Posted on July 10, 2010
ok this is the deal, i've dealt with scams before and i'm sure this one is but my step mom won't believe me. a guy called and told us he could sell our timeshare when we've been trying to sell it for months. he calls back a month later and says a really rich arab family wants to buy it for 10,000 more than we have it listed for. now the realtors want us to send them money through paypal for advertising and selling our timeshare. she's hung up on the fact they sent us a very real looking contracts but i think it's a scam. your opinion?
Posted on July 5, 2010
I got suckered into signing up for this. Now I have to go to try to get my deposit back. Are there any suggestions on how to make sure the sales pitch does not take up more than 90 minutes of my valuable time? I have no money nor interest in buying a timeshare of any sort.
Posted on July 3, 2010
I've always been curious about this. I've been to just one timeshare presentation (when I was in fresh out of college, and I didn't know that my coworker lured me to attend a timeshare presentation). I'm curious to go to another, as 8 years have lapsed since then.
Now, I've been to many car dealerships (because I have been interested in buying a used car), but haven't really been subjected to such high pressure sales tactics--at least not the ones described to me that timeshare people use. For instance, no car sales person has ever said to me "well, you can always gift your car to your heirs when you're done using it" or "buying cars are a great investment instrument!"
I've been to many blogs and websites on timeshares (Tug2.net, saveoneresorts, igougo.com, tripadvisor, stayhereplayhere.com, consumeraffairs.com, complaints.com, bbb.org, to name just a few) to get both sides of the story. I've seen some standard responses (I can't afford it, it's not for me, I don't want to make a decision now, let me ask my wife, I don't have kids) but those are easily answered by most timeshare salespeople. What other excuses have worked for you in the past that are truly ingenious?
Thanks Steph, for your answer!
Actually, I also read somewhere that the salespeople say that you can avoid your yearly maintenance fees by referring *just* 20 people to come and take a tour. I think that is how my coworker got me to go in the first place. She made no mention of a timeshare presentation--she basically had an ad in our work intranet bulletin board of a free vacation. I guess that's how she paid for her maintenance fees, and I guess she also got to keep any of the extra perks, since I wasn't offered any money or tickets after the presentation either! All of that for a 3 day/2 night stay in Charleston, SC.
To NCCMSS: Excellent post! That is one of the sites I've never been to myself. Thanks for the info.
Posted on June 25, 2010
I am thinking of buying a timeshare and I was wondering if anyone owns from Interval International. How much did you pay? Was it worth the money? And how easy is it to exchange for different locations around the world? Does anyone else own from a different company?? Please share your stories. Any help would be great. Thanks!
Posted on June 24, 2010
Or, who would best benefit from having a timeshare? I see only cons, so please tell me any pros.
1. High upfront
2. Fallacious predictions of future costs
3. Why travel the same place over and over instead of owning a place or renting hotels (I doubt if you cut a deal with a travel company to commit 10-20 years you can't get a better bargain)
Why do people get timeshares? are they stupid? Are they looking for a place to waste money? Are they pre-paying to force themselves to be on vacation?
Ok, I know owning a place costs too much, at least in maintenance alone.
Aren't there "special" hotels and resorts that are more 'homelike' that fit babies, and food, though more costy, less upfront compared to costs?
I understand with inflation, demand, hotel prices MAY go up, but doesn't "locking in" a price also "lock in" the obligation to get your money's worth every year, plus lock yourself to certain timeshared locations rather than a different new place every once in a while?
Posted on June 23, 2010
We have been renting 11 months directly from the owner who lives in Canada (which we found was illegal in our county without a property manager). We had NUMBEROUS documented issues with maintenence, condition upon move in, etc. We gave notice that we are moving at lease end and were notified there will be a property manager when we leave who wants to do a security claim. I find this unfair as there was no initial pictures or report done when we moved in and she has no idea what condition the house was in. Not to mention we had to endure 11 months with no management and had to fend for ourselves in regards to repairs, etc. Is it even legal for her to do a security claim on the owner's behalf at this point or have any control over where the money goes? The lease agreement is between the owner and I.
Posted on June 23, 2010
I live in West Palm Beach, Florida and am looking for fun things to do in the semi-nearby area. I don't have a lot of money but I want to do something different. Maybe take a weekend vacation somewhere or even a day trip somewhere cool. Any suggestions? And please don't suggest Disney World.....way too expensive!
