How TIMESHARES Keep You Poor

[@propertyofranger]

My parents bought a timeshare on a 100 year lease. At the time they honestly believed they were doing something great for their kids by ensuring we’d have access to a guaranteed holiday in a resort that we loved for the rest of our lives. But then it turned out that by putting it into our names they had unintentionally saddled us with tens of thousands of dollars in lifetime fees and constantly increasing annual rates. In the end it cost thousands in legal fees to get our names off the contracts, and it was NOT an easy feat. It was such a debacle and has become a source of deepest regret on their part. Timeshares should be illegal.

[@julieparker5301]

How did y’all get out of the timeshare? What legal documents did y’all have to get done? My fiancés parents bought into a timeshare and I don’t want us to take it over. My fiancé also has two other siblings so idk if it gets divided between the 3 of them? Either way, I want out lol

[@tarikmedia]

you need to make sure you get the lawyer that will take care of their will to reject the timeshare for every single member of your family (reference john oliver "last week tonight" made an episode about it and said it gets passed down to every single member of the family)

[@ROKKANS]

@@tarikmediathat’s diabolical haha, I love it

[@d.w.stratton4078]

Often you CAN'T get off the hook. You're lucky you got out at all.

[@yatshie8717]

How can they even make a contract in your name? Didn't you have to sign this also?

[@kelliann]

My parents used to attend timeshare presentations for the free prizes and called them "Just Say No! Seminars". They had it planned out ahead of time how to keep saying no and still make it to the free item at the end. They'd go so far as calculate how much of their time it would take and if the prize was worth that amount of work hours, and they'd research online from other people like them on which ones were the best prizes at the end vs time in the seminar.

[@mckennadishongh2160]

This is really cute

[@duransstash9800]

Your parents sound like they would be fun to be around. 😂.

[@user-jz5zw2rg9t]

What was the best value they got out of it?

[@JeminiThaBard]

So they actively troll seminars? What a weird way to spend your time. Maybe they get off on sticking it to the sleazy salespeople. Getting some free stuff. Smh I can't look people in the eye and waste their time like that. Such disingenuous behavior, ultimately those people are trying to make a living. I dunno what your parents are doing.

[@lilitulee]

I mean theyre making a living scamming people so idk why youd side with them at all. e​@JeminiThaBard

[@AKbaby89]

I grew up hearing my parents complain about how much they regret getting their timeshare in Mexico. They only used it twice in like a decade, but I remember it was damn near impossible for them to get rid of it. *edit* I was born in 89, and my parents are both in their mid 70s. They got the timeshare over 35 years ago. This is not a recent story.

[@julianajaxson]

We are in end days if Gen Z got fooled into timeshares… I honestly thought this was an industry of the past… I guess it makes sense actually with Herbalife still being a thing. I pray for yall

[@AKbaby89]

@@julianajaxson who said anything about gen z? My parents are in their mid 70s, they aren't Gen z, and neither am I. So idk where you got that from. They got the timeshare over 35 years ago, probably closer to 40. I never said it happened recently

[@tarikmedia]

you need to make sure you get the lawyer that will take care of their will to reject the timeshare for every single member of your family (reference john oliver "last week tonight" made an episode about it and said it gets passed down to every single member of the family)

[@marcd6897]

@@julianajaxson😂😂 caught responding to an unrelated comment and instead of saying “ah, sorry, wrong comment” goes into attack and insult mode.🤦‍♂️

[@julianajaxson]

@@marcd6897 I don’t know if you understood what was said lil buddy. Gen z has resources to look up how not to be stupid yet they fall into all of th pits.. “cope” with it better. People have been time sharing and getting scammed for ages the gen z has no excuse of ignorance to say they didn’t know better. Even if inherited… there are ways out with google child

[@toscafasso2081]

I attended one of these in the 90s with my first husband. It was absolutely as scammy as you say. They made us sit through the long presentation, and then they pressured us alone in a different part of the room, and ultimately the sales guy insulted us for not "taking advantage of this amazing deal." I'll never forget when he said, "so it looks like you're okay with not being on the dock when your ship comes in?" I kind of laughed and I said we're just not going to do this. If you ever stuck in this kind of situation, whether it's timeshares or cults, don't worry about being rude, and don't worry about refusing to answer their questions. Most people are trying to be polite and adhere to conventional rules of society. But you can just say, "I'm not doing this and leave." That's what we did.

[@robbbbery]

Well done! It's harder than people think to get yourself to pick up and leave. Did you get your free stuff?

[@toscafasso2081]

Ha! Yeah it was some kind of casino dinner if I remember correctly. 😂

[@robbbbery]

@@toscafasso2081 nice!

[@bradblumhof6917]

It's truly amazing how many people get pressured into buying these. My wife and I went to a presentation about 15 years ago for a free trip to Vegas (which we got and had a blast on) and it was an eye opening experience. Never had even the slightest chance of getting us to buy, but they sure wasted our entire afternoon trying, not just the 90 min they claim.

[@stephenoutram3926]

We've attended several timeshare presentations for the "gifts" they offer. The last one in Branson Missouri was the worse. The main salesman was alright but the second one they brought in tried bullying us into buying it.

[@sgc15]

Thank you kids shows for showing me as a kid that timeshares were bad

[@totalstarkitty]

Specifically, Good Luck Charlie 😂

[@Silburific]

Literally the only thing I knew about timeshares growing up was that they were scams that only bumbling idiots fell for. It wasn't until an episode of King of the Hill that I learned exactly what they are and how they work, and that episode drove home the fact that yeah- they're predatory scams.

[@sseonghwaa7076]

@@Silburific Same. Timeshares and payday loans were both things I knew were scams as a child but not why. I'm grateful a few different shows I watched back them covered timeshares. For some reason, I was convinced payday loans (loansharks) were mafia run and someone would show up to break your kneecaps if you didn't pay it back lol.

[@jaronimo6314]

Yo this forreal. The trope that timeshares are a scam has been around for awhile.

[@dynamichunter843]

It’s always sunny did their timeshare episode perfectly

[@SippsShanandT]

My best friend's family has a "mouse ears" timeshare - you're right - they call it "vacation club". I was trying to tell her they were a scam because she's all excited her grandma is leaving it to her in her will (can you refuse to accept? Not sure!) She finally started to believe me when I showed her numerous RCI timeshares just like her family's that were for sale on ebay for like $5. Also her family pays $1200 per year in maintenance fees, and are allowed to only visit every other year! If you call the resort directly, a one week stay is less than their "maintenance fee". Also I FREAKING hate timeshares because they scammed an elderly relative of mine who had dementia! Thank you for teaching Gen Z and millennials about this, Cara!

[@adamritton5820]

I almost fell for one until I looked at the maintenance fee structure. It was a point system one where I could stay in any of their hotels around the world and it wasn't overly expensive. It actually would have been a good deal until I got to the end and it said I also had a 586/month maintenance fee. That fee is more than the total vacation! stupid scams.

[@josephstalin1741]

Seeing as it’s your friend who has mouse ear timeshare, you self admit that you don’t deal with the time share directly. My family has owned mouse ear time share for over 20 years and it’s definitely not a scam and it is a good deal if you intend to goto a Disney property every year anyways. I’ve been to Disney every year at least once (sometimes 2 times a year) since I was 5. Because we use it every single year, the annual maintance fees of $3000 is a steal, because we take 3 week vacations. Taking a 3 week vacation in cash at one of their very nice resorts (like animal kingdom lodge) is going to run you a lot more than $3000 if you are going as a family of 4 like we do. Also, you get the points every year, so not sure why you claim your friend can only go every second year. That’s not how mouse eats timeshare works and a quick google search well show that. I’m not saying everyone should get mouse ear timeshare, but if you’re a family who was planning on going to Disney every year anyways, it’s a huge money saver.

[@Prairiewench]

​@@josephstalin1741Your family clearly has a lot of money that's why the timeshare hasn't destroyed you like it did everyone else

[@lysanatt]

@@josephstalin1741 So which timeshare company are you employed in?

[@josephstalin1741]

@@lysanatt did you even read my entire post? At the bottom I make it quite clear that the time share is only beneficial to a very specific group of people. If I worked for a time share company, I’d be fired as that is a terrible sales pitch.

[@Danicalip8]

I used to work at a resort very close to Disney World that had timeshares in part of the property and those sales people would walk around the resort and straight up LIE to people. Like I worked recreation and they would tell the customers that we would watch their kids for free. NO THE HECK WE WONT! I purposely would call them out on their bullcrap right in front of the customers.

[@mbush]

If you ever drive through Branson, MO, you'll see tons of billboards selling timeshares. Then you'll see an equal amount of billboards for Lawyers offices that'll help you get out of your timeshare.

[@cchutney348]

I bet that shit would not fly in Bronson, MO.

[@SaraSmilesandCreates]

We were just in Branson! So true!

[@heatherangel9700]

Sad part is that most of those lawyers are just more scammers.

[@jennzifur]

@@cchutney348NO DICE! 🎲🎲

[@jochenkraus7016]

Are these lawyers actually helping? Or are they thinking, these people already spent a lot of money, let's try to extract some more?

[@HoneyDippedChocolate]

I’m literally going through getting out of one right now. HOT TIP: if you find yourself walking out with a contract after sitting through a presentation, you have a minimum of 3 days to cancel, depending on your state. So if you can’t say no in the moment, CANCEL before the contract locks in

[@jmak7622]

Happened to my wife and I and that night we regretted it instantly. Ended up cancelling the next day and it was the best decision we have ever made.

[@charlesintune]

Commenting to signal boost this.

[@mdml0]

@@HoneyDippedChocolate And pray they pick up the phone. Some tried and couldn't get a hold of someone for 3 days.

[@HoneyDippedChocolate]

@@mdml0 yeah, don’t even bother with calling. In the contract you sign, there are instructions on how to cancel. Usually it’s just mailing in a letter stating you want out and that you’re within your rights to cancel (keep in mind the state in which you signed, shortest is NV with 3 days to cancel after signing before lock in, longest is CA with 15 days I believe). Include contract number and name and send via CERTIFIED MAIL. If not, they won’t cancel. If you try to cancel through phone, you will miss the rescission period because timeshare companies do not care to get back to you.

[@rockyayyy8978]

I did that!! Been a few years, not once have I regretted cancelling the timeshare.

[@moldovanca]

My in-laws got a timeshare when vacationing in Hawaii and said they want to pass it on to my husband once they pass; I said hard pass! We are not retired and wealthy like they are, we would just end up paying the increasing fees but never actually going on vacation. It felt horrifying to me that they want to basically “gift” us debt. No, thank you.

[@deisychocon7032]

You might want to look further into this as a lot of timeshares have it in their contract that once the owner dies the times share goes to the closest relative. And there’s a certain short time frame in which you have to fill out the paperwork to decline it or else you’re stuck with it, which is vile especially when people are mourning and planning a funeral.

[@moldovanca]

@@deisychocon7032 thank you for the tip!

[@ricko2301]

That's the devil's work right there lol ​@@deisychocon7032

[@carthellkelly1599]

​@@deisychocon7032Yeah, but unless there is a truly unusual set of contract laws in the state where the timeshare agreement is made, a timeshare buyer nor the timeshare seller can force somebody who doesn't sign the contract into the agreement. Estate property is accepted and refused by heirs every day in the United States. Timeshares are subject to the same treatment.

[@Mady0]

@@deisychocon7032 How is that legal...?

[@cathywaters6233]

Went to Jamaica for my birthday last year. Tried a different resort and they hit us with a timeshare presentation, after originally offering to take us on a tour of the resort. I negotiate contracts for a living and realized quickly what they were trying to do. I thanked them for the information, got up and walked out. They followed me the entire time trying to sell me a timeshare. It was an awful experience and we complained to the resort about how underhanded it was to lie to customers. Needless to say we will never return. My heart goes out to the people who have been taken advantage of by these companies.

[@thefinancialfreedomgirl]

they followed you around?? that's so awful, i'm sorry :(

[@dorisnamondo97]

I had a similar hotel stay with a presentation years ago. When they took me to their private section for more "convincing". I told him I'm full-time student. It ended right there😂

[@Mirandasiwillja]

Name and Shame the resort.

[@theprogressivemichigander6588]

When I was little we got a free stay at a hotel for a time share presentation. My parents both can't make decisions which the presenter took as evidence he was getting close to a sale. 7 hours later, he realized they were no closer to saying yes than they were at the start but just weren't ever going to firmly reject him. They were leaning against it the whole time. He finally said he had to go home (it was about 8 at night). My parents offered to come back the next day. He said no. It wasn't the most entertaining vacation, but it did effectively save some other people from one predatory timeshare presenter for a day.

[@twinkiemp]

That’s hilarious and awesome 😂

[@derekrequiem4359]

7 hours god lord 🤯

[@tymondabrowski12]

What can you even talk about in 7 hours? How are such lomg "presentations" a thing? No one complains about the time waste and not eating etc.?

[@abbykadabby418]

LOL my mother (RIP) was so good at taking advantage of the free stays they used as an incentive. My parents would sit through the presentation and simply say no and leave. There may have been one time that I remember that they were close to getting roped in but eventually stood their ground. I think we got a few free stays with that tactic!

[@Mahoutklight]

that's such a power move by your parents

[@mdml0]

As someone who sat through a presentation, I could clearly see through their aggressive sales tactics to the point I called them out right in front of their faces because after 3 hours of sitting I was ready to leave. All politeness was out the window. Lol. Just say NO every single time they make an offer and enjoy the rest of your vacation at the resort. They threatened to blacklist me after that and not invite me again. 2 years and 1 pandemic later they were E-mailing me again. 😂

[@charlesintune]

That's amazing

[@cannoncolossus2449]

I was in the Bahamas with my wife and we were enticed into doing a timeshare presentation and would be given $300 for our trouble. After several hours of high pressure sales tactics, we said no and were given our money. We split the money and spent the rest of the night on the penny slots. I hit a $3,000 jackpot, which covered most of the trip. Not to mention the free drinks they ply you with to keep you gambling. Pretty sweet vacation.

[@brooklynelle]

Sounds so cool I hope you guys still remember that vacation and laugh / reminisce about it😁 That jackpot was a cherry on top🍒

[@conman-sr5md]

If you had bet your winnings then you could have won $100,000 tho

[@rashidnassermartinez646]

@@conman-sr5md99% of gamblers quit right before hitting the jackpot

[@Cluvv]

@@conman-sr5mdand then the coveted jackpot

[@YESITSWILL]

A friend of mine bought a TS a few years back and at the time all he told me was about how much he loved it and what a great deal it was. He recently tried to sell it to me. That's when you discover who isn't a real friend.

[@DarkEpyon123]

What a dirt bag. Smh.

[@fb0307]

Same with people who ask you to sign up for mlms

[@JustJerseyJo95]

We had someone, were related to them, try to sell us her timeshare for 5k. We thought about it because we go there twice a year, but then decided no. She ended up getting out of it the following year. A company came in and wanted the land. They tore down the timeshares and built apartments. Idk how much they paid her for her portion but I was glad she got out of it and even happier that we didn't buy it from her!

[@BCNeil]

Did he try to sell you a used BMW with a minor oil leak and something strange with the transmission too?

[@doom4067]

Playing the long game. I kinda respect it.

[@katemacdonald8255]

My parents have a timeshare in Mexico, and use it maybe once a year. It was such an out of body experience to try to convince my parents what an awful financial decision that was but they were and are CONVINCED that it was a great choice, even though they’re struggling. Like guys, how can I be more responsible when you’re the people who taught me how to handle finances.

[@rigelb9025]

I love the conclusion!!! So to play devil's advocate, let me ask you this : are they really the ones who taught you how to handle finances, or did you rather have to 'outsource' that knowledge for the most part? (if the answer is 'yes', don't worry - you're not alone).

[@katemacdonald8255]

I guess a bit of both! When I was a kid, my parents were deeply deeply in debt. As teenagers, my siblings and I would help pay bills etc to try and help. It made my siblings and me as adults very careful with our money. We kids were successful with helping get them out of debt, but unfortunately, bad financial decisions like timeshares put them back in the same position they were 10 years ago. We kids are pissed to say the least.

[@rigelb9025]

@@katemacdonald8255 Wow, that's amazing. Thanks for taking the time to answer. So in short, what I can glean from this excellent explanation you provided is that the dire financial straits in which you & your siblings were plunged at such a young age forced you not only to fend for yourselves, but for those who should have been taking care of you in the first place. But the fact that you & your group of siblings had each other's backs must've been a tremendous blessing. I guess that would pretty much be as solid a financial training program as you can get. So all I can say in closing is that I hope your parents grow up & smell the coffee, eventually!

[@tarikmedia]

you need to make sure you get the lawyer that will take care of their will to reject the timeshare for every single member of your family (reference john oliver "last week tonight" made an episode about it and said it gets passed down to every single member of the family)

[@ROKKANS]

Because they’re actually redarded

[@michelle48]

My parents told me they got scammed into a timeshare a long time ago. It sounded past tense and I haven't heard them mention it in forever, but these comments have me realizing I need to ask if they still have it so I can figure out how my siblings and I don't get stuck with it in the future

[@Wonderfully_Wicked6664]

Yea that would suck for you and you siblings but if your parents indeed still have said timeshare main concern should be making sure you clear your parents can't imagine the years of debt that could be piling on them super sad.

[@SL-lz9jr]

You should also try to get your parents out of it now if you can. May as well prevent them from paying fees until they die.

[@CatsMeowPaw]

eBay is full of time shares people are trying to desperately sell for as low as $100. No one wants this toxic 'asset'. Also if someone is really desperate to sell you something, anything at all, ask yourself 'if this is such a fantastic deal, why don't YOU buy it for yourself!?'

[@s99614]

Less than $100.

[@TVKAS3242]

Does anyone else remember the dad on wizards of waverly place during their vacation/ movie talking about timeshares and not to get into it when Max was almost scammed? It’s literally how my brother and I remember what a time share is. 😅

[@lovelyfluer]

For me it was the good luck Charlie episode where they go to Hawaii and teddy ends up signing a contract for a time share 😭

[@vvitch-mist20]

The money you spent trying to find paradise could have gone to making your house an actual nice place to live T_T. I never truly intended to ever buy a timeshare, but this is still an important topic for people who might be thinking about this.

[@VeginMatt]

This applies to my parents so well. Instead of taking us on our yearly trip to the nearest Fairmont I really wish my parents had spent that time and maintenance fees on maintaining their own house. Now, after they've both retired, it seems a lot of big problems are going all at once. Roof leaked for over a year, furnace conked out after soooo many warnings, the back porch is rotting and the front entrance is not safe for the elderly to walk on either, and after 30years the electrical wiring is really showing that it was installed by an amateur etc......oh but they got a great deal on annual access to a hotel suite that had access to a pool and a pool table.

[@vvitch-mist20]

@@VeginMatt Wow. That's insane. I feel bad for them but at the same time they did it to themselves. Instead of fixing problems they went on vacation and now they don't have money or energy to fix it.

[@StarlaBizarre]

I learned every single thing I need to know about timeshares from South Park. The episode should be mandatory watching for anyone who's about to get scammed

[@ZevyNom]

Something similar in cost and scamminess is solar panels. My husband and I consider ourselves very deliberate and financially sensible, but our solar panels were the biggest L we’ve ever taken at about 35k completely down the drain. We worked with 2 different companies and both went off the map out of business within a year of us paying them. There are soooo many people like us who have been left with no options. I’d be happy to tell you about our experience if you ever do decide to talk about it!

[@ignaciosantana6898]

They sell it as you’ll never pay the power company again! And there is a 30% of the cost rebate from the government the crew that came trying to sell us wanted 10% of that cut and I was like why cant I do the paper work and get all of it he fought us on that so hard it threw the biggest red flag. A sent them on their way and looked into it and they were charging at least 30-40% more and taking part of the tax credit. In the end I would have been paying more than double what im paying to the “horrible” power company a month

[@cece121234]

I'm very interested in this! I've heard different stories but how were you scammed?

[@ignaciosantana6898]

They sell it as insane cost savings while overcharging you 30% more than it should cost. They tried to take a third of my tax credit for filling out the tax form which i was 100% aware of how to fillour my self

[@Jeff_Guapo]

Depends on where you live and how much electricity is consumed depending on many factors, especially the amount of occupants. Practically put if you're paying 600-1000 bucks per month for electricity Solar is sensible. For context I do live in California, majority or consumption is during off peak times and it's still insane.

[@Outworlder]

That's so unfortunate. Solar panels are incredibly cheap these days. Labor costs are the killer, and solar installers are notorious crooks.

[@Melissamms]

My parents never bought a timeshare but they did get us discounted vacations by agreeing to go to timeshare meetings. One year, we went to this cool resort in Michigan and my parents just said "Go entertain yourselves at the park for three hours while we sit through a sales pitch. Well bring you donuts at the end." They did this a number of times. We even got a free zipline trip. But im lucky my parents are both financially literate and dont drink and arent people pleasers.

[@brutest4080]

You're parents sound cool lol

[@Melissamms]

@@brutest4080 they are :) i love them

[@Person_Not_Known]

What people dont know is the maintenance is a lifelong contract. The only escape is to either give it up or swll it to an llc and have that llc flie for bankruptcy.

[@bumblebee_bae]

Could you create an LLC and then declare bankruptcy yourself? Or is it not that easy?

[@jochenkraus7016]

​@@bumblebee_baeThe challenge might be to make it look like you didn't intend to set that up and transfer the contract only as toxic waste dump for bad financial decisions.

[@rxpt0rs]

The Spongebob episode makes a lot more sense now 😅

[@thefinancialfreedomgirl]

karate island!!!!

[@n.g.l.]

Hahaha yeah I was a kid I didn’t understand it.

[@tarikmedia]

​@@thefinancialfreedomgirlthis was a great video. but this sounds a lot more serious when you see people like John Oliver talk about it. there is a lot more to it then what you adressed . the biggest thing is it's almost impossible to get rid of it, even when you die. watch the episode john oliver talks about it and you'll see ..... this should 100% be outlawed and everyone who signed up for it reimbursed.

[@matthewfarrell317]

I have been to over a dozen timeshare presentations, as the 'boyfriend' for my friends, who all wanted free stuff. But because i am autistic, and lack emotion and cant stand very emotional people, the sales tactics dont work on me at all.... so me and my friends get free crap, and no one signs up for anything.

[@SireneKalypso]

LOL 😂😂😂

[@twinkiemp]

That’s awesome lol

[@donewithmodernlife]

Fellow autistic here. The ‘tism can have its advantages. I also can’t stand hyperbolic, emotional people or sales pitches. See right through them.

[@allinatonce]

Fellow autistic. This is the realest comment here. Went to a meeting with my partner a few years ago because her family was considering buying a SECOND timeshare and/or upgrading their current one. After the appointment I couldn’t believe that they were actually considering the deal, let alone weren’t freaking out about what a scam their current one was. Never went back on another “free” vacation with them again (wasn’t free for ME! ;) partner still charged me for their “fully paid for and totally worth it timeshare”- almost like it WASNT worth that money. Weird!).

[@TheWolfeDen]

I used to live in a beach town and the timeshare companies there used MLM type tactics to trick barely legal adults into working for them. One of my friends almost got roped into it but fell asleep at orientation and they told him nevermind 😂

[@Jazzatic2011]

The nap of a lifetime lol 😂

[@johnswick1351]

Reminds me of cutco. They promise you'll be making all this money from selling really expensive knives to friends and family then you come to the realization that no one is really in the market for thousand dollar knives.

[@junyaiwase]

That’s hilarious 😂u woulda thought this typa business wouldn’t care but i guess they have standards too

[@Loljjkb]

😂

[@ZacharyDetton]

Cara, my wife and I went to a presentation once. It was about 3 hours and we got a 3 night hotel stay at one of their properties and tickets to see “Ka” (this was in Las Vegas). The first hour was a big presentation and people would randomly walk in and be like “SO AND SO IS NOW AN OWNER” like the place was a big party all the time. It was one of the points systems and sounded tempting, but we were preparing to buy a house and didn’t want to open any new LoC. Whenever we mentioned that, they didn’t seem to care. The final hour was us sitting at a desk waiting to get our rewards. The sales person was salty and another woman came over once and spoke to us and she was salty too. I’ve sometimes thought about it but I’m glad I saw your video because I never considered the point cost of locations would change over time. On an unrelated note, you should do a video about “Pig Butchering” scams.

[@usernamekrn8729]

My family almost fell for a timeshare scam. They promised us some kind of tickets for free or discounted price. The pitch took 3 hours and stressed us out as kids. We were supposed to be having a vacation. We ended up wasting our time energy and emotions for free or discounted tickets. It was so stupid. I was a child but I knew how stupid it was. My dad was pretending to be a big rich man and playing along and getting himself almost roped in due to his ego. We ended up getting the tickets but it was already dark. Parents should have just said No No No No. As an adult I take 1 to 2 big vacations a year for 2k-5k. It's a lot cheaper than the annual costs of a timeshare especially if you can't get the dates you want and you get stuck with it forever.

[@airwreckaaaaaaaa]

I’ve sat through a several of these presentations in my younger, broker days. They are horrible and I refuse to ever sit through them again. The last one I went to, the salesman literally said, “do you believe in God? If you do, we can pray right now to see if it’s a good investment for you and your family.” After my 77000 time sayin no and that I was leaving, he said, “if you knew you weren’t interested, why did you even come!” Such trash.

[@robbbbery]

Did you get your free stuff?

[@maxens_is_here]

*starts praying* sorry Mr Man... God gave me a vision... I am not divinely allowed to invest in your timeshare... I must fund Greenpeace instead

[@alexc9434]

@@robbbberyI sat through a couple of these. First time was a free two night stay at a super fancy horse ranch hotel type thing and some gift cards. The other two times it was cabelas gift cards. I think they were like $100 per gift card. My wife and I both got one. I’d have done it for free tho just to see the salesman’s face when I tell him I’m not interested in their scam. The first time I asked him if it was a pyramid scheme lmao. They hated it. Sometimes I even act offended when they say something completely normal. Hilarious.

[@robbbbery]

@@alexc9434 good on ya. Milk them for everything you can!

[@Outworlder]

I wonder how they would react if they heard "no, I'm an atheist"

[@nickbegnaud]

The 'vacation clubs' thing threw me off when I was booking a trip and they mentioned some discount for a stay. I took a second look at the terms and noped right out of that

[@heroedeleyenda05]

I went to a "short" presentation, in exchange for a free day pass to use their resort. - it lasted 4 hours. - Super scammy and agressive salesmen - Once we were finally let go we were super tired and hungry. - The pass didnt include food so we just left. - We were also in a really bad mood - We had to walk about half a mile to the resort door ( they had driven us to the presentation spot) - When we finally were let go, their demeanor was completely different, they had dropped the act.

[@DMoz13]

My husband and I made the mistake of buying a time share. In hindsight, the sales guy was super scammy, pushy and made us feel like we were missing out on making wonderful, memories with our kids. It was just as scammy as you described it Cara. After we realized how hard it was to get a vacation location of our choice we searched for a way out. We were lucky enough to find a law firm to get us out of it. Thank goodness we got rid of it!

[@nessaleone1192]

Hi! What law firm did you use to get out? I’m currently trying to get out mine too… any advice would be helpful thanks!

[@Trufit99]

I been to 2 timeshare presentations, glad I was broke, because they are good at selling

[@Dan_Ben_Michael]

That’s the good thing about being a battler, you can’t afford to sign up for scams in the first place. 😂

[@tqlla]

Yeah, they are good at showing costs that dont work out. I go to timeshare meetings all the time, the math never adds up, if you dig into the numbers. Plus they usually dont include the maintenance fee in their calculations, which can be $1000-$3000 every year.

[@piapenny]

I was on vacation and was asked to breakfast by the concierge only to be in a vacation club seminar. After one hour of them attempting to sell something I didn’t need, I said bluntly, “you are not going to get me to spend thousands of dollars without me having time to think about it for at least a month.” Sales pitch ended and I got up and left. Great video. More ppl need to know about these timeshares and vacation clubs!

[@chenwingsee]

When I was a kid me and my family did a timeshare presentation in Florida so we could get a discount pass for all the Disney Parks and free months pass to SeaWorld. Once we got two hours into the presentation, my mom told me in Cantonese to start being as disruptive and annoying as possible so started whining and pacing around, started flicking fresca at the sales rep and sure enough they let us have our passes and leave very quickly.

[@LucielStarz123]

Asians. We know a scam when we see one 😂

[@Arlene4HO]

We went to two timeshare presentations: One was at an exclusive Weston Resort in Mexico, the other one was at Lake Orange Resort in Florida. Both places were lovely. Our friends were with us at Lake Orange and they were owners and wanted us to buy in. We did sign up for the one at Lake Orange, but because we couldn’t spend top dollar at the time for the top level/tier, the sales person said our timeshare would be in the mountains… a ski resort in Vermont. We don’t ski, our weeks were in the winter,so by the time we got home, we cancelled it (within 48 hours). Our friends were disappointed, they probably missed out on a deal of some sort. All in all, it was a good decision on our part. Those presentations take so much time away from your vacation time, never again.

[@charliechristie9916]

My mum got my disabled adult sister to buy into her timeshare. On the plus side, she doesn't earn enough that they could actually put it in my sis's name, so it's just extra points or whatever in my mum's. Dad thought mum was trying to get sis to take on her debt, but mum's just a huge believer in sunk cost fallacy and can never have ever done anything wrong, so she believes so hard she wanted sis to believe with her. Anyway, I didn't talk to her for six months.

[@LostStarzOfTheSky]

Is your sister ok?

[@charliechristie9916]

Yeah. Financially my dad bailed her out, and so many conversations were had about not signing shit, and who she trusts to explain paperwork etc for her. Finally got sis out of her house as well, do she's more independent than she was. All in all, a hellish few months with net benefit. ​@@LostStarzOfTheSky

[@spokenwordpoetries]

I’m an American expat (living abroad) and I love to travel. A timeshare is a horrible idea because you’re locking in a destination and a rate instead of being able to go wherever you want and take advantage of deals. You lose all freedom and exploration. My best travel money saving tips are to travel in the off season, buy tickets on a Weds evening, try to avoid flying on weekends (mid week flights), and be flexible on dates and destinations (shop the price of flights and hotels and choose from there.) Also, focus on what YOU like and block out any social pressure (think Ron Swanson’s trip to Europe on Parks and Rec. He hated the cliche first part and loved the customized second part.)

[@EugWanker]

Not the same thing, but that's the same reason we didn't get a cottage. Several of our friends have cottages, but they spend a weekend opening the cottage at the beginning of the season, and spend a weekend closing the cottage at the end of the season. Furthermore, they're constantly traveling to the cottage and not to other places. That said, they love their cottages, so that setup works great for them, and the other advantage is that cottages are appreciating assets (unlike time shares).

[@spokenwordpoetries]

@@EugWanker I wasn’t aware of that. Thanks for making that point.

[@ambiarock590]

I don't even bother signing up for in-store credit cards even if it means that I could get $100 free credit. I'd rather just not play their game. Helps build those skeptical thinking skills so when an actual scam comes up I'm more likely to walk away.

[@johnswick1351]

A credit card with 25-30% interest doesn't sound like a good deal to me even with the 100 dollars

[@janisir4529]

100$ would be worth the hassle of cancelling it.

[@EugWanker]

@@johnswick1351 There is no need to pay that outrageous interest, if you have the money. Just sign up to get the discount, and then when the first bill arrives, pay it in full and cancel the card.

[@dirtyprancing5930]

Ooh, I do. Free money and you just lock it up. Not everyone does well w cards though

[@gloriousapplebees]

​@@johnswick1351what credit card doesn't have a +20% rate? Doesn't matter, you have all the power to never pay interest by paying attention to your spending and only spending what you can pay off. Pretty easy free money.

[@jeffmonson1]

Back in 96 or so in San Diego I signed up for an entry to win a new VW bug (one where they rolled the car into the middle of the mall). I was called to come back to the mall on a certain date/time to get a scratch-off ticket that may win the car or a few other prizes. Turned out to be a timeshare presentation (yes, very scammy) that I had to sit through in order to get my scratcher. I sat through it, told the closer that I'm a broke E5 in the Navy and couldn't afford it, so I got out fairly easily. In the end, I scratched my ticket and won a Sony DVD player...and this was back when DVD players were brand new to the market and hundreds of dollars. That DVD player still works to this day. That was also the day I learned that free car giveaways in malls were just a way for these timeshare criminals to get leads.

[@anabae2706]

" time share criminals" 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@EugWanker]

Just a nitpick, but it was probably 1997 or 1998. DVD players were not available in North America in 1996. But yeah, those DVD players were very expensive back then. I held off a couple of years because they were like $1000 Canadian. When Montgomery Ward went bankrupt in 2000 and cleared out their stock in stores, I drove down across the border to small town New York state to pick up an RCA DVD player for US$300. It came with a free promotional but otherwise unreleased copy of Dances With Wolves, which I promptly sold for $50 US, effectively making my DVD player purchase $250. I distinctly remember the US border agent thinking I was nuts to drive all the way from Canada to Nowheresville, NY just to go to Montgomery Ward, but when he found out it was for a DVD player discounted to US$300, he said he was going to look for one too when he got off his shift. 😛

[@merlumili]

People need to learn that they are not immune to being scammed. Every time you're gonna get a sales pitch, be mentally prepared to say no and stand your ground. Not just for timeshares either, also be prepared like this when you go to buy a car, for example. Always keep in mind what is it that you actually want and not what the salesperson is saying you should want. Remember that you can always just leave and that you don't have to be nice about it.

[@justingurski5155]

Ive never been scammed 🤡

[@merlumili]

@@justingurski5155 good for you, me neither, but that doesn't mean it can't happen in the future

[@beccanator1386]

Went to a timeshare presentation for 3 hours in Cabo, was shown the Michelin star restaurant which we got a free lunch at, then walked around the resort next to the ocean and sat and chatted with the sales person with free wine. It was lovely, didn’t buy anything, enjoyed the free stuff and my boyfriend and I left with a free boat ride to the Arch of San Lucas and relaxed at the private beach for half a day. Totally worth it for the free stuff if you know you’re capable of turning down hours of sales tactics.

[@anyssareads]

I actually never truly understood how time shares work, and your explanation helped so much. what's wild to me is how these people can even get away with stuff like this.

[@Nonsense116]

I went to a timeshare pitch knowing what I was getting into. We went to an air show ran by the United States Air Force and there was some computers you had to sign in on. You could check "add me to a vacation raffle" in the form so I thought "ehh why not". I got a call saying I had won and I "just needed to go to a demonstration where they will show you the grounds of the vacation place". I figured it was probably a pitch but I had never gone to one before. I'm a bit of a financial nerd and I can say no so I said "I'll go for it". It wasn't a nightmare experience but it certainly wasn't pleasant. They met us at a restaurant, gave us a tour, took us to what was the sale floor, and gave us the rundown. It totaled about 5 hours or so. We got the free vacation and a visa card. But to be honest, it wasn't really worth it. I wish I had just spent my Saturday watching a movie instead.

[@misseselise3864]

i keep hearing ads on the radio about firms that’ll buy people out of timeshares but i’ve never really understood why they’re so hard to get out of. thank you for this video

[@PAULIVenezuela]

About 20 years ago my dad decided it would be fun to take my brother and I, on a long weekend, to timeshare presentations... we went to 4 or 5 of them, if they took more than 30 mins my dad said "Are you hungry?" and my younger brother started to be annoying saying that he wanted to eat KFC so we could go, from the 2 presentations that were short we got 2 vouchers for a "free night" at the resorts, we used them on that same trip, the next morning if they started to pressure my dad he said "yeah, I need to check with my wife, she is in (name of a near town) with her sister, we will be back in the afternoom" or something like that. After a while, my parents ended up paying for the cheapest plan in one of the smallest resort in the area with a points system that did not limit the week we could go, we just had to consume the points and book with enough time in advance in high season, it was close to 3 famous beaches in the area, so we went twice a year (once in high season and once in low season), we spent the day on the beaches/parks/restaurants outside the resort and came back almost only to sleep, I think they hated us for that XD. It was nice while it lasted, when the cost of maintenance started to get too much my dad just got into a phone call war with them until they canceled our contract, I think we even got blacklisted for 5 years or something hahahaha We still went to those beaches on vacation after canceling, but we started renting directly from local house/apartment owners we met on beach outings. And yes, my dad was the kind of guy who was a bit fishy with his plans, but had a good heart, he used to say that you owed respect to the little guys, not corporations and that there is no shame in saying "no thank you, I don't want the opportunity of a lifetime" because almost everytime it was a scam.

[@Luminousplayer]

The most golden rule i have is that, any product or service pushed hard is a concern or a scam. If your product is SO good, you would not need to push it so hard, there's hardly any hidden gems out there

[@AliRegan]

I'm from Australia and in 2015 my family and I went on a holiday to Orlando, and the hotel we were staying at turned out to be a timeshare that operated as a hotel, a poorly operated hotel at that. My dad was pissed, clearly falsely advertised, and being Australian timeshares aren't a thing here, or at least very rare in comparison to the states, it was absolutely wild

[@LiamRichie825]

Even SpongeBob has made jokes about timeshares being scams Edit: left the comment before I knew you were using that clip.

[@xhaziie]

In Bali, they take you on a bus to somewhere hours away from your hotel, to a non tourist area. I also hear if you say no, they sometimes leave you there stranded.

[@Loljjkb]

😂

[@Salvaging-in-Az]

Thank you for making this video! My amazing mother (who passed) owned seven timeshares! When she passed, it was so nice to tell all of those greedy monsters to pound sand, we never executed her will, so they had nothing! I felt so good, I really can’t begin to tell you!!! One more thing, in 2015 I went to San Francisco on a vacation, they said I could save my $140 parking fees by going to a timeshare presentation, I told them no, at which they began extremely pressuring me at that point, which made me further say no! I paid that $140 with no problem! No way am I sitting with those scam artists for 1 second!!! Thank u!! Steve.

[@coreyclark4970]

I love the advice "I am going through an active bankruptcy" That is gorgeous advice!!!!

[@godislove1602]

My husband and I entered our name in for a drawing at a basketball game to win a free trip to Vegas. Later we discovered we were going to a time share presentation. The presentation lasted awhile and the pressure to buy was high. My husband was set on NO! I had never experienced such a thing before. I was definitely not going to do it but I was too polite about it. Thank God he was firm and we got out of there with the free trip. We both thought it was way too sketchy so we didn’t take the trip.

[@CallMeLani]

Yup, nail on the head. I went to one in Vegas where they said they'd pay me $50. I was firm from the start that I wouldn't buy. They tried everything to get me to buy. After 3rd round, they handed me a $50 bill and I left. Now I rent timeshare points for vacations. It's a lot cheaper and I don't own the timeshare at all! Best of both worlds

[@economicdevelopmentplannin8715]

Tenants in commons works. Just buy a vacation residence with a few friends and family members. Agree on terms, like are parties allowed to exit plans etc.

[@spokenwordpoetries]

If you’re on vacation and someone asks you to go into a meeting or info session, say NO and walk away. Don’t give them any info. Vacation is your time, not theirs.

[@cece121234]

I tagged along with my parents on a couple of timeshare trips. They pay just enough to get you to go but then spend 2-4 hours on the presentation. My dad balked at one of them when it took nearly 4 hours to get out of there. I'm so glad they never bought one!

[@Yooniejin88]

Hehehe when I was a kid my parents used to take us to FL to visit Disney with discounted tickets. Only caveat to get them was we had to get up at dawn to sit through a 5 hour timeshare presentation my parents would always end up saying no to several times before they gave us the tickets 😂. The things parents do to save a buck and now as one, I understand ❤

[@TomikaKelly]

I thought this was only my family! 😂 Literally EVERY Disney summer family vacation of my childhood!

[@_monae.d]

My parents recently purchased a timeshare for what I believe to be around $30,000 give or take. I always remembered timeshares being associated with scams so I was shocked to hear that they made this purchase. When they told me about it I think they mentioned wanting to pass it on to me and my younger sisters. Gonna have to talk to them when I get home from work. I’d love to not inherit debt and lifelong fees 😅

[@thefinancialfreedomgirl]

Love that you're starting the conversation with them and helping protect you & your sisters' financial futures! :) good luck!!

[@TomikaKelly]

They could've just taken out a life insurance policy with the $30k and passed that on instead

[@gailiag3702]

I’m Scottish, and my grandma had a timeshare in the Highlands. She used to holiday with my mum and her sisters in that area every year, and rather than stay in a hotel decided to get a timeshare there when my mum was a teenager. We have gone every single year since, and now my grandma has passed away my mum is the owner of the week. For us it is really worth it - we wouldn’t go anywhere else that week of the year, we love the area and have so many fond memories there. Our maintenance fees are around £1000 a year, which my mum and sister and I share the cost of, so it works out very reasonable for us. I think it can be really worth it for people depending on your circumstances, and it especially helps that we can drive to our timeshare so don’t need to spend even more money on flights.

[@ayeizadashwood6119]

I worked in a hotel that was part-timeshare. At first I didnt know anything about it, but once I was a recepcionist there I was shocked at the scam, but let me tell you some of those people who bought it were soooo happy to say "I have an appartment here/my appartment/this is mine/I am an owner!!!". I think many of them payed to say that and not to use the vacation. Also, the sales team were the worst, money lusting being so nice to the people and after the contract was signed, they didnt say hello to the costumers anymore.

[@aduckofsomesort]

Did we not learn this lesson 20 years ago?

[@TheWolfeDen]

It all comes back around. Like a bad fashion trend 😂

[@janisir4529]

There is a saying "every joke is new to a new born". Just need to wait for a new generation to scam.

[@satellafelix4597]

kinda reminds me of how younger gen z and older gen alpha are falling victim to call center gift card scams you’re right-one gen falls victim, the next one learns to avoid it, but because the scam seems so obvious to them, they don’t warn their kids about it

[@VITDubya]

We stayed at a place one time, won’t mention where or the town, and we did our homework regarding the resort. The place had nice reviews but they did also try to sell timeshares. The scam was simple, after checking into our room, we were sent over to this person who started the sales pitch. The trick? Know what your time is worth. Their sales pitch was essentially “sit through this multi-hour presentation” for an $80 gift card. Yep, no thanks. Our time is worth more than that. Know your worth, do your homework, and always remember to say “no” when someone pitches to eat up your valuable vacation time through their lame “presentation”…

[@emily_cox]

They have this set up for properties in the UK under ‘shared ownership schemes’ but the more I’ve looked into it as a first time buyer the more I realised it’s kind of a scam! You pay 2/3rds of what you would be paying to rent ON TOP of your mortgage, you’re still expected to pay leasehold fees AND if you want to move out/sell your shares, your landlord has to authorise it… wish they taught this stuff at school!

[@Arlene4HO]

You know, sometimes condos can be a problem to sell with high HOA fees. My in-laws had one in Florida and my mother-in-law was hoping we would inherit it and use it, but when my in-laws passed away, we sold it because the HOA fees were high. It wasn’t near the ocean and no one wanted to have to go there all the time or deal with rental folks. My MIL thought she was doing a nice thing for us, but she was leaving us an expense we did not need.

[@nicokl5593]

I did research into this scam a few years back for my friend’s parents, it’s crazy. How any of this is legal, I do not know. We went ourselves a long time ago to a timeshare presentation for a feee sweatshirt. After the 1 on 1 meeting with the sales rep, who had clearly said you can say yes or no but just listen. We said no when she was done and she went crazy. She literally screamed at us. It was an incredibly bizarre experience.

[@Randilynn66]

I've been to about ten timeship presentations and never purchased anything. I'm very firm in my NO.

[@gamagoori]

lol when i was at atlantic city as a child i asked my dad what the people who tried to talk to us in the casino lobby were doing. he said they were selling timeshares and to never buy one. lesson internalized thanks dad!

[@Booksn0b]

It’s Always Sunny is my favorite show, love the clip 😂. Do a financial audit on those guys. Charlie can really stretch 5 dollars 😆.

[@thejokerspeaks]

I spent $1,800 with closing on 2 resale timeshares. They cost $165 per month, or $4,000 every two years, for 10 nights in Hawaii, and 14 nights in Sedona, if I use the points inefficiently. Three star hotels in these locations start at $300 per night, so I break even at 13 nights, not to mention I'm gettting better locations/rooms/resorts. Timeshare surprises are usually unpleasant, but my Hawaiian contract had been involved in a class action, doubling the point allotment advertised (and quoted above), so I'm actually getting 20 nights worth of points in a 1 bedroom, or 14 nights in a 2 bedroom. PS Generally points are locked in, so the cost to stay somewhere will never go up as far as points. Your maintenance fees are what goes up with inflation. A timeshare company can build a new resort with higher points fees, but that will also make it tougher for them to sell new contracts there.

[@RachelAnnPotter]

I got two "five days four nights" vacations with free hotel rooms for sitting in thise timeshare meetings. Those SOBs are incredibly persuasive. They didn't offer us a third vacation after we said no twice 😅

[@lizclearman]

It's fascinating that they can get away with getting people drunk and then having them sign a contract. If you're under the influence, it voids the signing (much like you can't sign a valid contract if you're a minor, mentally incapacitated, etc.). How are they getting away with that??

[@bapsbaby6441]

My aunt bought a time share in the 2000s for Myrtle beach. At the time it was a good investment since the family was fairly small. It was in this little resort community area and it had two separate pool areas and stuff to do for kids and adults. The whole family at the time could fit in to the time share. It was a good idea to my aunt since we have this tradition where if we have a family trip to everyone goes, unless you are seriously or could call out of work, you were there. We still hold to this tradition 20 years later. And of course within that 20 years the family grew. There is like 20+ of us now. And the time share my aunt paid for is only three rooms with four beds total. So imagine our families struggle to fit into that tiny cramped space every other year. That’s not even the main problem. The place where my aunt got the time share seems to be letting it self go or just don’t care to upkeep anymore. Every year we go now, the place is either a disaster, not ready yet and we have to wait forever, they give us another room only for that to be messed up or just so many problems. We won’t give up on our family tradition but boy is it frustrating some times, and my aunt has been trying to find ways to get out of it but it is so difficult we just stick with it and hope we get out moneys worth.

[@monciparedes]

I have done 3 of these free trips to sit for a 2 hour presentation and completely rejected it. I have zero intentions of ever buying it, I just go for the free trip! They comp a really nice hotel, $200 cash of spending and food. I only had to cover flights. And it’s always to nice destinations. How I always end up on the list for the offers knowing I’ve never bought is beyond me. But if I can waste their time, I’m there! Two hours they spend on me, is two hours they aren’t spending on someone who could be susceptible.

[@leahsmith5923]

HaH!!!! Literally my dream, how do I get on this list lol

[@GyasiBarber]

You're absolutely right. I've sat through these and have been successful in getting out of them totally unscathed. As a salesperson, I hate the idea of these people being in the same industry as me.

[@deadsi]

It's weird that payday loans have become heavily regulated, yet time shares and multi level marketing are completely ignored by regulators

[@MarkFreeman5]

Went on one of the presentations on our honeymoon. It’s a very hard sell tactic. Salesman became very divisive when he realized I wasn’t budging and started saying things like “you don’t know how to make your wife happy” and “enjoy this vacation because it’ll be the last one you ever take.” Not to mention, the incentive for attending was also very misleading and nowhere near the cost they claimed it to be. There’s a reason they make you say yes on the spot for everything, because if you do a minimal amount of research you’ll see it’s all a scam. Highly recommend bypassing whatever incentive they’re offering, but if you already said yes to the deal, make sure you and whoever you’re going with will just say no during the sale, no matter what they offer.

[@mdgroxx11]

my parents use RCI to exchange their timeshare and go to different locations at other times of the year. they have four kids so it was more comfortable and convenient to get condos instead of hotels when we traveled. just wanted to share their reasoning behind owning a timeshare!

[@tylersanders2388]

I’ve looked into the cost and it just literally makes no sense to buy one. You can just book a resort or airbnb normally anywhere in the world when you want to vacation for a fraction of the cost. The opportunity cost of putting your money into a timeshare over just paying for a normal vacation alone is enough to never buy one. On top of that, they are sketchy, have hidden fees, and are impossible to get out of contracts

[@jmsl_910]

wow! i didn't know these still existed!!

[@QueenB086]

Yes they are absolutely as scammy as described. My husband and I sat through a timeshare presentation 16 years ago. When I expressed to the sales person that it was way too expensive for what we would be getting, he said he could sell me a “foreclosed” timeshare for less. I asked him, “How is it foreclosed? There is no building to take possession of. It’s the same as what you’d be selling me other wise”. At that I told my husband it was time to go. The salesperson definitely doubled down the pressure but luckily we didn’t give in and we left.

[@erichkitzmueller]

I was in a pitch back when I was 27 years old, but fortunately got out easily by claiming "I don't have the money". Still two wasted hours in a rather expensive vacation.

[@barelyreal1]

My parents once signed up for one of those. Just a year passed when they knew that it was not worth it so they got rid of it, but even though I was little, if there is something I can remember, is that it was hell to get out.

[@roxycocksey]

After all the tv shows, media, and parents complaining about timeshares for DECADES during our generations youth, the fact that people are STILL falling for them is nearly inexcusable unless you grew up in an extremely sheltered environment.

[@AD-qm3bv]

Omg my parents got roped into attending a long presentation on these in Las Vegas. My dad doesn’t take BS from anyone and when hes finally had enough he DEMANDED they drop him back to the hotel, it was a frustrating experience because my dad had to argue a lot and threaten them for the sales people to let them go… nuts absolutely nuts.

[@victorofrias]

Wife and I love this. We love to say no and see them squirm. Some get really rude. At the end they attack me as a man personally. They say you really shouldn't have waisted your wife's time while you are on vacation. 😂. We took our sister in law once and she almost bit, I jumped in and said no. She's not interested. She was upset with me for about 5 minutes after we left. She looked at me and oh sht! I almost bought a timeshare!? They are so good at selling this crap.

[@ellen4236]

My family was not well off when I was growing up. But one year my parents said we could afford to drive to Florida and go to Universal because they'd found a deal. Listen to a pitch, and get free nights in a hotel and free tickets to the park. My parents brought us along, thinking the sellers wouldn't go so hard in front of us. It was terrifying! They would NOT let us leave. They passed us from seller to seller, until we got to a guy that was so furious with us he tossed the paper at us at the end.

[@djs2182]

Omg yes. Timeshare horror stories are my favorite thing. Timeshares should be illegal with MLMs

[@DBR00]

Cara- you are so well-spoken. I really enjoyed your content here.

[@nhalex]

I have a question, but it might be a whole other video. What are your thoughts on aftermarket timeshares? I just went to a RCI timeshare presentation today and I felt like the points system of RCI kinda made sense. Being able to spend your points at different places is obviously more flexible than a traditional timeshare. Here's what they offered me: 32,000 points at $20k, with $800 annual fee. I turned it down and, of course, the manager came over and cut the price in half. I still said no. What they didn't know was that during the presentation I opened eBay and searched for RCI timeshares and found that people literally give them away to anyone who will take over their contract. One deal I found was $1 for 140,000 RCI points, with $1,140 annual fee and no closing costs. In your example the upfront cost was a major issue, but if there was no upfront cost and just a monthly fee (that is hard to get out of), would you feel the same?

[@sheh.9163]

You could just stay at the same location for cheaper than $1100 a week by working with a good travel agent, or doing some due diligence and planning in advance. So no, it’s still not a good deal

[@nhalex]

@@sheh.9163 Thank you! At the presentation they made it seem like 32k points would get me a week, and they showed me the 'last call', which was short notice trips for under 10k points. Seems like 140k points would get a lot more, in which case 1,100/yr is a bargain. Obviously it's fishy, or I wouldn't be asking :)

[@lexa3331]

Do you really want to stay at those same properties in like 2-3 different locations year after year for the foreseeable future, working around blackout dates? What if you want to vacation elsewhere that year? I guess if you have the money you could do both but I’d rather take my $1100+ and spend it wherever however I want. Ppl are selling even the points low for a reason.

[@absolutetrash8118]

I work at a hotel with timeshare and im sorry but it ain't worth it 😭😭 save yourself bruv

[@Thruxton66]

I have two timeshares here in Australia. I purchased them both as resales. I paid $1000AUD for one and the other was free. That was about 12 and 10 years ago. They are both floating weeks which I can exchange for a week anywhere in the world. For me it has worked perfectly

[@_KrystalAlexis]

Same. If you don’t travel I wouldn’t recommend one . If you I recommend it. It has saved me so much on hotels .

[@tessahiggins8142]

I tried to sit through a time share for a really nice free dinner. Couldn't make it through. By the beginning of hour two I realised I was sacrificing my precious vacation to waste time on something I really didn’t want anyway. So I left.

[@SwimsWithWhales31]

I only just started learning how much of a scam this all is about 5 years ago. That said I got pretty lucky because 11 years ago I stayed at my Nana's timeshare with a friend (I knew nothing about timeshares at all) and we went to one of those presentations to get the promised free 3 night vacation with flights included. I'm proud to say 3-hrs later we each left with only our free vacas. Mine would eventually expire (years later) and me and the friend parted ways, so who knows what kind of scam that would have ended up being. I don't remember whether or not there was alcohol at the presentation/meeting. Knowing what I know now I am so thankful I didn't fall for anything!

[@monnd3481]

My family and I got 3 days free at Disney for sitting through a sales presentation - all we had to do was pay for flights and a cheap hotel 15 minutes drive from Disney! Awesome vacation, and my parents had no intentions at any point to buy into the timeshare.

[@cletokings4302]

We just came back from los Cabo’s and it is so annoying how everyone is trying to sell you something all the time. The first thing when we got to Marinas fiesta was someone offering “discounts” after going to their presentation. I have been through this in Vegas and Cancun. Believe me, the free thing they offer aren’t worth the headache and lost time.

[@NordicAxe]

An old boss of mine had a timeshare in Tenerife, (I recall he said started in 1992 or so) and it worked great. There were only four couples who shared a villa and they often met up and stayed together. He was reluctantly selling his share as he wound down to retirement. I guess it worked decades ago. (He made me laugh because he also had an endowment mortgage that was paying out over 30K - and he was complaining [albeit jokingly] that it was originally supposed to pay out 60K - - some people just land lucky!)

[@Chris-xu4yp]

Me and my husband had to sit through a 3 hour timeshare meeting in Vegas because we got a discount on a future cruise (that we didn’t use cus it expired) and a discount on our hotel. We kept saying no we can’t afford it and they tried from going from 300-400$ a month to like 120$ a month and we were like we can’t. They were like in awe and sat in silence for the rest of the time cus we had to be there for the full 3 hours. While our friends who went with us got a 900$ a month time share but haven’t paid a cent I dont know if they’ve been hounded about it but I hope they aren’t screwed later.

[@cheesecakegoth]

The editing on the sales pitch video made my morning 😭

[@thefinancialfreedomgirl]

hehehe thank you, it was so fun to edit that part

[@ShiveeTalks]

We have a strategy. I always say that I don’t work, and give them the minimum salary range (e.g. we’ll just say that my husband has a 70k job - because we still WANT that free gift, but of course they would know that we are not buying). Then I keep my mouth shut (I work in finance so this math comes very easy to me), set an alarm for 45 mins (that’s just one of our kids saying “I am hungry” and we stepping away soon after), with our free gift. This has worked 4 times for us so far - Cancun, PR, Aruba, Jamaica

[@sandy68917250]

I can’t believe this is legal and that people still fall for it for it 😢 so predatory

[@yeskaitlyn8029]

seems like rich white people lol