just took the BLT tour... kind of bugged with DVC guide

[chris4disney]

DH and I just came back from our 7th trip in 5 years to WDW. No, we aren't DVC members yet and we're kicking ourselves for not joining several years ago. DH and I have stayed at or visited all the WDW DVC resorts except for OKW and BLT. BCV is our absolute favorite and over the past couple of years we thought that if we had ever decided to join DVC that we would look into buying via resale in order to get points at BCV. We are aware that we could buy at AKV, SSR or BLT and get longer contracts, but our heart is set on BCV and I don't want to have to worry about the 7 month mark as more and more people join DVC over the years.

Anyways... last week we were at WDW and decided to take the tour of BLT to see if that resort peaked our interest any more than BCV. Our tour guide, I believe her name was Theresa, was very nice and we were upfront with her about our knowledge of how DVC works and that we have researched it for several years. Just haven't made the plunge yet. We feel we could get away with just 100 point contract for now, and add on later if need be. Would I want more than 100 points right now... absolutely! But paying for the points and the annual dues every year for the next 30+ years is something to stop and think about. As I said, Theresa was very nice until we got to the end of the tour. Without asking if we thought that this was something we wanted to commit to today, she just said "okay, let me go get the paperwork and get you signed up!" Hold up lady! $18,000 is a lot of money! I asked her if she could give us a few minutes alone, and she did. DH and I immidately agreed we both still loved BCV over BLT and it didn't matter to us about the extra years on the contract. We'll be in our late 60's when a BCV contract expires. I'm not concerned right now with where I might be vacationing in my 70's or 80's. Who knows if I'll make it to then!!

So Theresa came back into the room with us and I kindly thanked her for her time, but explained that we both still love BCV and would rather buy a resale contract at BCV. Plus, right now with what's going on in our lives with the questionable economy, we don't want to commit to $18,000 at BLT when we could probably get 100 points at BCV for about $9,500. At this point she seemed surprised and annoyed that we waisted her time. This surprised me because I was always told that there was never any pressure to buy on these tours. Then she proceeded to say and I quote... "I hate to burst your bubble, but you are not going to be able to buy BCV on the resale market! Disney buys back every BCV contract via ROFR!" At this point I know she's lying or is just trying to be a pushy salesman because I follow here on the DISboards where people HAVE purchased BCV through resale. Now I understand that if I try to buy any resale contract with a really low offer, yes they will probably scoop it up. But I wouldn't try to buy a BCV contract for less than $87 per point.

BLT was very nice. The views are beautiful, but we hardly ever sit out on the balcony of our room, so the room views aren't that important to us. We did end up getting 12 fast passes by taking the tour, so that was a bonus!

Any thoughts on Theresa's comments about Disney buying ALL BCV resale contracts would be appreciated. When we do decide to join, I'd like to think that we could purchase a smaller contract at our favorite BCV resort to get our foot in the DVC door.

 

[borgthe]

Theresa is a timeshare salesperson. They say a lot of things that aren't true to try to get you to buy.

 

[chris4disney]

Theresa is a timeshare salesperson. They say a lot of things that aren't true to try to get you to buy.

LOL I realize that sales people will say a lot of things just to get you to buy. I'm in sales myself!! But, before Theresa made these comments, we had spent a good 40 minutes with her and I had already made her aware of how much DVC knowledge I already had by doing my own research over the past few years. If she was smart, she wouldn't have tried to feed me a line of "BS" because from that point on, I was annoyed with her and felt she was a lying to me... just to get the sale.

 

[Jason@dvcstore]

DH and I just came back from our 7th trip in 5 years to WDW. No, we aren't DVC members yet and we're kicking ourselves for not joining several years ago. DH and I have stayed at or visited all the WDW DVC resorts except for OKW and BLT. BCV is our absolute favorite and over the past couple of years we thought that if we had ever decided to join DVC that we would look into buying via resale in order to get points at BCV. We are aware that we could buy at AKV, SSR or BLT and get longer contracts, but our heart is set on BCV and I don't want to have to worry about the 7 month mark as more and more people join DVC over the years.

Anyways... last week we were at WDW and decided to take the tour of BLT to see if that resort peaked our interest any more than BCV. Our tour guide, I believe her name was Theresa, was very nice and we were upfront with her about our knowledge of how DVC works and that we have researched it for several years. Just haven't made the plunge yet. We feel we could get away with just 100 point contract for now, and add on later if need be. Would I want more than 100 points right now... absolutely! But paying for the points and the annual dues every year for the next 30+ years is something to stop and think about. As I said, Theresa was very nice until we got to the end of the tour. Without asking if we thought that this was something we wanted to commit to today, she just said "okay, let me go get the paperwork and get you signed up!" Hold up lady! $18,000 is a lot of money! I asked her if she could give us a few minutes alone, and she did. DH and I immidately agreed we both still loved BCV over BLT and it didn't matter to us about the extra years on the contract. We'll be in our late 60's when a BCV contract expires. I'm not concerned right now with where I might be vacationing in my 70's or 80's. Who knows if I'll make it to then!!

So Theresa came back into the room with us and I kindly thanked her for her time, but explained that we both still love BCV and would rather buy a resale contract at BCV. Plus, right now with what's going on in our lives with the questionable economy, we don't want to commit to $18,000 at BLT when we could probably get 100 points at BCV for about $9,500. At this point she seemed surprised and annoyed that we waisted her time. This surprised me because I was always told that there was never any pressure to buy on these tours. Then she proceeded to say and I quote... "I hate to burst your bubble, but you are not going to be able to buy BCV on the resale market! Disney buys back every BCV contract via ROFR!" At this point I know she's lying or is just trying to be a pushy salesman because I follow here on the DISboards where people HAVE purchased BCV through resale. Now I understand that if I try to buy any resale contract with a really low offer, yes they will probably scoop it up. But I wouldn't try to buy a BCV contract for less than $87 per point.

BLT was very nice. The views are beautiful, but we hardly ever sit out on the balcony of our room, so the room views aren't that important to us. We did end up getting 12 fast passes by taking the tour, so that was a bonus!

Any thoughts on Theresa's comments about Disney buying ALL BCV resale contracts would be appreciated. When we do decide to join, I'd like to think that we could purchase a smaller contract at our favorite BCV resort to get our foot in the DVC door.

I am sorry to hear about your experience. Be advised that The Timeshare Store, Inc.® has sold approximately 7 Bay Lake Tower contracts and Disney did not buy any of them back.

When someone buys from Disney, from The Timeshare Store, Inc.® or from anyone they should choose to purchase when they feel ready. You should feel comfortable buying when you want.

If you would like to contact The Timeshare Store, Inc.® feel free to e-mail us at sales@dvcstore.com and we can send you a brochure and we could also email you when we get new listings. We receive about 130 to 150 new listing a month but receive very few Bay Lake Tower.

I am not trying to be pushy but trying to make you aware.

Jason

 

[Quilter007]

We took the DVC tour in Florida & hated the guide. Took the tour @ VGC and tolerated the guide, fell in love w/ VGC & bought. Went to BLT event in Florida & spoke w/ a differrent Florida guide & again hated the guide. So, my theory is that 1) the guides are first and foremost salespeople which I generally can't stand, 2) I got lucky w/ the California one and 3) the Florida ones irritate me more.

Disney will be selling BLT for a while. Call Jason & buy your resale contract. If you can't make that work, then BLT will still be there for you. Sorry you had to deal with such a snot!

 

[wdrl]

The Guide is completely misinformed if she thinks Disney ROFRs every BCV contract. There is a thread on the DVC Operations board that lists dozens of BCV contracts that have passed ROFR.

Here is what I would do if I were in your position:

1. Look at the ROFR threads on the disboards and get a feel for the prices of resale contracts that have passed ROFR (see, for example, http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1960185). Keep in mind that smaller contracts (100 points or less) are harder to find and demand slightly higher prices. Also, resale contracts that are fully loaded with points will demand a higher price than resale contracts that are virtually stripped of points. Another also, resale contracts are negotiable, so you can ask the seller to reduce the price, or pay some or all of the closing costs, etc.

2. Contact one or more of the reputable resale companies and ask them to put you on their email lists. We are in the process of buying an AKV resale from Scot at the Timeshare Store (a sponsor of the disboards), and everything is going great so far. There is no obligation on your part to get on the email list.

3. Contact DVC and ask to speak to a supervisor. Let DVC know about your experience with the Guide. I'm not sure if it will change anything, but I would hate to have your Guide's "misinformation" go uncorrected.

On a personal note, we bought BLT direct from Disney over the telephone. Our Guide, Ron, was rather low-keyed and we never felt pressured from him to buy. It took us about three weeks and 4 or 5 phone calls with Ron before we finally committed to buy, but I never he was pushing us into buying. In fact, when we finally decided to buy an AKV add-on, he agreed that the resale prices were "very competitive" compared to Disney. We had a chance to talk again after I actually made an offer on an AKV resale contract, and Ron opined that Disney probably wouldn't RORF our offer (which was $84/point). We found out last week that our offer passed ROFR, so Ron was right. So, I believe that there are some good Guides out there, as well as a few not-so-good ones.

Don't give up your dream of owning DVC! Good luck!!!

 

[chris4disney]

Thanks for the input everyone! I do already get the email from the Timeshare Store from Scot regarding their new listings , as well as the new listings email from DVC by Resales. So I continuely watch what's available out there. I also view that thread often listing contracts who have passed ROFR and who has not. So I do feel that I am well educated and informed about the ins and outs of DVC. Atleast as much as I can be without actually being a member. Which is why it irritated me so bad that this guide was making up crap right in my face. I really wanted to call her out on it, but that wouldn't be to "Disney" of me and it wouldn't change the fact that we weren't buying DVC that day. My DH jokingly said to me as we left BLT that we'll probably be put on a black list now and even if we try to buy resale they'll never let it go through!

 

[cvjw]

We just bought a 175 point BCV contract via resale with no trouble at all! It went thru ROFR at $83 a point, and we think we probably overpaid!!

 

[Girlie1]

She is full of baloney. We bought a resale at BCV about 7 months ago. We purchased 100 pts, June use year, all 2009 and 2010 points for $84 pt and it passed ROFR in about a week. Good luck and hold out for what you truly want. Don't settle

 

[lark]

The Guide is completely misinformed if she thinks Disney ROFRs every BCV contract.

Misinformed is a very generous word. I think it's very unlikely that Teresa is misinformed. I think she is a timeshare salesperson, as has already been noted. Not much more needs to be said.

As for the OP's surprise, it seems there are definitely more than a handful of DVC salespeople who use more "traditional" timeshare tactics. I think most of the guides understand it's not a viable long-term option if they want to build a good client base and word of mouth referrals. But the reality is that every single person who sells timeshares, unless they are selling a brand new timeshare that has not hit the resale market, has to be adept at fielding the question, "but why shouldn't I just buy resale?" Rarely is there an honest answer, other than, "well, frankly, you should."

DVC has a few answers it can give that most other developers cannot -- quicker turnaround times, easy financing, ability to be in the system instantly if you want to make a reservation, no closing costs and more availability on smaller point contracts for add ons, and no worries with ROFR. But, other than those answers, the stark reality is that buying resale nearly always makes more financial sense, and the equal reality is that is something that most timeshare sellers need to work hard not to admit.

 

[disneynutz]

As the economy gets tougher sales people seem to push harder due to reduced revenue. I have noticed some policy changes with DVD. They don't seem to be as laid back as they use to be and push more to close the sale. Disney now recognizes the profit potential of DVD and as a result they expect increased performance.

 

[bumbershoot]

I really wanted to call her out on it, but that wouldn't be to "Disney" of me and it wouldn't change the fact that we weren't buying DVC that day.

Awww, ya should've! Maybe it would have made her laugh and you would have become happier with each other. When we were dealing with our guide, we would rib him, and he ribbed us right back once (I mentioned something about "the deals then couldn't have been THAT good" and he brought it right up on the computer what he was offering back in Sept '07, whoops~).

If I'm dealing with a salesman, I like to be open and honest, and I've told them "ooh, you're sounding like a salesman, I don't respond well to that", and they'll back it up if they are good people. If they react the other way, well, I don't want to deal with them anyway.

Wouldn't it be funny if you bought BCV through resale and were assigned HER as your guide? She couldn't possibly use that line in good conscience from then on!!!

 

[dudleydog]

I bought 100 BCV points as our first purchase a year ago for $86/pt via Timeshare Store. Took a few months, but well worth it.

 

[Tigger031266]

Sorry about the guide issues. Our guide was named Jenna. She as really nice as well.

You are really smart for buying where you want to stay. I know what you are thinking (same thing we were), the Beach Club/Bowardwalk area is the place to be....It is the best place on earth. My favorate place in the world is on the Beach at the beach club, looking at the Boardwalk while the kids play in the sand.

The will most like offer extentions later anyway.

 

[Coach81]

Timeshare sales people can be a strange lot.. take it with a grain of sugar, get the contract you want at the price you want. and enjoy your DVC!!!

 

[Crystal_27]

Any thoughts on Theresa's comments about Disney buying ALL BCV resale contracts would be appreciated. When we do decide to join, I'd like to think that we could purchase a smaller contract at our favorite BCV resort to get our foot in the DVC door.

I think that her comments and actions were very unwarranted. First of all, why in the world would she assume that you were ready to buy and draw up your paperwork just because you took the tour?? That's pretty presumptious of her to begin with. Second, she's dead wrong on her statements about BCV (as you know from reading these boards). My Guide told me a few "salesmaney" type statements too, but his comments were associated with how he could serve me ("if you need help booking, call me and I'll get you in even if MS says no availability" - - ) rather than the DVC program itself. I realize that DVC is trying to sell new contracts, but that doesn't give the salespeople the right to lie to you about the other options out there. Knowing how many people buy DVC without having done their research, my guess is that your Guide's tactics probably have served her well in the past, but I still find it unfortunate and pushy.

Go with The Timeshare Store or another sponsor of The DIS, and I'm sure you'll be a thrilled BCV member in no time at all. Also, make sure to call and ditch your Guide in that, even if you buy resale, your current Guide will follow you now that you're associated with her. Good luck!!

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

From several posts over the last few months it appears many of the guides are starting to use sales tactics that would be considered "high pressure" vs the approach DVC has taken in the past -- I'm sure this is due to having four resorts selling at the same time, with Hawaii coming up soon. DVC has made a huge investment in these expansions and they want something to show for it.

I feel the situation will get even worse. Anyone even remotely considering DVC needs to educate themselves as much as possible before they get to the point where they start speaking to a guide as it appears it's becoming very common for them to stretch the truth a bit.

 

[Lost in Neverland]

Wouldn't it be funny if you bought BCV through resale and were assigned HER as your guide? She couldn't possibly use that line in good conscience from then on!!!

In reality they probably will be assigned that guide if they buy resale.We toured DVC when we were in Florida last time and then bought resale. We were assigned the guide we had when we took our tour. We were told that if you have ever toured then you are attached to the guide you had at the time if they are still with DVC. Personally I would request a different assignment if our guide ahd acted that way.

 

[Golden Rose]

I like our guide (Jim McCoy) well enough, and he handled our announcement that we were going to buy resale fairly well. We bought our AKV contract from him, and we told him at the time that we also wanted a BWV or BCV contract with the same UY. He gave me a lot of reasons that he didn't have one available right then and suggested that we get on a list. He said that Disney would almost certainly come up for one for us in December (our UY), when they didn't have to give us that year's points.

I said that I was only willing to pay the Disney premium if I could get a contract that had that year's points on it that I could use immediately to book a trip for that fall. If he couldn't help me with that, I was going to go buy resale. He listed a few reasons that resale was undesirable - many contracts are stripped, it takes longer to get into the system, closing costs on add-ons are free direct from Disney, and you can get the exact number of points and UY you want if you buy from Disney. He wasn't ugly about it, he just reminded me of the downside. Honestly, I didn't mind him telling me these things; I already knew them to be true. I think that is about as good a way as possible for the guides to handle the situation.

If you get assigned Theresa as your guide when you buy resale since she gave you the tour, I would immediately request another guide and explain why.

 

[dis-happy]

From several posts over the last few months it appears many of the guides are starting to use sales tactics that would be considered "high pressure" vs the approach DVC has taken in the past -- I'm sure this is due to having four resorts selling at the same time, with Hawaii coming up soon. DVC has made a huge investment in these expansions and they want something to show for it.

I feel the situation will get even worse. Anyone even remotely considering DVC needs to educate themselves as much as possible before they get to the point where they start speaking to a guide as it appears it's becoming very common for them to stretch the truth a bit.

Very well said!!!



I think that resale is the perfect way for you to go. Our first contract was a BCV resale via TSS (and they are a reliable way to go, BTW) and we have never looked back, best decision of our lives! Then we added on twice more, a BWV resale and an add'l BWV add-on direct. Good luck, hoping the perfect cotract comes along for you soon.