Tax, Death and Timeshare Rip offs

Avoid being ripped off, financially or otherwise.

Introduction

If you enter a timeshare presentation, you have a need to know the product being sold to you will be costly. For instance, you don’t have to enter a sales presentation to buy a ¼ of “black jacks” as its only high end and high priced goods they present. Consider the overheads of the presentation, the salesman’s time (his suit and gold plated flip flops), the event costs, the gifts, lighting, heating and brochures etc. All comes a big cost.

The buyers of the products being sold at presentations will (not might) be paying for all the costs of the failed presentations. Not only the cost of staging your presentation, but everyone else’s who did not buy. If 10 people attend and 1 buys that single buyer pays for the lot.

Now that a lot of dosh, you have pay which you can never sell on to another.

Buying a timeshare from a resort is a definite in that “you never win”, you lose every time. It’s like tossing a head/tails coin and having the only option to back the potential of the coin landing on its side (oh you are also at sea in a storm).

You have more chance of a massive lottery win than making money out of timeshare acquisition. It can turn out to be a “enslaved cotton picking” lifestyle, if you end in the clutches of the “bad lads” who will no squint at milking you until you cannot pay any more. Then they will even try and drain the milk of your kids.

In reality all you have to do is say “no”. If you don’t want the product simply explain its not for you, walk out and if challenged explain

“what part of “no” do you not understand”.

Whenever you meet someone new in life, especially like a timeshare salesman, you and they (if British) send up the shutters or place a caution buffer between each other.

You know that, and so does the salesman. They expect you to put up buffers so do the opposite and create confusion. This in itself puts them off guard and take them off the expectation road.

In all negotiations, the selling process starts very early. In reality a lot earlier than you might think. It starts before first contact, so as to set a good foundation. If you hunt, you investigate, invest time and prepared ready for the kill. The salesmen investigate who are its targets, invest time in determining social positions and invites you to their trap, just like a hunter.

You are the target and they want to grill you over the financial charcoal.

To win or come out even, be crafty. Some fish steal the bate from the hook. Some animals see other make mistake and operate flight instead of fight.

In all hunts the pray carries on as normal until alarmed. You know when your alarmed just like a gazelle does.  Now it’s time for the guard to go up. The art is not to show your heighten alarm or guard. If you show the hunter you are alarmed, he will wait and slowly move in being cautious. If the hunter believe that you are not alarmed and easy picking, he will continue as normal and you will observe him whilst he is unaware.

You are now controlling his hunt.

In a presentation when you and the salesman are eyeing each other up, drop your visual guard in such a way that the salesman believe you are a push over. You might say “it’s great” ““its marvellous” make an effort to settle the salesman and induce him into the belief that you are a bit of a push over.

Now who’s trapping who! The salesman will lighten up, feel relaxed and give away free information because he believes you will not pick up on his “tells”. Sometimes the smallest bit of information is a giveaway.

What car does he drive- look at his watch-his hair, its cut etc? Most salesman are narcissistic and promote for a living. This includes themselves and their appearance. See a picture of his wife. Being a fat lad, I chose a woman who could cook. If he is a self-promoting, he will want a trophy wife. I am sure you get my drift, know the man and then play the man not the product.

A fisherman who has a fish on the hook, lets out some line before bring the fish in. So let the narcissist talk, agree with him, praise him and pander to his need to control and let “Mr Big” play to his own ego, whilst thinking you are “Mr I am goanna splurge my dosh”.

Let him brag, boast and inflate, then pick on a single false statement and go in for the kill.

Tell him you said: – this or you said that! Tell him-you have told me a lie. It’s an untrue, and you are in fact, murdering the truth. Why have you told me lies? What do you hope to gain by lying to me? What other lies have you told me? Why do you have a need to lie to me? Are you ill? Do you want a break? Does your boss know you lie to potential clients?

Explain you believed in him, you trusted him. “You deserve some quite time” i.e. a fee massage might help!

Or simply explain you wanted a presentation and were willing to buy, but now he has been exposed as “a liar” you have lost all confidence (a free trip to the water park might help you forgive). Or walk out. If challenged explain you have just been lied to and feel distressed and alarmed.

Avoidance Game

If you need information or proof, ask for it. It does not matter how small your request is, asking for it.

Explain to him what he has represented and suggest it is of major interest to you and you cannot move on with the presentation until this representation has been fully justified. “Show me the documented proof which confirms that statement”. No proof and an unwillingness to prove can only be considered a lie and you back to explaining alarm and distress at being lied to.

The other easy way to challenge a presentation. Ask the salesman “are these presentations controlled entirely by you” (the salesman)? Do you (the salesman) dictate the way we discuss all matters, do I have any involvement in how we get from A-B (you wanting to sell and me buying) they have to agreed that you are are equal participant and you will be fully involved in the process.

Therefore, ask to see the contract which they expect you to sign. Explain that no matter what they say, no matter how great the resort is or the cheapness of the product, if the contract is not agreeable to you, there is no point wasting everyone time, drilling into every detail if you will never sign the contract.

Consider they is no point losing weight if everyone loves a fat lad. There is no point spending hours looking a lovely set keys if they don’t fit your lock. No point discussing the best savers interest rates offered by a bank account, if you’ve got no money. No point looking at pondering over “which bag of nut to buy” if you have anaphylaxis issues.

No point attending a full presentation if the contracts rubbish. But they don’t want you to look at the contract. Tell them that they said you would have some control over the presentation and you only thing you want to see the contract first. If they refuse, ask them why. You need your mind putting at rest. why won’t they show it to you what they hiding?

If they give the contract to you, look at it and explain how grateful you are and praise them for the amount of time and effort they have gone to in writing and presenting the document. Explain you do not wish to be disrespectful by not reading and understanding it. At this point you can explain you can call back when you have read and fully understood it (a nice free meal might assist you).

After you have read and understood it, you now have the road map, every time the salesmen explain something to you, respond with show me were that is stated in the contract

If they look a bit perturbed at your approach explain:

 “you don’t hunt do ya”

For more information regarding this article or assistance in any other timeshare related issues please contact the TCA on 01908 881058 or email: info@TimeshareConsumerAssociation.org.uk