Most people will be very aware of the types of timeshare sales meetings you encounter on holiday resorts. Heralded for their successful but ruthless tactics, these meetings are the main source of salespeople’s income.
However, something which perhaps isn’t always necessarily associated with timeshare sales, but is another of their main sources of income is via phone calls.
Whether you have previously attended meetings in the past, have a timeshare currently or have no interest, you may receive a call from a timeshare salesperson.
To help you get to grips with exactly who is calling, what to say and how to avoid slipping into a deal you might not actually want, here are our five top tips for handling a call from a timeshare salesman.
Have a Firm Stance
Obviously, not all of these calls will land with people currently interested or tied to timeshares. There is a decent chance you might receive one entirely out of the blue.
If you are interested, and the call might benefit you, go right ahead, however, if you have no intention of ever investing in one, you need a firm stance.
These salespeople are very skilled and convince many people each year to invest in things they actually aren’t certain on. So before you end up involved in a deal you really don’t want, be firm and hang up.
Give No Details
As a rule, you should always have your guard up when someone rings you and asks for details.
There is no guarantee they are who they claim to be, so you could be providing a scammer with all of your financial details.
Unfortunately, timeshare reselling has become a big area for scamming phone calls, so if you own a timeshare and receive a phone call, you should be very aware it could be a scam.
If they ask for your details, take that as a bad sign, as a legitimate caller wouldn’t ask over the phone. For more information on resale scams, see this piece from Consumer Reports.
Ask For A Face To Face Meeting
Understandably, phone calls can be uncomfortable, especially when it involves speaking to a stranger about a potentially sizeable investment.
As mentioned above, there’s no guarantee that any timeshare sales call you receive isn’t a scam, so how do you get around it if you are genuinely interested?
One clear approach is to offer them nothing concrete (in terms of details) on the phone, but request a face to face meeting, if they agree and offer a genuine meeting space (not a Costa Coffee), then at least you can trust the deal slightly more. In many instances, however, you’ll simply find that a face to face meeting is the last thing they want.
Request The Offer In Writing
Legitimate timeshare salespeople will almost always send you a letter or email first before bothering you down the phone about a deal, so you have every right to feel wary when you do receive one out of the blue.
The salesperson will almost certainly spin you a sales pitch, at which point you should request in writing.
They might well want to close the deal on the phone, but of course, this is a massive risk and one you certainly should avoid. Simply request it in writing, if they are scammers, they are unlikely to send anything.
More on this, as well as advice on all types of sales calls can be found in this article from Computer World.
Ask More About The Company
Any sales call will revolve around the caller asking questions about you and providing you with a deal, a scam will provide little or nothing about who they actually are.
To help you get a grasp on the call, pose plenty of questions to them. Ask about their business, any details they can provide, perhaps a website address or any previous work they can show you before discussing anything concrete.
These sorts of questions will filter the real from the fake. It also removes a little of the control the salesperson has on the call, giving you more room to assess the situation and the offer.
These five tips should equip you better to deal with any timeshare calls you do receive. The most important thing is to never make a deal over the phone. If you do receive written confirmation it is better to get a professional to cast their legal eye over it before you agree to anything.
If you are concerned about a deal or need any advice, contact us and we will help in any way we can.
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