Hilton Grand Vacations Club "preview"

[MAKHayes-DisneyDiva]

We agreed to attend a 2 hour tour of the HGVC on I Drive in exchange for really cheap accommodations at the DD Hilton. (We are getting 3 nights there, standard room, for about $150 in March.) Last summer when we got this offer,we jumped at the chance to go back to WDW. Now I'm wondering if this is going to be an uncomfortable, hard sell, experience. Has anyone attended an HGVC "preview?" Was it tollerable?

 

[iloveokw]

A couple of years ago we did the presentation and they are really, really good at their job. We are DVC members (with more than enough points) and they got us. We came to our senses during the cancellation period after we slept on it, tho. Make sure you know what you want to do ahead of time and it always takes longer than they say.

 

[MAKHayes-DisneyDiva]

A couple of years ago we did the presentation and they are really, really good at their job. We are DVC members (with more than enough points) and they got us. We came to our senses during the cancellation period after we slept on it, tho. Make sure you know what you want to do ahead of time and it always takes longer than they say.

Thanks for the advice, iloveokw! I'll make sure we are prepared to stand our ground. I'm kind of a push-over, so maybe I'll let DH play the tough guy.
We went to a time share presentation one other time, about 6 years ago. Now that you mention it, I remember it took longer than it was supposed to. I had to breast feed my infant, and the presenter actually said "Can't he just have a donut or something?"
I wonder if there is a good way to get out when the 2 hour time frame is over??

 

[PURTYPAT1]

Is the Hilton Grand Vacations Club that's located, across the street from Sea World?

If so, I think, this was the best place I ever stayed at in Orlando. The kids actives were awesome. Adults too!!! The way the pool & play grounds are set up it is in such a way, that you can see your child at all times.

Just wanted to share that with you.

When you do your time share, just have no in your mind, especially at the end. Also, usually when you are finished with your presentation, your agent will send over his manager to try to convince you, I think this is how they end it. Be strong & firm.

Hope this helps

Patricia

 

[Grumpy23]

Be sure to stick to your guns, if you have no interest whatsoever. We stayed at the HGVC Tuscany on International Drive in September of last year, and while there, we agreed to a timeshare presentation, because we generally were interested in what they had to offer.

It all started out very pleasant, but towards the end, and I am not exaggerating, we were presented with 4 people in total. The initial woman we met with and we decided that our answer was no. She then went and got the "finance guy" who talks numbers with you and again, we said we weren't prepared to act at that time. He then proceeded to get the Manager, who was called in after we said no to the first two. We politely declined and explained why, to the manager and believe it or not, he sent another guy, who came over and tried to convince us what a mistake we were making. They really did not seem to want to take no for an answer, which understandably is their job, and we went into it expecting them to do just that.

The only thing that really bothered us, the young woman we started out with was very pleasant and seemed interested in our lifestyle all along, until we said no. She literally picked up her stuff the table and stormed away, which we thought was very unprofessional. There was no, thanks for your time, nice to meet you, goodbye, KMA nothing! We didn't see other presenters acting that way, so maybe we just got one that was having a bad day.

Please don't let you stop from going though. The properties really are beautiful, and obviously, as you can see from my signature, we have stayed there and still plan to going forward. Their setup really works for us, and we would have loved to purchase a timeshare, but we decided that we were just not ready. We may still do so in the future, and it wouldn't stop me from going back to them, even though our first presentation was not pleasant.

Good luck!

 

[MAKHayes-DisneyDiva]

Yikes! It sounds not only hard sell, but (depending on the presenter) actually rude! DH is going to kill me. I told him it wouldn't be a big deal!!
The property (it is the one on I Drive) looks really nice in the pictures we were sent, and though I'm certain we aren't going to buy into it now, I'm not ruling it out for the future.

How are the prices (for non-members) compared to WDW resorts? Just curious.

 

[mjh8955]

Make sure you tell them going in that you have a reservation or appointment elsewhere at exactly whatever o'clock that can not be cancelled. If they offer you food, decline it because they don't really start their presentation until you are done eating. Then keep your eye on your watch and when you get about 20 minutes away from the time you are supposed to be done, start gathering your things, thank them, and ask them to please complete the presentation because you really do have to leave. Put your purse on your shoulder. Put your sunglasses on. Start to stand up. And when they offer you the tour early on, do not dawdle anywhere. You will probably be in a golf cart far away from the presentation building and you will have to keep reminding your guide that you are really on a tight timeframe It is an amazing property and we did buy during the timeshare presentation even though we had no intention of doing so, basically because we just couldn't think of a reason not to. They whisked our kids away to a free game room and gave them anything they wanted to eat. We were very relaxed. However, if we had known what we were doing, we could have gotten the timeshare for less money. The last time we were there we had to go through an "owners presentation" where they tried to get us to upgrade. We did stand firm and got out in 2 hours but we really had to stay focused to get it accomplished!

 

[beachbum]

We did our first timeshare presentation last april at the HGVC Tuscany on I Drive. We had no idea on what to expect but did not want to pass up on the deal they called and offered us. We loved the property and the room and would love to stay again. With that said, our presentation was just a little different then the others that posted. We did eat the lunch they offered, but did have to tour the grounds. We were staying right on property and had already been all over the property before our presentation. The first man that talked to us was very nice and talkative until he realized that we were not interested to purchase at that time. That's when everything changed. He became very defensive and kept asking us what he did wrong, why didn't we like him, etc... It was very uncomfortable!!!! I felt like we were breaking up with him and that he just couldn't understand why we didn't like him anymore, very, very strange!!!! Well he discovered that was not going to work, so then he became very rude and tried, "this is such a great deal, why don't you want a deal, everyone wants a deal, what's wrong with you?", this went on and on. Well, we still had an hour and 15 min left and he came to the realization that we were not going to buy, so he tells us that he is not able to let us out early do to the rules. We tell him no problem, we understood that we had to be there two hours. So we all just sat there with him staring at us and not saying a word, but looking very disgusted . For 20 min. this went on and then finally my daughter needed to be breast feed. I was never as happy to feed my daughter as I was that day!!! After we were done we returned back to the table to still find this man and my husband having a stare down, with still no words. Then out of no where, he jumps up and brings over his manager. Lucky for us the manager was very pleasant. He tries one last time to convince us to buy and again we decline. He tells us thanks for our time and that there is no sense to stay any longer and tells us to have a great day(with about 40 min. left)!! I am sure I have been through worse things then this, but I am in no hurry to do another one again anytime soon to save a few bucks!!! Just stay strong and keep in mind that it will be over before you know it. The property itself is really wonderful and great for families with children, so enjoy it while your there! Suzette

 

[DisneyTexan]

I'm an owner with Hilton in Las Vegas, and I have been through a presentation at Hilton at I-drive. I suppose the experience for owners is different than for people who are prospects. I've been on a number of timeshare presentations with different companies and I have had only one really bad experience. Here are a few thoughts:

Bring a calculator so that you look like you are ready to challenge any numbers they tell you.
Tell them you have a close friend or relative who owns a timeshare, and you already know how the entire system works. Also mention that the maintenance fees, exchange fees, etc are going up on a regular basis. This tends to throw off their presentation plan.
Tell them you would never buy at full price from the developer.
Don't admire the property when you go on the tour.
Don't share personal stories about vacations you've taken, or who you like to go on vacation with.

Overall, just give them as little as possible to work with, and they'll let you go fairly quickly. And don't let them get to you! Its just a business transaction and nothing personal.

 

[calgarygary]

Storming off is not necessarily having a bad day but rather a common ploy in the timeshare presentation game. The tatic is to make you feel bad that you were somehow responsible for causing the pleasant salesperson to get upset. Hopefully the guilt you begin to feel will translate into being more open to the next presenter.

 

[3BoysRDisneyFreaks]

We were actually introduced while in Las Vegas, killing time, waiting for our stolen luggage to be found. The sales presentation in Las Vegas was very high pressure. We waited about a year before we purchased and chose to purchase at Tuscany because the fees were less than Vegas.

I love the flexability of the points and how you can easily convert points to Hilton Honor points.

The grounds at Tuscany are beautiful.

When you sit down with the sales person it is like buying a used car. A lot of people come visit, can feel high pressure. You have to sick to your guns if you don't want to buy now, don't. If you want to buy they often do throw in "extras"

Good Luck!

Sarah