Comparison to other timeshare presentations, our experience...LONG

[Cora]

we just got back this past weekend from a trip to Williamsburg, VA and D.C. In Williamsburg we took advantage of a Marriott Vacation Club (MVC) package of $159 for 3 nites (if you arrived on a Sun, Mon or Tues you got the 3rd nite free) including 2 adult passes to Colonial Williamsburg. When I was contacted I was very straight forward and told the rep we already own DVC and won't be buying. She said the presentation is very low key, no pressure.

Our presentation lasted 2 hours. We were shown the two bedroom lockoff. We were staying in a studio. The layout was ok. Kindof cramped and a little too upscale for my tastes (i.e. not as comfortable as DVC. The lockoff was similar to DVC but the one bedroom had a large dining table adjacent to the living area. Not alot of room to move around in that area. A nice touch was the gas fireplace, but the TV in the Living Room was above the fireplace (too high up).

The presentation was done nicely. Very informative but did not touch on the ins and outs (i.e. trash and towel, etc.) The big thing was 6 rounds of golf per week are included! Hubby loved that!

Our son was taken to a room to play. Nothing like the DVC setup with a supervisor in attendance and alot of interaction and things to do. It was a plain room with a TV and videos, some toys and a bathroom. The room was just to the side of the reception area, so I know he could not get out. But he was VERY disappointed since he loved the DVC setup!

The presentation, for the most part, was low pressure. However, our guide would not give us any materials to review without a 10% refundable deposit. He finally agreed to give us a kit with some info. When we saw DVC we were given a kit and the legal stuff (i.e. offering book, etc.) I'm a paralegal and wanted to look at it before we did anything. Our MVC guide kept saying the docs are several hundred dollars worth of materials and they can't give them out without a deposit. This is versus DVC which said basically "here take the stuff and call us if you're interested!"

Also the programs differ in some respects. The one thing I did not like is that to trade to another MVC (other than your home) you had to pay $69 each time you traded. There were other fees too, like with our trading to II. (BTW MVC also uses II).

All in all, I really appreciate the presentation that we had with DVC. It really sold itself without the pressure, not that this was HIGH pressure but I still felt uncomfortable leaving. Also, it seemed much more costly.

The resort was beautiful, the staff helpful, and the area gorgeous. We did have several issues with housekeeping. I won't go into it.

I thought you all might be interested in hearing about the other side.

Cora

The December 15, 2000 MK Grand Marshall Family!
Wonder July 2000
Off-site '84, 85','92, 10/99
Dolphin '93, Dixie '98, Vero '99, Hilton Head '99,
BWV 2/00
OKW/Cruise/BWV 7/00
CS 12/00
Upcoming HH 7/01 & Universal (Hard Rock)/WLV/BWV! 8/01

 

[Luv2Dream]

Thanks for the informative insite. It makes me appreciate DVC even more.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Thanks,
We had a similar experience when we visited a few II timeshares in our own state. We did this after the DVC tour to compare timeshares. We felt a lot of pressure in the non Disney ones, and were given nothing that would have helped us make a decision. When we mentioned we were taking the tour to compare with some others, they asked where. When we said DVC, they ran down the point system etc. We thought the DVC system was so far superior to anything else we saw, it was as if it had no comparison. I now am considering buying a different timeshare resale just to use for exchanges, since I don't like to give up my Disney vacation too often!

Disneydiane

 

[MikeJ]

We had a similar experience this weekend. We stayed at an RCI Gold Crown resort about 1.5 hours north of Toronto. Their program is kinda neat - dues of Cdn$440 biennially gives you 7 nights in a 2br/2bath. It's not a fixed week, though, as with traditional timeshares but you could take the nights over 3 weekends at different times of the year, should you so choose, or just spend a week there.

The buy-in cost was ~Cdn$12,500, but if we walked out the door without signing and came back in an hour the price jumped to $23,000. The guy as much as called us stupid if we walked out the door. I may now be stupid, but I've still got my $12,500 in the bank. It's things like this that really make me appreciate the very low-key approach of DVC.

- MikeJ

 

[Disnydad]

The wife and I took a trip to Hawaii back in 1983. We stayed with relatives out there, so it was a cheap Hawaiian vacation. Anyway, my wife got hooked by a booth downtown giving out tickets for a dinner cruise in exchange for a timeshare pitch. We were in a hall with, I bet, 50 other couples. Little tables each with a sales person. Someone gave a speach about what a wonderfull oportunity we had and we were taken on a tour of the building. Right on the beach and terrific views, I might add.

When we got back to the hall, the sales person started on us. Really pushed about how inexpensive this deal was, the envy of our neighbors going to Hawaii every year, stupid if you don't grab this deal, etc. We kept saying no, but he acted as if he did not understand why we would say that. He insisted on getting our incomes. This is where it gets good. My wife then made about $12,000 a year in an office and I was (at age 31) a full time college student w/o any job. He stopped right there and wanted to know how we got to Hawaii. Well, we had won two round trip tickets and, like I said, were staying with my wife's aunt in Hawaii. Our only expense was a rental car.

He just stared at us for moment and then shook his head. Then he said "You cann't afford this!" Duh. So then he says he has to give us the tickets for the dinner but please play along with him. So he gets up and announces "The ****** Development Co wishs to announce the the Lefebvre's are moving on to the next phase of the purchase and they would like to welcome us to the club." The other sales persons all get up and clap. He then takes us out into the hallway and gives us our tickets and says "You know the way out."

It was a pretty good dinner show off the coast at sunset with hula dancers and all.

DVC was nowhere even close to this, although we did get some FastPass's.

Don, DVC/VWL 2000

 

[TampaDisneyFreaks]

We also had a bad experience with another timeshare (Fairfield). We were offered 3 nights for $89 (with $50 back at the end of the tour plus a voucher for dinner at one of 2 or 3 restaurants) to see a timeshare in Orlando that Fairfield owns. We live in Tampa, so it is a big pain, especially in rush hour traffic to drive past Disney to the Universal area. We went to the hotel where we supposed to check -in (across from Universal Studios)and were told that we wouldn't be staying there, but at another hotel (which was just off Disney property, just up the street from Cross-Roads). We wasted over an hour fighting traffic both directions to be told to go back to a place we had just passed. The timeshare tour was just supposed be an hour and we had requested a morning tour, the next morning. We were given a time of 12 noon the next day. We waited for over a half hour after we checked in at the receptionist before we were seen. The "tour" lasted about 2 hours (2 hours of my life that I will never get back) and was painful. It was in a large room with about 50 tables with a sales rep at each. Our sales rep told us there would be no pressure and that he didn't usually do english speaking customers. He also said that he didn't care if we bought or not (being there just for the cheap trip and voucher). He then proceeded to tell us about all the rich customers he hangs out with and the places they take him. He did tell us about the resort and the program eventually (it wasn't much better than a hotel and it was about 5 miles down 192 from Disney). We did mention that we had previously toured with DVC and he proceeded to bad mouth DVC and said that DVC stole their points idea and it wasn't as good as their program. He also said that we couldn't get any closer to Disney than that Fairfield property (I always thought that being on property was as close as you can get, and DVC is the only way to do that in a timeshare!). We weren't interested and both my wife and I worked for the same corporation at the time, and our division was being sold, so we didn't know where we were going to be working, or even if we were going to have jobs. We explained that to him and he proceeded to try and sell us even harder. He then brought in the infamous "sales manager" and she pressured us with "a much better and economical" deal. When we explained again our job situation, that we weren't interested anyway, and that we liked DVC better, she turned around and bad mouthed DVC and us! She got very angry at us and left us in a huff. Our first tour with DVC was about a year or 2 previous to that, and even though we had a bad guide, it was nothing like this experience. We have since joined DVC, got a much better guide, and laugh every time Fairfield or someplace else calls us with a pitch, and we say we own DVC and they just hang up. They now know they can't compete with DVC!It folks like the ones we dealt with at Fairfield that give timeshares a bad name. Thank God for DVC!

 

[Lissete]

We took a tour of a Sunterra resort in St. Maarten. This resort obviously did not compare to our DVC. The Studios are huge though and have a complete kitchennette.
The presentation took place in a room with several small tables. Twice while we were there a bell rang and everyone would clap, then they would serve the new buyers champagne. We are actually considering buying another timeshare to be used for exchanges. We were planning on going to the presentation and getting info and if we liked it doing it by mail. Well, the guy got pretty upset and said that it had to be done right then and there because thay could not do it by mail. We did tell him right at the start that we had no intention of buying right then and there and that we did not want to waste his time but he insisted on the full hour and a half. He almost cried when he realized that we were not going to buy.


Lissete

Mom23K's, Katrina, Karilyn & my angel Kristyn

DVC 1995

 

[Dean]

We've toured 3 Marriott's including MMC this past Dec and none were nearly as difficult as yours. In every case, I made it clear that my main mission was to get information and see the resort. I stated up front that it was unlikely I would buy and certain I would not buy initially. In very case I was told about the system, the resort and shown around. The packet and prices were freely given. I was sent the packet in the mail from Panama City and haven't even been there to tour yet. I agree tha MMC is for golf oriented people and the units are a little smaller, about the size of BW but smaller than OKW. I went and checked, they're 1200 sq feet but feel smaller than that.

Marriott and DVC are the most low key and no doubt DVC is the best in this area. I wouldn't however hesitate to tour a Marriott resort. Westgate or Sunset Lagoon (Cancun) on the other hand would require someone being shot in order for me to be forced to take the tour. Sorry your experience was not as pleasantat MMC. The guide I had there was really great and I feel I've made a friend for life, she knows she'll never convince me on the Marriott points system or to buy retail and has been picking my brain about timeshares and trading in general.

Now I did attend an owners meeting at Ocean Pointe with a sales manager who was less than helpful. It was obvious that his mission was to convince everyone they needed 2 weeks and to sell them on the points structure (frequent flyer miles). The more I thought about it, the more angry I got so I ended up writing him a letter but I never heard back. Interesting was that he was previously at MMC and they were not surprised on my impression of him. It was really a shame as it was clear he knew his stuff. If he had put his efforts into really helping the Marriott members there, he could have done something very good.

Dean

 

[Dean]

I almost forgot. II does administer the direct exchanges for Marriotts. That means you must be an II member and pay the $69 for a full weeks exchange. With DVC, trust me, we pay that much or more on average. It's just spread around to all members, not just the ones that take advantage of other resorts.

Dean

 

[kewlteacher]

We just returned from a Marriott Vacation Club experience. It was rather interesting. They are pushing their "Horizons" in Orlando. We are already DVC owners, but REALLY needed a cheap get-a-way from NJ...and the $99 for 3 nights/4 days was very appealing. We also were very upfront with our desire to get information, not purchase. They put us up at the new SpringHill Suites in Buena Vista (sic?) It was a basic hotel room, but very clean and nicely kept. The tour was low/medium pressure. I was very hesitant to put my 3 1/2 daughter in the childcare as it was terrible. Hardly any toys and the assistant was on the phone fixing her checking account the whole time. The rooms in Orlando were very nice. Standard 2 bedroom with huge kitchen/living room. We really liked the room. However, they wanted 10% down that day to take advantage of the "free around the world trip" and they wouldn't give us specifics until we paid money. We exclaimed that we were unwilling/able to give them money. They said thank you and we were off to enjoy the rest of our time. In this package, they gave us 2 tickets to MK which really came in handy. All in all, it wasn't a bad trip. It, however, reaffirmed our happiness to buy DVC. We HATED staying off site and missed the "magic". I hate to say this...but they basically gave me a free trip to Disney!

Melissa & Brian
a.k.a kewlteacher

 

[BVC4us]

Mike J,just out of curiosity where was the RCI Gold Crown resort in northern Ontario? We vacation near Barrie so I was just curious. Thanks