but we did tell them we own at DVC, and we had one kid in college with two others behind them and I needed to buy another vehicle at some point, so buying into a vacation was just not in our plans. It was interesting though. I'm curious to see how other people do with this one.
If you've been to a few of these things, you'll figure out that they have a pattern. Here are "the steps" and how to manage each one:
Welcome and eat -- You sit down with the salesperson, and he asks you about yourselves ... what type of jobs do you have? do you have children? He's sizing up your ability to pay /what techniques to use on you -- do you need to hear "They're only young once" or "If you provide a nice place, the kids'll still want to vacation with you" speech? Oh, and eating time doesn't count towards your "required" 90 minutes (or whatever timeframe they've given you). Eat the free food, if you want, but you are adding to your time.
If you're trying to get in and out, say you've just come from a big meal and aren't hungry ... or you have reservations for a big meal in only two hours ... or (if you're playing this quirky) you have strict allergies and only eat what you yourself cook.
Share whatever job /family information you're comfortable with, but it's also fine to say that you'd rather keep it all biz.
Discussion of numbers -- the salesperson will pull out notebooks or charts and show you how you can vacation in a two-bedroom condo for the same /less money than a plain hotel room. This will involve discussing inflation, trading for other properties, etc. At the forefront will be the importance of family /vacationing while the kids are young /commitment to yourself. Oh, and fuzzy math.
Very fuzzy math.
If you're trying to get in and out, be VERY EXCITED about this and agree with everything your salesperson says. You already own one timeshare are are 100% convinced they're the best things ever! Or your mom /brother /best friend has convinced you already that this is a great deal ... emphasize how excited you are TO SEE THE CONDOS! The point, of course, is to zip through the math-y part and move yourself ahead to the viewing. When they talk about trading properties, you're not interested -- THIS is your only vacation spot; you'll never trade. Don't worry about talk of yearly assessments, etc. -- they want to downplay those things.
Viewing -- the salesperson will show you to the condo, which will -- obviously -- be quite nice.
It's hard to hurry this portion because it usually involves a walk or a golf-cart ride across the property. You'll see a condo, the pool area, the clubhouse. It's okay to start talking about how your 90-minutes is nearing its end /your show reservations /your appointment to meet up with the kids later ... but, realistically, this part's hard to rush.
My only solid tip for this phase: If you're leaving the property, drive your own car.
Do not put yourself at their mercy for a ride back. Explain that you're very embarassed, but you have a little bit of a problem with driving in strange places /in strange cars, and you feel safe with your husband (or you only feel safe when you yourself are behind the wheel). You're sure the salesperson understands quirks, and he will be willing to work with you. You're very happy to follow him in your own car.
The Sale -- You'll go back to the sales hall, and the salesman will present you with numbers and hope you'll pull out your checkbook. This is where you suddenly become confused and don't understand how you went from all those low numbers in the math-y portion of the presentation to these quite large numbers. This is also where you pull out the printed information about how little this timeshare costs on the resale market (resale'll be about 10% of their cost); try RedWeek.com for information. The salesman will say, "Oh, but you want to buy directly from us because we guarantee ___ and/or we give ___ gifts along with the sale." The answer: "You treat some of your customers better than others? I'm not interested in doing business with a company that treats some people like second class citizens." He will say, "Oh, but you've printed off-season costs!" You know this. You
prefer to vacation off-season.
The salesman will bring in his boss, the tough-sell closer. He will tell you a secret: They're just about to close out Phase I of the property, and when they open Phase II -- can you believe it? Next week! You came at just the right time! -- the price will increase! Big increase! Maybe 25-30%. A wise person would buy today. Shuffle your papers around. Pull out your highlighter and consider the low-low cost available on the resale market.
They have an answer for everything: You don't have the money? They finance. You need to think about it? This price is good for a week. This one's a bit too expensive? The company also has an entry-level timeshare that costs half as much /only gives you a vacation every two years. Or they have a few spots left at their 10-year old property, which isn't quite as nice, but it's less expensive.
Another approach that will work -- and I personally prefer this one: Explain right up front that you are 100% certain that you will be buying a timeshare. You are SO EXCITED about this ... buying it for yourselves for your 10th anniversary /your own retirement gift ... but it's a big decision, a lot of money, and you owe it to yourself to investigate all your options; therefore, you're going to tour ____, ____ and ____ over the course of the next six months. This happens to be your first appointment. You have print-outs of other timeshares (show them -- whether you have appointments or not); explain again, you are seeking information today, you are NOT buying until you've seen the other two options. Surely the salesman understands that you cannot buy until you've also seen Hilton and Wyndham?
No matter what you do, they will call you next week ... and the week after that ... and the next month. They will call you three times (and will keep trying 'til they speak to you three times). Remember, they have invested time and money in you ... I get why they try so hard.
Never be mean to these people -- they're just working their jobs. But also don't allow yourself to be intimidated and certainly don't buy anything you don't actually understand /want pretty badly. Timeshares are easier to buy than to sell.
They require both partners present if married.
Even if they declare a required income and credit scores, they have no way of checking them.
Never, ever, give up you SSN for a credit check. Tell them if things get truly serious, then a credit check could be considered later..........or you might get an outside loan.
Oh no, no, no ... no timeshare should ask you for these things -- not unless you're actually buying. Run away!
