How Timeshares Keep You Poor

Your 'slice of paradise' might just cost you your fortune... || Use code “CARA” at joindeleteme.com/cara if you’re interested in getting your own detailed report and having your personal information stay private!
🎥 More about this video:
Timeshares are sold as a way to lock in your dream vacation while also securing an 'investment' -- but what's the truth? The truth is that time shares aren't just a potential headache, but they can also keep you poor. In this videos, we dive into what time shares are, the sneak sales tactics used to rope you in (from dangling free things in front of you, buttering you up, and even getting you drunk), and why buying into a time share can be such an awful financial decision.
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🔍 Resources mentioned:
CBS News on timeshare industry: www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-...
United Consumer Financial Services: www.ucfs.net/trends-in-timesh...
The Daily episode about the timeshare selling scam: • How One Family Lost $9...
FTC warnings: consumer.ftc.gov/articles/tim...
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Time Stamps:
0:00 Let’s talk time shares
03:14 Inflexibility & Inflation
05:11 Cons & Cons
08:27 Timeshare sales techniques
13:19 Aggressive sales people
16:29 The Grift
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Personal finance, money management, deinfluence, deinfluencing, budgeting, budget, credit card, debt, personal loans, culture, hauls, video essay, video analysis, social media, tiktok, instagram, Pinterest, materialism, overconsumption, consumerism, climate change, shopping, spending money, flex culture, vacation, viral, influencers, cara nicole

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@julianaj2093]

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]

@@julianaj2093 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

[@julianaj2093]

@@AKbaby89 the people in the TikTok’s are young.,, sometimes glasses are needed at your age

[@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]

@@julianaj2093😂😂 caught responding to an unrelated comment and instead of saying “ah, sorry, wrong comment” goes into attack and insult mode.🤦‍♂️

[@sgc15]

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

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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.

[@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 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. 😂

[@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 :(

[@user-nv6pu4by9j]

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. 😅

[@ds5436]

My husband and I got snagged by timeshare salesman when we were checking it into a hotel in Las Vegas. They set it up in such a way that they seem like an information desk or like they work for the hotel. As it turns out, they usually have another employee unobtrusively evaluating people as they walk in the door, and alerting the people at the sales desk to snag you. His parents actually already have a travel share, which is nice for us because they're pretty well off and we can book a stay in a lot of different areas, and get a pretty good experience. The downside is that there is also a good chance that he will inherit that timeshare ownership when his parents pass away. A good rule of thumb for these people is that if they come up to you offering a vacation or any of the other things they give away, just tell them you already have a travel share and that lets them know that not only are you wise to their pitch, you're not going to buy anyway.

[@commonsense5555]

Telling them to F*ck off is also an effective tactic or telling them to eat sh*t also works. No need to be polite to scammers.

[@aaroncurrence606]

You can actually refuse to inherit a timeshare from someone, while still retaining your rights to the rest of the assets in that person's estate. I forget which form(s) you have to fill out, but it's really easy to do and any lawyer could help you out.

[@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

[@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!?'

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@Trufit99]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@coreyclark4970]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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 😆.

[@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.

[@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.

[@rowannnnnnnnn]

dawg this shit is actually evil. Legitimately nefarious. Dubious 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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@lasagnart]

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

[@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!

[@jmsl_910]

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

[@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!

[@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!

[@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.

[@mspro9032]

I still can't believe people still fall for timeshares 😢

[@ms_cartographer]

Jokes on them. My student loans prevent me from taking out $30,000 for a stupid timeshare.

[@user-vi5vd3ty9d]

😂😂

[@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

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.)

[@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.

[@sandy68917250]

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

[@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.

[@_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

[@LizCooper39]

I sat through a presentation once for a free tablet, it was the biggest piece of junk. 😅 I didn’t buy or sign up for anything despite the pressure.

[@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.

[@CatheLesp]

Went to the Las Vegas Wynn brunch just before my timeshare speech thing, I was a very unpleasant costumer to the salesperson, sorry, but everyone knows it’s a scam even drunk me after the Wynn brunch. Got out of the 2h presentation after a little 45 minutes. I guess the guy knew right away that his time was more valuable with other people. Got my 2 nights at the hotel for 30$ because I had agreed to a 2h presentation that turned out to be a 45 minutes presentation. Great time in Vegas though.

[@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.

[@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.

[@nadiaislam3590]

I didn't even know this was a thing!

[@monicaa0508]

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!

[@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

[@Althecor]

I was born in '93 and i feel like all i grew up hearing was about how timeshares were scams lmao. Crazy to think not everyone has that knowledge

[@kazuyakazama2001]

I went to a timeshare presentation in Vegas about a year ago and then we ended up signing up for it. Luckily I had immediate buyers regret and meticulously spent the night going through the paperwork and reading all the documents on the flash drive they gave us and found a cancellation clause. Found out I had 5 days to send in a cancel request, I wrote up that letter and sent it certified mail so fast. It's real scummy and I'll never go to one again, I don't care what they offer.

[@One_Eleven111]

I went to a time share seminar in the early 2000's because they offered a free trip to Vegas and a 30 dollar gas card. After having to turn down the high pressure sales, I finally walked out with the gas card. For the Vegas trip, they gave me a list of available days, but every time I choose a day they would call me back a week later to tell me I need to pick a new date, that went on for a couple months before I just stopped even trying to get it

[@malvavisco10]

My mother was dealing with a timeshare for years and trying to get out of it. She was sold on a dream, and never did get to vacation there. They target naive, hopeful people

[@AverageFox7]

The one hour presentation turning to multiple hours is something I ran into trying to get new windows for my house. All I wanted was a quote and 3 hrs in not a single number was mentioned. Told them to leave and they were still trying to pitch to me while walking away.

[@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.

[@NowNorie]

so interesting! Always wondered about this

[@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.

[@ignaciosantana6898]

These guys have a crew at the Cancun airport standing infront of the gates like a fu*king fishing net. It was covid last we went and they were like sit a second they are disinfecting the luggage so it will it will be a min. They promise a free luxurious breakfast at the resort and a voucher for a rental. But the sales associate sat with us and it was so awkward to start eventually we agreed as my FiL wanted it but I was left with such an icky feeling I investigated and found it could right into them with a demand of a refund and was able to get us out of it. The sales girl called us up asking why we canceled (assuming she lost a good commission) told her nah it just felt scammy and didn’t want any part of it.

[@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!

[@sarielgrace]

I remember there were timeshare people advertising on Virginia Beach along the boardwalk when I was a kid

[@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??

[@thomasnoh5149]

So glad I no longer work for one of them but it's insane how few people are able to just say no and walk away in the middle of the meaning. You can be rude even if you don't like to be because they're used to it. If you want the free shit, just show up really drunk or high because they can't have people inebriated while signing.

[@djs2182]

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

[@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.

[@kimberlybaldridge5767]

When I was in Vegas with my ex, they got us to listen to their presentation with nothing but free buffet tickets at another hotel. It was very high pressure and I thought for a few moments that the vacation package (i.e. timeshare) was appealing. But quickly I remembered our financial situation and that what they were offering was way out of our price range. The sales rep immediately became cold and said sarcastically, "Well I guess we didn't need to discuss it, did we?". I hate buffets but my ex wanted the certificates. If it had been something like a massage, I would not have been so disappointed.

[@nd4856]

Lololol my husband signed up for a free 2 day hotel stay at the Trump hotel in Vegas in exchange that he goes to a time share pitch. Let me tell you my husband is so tight with his money. He enjoyed free food and drinks for several hours, but it allowed us to get a free hotel bc we had just gotten married 😂😂😂

[@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!

[@MoncheriRous]

I took my mother and my brother to a vacation to Cancun 8 years ago. I just started making money as a young adult so I wanted to spoil my family. I was really naive, so I didn't understand why the guy at the hotel was so insistent on a "presentation". He wanted us to attend this presentation and offer us different gifts like tickets or free stuff. But since I already had planed the trip in advance, I already purchased the tickets before hand. I was so naive that he just let me go. One time that being naive actually save me!! ha!

[@elizabethcochran3395]

My parents are those people who can watch a pitch for the free stuff, and walk away with just the free stuff. Lol. They have had to scrape at times so anything over $1000 would make them say no instantly. They got a free stay once, which they said was lame because there was nothing cool to do at the actual location, so the timeshare pitch fell really flat.

[@cheesecakegoth]

The editing on the sales pitch video made my morning 😭

[@thefinancialfreedomgirl]

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

[@rowannnnnnnnn]

I really love the editing at 16:50 omg

[@thefinancialfreedomgirl]

hehehe thank you

[@ChiefAnonymoose]

I lost it with the Paw Patrol. Absolutely subscribing, this humor is right up my alley

[@clarise4338]

A very close family friend of ours got a timeshare in Mexico a few decades ago, and wanted to cancel it since they never went to the resort anymore. The month before they started trying to get out of it, they gifted my mother and I a stay there. On our first day, we were given the option to have a fully paid for breakfast at one of their higher end restaurants, after which they pitched their timeshare business. We were extremely lucky because we were able to get the breakfast without falling for the scam, since my mother had taken the family friend’s frustrations regarding the timeshare to heart. It really pains me to see others falling for it, knowing how much it hurt my family friend.

[@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.

[@koolspark99]

I did a point system "not a time share" presentation in Hawaii, got a huge discount for Lau tickets for an hour of watching them talk. I was able to say no and got out of there within 10min with my "gift." They had a minimum income requirement to attend. They were friendly, pushy, but after saying no a few times they gave up. I'm lucky mine wasn't a horror story like the examples you gave.

[@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 😅

[@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.

[@AlexOkoli]

Thanks for the insight

[@GotKimchi]

Also, I read some of these timeshares can transcend death and be passed on to their heirs, so be careful with stuff like this! They can try and be so sneaky and trap you too. I help with my parents finances so I be vigilant about stuff like this, hehe

[@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.

[@saritamoorebansa4485]

I attend a timeshare with my ex in 2001. It was very aggressive. I kept saying why would I buy a timeshare when I don’t own a house. ( I just wanted the free Minnesota zoo tickets that were offered) 😂😂. I am so glad I stood my ground. It would have been financial suicide if we had gotten a timeshare!!!!

[@naomibelekof7254]

I have only heard of time shares on tv when I grew up, never really understood them but knew parents fall for them. I grew up with hotel chain discounts or Government subsidies for citizens travelling around the country.

[@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!)

[@user-ti3ch7on8l]

Wish my friends would be willing to watch this AND learn something from it. But I’m afraid after several years of them paying for one, sunk-cost fallacy rules and they don’t want to believe they’ve been taken for a ride for their timeshare. So they keep on paying for it and going to the same "forced" vacation same time every year since they already paid for it.

[@thefinancialfreedomgirl]

ooh the sunk-cost fallacy of current timeshare owners would've been a good concept to add in this video! i hope your friends are able to reconsider at some point, whether through this video or something else one day

[@Inexplicablyexplicated]

Jokes on them, I paid for this trip with Klarna, have poor credit, and no savings 😭 Maybe I can just walk out with the free stuff after all 😂 lol but seriously, I wonder if I have the mental fortitude to go in there and not get suckered in.

[@thefinancialfreedomgirl]

i do have a morbid curiosity about what the sales sessions would be like, but i also don't know if i really want to spend hours in a room being sold to

[@beetl_3]

a girl from high school just got married and got a 50k timeshare while planning on being a housewife while her husbands company is still in startup and im like girl WHAT ARE YOU DOINGGGG!! buy a percentage of a property if you can not a timeshare! if you share property with seniors theres a big possibility youll be able to buy out for cheap when theyre too old to get there. but who can afford property lmfao