Do you think free wifi access and smart phones have influenced direct sales?

[DisneyRegulars]

So I've been thinking a bit. When we went to the dvc sales presentations a few years back there was no internet access easily available. Smart phones were not yet invented, and free wifi or any internet at all was not available. The only thing that kept us from buying direct was not having cash on hand and the very unpalatable interest rates. We knew there was a resale market, but had no way to check it while locked in the disney bubble. Sooooo.... Fast forward a few years and potential buyers most likely all have internet access either through their phones or the wifi at the resorts. Do you think this has made it more difficult for the dvc sales staff to close direct sales, with potential buyers so easily able to discover the resale market prices? I could also see it going the other way because the internet could lead potential buyers to a bunch of really happy dvc owners.

Thoughts? How did internet access onsite influence your decision to buy direct or not?

 

[ssawka]

So I've been thinking a bit. When we went to the dvc sales presentations a few years back there was no internet access easily available. Smart phones were not yet invented, and free wifi or any internet at all was not available. The only thing that kept us from buying direct was not having cash on hand and the very unpalatable interest rates. We knew there was a resale market, but had no way to check it while locked in the disney bubble. Sooooo.... Fast forward a few years and potential buyers most likely all have internet access either through their phones or the wifi at the resorts. Do you think this has made it more difficult for the dvc sales staff to close direct sales, with potential buyers so easily able to discover the resale market prices? I could also see it going the other way because the internet could lead potential buyers to a bunch of really happy dvc owners.

Thoughts? How did internet access onsite influence your decision to buy direct or not?

We bought from the comfort of our home. I know people buy @ WDW all the time, but I for one would never make that large of a purchase while on vacation. With almost any purchase over say $50 I research and research and research. I want to make sure I am getting the right product and the best deal for me.

When we bought DVC we did buy direct, however there were several reasons for that. 1) BLT had just started selling and there were no resales available. 2) The difference between BLT direct and resale at other resorts was about $20 per point. 3) I knew that we would need to finance it for a short time, but would have it paid off quickly. 4) I knew that although the DVC interest rate was high that the the interest rate was tax deductible and thus the effective rate was not horrible.

 

[csharpwv]

We had done all of our research before we arrived at the preview center and knew what to expect.
However, the 'deals' that were going on were actually better than what was published online before we left home - so that was a nice surprise! Afterall... it was September, the economy was on the verge of collapse... and sales had been trending down for months.... so we hit things just right.

So as far as DVC goes, learning anything online wouldn't have impacted out buying decision at the time. We wanted a relationship with our guide, we liked out guide, and knew we would have questions!

BUT We did a tour with another timeshare company a couple years later, and I didn't have any interest in buys - too expensive, and the accommodations were junk... but DW bought hook, line, and sinker... so we bought.... only for me to go online and do research that night... and go back to cancel the next morning. What I learned online was MORE than enough for be to get as far away from that property/company as humanly possible.

There were contracts going for far less than 1/4 of the price that we were asked to pay. We were in the presentation for far longer than what they had told us we would be - and the purchase started at well over $60K - and what my wife finally agreed to was $11K.

Looking back, we have two words about the experience... NEVER AGAIN!

We are DVC people - and unfortunately people who have experienced other timeshare companies before don't go in to a DVC presentation with the same level of trust that we did.

So I would have to say YES, without a doubt - having internet access will impact some buyers. I don't think it is necessarily connected to having wifi - 3G/4G is enough for me to learn what I need to learn to make a buying decision.

 

[Brian Noble]

Maybe a few, but *only* a very few.

Timeshare is a product that is sold, not bought, and it is an aspirational purchase. That means that most buyers haven't really done much research before they tour; if they buy, they are unlikely to go out of their way to convince themselves that this great purchase that makes them happy was unwise.

Many other timeshare systems with much larger spreads between resale and developer pricing still sell like gangbusters, even though the information is out there and easily found with 10 minutes of google searches/reading.

 

[lucyem]

It would have influenced me but im not sure i count. After our tour i had to wait to get back to my laptop in the room that night to check the disboards etc. if i had had an iphone i would have been checking while either in the middle of the tour or shortly after. Honestly though i know a lot of people with smartphones who never think to use them for research of any type.