What would you do - a timeshare preso in Hawaii, or do you own thing?

[TravelingGal]

The Deco-moon thing spurred me on and TGuy and I are making plans for a belated honeymoon (we never took one either). We''re thinking on our one year anniversary.

Some things I want to point out before I ask the question:

- We are going to Australia over the holidays since he will not have been home for 2.5 years. I have yet to be introduced to the full family as his "wife."
- We are saving for that trip and will be spending a pretty penny.

We both have never been to Hawaii, which of course is not cheap. In my research, I found an offer at a reputable, nice resort in a great location for $649 for 5 nights, plus $185 credit towards a rental car and $100 resort credit. The catch...90 minute timeshare preso you have to sit in on the third day of the trip (which will undoubtedly go longer).

I''ve checked out the deal various sources and it seems it''s legit. You normally have to be "invited" (usually by referral or filling out their online site) but I just called and asked if it was available. So here is my question...

1. Would you take 90 minutes to potentially 3 hours of your precious honeymoon time to sit in a presentation if you could save 100s of dollars? All the comparable resorts (as well as this one) charge 400 a night...so that''s $2000 for 5 nights plus what the car rental would cost vs the $649. Since a year will have passed since we got married, we''re not feeling as "honeymoony" as we probably would have after we just got married, if that makes a difference.

2. Do you think there''s any ethical issue with taking the offer if you have no intention of buying a timeshare? I have thought about this and I know these are high pressure sales pitches where lots of people sign on the dotted line when they didn''t intend to. You are only obligated to sit in the preso if you accept the offer. But I KNOW I won''t buy one and wonder if I should feel bad about that.

Of course...you get what you pay for...the ones who took this offer got the worst room in the place, but if you go expecting that, I don''t think it''s an issue. Normally, I would say my time is worth more than the savings, but we are saving so much for our Australia trip (which will not be a honeymoon since we are catching up with friends and family), I''d really like to take the honeymoon I''ve never had on a bit of a budget.

 

[decodelighted]

Hoooray!! Here''s to belated MOONs!

I think it''s a great idea! In fact, a friend of mine is doing almost the same thing w/her husband- just for a vaca though -- in Aruba. They wanted an easy, romantic yet thrifty getaway & found out about that type of plan when her husband was on the island for biz. He''s like -- I HAVE to come back with the wife ... They''re going in the next couple weeks so I''ll let ya know if there''s any "downside" they didn''t count on. Or if they get hypnotized & actually BUY a timeshare ...

We''d been haunting Travelzoo for the right "deal" that called to us since last October -- so our Ireland thing is a "bargain" also. If you''re looking for other deals -- ya might wanna check that out too. Their Travelzoo Top 20 web-deals has been responsible for way more of my adventures than I''d care to admit.

 

[TravelingGal]

Yes, keep me posted Deco, thanks.

And re: travelzoo...ya think TravelingGal doesn''t already subscribe? I LOVE getting that email!

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 4/24/2007 4:50:41 PM
Author: TravelingGal
re: travelzoo...ya think TravelingGal doesn''t already subscribe? I LOVE getting that email!

HA!!! I guess I *should* have known better!!!

I''m always boggled at how many people have never HEARD of it though!!!

 

[TravelingGal]

lol. Oh man, when I was single and flying by the seat of my pants, I''d go over the offers voraciously. Not as easy to do now that I''m hitched!

 

[KristyDarling]

I would totally do it!!! Heck, it''s Hawaii...land of the $700/night crappy hotel room. If you''re feeling guilty about it cuz you know you''re not buying, just feign a very vague, very remote interest....juuust enough so that it''s not so obvious you''re there only for the great room rate, but not sooo much that Mr. SalesPitchGuy is gonna get all excited and hopeful on you.

And like you said, as long as your expectations are set in terms of not getting the deluxe oceanview room, you''ll be fine.

 

[TravelingGal]

Thanks for your input KD. Maybe sometimes I just think about things too hard. Being in sales, I''d just hate to have someone sitting before me who was sure they weren''t going to buy. Doesn''t make the job fun.

 

[Mara]

all i have to say is did you see the southpark episode where the families went to colorado and had to sit in on a '45 minute presentation' about timeshares? long story short they were in the preso the entire 3 days and got no actual skiing in.

i've never done one before but i have always been leery. i'd probably just pony up the extra few hundred bucks and do our own thing so we don't have to worry about it.

 

[KristyDarling]

Hehe, just try to step out of your salesperson''s shoes while you''re in Hawaii....you''re on vacation! And don''t feel bad, because I''m sure that around 95% of people who go to these presentations are totally uninterested in buying and are only in it for the hotel room. And I''m sure that every timeshare person knows it, too. (now why anyone would want to go into timeshares sales, I have no idea! It seems like such a tough proposition!)

 

[Mara]

oh and re: hawaii not being cheap...when greg and i went on our scouting mission for the wedding a few years ago, we went during a good time, we got airfare deals for something like $200 per person, and then our little cottage in waimea was i think $150 a night...so we ended up staying for 5 nights with airfare and a convertible for about $1500 total or something like that.

another deal..my friend and her fiance went to puerto vallarta last year at a good time and had 5 days, 4 nights in a westin with airfare from SJC for something like $1300 TOTAL. it was pretty sweet, they loved it!

 

[partgypsy]

traveling gal, for that money difference I would do the presentation. All you are agreeing to is that you will hear their presentation, not that you will buy a time share so there is no deceit. However I have heard they are very high pressure (practically don''t let you leave the room until you have signed) so be aware of this and that they WILL try to make you feel bad if you don''t buy. Normally I feel guilty for shopping without intent to buy, but in their case (time share people) they verge on unscrupulous regarding their sales tactics and signing up people who clearly don''t need a time share so I don''t feel bad in this case. They have quotas for signing people to contracts, but I''m sure they have quotas for signing up people for presentations as well that you are helping them fulfil.

 

[TravelingGal]

The guy on the phone told me it is in the contract to sit for 90 minutes. You can walk out after that. I can be very forward if need be, so I am not worried. But to be honest, I''m kind of interested in the process...I have never done this before and being in sales, I always find it fun to see how what other sales people''s styles are.

Well, I booked the airline tix anyway. They are costing me $10, since I have plenty of miles. I couldn''t believe they had two tickets to Maui available. If I were to do the timeshare thing, the entire thing would cost $639 for 5 nights, 6 days for two people for air, hotel and car rental. I would normally not considering doing something like that, but the resort is reputable and I''ve checked two solid travel sites with members who said that while the preso is annoying and the room locations are the worst in the resort, the offer is legit and the resort is lovely. I''m already aware they are doing some construction which should be finished by the time we arrive.

Honestly, I don''t care. I plan to be in the water snorkeling....

 

[Skippy123]

yah, TG for snorkeling! Very exciting!

If you change your mind about the time share thing, check out vrbo.com; just a thought.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/24/2007 6:35:19 PM
Author: Skippy123
yah, TG for snorkeling! Very exciting!

Hee hee...I know! I would prefer to dive (am certified) but TGuy is not enthused about learning.

Mara, your deal sounds great and normally that kind of thing is exactly what I would go for. I love hostelling, small B&Bs and don''t need a posh vacation at all. But in this case, I REALLY want to stay at a resort with a pool, beachfront, pool bar with overpriced drinks...you know, the overhyped works! We actually did a holiday like this before in Playa Del Carmen and were kind of bored after a while, but I think we would do more exploring in Hawaii...especially since the resort is not all inclusive like it was in Mexico (therefore making it worth your while to stay and eat/drink on the premises).

 

[TravelingGal]

P.S. I did check vrbo.com and I have had great luck in the past. But the prices are still up there, and I would to stay at a resort...but thanks!

 

[Mara]

I hear ya...in Hawaii we find we are often out driving around or doing our own thing because there was so much to do, so the whole cottage thing worked so well for us..we could sit on our patio and drink coffee and eat breakfast by ourselves then head out for the day etc. But I loves me a great resort with the works as well...mmm Parker Palm Springs here we come again in August!!!

 

[scarleta]

" been there, done that" Never again would I agree to do anything of this sort.90 minutes will turn into 4 hours if you are lucky.Leave the room you say? Just try it and you will see.that is their job and they happen to be good at it.Very good in fact they already convinced you.My short story goes like this; went early Am breakfast was to be served and then we can leave.No we could not leave.Our excuses were many to get out and leave nothing worked, they even offered to call long distance to see if we could reach relatives for financial help with buying into it.Yes we were able to leave after more than ,5 hours only on one condition we promissed that they can announce to a room full of others that we bought and we were to smile happily as the clapped their hands in applause.We did it because it was the only way we could leave this room.
I have heard similar stories from others, so I would never take it.Just pay and have a good time..

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/24/2007 8:31:58 PM
Author: scarleta
'' been there, done that'' Never again would I agree to do anything of this sort.90 minutes will turn into 4 hours if you are lucky.Leave the room you say? Just try it and you will see.that is their job and they happen to be good at it.Very good in fact they already convinced you.My short story goes like this; went early Am breakfast was to be served and then we can leave.No we could not leave.Our excuses were many to get out and leave nothing worked, they even offered to call long distance to see if we could reach relatives for financial help with buying into it.Yes we were able to leave after more than ,5 hours only on one condition we promissed that they can announce to a room full of others that we bought and we were to smile happily as the clapped their hands in applause.We did it because it was the only way we could leave this room.
I have heard similar stories from others, so I would never take it.Just pay and have a good time..

Wow, that is awful! Out of curiosity, what country was this time share in? From the reviews I have read, the pitch at this resort is high pressure, but not out of control. Most got out in two hours.

Hawaii also has a bill of rights written by the government for people who attend timeshares because of past problems.

I think from what I have been researching, the key is to not protest and not ask questions.

 

[scarleta]

It was in Hawaii few years back and as I said many people I talked to where put in the same or worse situation.After that believe me I had no desire to claim any price , just wanted to get out of there...

 

[TravelingGal]

Thanks for the info Scarleta...there''s no "prize" in this case...but I keep everyone posted on what happens!

 

[scarleta]

good luck to you and keep us posted.

 

[cpster]

May I ask where you found this offer? Sounds like an amazing deal! We once did a presentation for just a $100 resort credit. We did feel weird at first, but near the end the salesman could tell he wasn''t going to get us to buy so it was really low pressure. We did it at the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa on Oahu.

 

[JoangA]

No, I would not sit through a time share presentation, again for anything. I hate the high pressure sales pitch, it''s not just the time, I came out exhausted and felt violated by the whole ordeal. Never again I swore!

However everyone is different, and it''s your call. Just imagine what you time is worth, at that particular moment, sitting on a peaceful beach, enjoying a MaiTai..

Enjoy the moon though! That''s always a good thing!

 

[chiefneil]

I''ve done it a couple times at Hilton and Marriott. They were both pretty low-pressure. I made it clear that I wasn''t interested and was out of there in 90 minutes both times. I saved a lot of money, but I don''t think I''ll be doing it again.

FYI, Starwood has a 50% off deal on properties in Hawaii through June 4 (for Starwood members). That includes Westin and Sheraton. Of course 50% off a $600 room still equals $300, but it''s a good deal for Hawaii.

 

[TravelingGal]

Thanks everyone for your input.

I have researched the heck out of this for the past few days, staying up quite late! There are forums for everything...and I found a good one for timeshare owners where all kinds of topics were discussed - from how to get out of a preso fast to promotions such as these.

It seems that while there are really bad high pressure sales tactics out there, the ones by the reputable hotel chains in Hawaii aren't so bad. As I mentioned, this one is not for a gift...but a discount in lodging, so they need to pony up on the deal to get me there to the preso. Keep in mind you have to pay for your flights...which aren't cheap and they know that. Hence the amazing offer. Without people touring the place in person, they can't make the sale.

There are lots of people who do these deals and are apparently quite happy. Even timeshare owners themselves see nothing wrong with going without the intent to buy, as salespeople know this and think they can change your mind. As I said, normally I would not do this kind of thing...I find 2 hours of my time quite precious! But the studios at the resort I am looking at go for 350 a night and up (I checked online, since the timeshare also operates as a hotel). That would be almost 2000 just for the hotel stay (after taxes and such) and I would still have to rent the car. Apparently these deals are usually about 25% of the price of usual rates.

cpster, as for how I found this deal, I am not sure I can post that here as it may count as spam. But I frequent a lot of travel boards and stumbled upon it. I will say that generally to participate in these deals, you must make a high household income (which they can't verify, by the way). You can go to reputable websites and make an inquiry, and it will ask you questions such as your income, etc. If you fit into their target, they'll send you invitations to preview resorts at low prices. Current timeshare owners can also refer friends and family to deals such as this. I did not have an invitation but called in to see what promos were offered. They never told me (as often is the case) that I must be referred, so I got a little lucky.

There's all kinds of red tape, and you have to be careful. They take $300 upfront and tell you that you have 18 months to book the trip, at which time they take the rest of the balance. What they don't tell you is that dates during peak times can be hard to get. You have to be flexible to take advantage of this kind of stuff. I read that in advance and asked them if they could check my dates right then, and they were happy to do so.

But if you do your research, it seems like the deal is totally legit. They close on average 1 out of 10 leads, which more than pays for the other 9 previewers giveaways.

ETA: there are even offers out there which there is no obligation to sit through a preso! I didn't qualify for that one because of the state I live in (which happens, as New York isn't qualified for the offer they gave me according to one forum post I found). The resort believes once you are there, you will want to know more about it. Of course, they offer credits and such if you do attend the preso once you are there.