, otherwise it is just throwing money away. If resort vacations are what you like to do, it is cheaper in the long run to own a timeshare, as you are locked in to the current price 30 years into the future. I'm more worried about the cost of the airfare in the future.