As an addendum to my last travel tip, this week's tip is "Never purchase anything in a high pressure situation." I mentioned attending several time share presentations as well as sitting though a non-time share vacation package deal (which was very similar to owning a time share unit except that they didn't have a physical home base). In each presentation, we were offered a "special one time offer" that would be off the table once we left the presentation. The presentations were also very manipulative, using leading questions to get you to say what they wanted you to say, and sometimes turning your words around so that it made it look like you said what they wanted you to say. In every case, they highlighted certain aspects of the package while glossing over other parts by vaguely mentioning mentioning them - such as "just a yearly maintenance fee." Of course these maintenance fees are outrageously high and often go up every year - I know because my parents have purchased two time shares. Once you decline, your salesperson goes and gets his supervisor, who tries to sweeten the deal "just for you" because you look like a nice couple. When you turn that down, they sweeten the deal even more, and turn up the heat by saying, "but you have to sign right now." Of course, when you turn it down again, your sales representative is visibly upset because he gets most of his money on commission. A couple of times, the deals sounded too good to pass up and we asked for additional time to go home and consider it. Whenever we stuck by our motto and didn't buy the package, we were always glad in hindsight. The one time we caved in and bought a vacation package in such a situation, we regretted it soon after. Luckily it was a one time deal instead of a long term, high investment purchase.
As I mentioned before, my parents have purchased two time shares. They have provided some fun times with the family, but there are some definite drawbacks: 1) Once a time share resort has sold all their available slots, they have less incentive to keep the resort looking as nice as they did when they were still actively selling packages. 2) The yearly maintenance fees are so high that it's often cheaper to book your vacation at a comparable resort for a one time price despite your sizable initial investment. 3) Every time you book your time share, you are invited to attend another presentation to upgrade your experience. 4) It is practically impossible to book your time share for a time during the "in season" unless you upgrade your package for additional costs. 5) If you don't use your time share within a certain period of time, you basically lose your slot for the year. 6) Although you can technically trade your time share slot at your home base for a slot at another location (different state or country), actually doing so is such a headache that it usually isn't worth it. 7) If you really want a time share, you can find them much cheaper on internet auction sites than you will ever get from buying from the company directly because there are plenty of people with buyer's remorse. As a result of all these difficulties, my parents eventually decided to just stop paying the maintenance fees on one of their time shares, letting it go without any compensation.
Lest you think I'm anti-time share, I'm not. We enjoy the time we spend there every year building memories with family. However, I am against the principle of buying in high pressure situations. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If a company has to work on the principle of selling in high pressure situations, there are almost assuredly major drawbacks in the fine print that aren't obvious on first glance. If a company has a high quality product, it should be able to withstand the scrutiny that comes with going home and "sleeping on it." At least that's my philosophy.
No comments:
Post a Comment