The second to last timeshare presentation I did was at the Hilton property at Waikoloa Village on the Big Island in Hawaii. Our salesperson wasn't disappointed ... she was pissed! She actually yelled at us for signing up for the presentation when we knew we wouldn't buy (my Dh has TONS of HHonors points which will get us into the Waikoloa any time we want). She even went as far as to point to the picture of her angelic looking son and told us we were taking food out of his mouth! I was seething when we left but I (mostly, LOL) let it go for the rest of the vacation. Ratting her out would not make my time in Hawaii any better, although she did her best to make us feel bad and ruin our vacation.However, we decided not ever to do that again. We are not in the market for another time share, and I just don't want to disappoint any salesperson again, when we know going in that we don't want it. Not a lung, but I my integrity was compromised the second time, the first time buying was a possibility.
I've done a number just not necessarily in Orlando. For Orlando we've done Marriott and DVC. We've also done Fairfield, Embassy and Bluegreen that have locations in Orlando but in other locations as well as a number of others. In part it depends on who you get though there is some consistency within most of the companies. We haven't done Hyatt or Hilton though,just haven't had the opportunity. Most of the top companies are relatively low key but not as much as DVC as a rule. Some of the others can be quite difficult at times. In the US I'd say Westgate and Spinaker have the worst reputations. Outside the US one can actually be held hostage or threatened physically.The second to last timeshare presentation I did was at the Hilton property at Waikoloa Village on the Big Island in Hawaii. Our salesperson wasn't disappointed ... she was pissed! She actually yelled at us for signing up for the presentation when we knew we wouldn't buy (my Dh has TONS of HHonors points which will get us into the Waikoloa any time we want). She even went as far as to point to the picture of her angelic looking son and told us we were taking food out of his mouth! I was seething when we left but I (mostly, LOL) let it go for the rest of the vacation. Ratting her out would not make my time in Hawaii any better, although she did her best to make us feel bad and ruin our vacation.
MX is an especially difficult area. I do know of several instances where people were locked in a room and physically threatened. I also know of times when they were separated from their kids. Come to think of it I know of a couple of situations where the kids were taken to a different building and the parents weren't told where until they agreed to buy. My memory suggests this has happened at one place in Orlando as well. I also know of one where they were taken out to a remote place and left when they didn't buy, I think that was in the Vegas area.Holy cow! Threatened physically?!?!?! Now I know I'll never do one outside of the US.
We have had the super pushy sales person who gives you the guilt trip and brings in the other managers to see if they can give you a "better" deal. They ask those leading questions and then repeat your answers to you when you try to say no. Some of the questions that they ask anyone is going to answer positively too. How many people do you know that DON'T want to take at least one vacation a year? Of course you're going to answer yes to that question.
The way we were treated when we bought our DVC is another reason we chose to buy. There was no pressure and it was an enjoyable experience.
In the Unofficial Guide to WDW, theres a story of a family that took a timeshare tour that was supposed to be 45 minutes. It was a hellish 4 hours of hard sell.
Good to hear that Mariott is low key and quality. We have a tour scheduled with them next March on HHI. Anyone have any direct experience with Mariott at HHI?
TIA