Why Timeshares Aren’t Worth It

[@Skrivus]

The fact that there is now an industry of lawyers that exclusively deal with getting people out of timeshare contracts is all you need to know.

[@mrbear1302]

And also be aware of timeshare scammers. There are people that say they can get you out of a timeshare and will take your money and you will never hear from them again. My mother unfortunately lost $2000 due to a timeshare scammer.

[@Jeez001]

Yea Dave Ramsay was involved in firm that scammed his viewers promising timeshare exit

[@cynthiamontrose2826]

The "lawyers" are "liars" and don't do anything to get people out of the timeshare.

[@ogdooglehowser1317]

I grew up watching cable tv ads about getting out of timeshares. That has imprinted a bad connotation when i hear that word, so i am not falling for that crap

[@mimusic1853]

Open your ears what lawyers? It’s shell companies other words wise guys.

[@TheJimmy144]

I recently found out my future in laws got suckered into buying a timeshare/vacation club. My stomach dropped when they told me. Already explaining to my fiancé that under no circumstance will be ever have anything to do with these. I truly can't fathom why anyone would want to go in massive amounts of debt with interest just to be limited on where they can vacation and be stuck with nonstop fees. Just save up for the vacations you actually want to take. If you cant afford to pay for it in full, then you can't afford to go on vacation. It's that simple.

[@Pr0toPoTaT0]

Aye, you single too huh?

[@dr_flunks]

smart.

[@merlie1254]

So true. We got suckered in back in 2014 by Diamond Resorts. First the fees were less than $700/year for the fixed week in February. Then we wanted to do the points system so we bought another week in Tahoe. After three years, we bought another one in total of 3weeks. We went to Alaska, Powhatan Resorts in Virginia but mostly used our points in Tahoe and Coronado. The year before the pandemic, we went to the supposedly update meeting, which we knew we would be coerced into buying more points but stuck with our guns on not buying anymore. The salesperson was so mad and humiliated us because we told him we enjoyed the Alaskan cruise but he said that was cheap and we needed more points to go to other countries to use the points so when he said that our timeshare fees will be perpetuity and will be handed down to our estate, that scared us as our fees were already in the $2600/year. We didn’t want our kids to be stucked with that so when DRI offered an exit back in late 2021, we did the paperworks right away before the due date for fees. Although we didn’t get a penny for the 3weeks, we were glad to be out. People should educate themselves before saying yes to the timeshare.

[@AdeleiTeillana]

​@@EarthlingY2k😂 You started having a panic attack just because someone was trying to sell you something? If there was ever a story illustrating how pampered we Americans are, this is it. It's honestly sad when you consider how many people all over the world have lived through wars, rebellions, genocides, etc. Women having to deal with mass-r@pe as soldiers plow through their villages, young boys kidnapped and forced to be child soldiers. And we Americans have panic attacks when someone tries to sell us a time share, despite having every right to say "no."

[@sd-ch2cq]

Yeah: just save up and buy the vacation you actually want

[@XennialGuy]

My wife and I attend timeshare presentations once a year, usually in Florida. We do it for the sole purpose of getting a free week stay at the resort, no less. It gives us great pleasure wasting 1 or 2 hours of their time, to then walk out with our free week, and sometimes more. I would never recommend this to impulsive buyers or those that don't know how to say no. You have to go into these things with a mission in mind.

[@gamingbigfats3934]

Same here . The look on Their faces is priceless to Me. 😊

[@cbell5017]

Dumb idea. Wasted your time as well.

[@XennialGuy]

@@cbell5017 Been doing it for almost two decades. We've gotten to stay a total of 16 weeks for free, about a week a year. Basically as if we owned a timeshare but it cost us next to nothing other than an hour or two a year and have been able to tour and stay at some nice resorts on their dime. Even got a free week stay in Hawaii for 1.5 hours of wasting their time. That place costs $300 a night to stay but we paid zero.

[@YooDerekRam]

​@@cbell5017depends, 2 hours? For a week stay? That's 200ish bucks for 2 hours. The average American makes 25 an hour. I think they made out like a bandit.

[@kendallevans4079]

You also wasted your time! Feel good about that?

[@anthonydeskins2086]

Got suckered into two timeshares while visiting Orlando in 2023. Wyndham has a booth at Seaworld. They picked me out of the crowd and said that I look like a guy who wants to save money. Ended up going to a Disney resort for a timeshare with the promise of a free week of vacation. They used high pressure sales tactics to get me to sign up for a $20,000 vacation club. I guess you could say my guard was down. What’s worse is that Westgate also offered me a vacation club which I accepted that same trip. Realizing I had made two gigantic mistakes, I had only 3 days to cancel my Westgate contract and 10 days to cancel Wyndham. Once you sign the contracts, they could care less about you. Good luck talking to anyone to even book trips. It’s the most legal scam ever. After several cancellation letters and next-day mailing totaling $250, I got out of my two contracts by the skin of my teeth. Don’t ever get suckered in. If you do, make sure you following the cancellation terms to a T.

[@hallhv01]

They picked you out of a crowd for looking like a sucker? Omg!!!!!

[@itr0863]

This is not a scam. It’s your fault for falling for this. This is pretty much common sense. Why would you think pre-paying for a vacation that you could probably use once a year? Is something good?

[@jeffro221]

@@itr0863 Yes, it is his fault he let himself get suckered. But you're wrong.......these timeshares ARE scams.

[@itr0863]

@@jeffro221 ppl need more self accountability instead of blaming other things as scams. Those timeshare sellers are def POS but thats their job. car salesmen are sleazy but thats their job. There is this thing called the internet where you can review things. So ppl not doing their research need to blame themselves

[@Johnfisher12345]

100% your fault. Period. No ifs, ands or buts.

[@portfoliotrader284]

The fact that the government acted against the 'exit' companies but not actual time share companies says it all

[@geo5106]

She took a 30k loan with 15% APR to buy a timeshare? If Capital Vacations wasn’t going to scam her, someone was.

[@jazzcatjohn]

And the lady at the end talking about living paycheck to paycheck after being able to purchase not one but two timeshares was hilarious.

[@viva_la_topa_8886]

Yea 0 simpathy for that lady

[@tbrobinson-jones975]

😂​@Justsomeguyyuyu

[@falidisu2139]

@Justsomeguyyuyuvotes red for sure

[@CJBroonie]

Don’t be so mean. Anyone can get talked into something against their better judgment at some point. Have sympathy for people who are defrauded and direct your disgust to the scammers instead.

[@linhaton4957]

One of my friends invited my husband and myself to their timeshare in Mexico. All we had to pay for was the all inclusive fee for food and drinks. My friends who owned the timeshare were required to pay this fee as well to use their timeshare. I called the hotel and was able to book the room for less than my friends. They had already spent a good amount of money for this timeshare, plus annual maintenance fees. I was able to vacation for less than them for a week. Don’t ever buy a Mexico timeshare.

[@sharonh2991]

Don’t ever buy a timeshare PERIOD!

[@Dan16673]

its amazing right?

[@Neeper78]

This is the way.

[@10ftSamsquanchy]

Your friends don't own anything. They have a overpriced subscription for a crap product.

[@chasefasten4120]

Second that emotion. The "all inclusive" piece of Mexican timeshare makes it worthless relative both in point value for exchange and vacation value overall. Nobody wants to exchange to pay $500 pp/week.

[@BoopOnYourNose]

Many years ago my husband and I were vacationing in Mexico, and were told we'd get a free breakfast buffet if we went to a "short" presentation. Well, we were hungry so went went and brought our appetites. They held us captive fir over an hour while we could smell the delicious food in the other room but weren't allowed to touch it. Finally we got to eat, and the food was delicious! After breakfast they still wouldn't let us out. We had to sit through another pitch. Then they came around with the contracts. I couldn't believe that some people actually signed up! Be we kept saying no. They went through salesperson after salesperson trying to work on us. When it was clear we wouldn't sign, they brought over this big tough guy to try to threaten and intimidate us to sign! Then the group leader said it was time ti tour the property, and that it would be mandatory for us to go with them. As soon as we got outside we bolted. NEVER CAVE IN!! IT'S A SCAM!!

[@walter2695]

Same for me. Just said no to everything, The final boss we had to fight like in mortal kombat was just hurling anything on us he could to get us to say yes. Then he got offensive and said we were stupid for not trying to save money on vacations. Just say no until they give up. Next time im just going to wear earbuds and rock out until they shut up.

[@fargone2000]

Sounds like you were threatened. Why didn't you report it to the police?

[@carolr7823]

@@fargone2000 It was Mexico.

[@peternorthrup6274]

Suckers are born everyday. When time shares were a big deal we ended up with 3 flat screen TVs. I'm brutal on those fools.

[@seancourtney9021]

that happened to me in Florida when I wanted free tickets for Disney and had to sit thru the same thing. Boy, did I sweat the pressure, lol!

[@poncho87ro]

I'm not minimizing this industry's terrible practices, but people's lacking of financial education is a key factor in all these "scams".

[@SquirrellyShenanigans]

I think you are right, unfortunately. Too bad thousands of people don't realize until they've been scammed and its too late.

[@nickyb7266]

Agree!

[@paulatavares5220]

Governments are to blame also for allowing these shady companies to trade using misleading information and very dubious tactics . They don't care about consumers as long as they get their taxes .

[@AlanSmith88888]

As a tourist in Florida, they made me sit through a timeshare presentation just to get free/discounted tickets to Disney world. It was worth it, but they do employ decent sales tactics. I can understand how Americans would be tempted as a foreigner who went through

[@majermike]

they paid my family $200, same story, in mexico

[@themoderatescorner7643]

They tried to do that crap to me back in the 1990s to 2000s and thankfully when I read the fine print, and this was one for like a place near the Cape one of them kinds of places, I declined it and walked away. Thankfully by 2008, they ran out of money and went out of business. The person running the outfit selling these were investigated, found guilty for scamming people and put into prison for fraud. When I hear time share, I run to the hills and walk away. Want absolutely nothing to do with em.

[@Daffy-mg8ls]

@@AlanSmith88888 No one made you do anything, it was your choice to sit through the presentation.

[@jonatanrullman]

​@@Daffy-mg8lsyou do realise that you have to read to the end of the sentence, right?

[@hbarudi]

This is a time when we need to either heavily regulate or outright ban this "timeshare" system.

[@jamespulver3890]

Honestly, I don't understand how or why we let salespeople lie and still have a court uphold the sale. But with used cars, timeshares, and ever more, we no longer seem to enforce laws against fraud or false advertising.

[@resterAnonyme]

@@jamespulver3890 Because people don't read their contract or demand to see the sales pitch claim written into the contract.

[@g.t.g1111]

BAND THEM TO 🤬👺👹💩

[@bauttiet.h.u.g.5900]

I still don't full understand what ppl are being lied about? How do we know the difference between a lie or misunderstanding?

[@OrionTails]

​@@bauttiet.h.u.g.5900 rather, they were misled. The way they were marketed were dishonest and untruthful (not receiving straight answers when asked simple questions, instead they are given a convoluted response that makes the offer sound better than it actually is, or, to be more correct: less of a nightmare).

[@timewind3870]

I remember being lured to time share presentation back in 2004. I was 23 years old. But even then,the whole experience was extremely strange and suspicious to me. Years went past,and I was almost certain that people learned that time sharing was a scam of the past. After watching this, im in state of shock. i couldn't be more wrong. It's amazing that now,in 2024, more people are falling for this despite having instantaneous access to an enormous amount of information. People will never stop being stupid and naive

[@SCIFIguy64]

People are falling for it because some timeshares are legit and work like an Airbnb. Most aren’t, but enough are to keep suckers coming.

[@williamofhler5613]

I wasted an hour listening to their sales pitch. They did come thru with the boat trip though. Just repeatedly said NO !!

[@popperpoppler4569]

I’m about 6 years younger but yeah I don’t understand how timeshares are still around. I feel like they’ve been known to be a scam since I was a young man, I guess each new generation just has to learn for themselves.

[@Kindheart93]

People should not be victimized like this. Some people aren't too bright or they are just naive. But they are still victims. These timeshare companies should be shut down.

[@er1115]

Amen

[@francislee7770]

TimeShare is an industry created from the hotel industry that has on average 30% vacancy rate throughout the year. The floating weeks is pretty much what they offer to fill up what would be empty reservations. TimeShare is a forever contract and you are stuck for life.

[@deborahcurtis1385]

Blimey that stinks!!

[@kirkp_nextguitar]

I told the sales rep that we have a policy of never making a major commitment until we have slept on it. He stressed that the “special deal” was only available today. My response: “So after I’ve slept on it, if I decide I want to take that deal, I shouldn’t bother calling you?” Of course, he back-pedaled in a hurry. I’ve been telling people to avoid timeshares since I first heard of them around 1990.

[@davidonthefly1449]

No he didn't. You're a liar!! Your narcissism wants that to be what happened. In fact he told you what every timeshare salesperson says. Because we make NO money outside of that appointment even if you come back we don't give a crap!!!!! It's today or you can join without an incentive. Stop the lies to feed the ego

[@ectofix8447]

Same here. Went to a presentation in the late '80s and quickly realized what a bad deal it was. I left with a token reward for showing up. Some combination mount-under-the-cabinet blender/can opener doohickey that lasted six months. Wasn't worth the 80 mile drive for that but enjoyed the drive.

[@artboy789]

It is called crimeshare by people in the know

[@ScottsdaleSushi]

@@artboy789 Anyone today - with all the choices & great deals you can find for vacations - who could be naive enough to do that, needs to be examined by their doctor. They are a joke.

[@saintriss]

My friends and I have literally crawled out of a hotel window to get out of sitting through a timeshare presentation 😂

[@jondoe406]

We need the backstory on this!!

[@tonyalston4838]

@@jondoe406 definitely 🤣

[@rst90274]

I think its legal to yell fire in s crowded time share presentation. If not, it should be.

[@deathlarsen7502]

[@SpeakerOfTruth444]

LOL.

[@yongj]

I sat thru their presentation cos i was told i had a pair of free tickets to Japan worth $3000, but when we showed no interest to invest in their other offerings, they were not only rude, they said their policy was to book the trip with a mandatory booking of their selected hotels which will cost us $6000! Very sad that these are still legalised scams today.

[@maryfields877]

They tried to obligate you into spending money? Lol, I would have laughed in their faces!

[@Green__one]

Interesting, I've done many of these presentations just for the free stuff, I've always gotten the freebie, and never had to pay. The presentations can be painful, but I find that I can usually get enough free stuff to be worth it to me.

[@OmegaBlitzkrieg]

I had to sit through one of their pitches with my wife after the in-laws invited us on a vacation. These people are blatant, ruthless liars. They tried to justify numbers that didn't make any sense and had a stupid rebuttals anytime they were confronted with basic math or logic. At one point they brought over their "two best salespeople" and tried dividing my wife and I because she seemed more interested in their BS. After standing firm, one of them got condescending but when you go low, I take it to the floor. They no longer wanted to speak to me shortly after. Never waste your money on a timeshare.

[@OffGridInvestor]

Somehow women seem to fall quicker because they get caught more in the emotion of getting ahead of others with no real effort, yet men stick to maths.

[@xolomartinez6036]

I had their best sales dude call me an a-hole because I wouldn’t sign their dumb worthless ts paperwork. I knew then and there this was a scam yet I would come across people that bought these. I never been interested since.

[@jbranche8024]

Beware that Everyone is on vacation at a Timeshare. You compete for Pool chairs, any amenities (Tennis, Golf, Ziplines,Pool, onsite Restaurants), deal with more noise, behavior of people drinking. You can experience a fun enjoyable vacation experience. You should compare the cost of similar hotels, Airbnbs, total night stay cost. Night rate, cleaning, maintenance, administrative, and/or service fees/costs.

[@annenelson5656]

My ex used to love to torture the timeshare salesmen by acting really interested and leading them on then when he was bored he’d say something like you’d have to be crazy or stupid to buy a timeshare then leave. Sometimes the salesmen would follow us all the way to our car trying to both chew us out and get us to change our minds. It was pretty funny for a while then we decided we had better things to do on a Saturday afternoon.

[@jondoe406]

But did you still get the free gift card?

[@rtshchand]

I love timeshare presentations. I would go to the ones where they give you free 3 day vacations just for attending the presentations. They spend hours like car salesmen to sell it to me, I keep saying no and take my free vacations. I have done it like 6 times. Went to Mexico, Hawaii, Jamaica and Dominican Republic for pennies on dollar. Without ever signing up for anything.

[@kevintyson1947]

Can you give me pointers on how to make these timeshare folks approach me with offers?

[@rtshchand]

I never approach them, in fact they call me to set up timeshare presentations. Some how they got my number..lol@@kevintyson1947

[@kenpumford754]

Same here. Besides Las Vegas, Florida, Tennessee and California, we’ve been to fabulous resorts in Mexico four times!

[@kenpumford754]

@@kevintyson1947Look up Monster vacations….

[@exception2]

I love them too. Don't be afraid of the word timeshare. Just be very clear that you are going to lose 100% of your money at the moment you sign the paper. All your money goes to company profits, salesman's commission, and fellow attendee's free trips

[@ienjoylife]

When I attend a timeshare presentation, it’s only for the well researched free gift. I also check the minimum time I must attend (usually 90 mins) and announce my intentions at the very beginning. I then set my timer and at the end of 90 minutes, get up and collect my gift. That’s the only thing these presentations are worth attending for. My “gifts” have included lift tickets, amusement park tickets, free weekend stays and kindle tablets.

[@carolstewart4088]

Same, had the presenter chase me to get back in, and I responded very loudly, that would be kidnapping. bye

[@charliej766]

I traveled to Barbados with a family friend and this handsome young man approached us offering a free bottle of rum to watch a presentation. I immediately said nope but she wanted to go. Since we promised to stay together while traveling I accompanied her. It was a time share pitch. I got my rum and said no thanks. I tried to convince her not to do it but she was sucked in. Three years later she was still complaining about how expensive it is and she was struggling to get rid of it. I just don’t get it. As soon as I heard the cost vs reward I knew it was a ripoff. Why can’t others see it?!?!

[@Tomr9]

Thanks CNBC for bringing awareness to the public

[@CyrilJap]

John Oliver did a while back, and his videos are free on KZbin. If only people would try to inform themselves better, scammers wouldn’t have those chances of taking advantage of them.

[@doct0rnic]

​@@CyrilJapand his was more indepth

[@d.b.cooper1]

Awareness? I'm not even American and I've known these are a clear scam since I was a kid just via American culture/movies/news etc. How are people so stupid??

[@CL-mp4vn]

I've never gone deep into knowing about timeshares business; but I already heard that timeshares turned bad long time ago. CNBC is kind of too late to talk about this. 😅

[@Salish_Redbone]

South Park did a hilarious episode called "Asspen" back in 2002 that brought "awareness" - kzbin.info/www/bejne/onzblquVj7WLjbc 😄

[@JamesJordanbestnetworkeralive]

Me & my wife signed up for a timeshare because we had gone on a few trips we liked from a vacation package she bought before we met. We asked specific questions & read the paperwork. They ran her credit without our permission & once I figured that out I was over it. She wanted to sign up I was mainly against it but we went with it. We knew we had 7 days to sign forms & read paperwork. That’s exactly what we did. Cancelled as soon as we got back ;)

[@themarinect]

Put a credit freeze then no one is able to run your credit without permission again

[@BobbyHo2022]

thats what i do. I have a credit freeze. The guy at the meeting who was tryna pressure me couldn't do nothing until i unlocked it. Well I did additional research and never got back to them.@@themarinect

[@josephbscott8350]

As someone who worked in the TIMESHARE industry management for 17 years (not in sales!) My advice is simple: NO. Hell NO ! Never buy one!

[@josephbscott8350]

Over the years I noticed that there is one profession who seems to never own a timeshare : Lawyers ! Because they actually read those ridiculous contracts ... Add no better than to sign one. One easy profession for timeshare salespeople : Doctors! They seem to believe everything they are told by the salesperson ... Yet read nothing for themselves... They can be sold through their egos ! And make too much money to care about the mistake.

[@josephbscott8350]

A surprising profession that buys timeshares too often: Teachers 😮😮😮 !!! WTH why ??? They cannot afford the mistake of buying a timeshare. And their vacation schedule is limited. I have seen so many of them purchase Weeks during the school year ... And then try to trade them for the vacation weeks ... Creating a cheap week for an expensive week ... Is still possible ... But extremely unlikely 😢

[@eyeseer1]

Timeshares are a monthly extortion for a single vacation rental.

[@travisswiger9213]

Best advice - get a friend that already has a timeshare. Good Buddy of mine sent me to Vegas for a week at the Wyndham Desert Blue this past October. I had a 2 bedroom suite all to myself - It cost me $0. The place was very nice and quiet. When I initially checked in, they tried to give me my "Free Gift" which could have been a gift card or another trip "on them", but this required attending their 2-3 hour "presentation". I told them I didn't have time for that and then I was left alone. I should also note - I was there alone. Single Guys aren't their target demographic. They're looking for couples and married folks.

[@SpeakerOfTruth444]

It's all by design to allow crimes by the rich and powerful.

[@emilymeyer7788]

Paying tens of thousands of dollars just to vacation somewhere for a week each year, and not owning it but being responsible for the up keeping, is utterly ridiculous. Just book a vacation each year, or, if you have the funds, buy an actual vacation home you own, no middle man, no sharing, no points

[@laraleon8033]

In 1998 I was only a year in this country and not knowing of the bad rep of these places went to a timeshare presentation. I could notice the people that had their balloons popped and celebrated were people in on the business, they were part of the scam. But what it was really scary is that when we tried to leave the place they wouldn't let us leave. It was very scary and people got very confrontational. Never again!

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

Whoa, they actually tried to prevent you from leaving?

[@laraleon8033]

@@deborahblackvideoediting8697 No, they didnt let us leave, we had to fight to be able to leave after being there for a few hours already.Total nightmare

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

@@laraleon8033 - That's insane! It sounds like they should all be in jail for a multitude of reasons!

[@fargone2000]

Why didn't you call the police?

[@hallhv01]

Funny what people will do to make a dollar right? Can you imagine how bad those sakes people needed the money???

[@WendyL-mv4xb]

We’ve been to a couple of TS presentations with no intention to buy. The trick to get out of the sales pitches is bringing a toddler. They will get fuzzy after two hours and starts screaming, crying or throwing a tantrum. The sales people always let us go as fast as they could.

[@same5952]

😂😂 Excellent tip! Toddler's screaming will also get some of your fellow attendees outta there fast!

[@thomasclark631]

One of the elements in the sales pitch is “you’re going to take a vacation anyway so this way you can lock in your cost”. Just ask yourself if you would be taking a vacation if you lost your job.

[@hellfire0332]

Exactly! And maybe next year I don't even want to go on vacation or decide to stay local. Or I want to go somewhere that this company isn't located at.

[@mscolli3]

Its not locking in anything since the costs still go up every year.

[@tylermoore6675]

A pushy, snobby salesperson kept throwing that logic at me 3 years ago....and actually got upset when we turned her down.

[@hallhv01]

Or if you had a medical issue

[@FranSanTeeth90]

The problem is the ratio of days of the year to timeshare slots. If there are 365 days in a year and 3,000 members for 1,000 hotel rooms what does that mean? It's like a movie theater selling a ticket for the same seat and same showing of Deadpool 100 times! And worse than that is that it's not like some people will see Deadpool and some will see X men 1st class. In most timeshares you won't see ANY movie. Ever. At. All.

[@Weaver_Games]

The entire industry needs to be heavily regulated, if not abolished. The fact this scam has been left to go on for so long is mind boggling to me.

[@DC-qn4wz]

👍👍👍

[@morecontenttalk7077]

The people who fall for scams like timeshares are the same ones criticizing the way you spend your money. That’s why I don’t listen to anybody’s “financial advice”.

[@MONi_LALA]

I went to a retail store, shockingly, there's ppl wearing their uniform talking about vacation, they are smart, avoiding the word "timeshare" but everything she mentioned sounds like "timeshare", i didn't realized it at first, it sounds wonderful, not expensive at all for the whole trip. But she said meetings, and that's when I want to ask my parents about it since it's vacation for 4. And that's when she said, "why do you need to ask your parents? You're an adults!" That's when I walked. Thank goodness, my parents saved us. We don't even realize that they are timeshare, we walked because they disrespect my decisions and my relationship with my parents. Later, we sat down and pieced everything together, and we realized that they were timeshare.

[@jerkasmo]

At any point whatsoever if someone ever tries to stop you from discussing a decision with your family, you know right away it's a scam.

[@vistastructions]

What was the context in which "meetings" was said?

[@Theaverageazn247]

time shares are great if you go to the meeting and then act broke. the free vacation packages they give are legit. just dont buy anything

[@hensonlaura]

​@@Theaverageazn247 Why do you have to act? Just say No, I don't want it. You don't have to lie.

[@yousguys00]

TOP TIP for dealing with High Pressure Timeshare Sales Presentation: I brought along a full sized bag of extra crunch potato chips. Every time the presenter got to a dramatic sales pitch part, I started rolling my bag of chips. It was loud. Then I would stand up and say "My bad." and sit down, because I am English and that's the polite thing to do. That lasted about 10 minutes then they asked me to step outside. As I went outside, I passed by the table with the giveaways and I took my two champagne bottles and two envelopes filled with COCO BONGO tickets with me. That's called WIN - WIN!

[@lorrainejennings7344]

Was it worth it to show no class???

[@yousguys00]

@@lorrainejennings7344 I did it. Someone there said to me he respected me for doing that and said to me : "not all heroes wear capes".

[@yousguys00]

@@lorrainejennings7344 Yes.

[@yousguys00]

@@lorrainejennings7344 Yes, I did show they had no class. Worth it!

[@kelvin-zh9fm]

​@lorrainejennings7344 to a bunch of scammers with even lower class? Absolutely.

[@jdmather5755]

I didn’t realize timeshares were still a thing.

[@pushslice]

Unfortunately, the pipeline of suckers is evergreen.

[@mohamedhasan318]

It's new for youth 😂

[@blaster-zy7xx]

It is now hidden behind other names like "vacation clubs".

[@jdmather5755]

@@blaster-zy7xx I would have thought with the advent of Air B&B and VRBO or similar where vacationers can short term rent a condo or house anywhere at any time that timeshares would no longer find customers.

[@KC-rb4gv]

I was shocked when a coworker told me she got one . I was like where have you been living under a rock? Lol

[@ontheroadagainwithvinny931]

I've known three or four people over the past 40 years who have had a timeshare. It has never made sense. Just go on holiday/vacation and enjoy it. There's a hundred+ different countries and tens of thousands of places to visit without tying yourself down to any company.

[@EricaGamet]

My parents bought two different weeks at a timeshare back in '81. Dad is long gone, but Mom still owns one of the units/weeks. It's in Vail Colorado... we used it religiously twice a year. We have traveled all over the world switching out our weeks at Vail for great places. With all of us "kids" in our 50s now, and some of us not living in Colorado anymore, even having just the one week we don't use it. None of us ski anymore and there's really nothing else to do in Vail. I know my mom gets frustrated with not being able to even exchange it anymore. She's 85 and since the pandemic doesn't really much care to travel anyway. I assume we'll just inherit it... unless she ditches the second unit. I think they were decent back in the day... if you were actually going to vacation at the same place... and living in Colorado, it was super easy to get to Vail for a ski week or two.

[@Lololol45]

A friend of mines had his wife show them her old EBT card (they hadn’t been on EBT for years when this happened) and said “look, I can’t barely afford food, what makes you think we even have a credit score”, they basically got rushed out of the room and given their “free stay”.

[@nuutasi]

😂😂

[@kimberlyb6522]

Typically won’t work these days. You need a credit card and they assume you have a certain credit score floor to have gotten a credit card. They also finance in house.

[@bumponlog]

So you're saying he could afford food just fine?

[@Vagabond_Etranger]

Just went to a Wyndham timeshare on Jan 9th in Hawaii. They now have a minimum of 60k/yr salary. Required that you attend the presention with an ID & CC. So I don't think they'll offer it to you if you are low income.

[@Lololol45]

@@Vagabond_Etrangerthis was ages ago. I’m sure the timeshares have smartened up.

[@jamesbeneventi2058]

Used to work for a TS exit company and helped dozens of TS owners out of their contract. The yearly maintenance fees go up and average of 4% a year in perpetuity. Almost impossible to get out on your own, but is possible sometimes. If you own one best of luck, but if your thinking of buying one just don't. It's not ownership it's a hotel room you rent for a couple few weeks a year. Beware

[@blaster-zy7xx]

I have some young friends who recently got married who both work very modest hourly jobs. They are just starting out and don't even have enough money to do much. After they came back from a short trip for their honeymoon, they told us they bought a timeshare so they plan go to Hawaii together. My heart just sunk. I knew right away that they can't afford to loose this money. Money they can't afford to lose will be siphoned out AND they are never going to see Hawaii with this purchase. But it was too late to tell them that now. Very sad how much money will go out the door before they realize it.

[@d.b.cooper1]

This is exactly who they target for timeshares, it's just usually done towards middle/old age for working/middle class people. If anything learning from the sting at a younger age, saving your money & not falling victim again is far better than ploughing your life savings into something & then not having the years/ability to work to recover.

[@GT1004]

Lose

[@blaster-zy7xx]

@@GT1004 fixed.

[@itr0863]

Easy targets. Broke people who think they can travel to these destinations. So obvious.

[@benbazy9238]

Took a free weeks vacation in Vegas knowing we were going to have to sit through a timeshare sales pitch. I scheduled it the 2nd to the last day of our stay and we used a pre-paid credit card to cover the incidentals. Excused myself after 20 minutes when it started to go the the bathroom. I pulled the fire alarm and evacuated with everyone else, enjoyed our last day on the trip and went home.

[@wholesomet3930]

Legend

[@chriscalvin9367]

Thats called a felony

[@edstraight846]

Probably a fake story; definitely a crime

[@eyeseer1]

Anything “Free” is anything but.

[@Josh-yr7gd]

I once signed up to win a free car at a shopping mall. I got a response email telling me to attend an hour long presentation and I could get $250 worth of free gifts. Well, they tried for over 2 hours to sell me a timeshare that would have put me $24,000 in debt. They were relentless, but I did not budge. I only wanted my free gifts!! On the way out, I got some of the nastiest looks, because I didn't cave. Got home and looked up the gifts I could choose and they were utter trash. The thing that bothered me the most was that other people in the room were being scammed. If I had the boldness then that I have today, I would have warned them.

[@WillieFungo]

The people who "buy" are usually paid employees

[@OzkrsTV]

Why hold the exit companies more accountable than the actual time share company? Christ this country is backwards.

[@TimeshareUsersGroup]

hard to defend one scam over another! how do you pick a winner there?

[@richardc020]

One word: lobbyists.

[@Exnflfan]

Can’t talk without blaspheming. Brain surgeon.

[@redmustangredmustang]

The worst part is if say your elderly dad dies, it gets passed down to your adult kids and you actually have to file a motion in court saying you don't want it. Then it passed to the next of kin. Luckily my elderly grandfather was luckily to sell it off. Practically gave it away for free, but at least it's gone.

[@lepoj]

How are people still buying time shares in 2024

[@eddenoy321]

For real... I have gone to a few of the presentations for the gift money. I am ashamed to admit that, but I needed the $100 at the time.

[@mattr2626]

A friend of a mine, literally two weeks ago, told me he bought a time share. I didn't know what to say 😬

[@laqueatabrown9916]

@@mattr2626 I remember going to Disney in Florida and we went to a presentation just to get free tickets we had no intention on buying or signing up for ANYTHING. The salesman was similar to a used car salesman and was telling us everything to get us on board with their scams LOL we didn't budge and got our free Disney tickets which were worth about $200.00 we had so much fun at Disney for free because of time share scammers, the joke was on them but for real don't sign up for anything those loans are completely bogus.

[@kevintyson1947]

​@@mattr2626I dated a girl few months ago who's parents had timeshares and she argued with me that it's not a scam or a waste of money. She is 25.....and a lawyer

[@Mrkevi123]

There's a sucker born every minute..

[@strattonskier7229]

There was a time when almost everyone I knew jumped into a timeshare, my husband and I said no thanks, dont want to share a home. We saw this as a bad investment in the 90’s. So glad we stayed away, instead we bought a lovely condo in a ski area and use it as much as our permanent home. Don’t know which is the permanent home any longer since we use both constantly, only 3 hrs driving between.

[@mutobo24]

Timeshares are the biggest scam out there. The government needs to do more to go after this companies. This is the only business where once you sign a contract you are trapped forever.

[@chukuemekaoje1015]

Everything about timeshares is scummy. Also, don't forget that you could also get pulled into "update" meetings where they'll try to get you to upgrade your timeshare (i.e. take on a new loan).

[@stphinkle]

I think there needs to be more laws on timeshares. There should be laws banning making false claims at sales presentations, that steps to cancel ownership and membership be specified in the contract and be doable more easily, be required to disclose that there is zero resale value, disclose how many points are needed for bookings more accurately both during peak and off-peak dates, and that the total buy-in costs, loan costs, and maintenance fees be disclosed to the person in big print. Heirs should also be able to not inherit or immediately terminate a timeshare contract when its owner dies.

[@SanchoPanza-m8m]

Let the buyer beware.

[@itr0863]

No laws need to be made. If people are dumb enough to sign up for this, they deserve it.

[@same5952]

Better yet. DON'T buy it.

[@jkbc]

during the presentation of timeshare they show all the new luxury properties, the reality is when it comes to actually book a property, all of them are fully booked for the next 2 years or cant be booked. Only properties in the less desirable location are available. On top of that, the annual fees keep getting more expensive.

[@DestinationTimeshare]

If they are all fully booked, it means some timeshare owners are getting reservations. Usually the ones finding no availability are the ones that aren't booking when the reservation windows first open up. With timeshare, you have to be a planner and plan early. Otherwise you are out of luck.

[@katieg.9235]

More likley booked by the fools who keep buying more and more points. That's another shady time share tactic... just buy more points to get your desired resort! Easy peasy, it's only money right?! Unfortunately, I can't book a vacation 2 years out.

[@anderajohn133]

I bought one in Malta and after 5yrs when I saw an annual increase in the maintenance rates I signed it back over to them. I am so glad I did!

[@sispeepgame]

I used to do customer service for a large time share over 10 years ago and when I tell you those sales people lie to the buyers all the time. I had a lady have a breakdown on the phone because the sales rep lied and said it wasn’t a timeshare, it was something else. I cannot remember what he said it was so she brought it and she called to cancel it because she realized she was lied to but just missed the 7 day grace period that allowed you to cancel.

[@TheGreatWasian_]

I never knew anything specific about timeshares but I always knew immediately that it was shady. Anything where a sales person has to convince a normal person to buy something very expensive is typically a scam.

[@d.b.cooper1]

100%. Always been amaazed at how others don't come to the same conclusion as soon as they hear 'timeshare'....I'm not even American & I've known that since my teens. Then again you guys generally love complicated sales/prymid structures.

[@TheGreatWasian_]

@d.b.cooper1 tbh it’s always the older people who fall for scams easily. They are extremely preyed upon and most scams target older folks. Young folks are not as susceptible to scams

[@d.b.cooper1]

@@TheGreatWasian_ Typically they're older yes but ngl going through comments & many people in this video, they aren't that old. Especially when you consider how widely known it's been that timeshares are risky/bad for many years, even someone who is now 60 in 2023 ought to have been young/mnetally astute enough over the past 1/2 decades to at least do basic research. Young folk seem to be as stupid as ever

[@WillieFungo]

​@@d.b.cooper1 You don't know anything about Americans, only what you see on tv and movies.

[@d.b.cooper1]

@@WillieFungo I know who your current & last president was. That says it all mate. P.s. I have been to the USA twice & done the route 66. Heck I'm probably more well travelled than most American on their own turf

[@NfidelNet]

Years ago a co-worker mentioned to me that he and his wife had THREE timeshares. My reaction was "good Lord!". He was actually bragging about it. I was dirt poor then but even I knew he was a sucker. About 2 years later he called me trying to pawn one of them off on me. NOPE!

[@YinYangInvestor]

"I love my $200/night vacation so much, let me pay $50,000 for it!"

[@jeffreynelson2946]

I owned a timeshare. It was basically free and came with three extra banked weeks. However, because it was on the Florida coast every year the fees went up do to storm damage repairs. When I looked at the cost of the fees, plane fare, rental car, etc. It cost a couple of thousand just to get to the front door. I was cheaper to go on an all-inclusive vacation to a different location every year than to keep going to the same place in Florida every year. There was no loan on it so I stopped paying the annual fee.

[@DC-qn4wz]

Can you please share the rest of your story about what happens after you stopped paying the annual fee? Thanks!

[@jeffreynelson2946]

@@DC-qn4wz No repercussions. I believe it had to do with not having a lien on the unit.

[@DC-qn4wz]

@@jeffreynelson2946 Thanks so much! Just to double-check, did they make any threats or scare tactics of any sort about suing you for the annual fee? Or did they just didn't do anything? Thx

[@Robin-xt7yo]

I inherited my timeshare close to the ocean on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Bought out my siblings inherited share for 5k total. I pay $1,100 a year in maintenance. That works out to $157 a night. But i can rent it out for $375 a night. It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, fully stocked kitchen, living room, dining room. Common area amenities include an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, pickleball, tennis, outdoor bowling, kids playground, brand new gym w/ brand new equipment. It's fifteen minutes to the beach. Peak July week. I can't complain.

[@mikethemechanic7395]

My wife and I have an Alaska and Hyatt credit card. We charge most of our bills and pay it off at the end of the month. We get 5 days at 4 star Hyatt properties and free airline tickets at the end of the year. We take 2 big vacations a year. You could not make me get a time share…

[@NoIDAvailable]

My parents were suckered into a time share. Luckily it only costed 2k to get out of their contract. Could have been much worse. However, the vacation was awesome

[@westbccoast]

They got really lucky, good for them. Money worth paying.

[@Whooshta]

No they didnt get lucky. They were scammed out of thousands of dollars.

[@NoIDAvailable]

@@Whooshta Read my comment again.

[@sgerardpandian]

​@@Whooshtabetter than being sucked into many more thousands for sure!

[@Whooshta]

@@NoIDAvailable Anything can be much worse. It's like being happy someone robbed you and took your wallet at gun point because at least they didn't molest you too.

[@currenteventsenthusiast9477]

I don’t understand. Why would you pay 30K plus maintenance fees instead of just saving a few thousand bucks and going on vacation? Can someone explain why anyone would do this?

[@blaster-zy7xx]

The concept is that you would like own your own beach condo or vacation ski condo or whatever, but you can't afford it. It is also selling the difference between the concept of real estate ownership vs rentals. That is part of the presentation. You don't live at your vacation condo that you purchase full time, so you are buying a lifetimes worth of vacation by purchasing a small share of a vacation real estate but pay only a small fraction of the ownership costs because you will only be using it for only one or two weeks a year. The idea was that it is like purchasing 1/52 of a vacation condo. That is why it is "timeshare". BUT the people selling these have turned it into a huge scam based on people's wants, dreams and desires.

[@harryharry970]

Too trusting, lack of critical thought, emotionally tied to the idea of owning something despite it being more like renting

[@blaster-zy7xx]

@@harryharry970 Yes, but it is also scummy sales people/ time share companies that straight out lie to their customers knowing that once the money crosses the table, there is no accountability.

[@oldtwinsna8347]

Yes, it's the perceived idea of ownership of an asset vs renting (hotel stay). Irony is when you see people who only rent where they live because they can't afford to buy a home, so it gives them some emotional fulfillment that they have ownership of some kind elsewhere. Although in reality of course it's nothing of the kind.

[@blaster-zy7xx]

@@harryharry970 It's actually even worse than renting. In renting, you don't pay maintenance fees and you walk away from it after the rental agreement is over.

[@themoderatescorner7643]

Back in the 1990s and 2000s I am almost got into one of these in the Northeast. Thankfully, I never went into it and the company pushing these timeshares to people by 2008 when the financial crisis was going in full mode, went out of business and bankrupt. I am glad a lot is coming out about this. Like the medical industry and insurance industry, real estate industry I heard has a very powerful lobbying group in DC to throw money around and influence regulations which I feel are laxed right now which is why were seeing high prices in everything from homes, to rents, to this and HOAs. I am not blaming just one party, but both parties with a R and D either turning the other way and taking the money, or taking the money and sitting on some of the boards. At least now people are being aware of this and being a bit more informed on the issue and downsides.

[@johndef5075]

I have the opposite story. I bought a timeshare for $1 on ebay. Beachfront in a beautiful location that I loved going to yearly. But because of other owners not paying dues the timeshare was dissolved. So instead of being stuck in a timeshare that I didnt want I had it taken away from me when I did want it. Ocean Isle Beach, NC.

[@jeffro221]

What did the annual maint. fees cost?

[@Steven-xf8mz]

It sounds like a lot of people who can barely afford to live where they are now are out there buying a portion of a hotel/condo/apt elsewhere. The industry has its problem, but so does the customers.

[@jdreign7210]

This. Yup

[@YasirKhalid1]

That's corporate America for you... they talk about capitalism... what about consumer rights n protection... this would never fly in Europe

[@ThePresentTimeNow]

I agree. It’s not even a private space. It’s a hotel, basically. Thousands of others have occupied that room.

[@eddenoy321]

At presentations some companies have used 'plants' . These are well dressed people who casually get close to you to let you know how overjoyed they have been with their timeshare in the past, so much so that they are now buying another one for their children , or some such nonsense like that. These planted actors are on the payroll like the rest of the staff.

[@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403]

No different than watching a three card monte game and watching people win. There's only one smart response to ANY timeshare pitch: ***RUN*** !!!

[@eddenoy321]

@@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403 right same idea

[@kendallevans4079]

Used to call them "shills" in the day of snake oil sold out of the back of a covered wagon

[@angiepatterson6338]

Gotta admire them though, they are the best salesmen on the planet.

[@eddenoy321]

@@angiepatterson6338 I don't think so. The very concept of planning vacations and begging for more points for special dates is for the lowlife ignorant trash people. They just do what they are told to do, high pressure, guilt trip, wear you down. I am ashamed I used to go just to get the freebies.

[@DigitalSwagg]

I knew time shares were a scam back in the 90's while living in Orlando, Florida. Back then if you sat through an all day 8 hour presentation you were fed delicious food, had gourmet snacks and drinks and was given a free hotel stay and day pass to any theme park. Several years ago a had 2 female co-workers who had vacationed in Florida come back and boldly proclaim they had time shares and begin trying to sell us on the idea. I sorta chuckled and said God bless y'all.

[@JC-tf2jb]

I had a time share and was lucky enough to get out of it. Ironically the price to outright stay there was cheaper than the maintenance fees!

[@claudenesimpson420]

When I was 20 years old I received a letter that I had won a trip to Disney world. I drove over an hour to Oak brook terrace in Illinois. When I got there, they first asked if I had a credit card and ID to claim my prize, which I said I had. It was a presentation in a hotel lobby and was crowded. I had this middle-aged salesman who tried to pressure me into buying the timeshare and charge a fee to my credit card. I told him I was in college and didn't even have a job. He didn't care!!! After more than 30 minutes of me really refusing and digging my feet in, he called his Supervisor who told him to let me go. They gave me some stupid pin as prize which I didn't even want; it was a ruse to get fresh meat. I'm so glad all these years later that I stuck to my guns because I've since met more people than not with horror stories of having Timeshares and not being able to get out of the contracts.

[@AC-qi9wo]

I was 12, in 1981 and my parents went to one of these time share meetings oh my when my parents, said "No" oh boy they pulled out the big guns, and we're going to give them so many freebies, it was ridiculous they still said no and wanted the free jackets, they offered to come to this meeting, that day opened my eye's to these types of deals and how shady these companies are.

[@mmp495]

That was a great education. 👍🏼

[@TimeshareUsersGroup]

well done Ryan, very much enjoyed the final result of this story and glad we could participate!

[@splendidsnapshot9915]

Great job Brian. TUG saves me and I ended buying HGVC resale, and it's been worth it for me. Been a member ever since, going on 5 years now. Nowadays, there are a lot of FB resale group, but at the time TUG shows up on my google search pretty quick.

[@CaptainMarvel007]

Whenever I traveled to a beach resort in Mexico, I’ve had Salespeople to have breakfast and get free souvenirs and recreational discounts. I’ve always declined. However, a few years ago, my partner and I decided to attend one. It was just the two of us, the Salesman and his manager. They tried everything on us that you could think of, but I never gave in. I told them that I don’t let others manage my money, and they could not find a way to counter that with an answer that would make me doubt for just a second. We up got, left their office and enjoyed our vacay with no regrets. Don’t forget, you’re in control, not them!

[@Jenny-nj7wn]

Anytime a salesperson (for anything, not just timeshares) says that you must take the "deal" right now and won't give you time to think about it first, just walk away. There's a reason they want you to make a decision without doing research or talking to anyone else first.

[@arnesahlen2704]

In Southeast BC Canada, I was at a time-share promo event decades ago (at c.30; I'm 67 now.) It seemed so positive - but still rather moth-&-flame dangerous. I steered clear, thank goodness.

[@colek2470]

I feel bad for people who get caught up in timeshares but how did that couple buy a timeshare then a year later buy another one just to find out it’s a scam? Like at that point it’s really on you

[@Sashazur]

My mom when she was older had string of timeshares with consecutive slots at a single resort in Mexico, from November to March. Every two weeks she would pack up her stuff and move up or down a few floors or down the hall. She could afford it and loved the weather the location and the staff. She said it was like assisted living but with great weather and better service lol! But obviously for the average person using them the way it usually ends up, it’s a scam. P.S. She got some of them pretty cheap because it was an older resort and she bought “used” when they didn’t have as many years left.

[@GatesontheGo]

Love this. We're doing this now why wait for retirement? My family of four has been living in timeshares full time since June of last year. Everyday I can't believe that we're spending less than "traditional" living and have no obligations for maintenance no lawn care, no repairs, minimal cleaning. I know the system so I often times stay at places for a few hundred per week whereas if I owned that week usually points my cost would be double or about 1k

[@hensonlaura]

That's awesome

[@kcgunesq]

They are always a bad deal. Period. Full stop. My parents got talked into buying into one some years ago. We happened to be with them. They then wanted my wife and I to come into the office and fill out some paperwork, including my wife'sand my social security number. I asked them why they needed *my* social security number to sell something to my *parents*. They spent several hours trying to explain why they needed it, but none of the answers made any sense. Fortunately, there was a 72 hour right to revoke and my parents revoked the agreement with no penalty. My parents aren't naive and are very successful business owners. But these salespeople know exactly what buttons to push and how to push them in such a way that a rational person can't process it efficiently. I am generally very free market and don't like government regulations. But given that I can't see any legitimate reason for these programs, I'm not sure they should even be legal.

[@hallhv01]

All of you are anti gov regulations until you yourself get hit with a massive corporation scam, cancer from corporate pollution etc..... do your history homework. Gov regulations save us from workplace death, injury, sit and water pollution...... You should not have to experience it yourself to appreciate what the past 100 years of gov regs protect you from.

[@usptact]

When I first came to US, I was often listening radio on my way to work. One of the ads struck me as odd: businesses helping get out of timeshare. This is how I knew timeshares are bad before I knew what they are 😂

[@aurinkobee2614]

I once went to the presentation of this business and my first thought was "this is insane." My friend invited me to sign up but I told her "this totally doesn't make sense to pay huge lumpsum for entrance fee + annual fee for a discount travel package which is uncertain if we can travel during a year." I thought it was scam only applicable in my country, but seem like it is also in other countries.

[@bigcahuna42366]

I'm not a huge fan of governmental intervention in private business, but yes, laws and regulations are badly needed in this industry because corporate greed is unbelievably high in these companies. The only people that like or love timeshares are those who are able to use it on someone else's dime.

[@TaldanZero]

This is an example of exactly how effective and important laws and regulations are. Nearly all large companies will do things like this if they're allowed to. Standard housing used to have rent-to-own schemes that were under-regulated and had very similar results. It was regulations that largely stopped that

[@maxflight777]

corporate greed ? surely it’s the people attending the sales events ? the family in the film who purchased two time shares ? there is the greed. greedy for holidays ?

[@bauttiet.h.u.g.5900]

Say no to government regulations and yes to freedom 😐

[@gunkulator1]

@@TaldanZero And that's only the tip of the iceberg. Before laws and regulations, banks could prevent you from paying off a loan earlier to avoid interest. Companies could pay in in scrip instead of real currency, fire you if you got sick, and force you to sign anti-compete contracts. Landlords could enter your home at any time, increase rent without notice and refuse to disclose unsafe hazards like mold or lead paint. Be very wary of people who want to roll back government regulations. They are likely not acting in your interest at all.

[@kennypowers2341]

​@@TaldanZeroi argue we need less laws and regulations. We need to be able to wait outside their work and for them to come to the car

[@Perpertua35]

The first time i heard about time shares, i realized i had common sense. My sister who got sucked into one told me about these places she can “ freely vacation”. When i asked if it was truly free, how come ahe still needs to pay for it now and then. Take note, even when she has not used it for say a year. 😑. I told her if i want to vacation somewhere, i can look for nearby hotels and book the days i will be needing a place to stay. That simple. I pay only for the days i actually use. Common sense. That point system whatever has all the hallmarks of a scam.

[@commentorsilensor3734]

It used to be the annual maintenance fee was 600 or more. You van get a nice hotel. Oh, that was on top of 8000. Oh, right now, you cannot find 8000 timeshare or 600 annual maintenance fees. It cost more. I heard the money is a lot that you can book global cruise for 6 months with balconies, so why buy timeshare?

[@kcgunesq]

Precisely because it lets them obscure what you are getting.

[@Vagabond_Etranger]

Just went to a Wyndham timeshare on Jan 9th in Hawaii. It's basically like buying a car, but with points. For $41,000 I would get like 240,000 points. I kinda fidgeted abit, so they half it, only $20,000 & half the points. Still was not comfortable, so it went down to $10,000 with even less points. Plus monthly maintenance fees, which was like $300-400/month, not per year. Glad I didn't buy it.

[@Orangesplash33]

My family was offered a free tour bus ride around Vegas in 2014 only to find out that it was a ride to a timeshare office. The $40 deposit would not be returned unless you stayed for the entire 3h session. Fortunately, my parents saw the scam for what it was and refused to sign any paperwork! That experience has completely turned me away from timeshares.

[@mikebennett9356]

It’s all about what you pay up front. I bought a two bedroom, two bath week in Hawaii for $1500. My weekly fees are $1350. So i go every other year for two weeks, it costs me $2700, ocean front, great place. If I was to just rent the same place, it goes for $600 a night. So two weeks would be $8400. So I can go for three times, for the same money. Now if I’d financed $45,000 up front it would be terrible, because that moneys gone, but my “gone” money for me was only $1500. I also refuse to roll my weeks over to points, because I don’t wanna go anywhere else, just my home resort. Bottom line, we LOVE ours

[@erickanter]

Went to one. Flew out to Vegas with a buddy and got invited to one. Didn't even know what was all involved. They treated me like an easy mark. Hit me with the first wave and i started to figure it out. Came in with the second wave and said no and they started to get annoyed and a bit desperate. They tried a hail mary with the third wave and gave it there best shot. I said no no no. It was fun to see the annoyance in their faces. Bottom line if you really want it it fine. But don't let those jerks pressure you into signing up for one. YOU ARE IN CHARGE!!

[@Acteaon]

Are we NOW just getting to realize this?! this has been the way of these since what, the late 70's!

[@doujinflip]

I once completed a Hilton timeshare presentation in Vegas, fully signing up knowing the law allows 3 days to back out with only written notification. Of course I wrote myself out the next morning. Also enjoyed the cheap vacation keeping all the trinkets, and got a considerable sign-up bonus on the no-AF Hilton AMEX which I still have.

[@TJ-zl3tx]

I purchased a fixed week in the Poconos in 1988 for $9,900. Maintenance has increased from

[@All-is-Maya]

Nothing in the World is free. You sit for the presentation because you expect to get the free gift. Ultimately you pay heavily for your greed❤

[@mrzoltanonwinter2218]

Truer words were never spoken! I have no sympathy for people who go to these places to receive a "free gift" and end up falling for the scam. It is their greed which did them in, plain and simple.

[@keithhepworth4934]

“Attend this presentation for a free vacation” feels like the Amway guys who want to “tell me about their business.”

[@DDGLJ]

We owned a ski condo (not a timeshare) and exchanged a few summer weeks with a timeshare company each year. We stayed free in so many great places- Disney World Resort, Hawaii- it was a super deal for us because we didn’t use it much in the summer, and AFAIK no timeshare owners ever did, either. I sometimes wondered why the company didn’t care if we gave them summer weeks. I realize now that the company was using places like ours to sell ski resort timeshares elsewhere- only later do the new owners find out the only weeks they can actually get are in the summer.

[@hypothalapotamus5293]

That is so low. At least they can do mountainbiking 😂😂😂😂.

[@DDGLJ]

@@hypothalapotamus5293Right?! Eventually we also found out about the secret rankings- not only did we get a ton of points, we routinely used them at places like the Disney World Deluxe Resorts. But I know others couldn’t, even if they saved up the needed points. I guess that’s how the timeshare companies came up with the idea of upgrade fees, like the additional $42000 the lady in the video paid.

[@linhaton4957]

I thought everyone knew that time shares are not an investment, and will cost a lot more than just paying for a vacation every year.

[@cmcordoYT]

This is embarrassing, but I was suckered into a timeshare about 20 years ago. I knew to stay away from timeshares, but their presentation never, ever mentioned that they were selling a timeshare. This was during the most stressful time of my life when I went to the presentation after signing up for a car raffle at the local mall. They said they'd give me a free trip to I can't remember where and all I had to go was see the presentation here in town. The way everything was presented, it was nothing like a timeshare at all. My mom had just passed away, I had moved my father with me due to his dementia and Parkinson's disease. My youngest brother had severe developmental and neurological disorder, and I was his temporary guardian after my mother died. I was still working full-time and had stopped my MBA program due to these family issues. I was halfway through getting my MBA at the time. I also had my third child at home as the other children had grown and moved on. Also, at that time, I had been divorced for about 14 years, at that time, and had a major car accident on the freeway a year before I had the newest responsibilities, so it was just me handling all these things, plus fighting some legal battles against a family member who was trying to steal the family home after my mother died. As you can imagine, I was exhausted and needed to figure out a way to get some rest by using my work vacation time, PTO, to sleep in a hotel room in a town that was 40 minutes away from my house. I was doing this every once in a while (I'd do this while my father was in senior daycare and I'd hire someone to pick him up and watch him until I returned from work. When I saw the presentation, I didn't want to go to any fancy destinations or anywhere far from home. I wanted to go to two destinations close to home. The other location I wanted to go to was a one-hour drive to that town. I didn't know how long I'd be caring for my father and being guardian for my younger brother (my brother had a state-sponsored caregiver at the caregiver's home, but I had to monitor the finances, his care, go to meetings about him regarding all the care he was receiving---speech professionals, my brother's daycare facility personnel, medical personnel, etc.). I, clearly, asked the people talking to me after the presentation if they had the two locations available that I only wanted to go to the two locations. I wanted to only go when I had time off work every once in a while for a full day (one day a week or so) in order to get the rest that I needed. They also didn't explain that the maintenance fee was monthly and made it seem like you only paid that fee during the day you actually used the rooms (I figured it would be a $20 fee for the day or week you stay). I said it over and over again which locations I needed to go to since I needed to be home on the same day, at the same time as I would normally be home after work. I gave the names of the locations and they kept saying that they did have places in those areas. It wasn't until I signed and paid everything off that I realized it was a timeshare since they gave me two extra booklets about other destinations I could go to if I wanted to pay for more points. I knew that timeshares were not something I wanted to sign up for, but I figured I'd go home (I was tired and hungry) and go over the original booklet where they had the locations that I, specifically, said that this was the only reason I would sign up for this program. When I finally had the time the next day to go over the first booklet, it didn't list the two locations I begged and pleaded that they truly had claimed they had, I couldn't find the locations. So, I called the company that day (one day after purchasing the timeshare). The company representative told me that they didn't have those locations at all and never did. I was flabbergasted (yes, they are free to lie about their company under any circumstances). I told them that the only reason I signed up was for these two locations because I was taking care of my father at my home, working full-time, taking care of my daughter, and being a guardian for my disabled brother. They didn't care and told me that they had locations in nearby states (they had nothing in my state, except for one town that is a ski town a ridiculous amount of hours away) and that I could go there. I was at a loss. I then found out that the maintenance fee was $600 a month. At the time, my home was $900 a month and even though I did have the money to pay the timeshare in cash at that time (I won the case against the relative to get the family home and used my percentage of the share to get the timeshare in cash), I only did this because I'm a good saver and don't like to get in any debt or pay any interest on loans. I had nowhere to turn, and at least one friend of mine, at the time, went to one of the resorts for one week and paid the $600 maintenance fee since he was heading to that location anyway. But I was desperate to get rid of my timeshare and found a company that took it off my hands for 10% of what I paid for it. Like I said, I was living on few hours of sleep, a lot of stress, and no help from anyone with my difficulties, so I was the perfect target for this major scam.

[@jacknasty6940]

Good lord

[@WantonBaby]

@@jacknasty6940and I did knot read that PRESENTATION

[@genevievevitale8141]

My head hurts. Excuse are like as$holes, this comment is full of them.

[@WantonBaby]

I’m going to a timeshare group meeting I’ll read this when i get back

[@youarehere1251]

I know who to go to if I ever need help to write an essay.

[@JoseMarin-h1f]

Your channel is a real storehouse of knowledge about trading. Thank you for your valuable help and support!

[@mariog4707]

Visiting Florida from the UK I got to see first hand what high pressure sales tactics are used in the US. On the promise of free resort passes and a breakfast (which we did get). I was allocated “Barbie” and my wife got “Ken” and they subjected us to three hours of brain hammering and emotional string pulling. We were never going to succumb to such nonsense but the really sad thing was seeing some of those around us visibly crumbling under the pressure and handing over their credit cards to their new “best friends”.

[@draheim90]

There are a few simple rules that can help you avoid getting scammed: 1) If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. 2) If something requires you paying random fees up front before getting the service, don’t do it. 3) If someone randomly calls you asking for personal information, any sort of financial commitment, or a favor (especially if promising you’ll be rewarded/it’s to your benefit), don’t do it.

[@Tman2022]

Also, if the price/deal is limited to RIGHT NOW and RIGHT NOW ONLY. They are trying to get you to make a decision without thinking it over fully.

[@Jenny-nj7wn]

​@@Tman2022Absolutely and this applies to anything like buying a car, etc. If they are pressuring me to make a decision right now and I can't go home and think about it, I always say no.

[@PoetWhittier]

I sometimes attend timeshare presentations to receive discounts on tickets and hotels. I immediately tell the sales reps why I'm there, that there is less than 0% chance that I will purchase a timeshare, and that it's gonna be a very frustrating x hour(s) for them, which can either be spent getting to know each other or them hearing me say "no" in a variety of ways. Their choice.

[@brokeduece1691]

What i didnt know was that the annual maintenance fees cost as much as hotel fees. Yes, i bought a timeshare 10 years ago for $11k and i pay $700 a year....

[@TheGrahamFamily0524]

I got tricked into one July last year. After finding out what’s it’s all about I tried to get out but they won’t take it back and the exit company I spoke to said I still have to pay off the 15k loan I have or stop paying and let it destroy my credit score. 😢🙆🏾‍♂️

[@YevgeniyShcherbakov]

​​@@TheGrahamFamily0524I stopped paying years ago. They turned us over to a collection agency. I told them I'm not paying. They can drag me to court where I will foreclose and they will take it back. That's their nightmare. My score went down like 50 points. Who cares. I'm back to normal now. They haven't called for about 4 years now. 😂😂 Also, they can only mess with your credit once. Take a hit and after several years your score will bounce back.

[@LIK64]

My husband and i went to Cancun in 2004 for our honeymoon, signed up for a time share with our small hotel, fortunately they had our back, it was to get an ALL inclusive trip with drinks and a tour of something cant remember right now, but anyway i kept saying no, 1. They would say well the saving you would save is the plane ticket in it self ( i worked for an airline, got my tickets for free) that shot down that sales pitch, but what really turned me off was when i had a question the guy would turn the question over to another guy, like you cant answer it and they kept doing that, also i kept noticing the fancy watches and gold necklaces, i said nope, not gonna finance more jewelry for you😂 anyway they got mad and kicked us out😂. Fast forward to 2012 went to Oahu, husband and i booked a ocean view room for 10 days 2 round trip tickets for just over 2100.00 had friend come over who had a timeshare with Hyatt and their room was in the back facing a motorcycle rental and houses with their laundry hanging out to dry and them waking up listening to motorcycles, they saw our room which was double in size, they told us they went home and just let their timeshare go.

[@GaryKuebler]

We’ve owned 2 Marriott timeshare weeks + points for 15 years and it’s taken us around the world twice to places we never dreamed of going. Our maintenance is about $2700 a year but we couldn’t get an air bnb that equals the resorts we get to stay at. Just wanted to post a positive comment.

[@PhrugalPhan]

Timeshares work if: 1) You would travel anyway. 2) Cash flow won't be a problem for you. 3) You tend to stay at high end locations. 4) You can handle increased maintenance fees. 5) You won't be bullied into buying even more that you don't need. 6) You're not good at searching for travel deals online. 7) You'll make your own meals on vacation. I'm sure there are more gotchas, but that's what I can think of. Timeshares don't work for most people due to the above list, but for a rare few they can do well. In fact my mother has an ooooold one from the 80s that we use and I've been paying for the last five years. It is for a fixed week villa in Orlando, and getting nice villas at a timeshare any more is almost impossible, so I've been thrilled with it. But YMMV.

[@jeffro221]

What did it cost and how much have the maint fees gone up? What was the interest rate if you financed it?

[@GaryKuebler]

@@jeffro221 We’ve got about $42,000 in a week and points. Paid cash or used a Marriott credit card for huge bonvoy points. As previously stated our annual fees are about $2,700. Seems like they go up 7 - 10% each year. We have stayed at our home property but mostly trade or use points to travel around the world. Been to the USVI, OZ, Thailand and of course Hawaii a bunch.

[@Robin-xt7yo]

@@PhrugalPhan I inherited my timeshare close to the ocean on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Bought out my siblings inherited share for 5k total. I pay $1,100 a year in maintenance. That works out to $157 a night. But i can rent it out for $375 a night. It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, fully stocked kitchen, living room, dining room. Common area amenities include an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, pickleball, tennis, outdoor bowling, kids playground, brand new gym w/ brand new equipment. It's fifteen minutes to the beach. Peak July week. I can't complain.

[@PhrugalPhan]

@@Robin-xt7yo That's great if you truly can rent it for that amount. My maintenance is currently $1,200 but with so many high rise timeshares built in the Orlando area I can't get much more than the maintenance fee if I rented it out. It's a beautiful location though, way better than other places.

[@edward_lee]

@1:53 so here's a finance lesson. $31,000 to purchase, and an annual maintenance fee of $1,700 per year forever. The $1,700 is a perpetuity and the present value of the $1,700 (assuming a 5% interest rate) is $34,000. So she paid $65,000 for this timeshare in today's dollars.

[@OldManAndTheSeaOfTooManyCats]

Expand the lesson to include what kind of vacation-taking annuity $65K would provide.

[@mrbear1302]

My parents got sucked into a timeshare along with my grandparents. It's crazy that you have to put a large amount of money up front and then pay fees to stay somewhere. There were never congruent dates available even years out at resorts. They would pull up the calendar and there would be only 4 open days in a month and none of them were together. You even have to pay for Internet access. And then on top of that you have quarterly dues. When my mother passed away dealing with the timeshare in her estate was the most difficult thing to complete. It took months. Because I kept getting the run round.

[@GenderLoin]

Timeshares come with assigned weeks. You don’t pick days off a calendar. There are 52 weeks in a year and when you buy you’ll be told the amount of weeks you get and when. For example, 2 weeks/year and assigned weeks 5 and 30.

[@mrbear1302]

@@GenderLoin Not the one my family had. You picked the dates you wanted to stay at locations. I remember my parents getting frustrated on countless occasions because they couldn't find days together.

[@katieg.9235]

Selling "weeks" is the old way. Now they sell you "points" and then you redeem your points for nights at the resort. Problem is, what's a point worth? It varies from resort to resort in the network and changes over time. And of course, they're always on hand to sell you more points.

[@Gun5hip]

@@GenderLoin Did you even watch the video? That's not how they do it anymore.

[@mark33545]

My parents bought one of these and oddly love it. Theirs is west gate at a place in Florida, they go every year for probably 20 years now. They seem to think it’s great still, their maintenance is $1200 a year but they get a villa for a week which i guess they think would cost more on its own. All i know is, i am prepared to file the proper paperwork when this eventually get passed down to me to make sure it doesn’t get attached to me. I dont have the heart to tell them, they think they are passing down something valuable to me.

[@ElisaAvigayil]

Timeshares are not inherited. So the timeshare company can't dump their fees on you when your parents die. The timeshare just disappears.

[@TreyHam27]

@@ElisaAvigayilI think they are actually

[@DC-qn4wz]

@@ElisaAvigayil Are you sure about that?

[@xxxxxxxxx3944]

​@@ElisaAvigayillike all contracts, it ends with death. They are not a financial asset that can be passed down

[@ElisaAvigayil]

@@DC-qn4wz My dad and stepmother had a timeshare together. They divorced in 2009 and my dad died in 2013. We called the timeshare company and they told us that timeshares are not inherited, so we packaged up all of the paperwork and mailed everything to my ex-step-mother, as she was the sole survivor on the timeshare at that point. Timeshares don't become the problem of next of kin, because they are not not real estate. We did the same thing with my dad's leased car when he died - we drove the car to the dealership and left it there, because the contract was between the dealership and my dad.

[@tyronemarcucci8395]

I sold mine 8 years ago. Never thought I'd get out if it.. Never again. Far too many secret costs and they bug you at the time you are using the time share to buy more time.. No privacy.

[@poorwotan]

Back in the 90's I worked at a timeshare/hotel hybrid property (my work was hotel side). However, back then, I found out that the sale price formula was simple: market value of the apartment x 4; then, divided by 25 (we operated in 14 day periods) leaving the balance for maintenance/upgrades (which we did). So, quite basically, people were buying 2 weeks at a 400% mark-up PLUS the yearly maintenance fees. We had repeaters for 30 years when this was first started and for them, buying in at less than that 400% later when units became scarcer, they felt it was a decent deal - certainly good enough for them (to each their own); oh, and those old units were part of your estate that could be passed on. I don't think that's done anymore. TBH, it was nice to begin recognizing the same faces year after year. Many even had mini lockers on property for their stuff. That said, the predatory things I heard of the industry was appalling and I was glad that, at least our place, treated the customers/guests with utmost respect and took real care of their properties. There were re-sales (not many) but the property usually bought those back as they could be resold again as it was, and continues to be, a very sought after property.