There are many people who make a hobby of attending timeshare presentations simply for the freebies on offer.
Depending on which resort you visit will depend on what you could walk away with as your ‘free’ gift. Such goodies can be anything from a free weekend away, a Plasma TV, show tickets, cash, alcohol, excursion tickets or cigarettes, the list is endless. The gifts range from the average to the extreme, all presented to tempt possible buyers into attending a lengthy exhausting presentation.
The eager relentless sales representatives know that once they have you through the door, they have your attention. They also know that many consumers are simply not prepared for the types of sales tactics that will be demonstrated, which translates into a sale and a hefty commission for the successful salesperson.
Before attending a timeshare presentation, make sure you are clear on how long the presentation is going to last and what you will be entitled to at the conclusion. Always have confirmation of what you will receive even if you do not decide to purchase. We at TCA have listed below tips to ensure you will not be tricked into a vacation ownership which you do not desire.
How to avoid being duped into buying a Timeshare:
- Ask what are the busiest times, it may seem a strange question, however, going at peak time will give you the upper hand, why! – When a resort is fully booked and staff are minimal, your probability of making it through the presentation in under 90 minutes is drastically increased. You are also less probable to be the target of high pressured sales tactics. It is highly likely the representative will move onto the next person if you seem uninterested.
- Before your presentation starts, tell the representative you will be up front with them, and that you expect your honesty to be mirrored by your representative. The honest tactic will deter the representative from hounding or bullying you into something you have already made clear and that you are not interested.
- Be aloof and don’t interact on a personal level with the representative, consumers tend to be tricked into leaking personal information and timeshare salespeople will use any personal information you provide to try and strike some sort of common ground, making you feel as though you can trust them. If they offer some sort of tale about how they know your exact street or maybe a know of a person from your town, nod and just say that’s nice. Divert questions back to the representative about the task in hand.
- Keep them to the time frame of which you were assured of before the timeshare presentation. If you were told 90 minutes, make a point 60 minutes into the presentation of reminding the representative that they now have 30 minutes left to finish the presentation.
- Never lead on a representative. There is no point in pretending to be interested only to say no at the very end. If you have no intentions of purchasing be sure to act that way.
- You will be asked how much your annual income is, lie. Always choose a low to average income. Declaring you have a lot of disposable income is going to make your experience that much more painful – think multiple sales driven relentless representatives all over you for hours on end.
- Make it clear that you already know about timeshare and its benefits. This will force them into focusing on the amenities at chosen resort, hence, making the presentation shorter.
Be strong, be clear and do not be railroaded into buying something you never intended to purchase in the first place.
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