Buyer's Remorse??

[lingber]

How many DVC owners had a touch of buyers remorse while waiting to close? Anyone second guess their choice of Home Resort? Use Year? Number of points you will really need? How did it all work out?

And of course the big question.......What would you have done differently if you were buying for the first time today?

 

[LauraLap]

Great questions.....I'm curious to hear the answers as well!!

 

[disneylvrnMS]

Our only issue was regretting that we did not buy enough points. We did an addon 6 months after our original purchase.

 

[kim_d]

Our only initial regret was not getting enough points. We bought in early 2002 and purchased 175- which for us (a young couple with no kids) we figured would get us a studio for a week. About a month after we signed our contract I was pregnant and now 6 years later a 175 points wasn't enough. We just added on another 130 this month.

 

[DVCJones]

How many DVC owners had a touch of buyers remorse while waiting to close? Anyone second guess their choice of Home Resort? Use Year? Number of points you will really need? How did it all work out?

And of course the big question.......What would you have done differently if you were buying for the first time today?

I would have bought more points. We bought 150. I should have bought 230. Two contracts of 115.

 

[disneynutz]

How many DVC owners had a touch of buyers remorse while waiting to close? Anyone second guess their choice of Home Resort? Use Year? Number of points you will really need? How did it all work out?

And of course the big question.......What would you have done differently if you were buying for the first time today?

A couple of suggestions. Rent before buying and check things out for yourselves. The DIS is a valuable source of information but there is nothing like seeing things with your own eyes.

People are very emotional about all things Disney. The DVC plays on that emotion. Buying into the DVC should be a business discussion, not an emotional one.

Home resort should be where you want to stay 90% of your visits, not the resort that currently has the best sales incentives.

UY should be selected based upon your vacation habits today and in the projected future. You only need to loose your points one time for this to be an important factor.

You can easily add points but find it much harder to remove them. Buy a reasonable number until you find out if the DVC is really for you and your family.

Your need to love WDW enough that you plan to go there for the next xx years, no matter what happens to the property. Will you still love it if they continue to dumb down the restaurants? Increase admission prices. Reduce park hours or close parks on a rotating schedule? Offer additional discounts that continues to increase park attendance even during the slow times of the year?

Most members will tell you how wonderful the DVC is because they don't want to admit to themselves that it could be better. The resorts are showing signs of wear. The customer service at the resorts is inconsistent and below average at best and the customer service at MS has improved recently but has a way to go.

These are all important things to consider but if you are like most people, there is only one thing that you want to hear.


Home!

 

[Goofy's apprentice]

We wish we would have bought sooner, when we first considered it. If I had anything to change it would be my use year as it could be better with our vacation habits....however, those will not always be the same.

When adding on...and we did...a few times...we always bought in smaller contracts so they could be sold easier if need be or split easier between our two kids.

On these boards, you are definitely polling a group that is very committed to Disney, so the responses can be considered somewhat biased. However, we love our purchase. A few of our friends also purchased and we have a great time visiting together. Are we in a 'state of denial'? No way. After many vacations, we still are as excited to go with each new vacation we are planning?

Business or emotional decision? I don't think any expenditures on vacations can every be purely business. Are there cheaper vacations? Yes, but this is one luxury we have decided to purchase for our family and continue to be very happy that we did !

 

[kim_d]

Most members will tell you how wonderful the DVC is because they don't want to admit to themselves that it could be better. The resorts are showing signs of wear. The customer service at the resorts is inconsistent and below average at best and the customer service at MS has improved recently but has a way to go.

These are all important things to consider but if you are like most people, there is only one thing that you want to hear.


Home!

We have been DVC members since 2002 and stayed at BCV (many times), BWV, OKW and WLV and never once felt the rooms showed signs of wear. I wonder if we were just lucky? Maybe I have low expectations?

I also have never had a major issue with MS or customer service at WDW. We have had a few minor issues, but nothing I would consider a deal breaker or something that couldn't be encountered at a Hilton or similar hotel/resort.

Maybe DH and I just naive or wear rose colored glasses?

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

I think its only natural to have a little buyer's remorse. I also think that if many DISSERS were honest with themselves they would admit that they had at least a moment where they said...

I'm paying $xx,xxx for vacations. Am I nuts?

With that said, I've never had any real moments of regret. As an economists though, I am a bit reluctant to mention it.

 

[khomer504]

We are in the middle of buying our first points and I did have some serious hesitation about the December Use Year as I believe we will mostly be vacationing Sept - Dec and when dd is older maybe over spring break in March/April. I almost gave in and lived with the Dec year but I shot an e-mail off to my guide just to ask if changing it was possible. He found me a September use year and while we have to start the paperwork over again... I couldn't be happier about it! I don't know if I'll have other second thoughts between now and closing but for today I feel great about it!

 

[sam_001]

i did back out of my first contract. then i went too Disneyland and took the tour of ssr model year and half after i back out. i sat down with my second guide and she clear up lot of things about dvc. in two mouths i will celebrate my first anniversary of being a member. i regret that i should have joined sooner.

 

[Laneychris]

I would say that I am having a little buyer's remorse right now. I have sent back the paper work and am in the process of paying, and those large sums of money coming in on my credit card, I think about what else I could be doing with the money. Though, saying that I would not back out, I know in the long run it is the best thing for our family, and I have the cash on hand

 

[della]

I think its only natural to have a little buyer's remorse. I also think that if many DISSERS were honest with themselves they would admit that they had at least a moment where they said...

I'm paying $xx,xxx for vacations. Am I nuts?
With that said, I've never had any real moments of regret. As an economists though, I am a bit reluctant to mention it.

I have had those moments but they are truly just moments. It's the times when I sit deciding which resort I'd like to add on to that last and last for much more than just a moment.

 

[kerickson]

I had a little bit of buyers remorse because I didn't know about the DIS boards until after my purchase!

I purchased 225 SSR pts directly from Disney. If I could do it over again, I would have purchased a 160pt contract and a 65pt contract. I plan to purchase VGC when they go on sale and might have sold the 65pt contract at that time to be able to buy more VGC pts.
DVC is a BIG $ purchase, so it's not surprising to have second thoughts.

No second thoughts now, however. I have 3 vacations planned with my points and can't wait!

 

[Buzz's Buddy]

As others have said, I think it's perfectly normal to have buyer's remorse after spending such a large sum of money.

I had buyer's remorse after I purchased my home and after every car I ever purchased.

But 5 years later, absolutely no remorse (except not purchasing earlier) and I'm trying to add-on points, if my guide will ever call me back!

 

[disneynutz]

As others have said, I think it's perfectly normal to have buyer's remorse after spending such a large sum of money.

I had buyer's remorse after I purchased my home and after every car I ever purchased.

But 5 years later, absolutely no remorse (except not purchasing earlier) and I'm trying to add-on points, if my guide will ever call me back!

Get a new Guide!

 

[culli]

I honestly don't think I had buyers remorse, I did my research and with 3 young kids know for our family we made the right choice from day 1. Yes there are cheaper and even nicer accomidations but for us........none of them stay on WDW grounds. I decided I wanted to go at least once a year and I really disliked having to "go out" to eat. That was the worse part of going anywhere.......DVC works for our family. We actually own a few other timeshares (non DVC) and they are much much cheaper and nice.......IMO timeshare route works great if you do the research and know how to "play the system".

I would love to add on more and more pts but won't go in debt for it and the buy in is pricey. I bought through Disney but looking at the resales......my next add on might have to go that route.

If you do your research and compare if it is a right for your family and situation I doubt you will have buer remorse or....very little.

 

[brp]

We put in an offer on Friday for a resale BWV, with another one over the weekend for a resale BCV. Because we vacation "whenever" to the tune of 10-15 trips a year, we're not worried about UY. No buyers remorse at all. Just waiting for the first to pass ROFR and to get confirmation on the second. As there are only two of us, and that won't change, smaller points contracts (100 and 150) seem OK. Only time will tell if we'll have the "should have bought more points" regret.

Cheers.

 

[drakethib]

I had remorse when I had to write the check to cover the purchase (man that stung the bank account) but I would do it again (actually have twice now).

 

[eliza61]

How many DVC owners had a touch of buyers remorse while waiting to close? Anyone second guess their choice of Home Resort? Use Year? Number of points you will really need? How did it all work out?

And of course the big question.......What would you have done differently if you were buying for the first time today?

I don't think I had buyers remorse. I was certainly nervous before closing. I was about to hand over a huge chunk of change (we put down 1/2, fiananced the other 1/2) and I'm a notoriously slow saver (in fact you have to pry money out of my grubbing little hands) so I was so scared that the day after I had given disney my money, a comet was going to hit my house and I was going to need the money I had just spent on a luxury.

It took me about 2 years from 1st wanting to buy until actually purchasing so I knew it was some thing I wanted to do.

I would still have purchased today if I could afford it (no one could have predicted me paying $4.00/gallon gas)