PLEASE Explain These Time Shares to Me

[lukenlaurafan77]

I am new to this whole time share thing. I booked myself into a 90 min presentation at the ramada westgate resort. 4 days 3 nights for $169 and any additional nights for $29. I KNOW how to say no and all but how do these work? Do I have to then pay full price if I do not buy the time share? And is this completely legit? They also include a coupon book, discount for a cruise, and 2 park tickets to WDW.

 

[Seahunt]

Sorry that I don't know much about these timeshare deals, but I'll "bump" your post up so that maybe someone who has done this can answer you.

BTW I don't think they charge you more if you don't buy a timeshare week, though I DO know the "terms and conditions" shows this clause that allows them to charge $100 more per night plus the retail price of the tickets if you don't meet their terms:

WESTGATE RESORTS TOUR ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES:

Failure to qualify and attend the sales presentation will result in a surcharge of $100 per night plus the retail rate of any discount attraction tickets that were included in the vacation package.

If married both husband and wife must be between the ages of 25-68 with a valid Drivers License or passport.
If married, both husband and wife must attend the tour together.
Married couples must have a gross annual household income of $50,000 or more.
If you are co-habitating with a partner proof of same residence (document showing the same address) is required and both partners should attend the tour together.
Singles should be between the ages of 30-68 and should have an annual income of $40,000 or more.
After the complimentary meal, you must attend a 90 minute sales presentation.
You must speak fluent English and should be able to read English.
Two forms of ID are required upon check-in for tour: a driver’s license, passport, a checkbook, or a major credit card will be acceptable form of identification
No "group" tours will be accepted for this offer and families requiring more than one room will not qualify. Multiple parties in separate suites, traveling together for the purpose of work, visiting, or vacationing together will be disqualified.
This offer not valid for Westgate owners, referrals of owners, Westgate employees, and their immediate families.
This offer not valid for full-time students.
Guests must not have toured any Westgate Resort within the last 12 months

Nightly rates and vacation package prices do not include FL State hotel/resort tax, which ranges from $8 - $12 per night depending on the suite selected. All taxes are paid by the guest, at the Resort. Guest will also be required to present a credit/debit card for a fully refundable, authorized deposit to cover long distance phone calls, pay-per-view, and other miscellaneous room charges.

********

Again hopefully someone who has actually attended can answer you with more info!

 

[spiceycat]

I KNOW how to say no and all but how do these work? Do I have to then pay full price if I do not buy the time share? And is this completely legit? They also include a coupon book, discount for a cruise, and 2 park tickets to WDW.

No you don't have to buy to get your discounts. Yes they are legit.

but with westgate bring any documents that you have that says what you are entitled to get.

they are not always on the up and up.

NEVER, NEVER buy from Westgate. they are crooks.

read your offer over carefully. make sure it says you just have to attend a 90 presentation and nothing about buying.

Westgate has before told people that only if you buy do you get the tickets. NOT TRUE.

if the offered does not say you have to buy to get the tickets you don't.

so read it carefully.

 

[lukenlaurafan77]

Thank you. They've booked my presentation for the morning after I get there at 8 am. I want to get in and out of there and get to the parks with my children. If my kids start acting up will they just tell me to leave? Will others be there as well or is it a private presentation? I HAVE NO intention of buying. We just came for the deal is all. I do have to pre-pay for 2 additional nights at $29 per night. Are they going to void this whole contract if I tell them no? i cannot afford, nor do I need a time share. Thanks.

 

[spiceycat]

no - just stick to your NO.

if you say yes - you get a 10 day look at it (which westgate won't tell you - this is definitely breaking the law). You can cancel the contract. but do it fast...

tell them you aren't interested in having their breakfast - you want the sales pitch to began "NOW"

the breakfast is not included in the 90 minute pitch. Be rude, don't pay any attention to what they are saying.

they will try to take your children to a place to play. Kept them with you if you can. Nothing like a screaming kid to make sure they stick with the 90 minute presentation.

otherwise with Westgate it could be hours. take a stop watch - make sure the sales person sees the stop watch and start it as soon as the sale pitch begins.

they will try to make you feel bad for not buying. Don't allow them too. They are ones who should feel bad not you. They were trying to steal your money - not the other way around - no matter what they say.

tried to take a tape recorder - but was not allowed. If what they are saying is on the up and up - tape recorders would be allowed.

these people are crooks - look at them that way and ignore everything they have to say.

don't buy anything from Westgate.

 

[lukenlaurafan77]

Wow thank you. I won't need their breakfast. We'll eat at WDW. Will they give me the tickets then? I plan on purchasing WDW tickets over and above but not there. And I have 3 children that WILL NOT sit through that presentation. Will that make it less than 90 mins? I REFUSE to allow them to take my children to play. Will others be involved or is it a private presentation?

 

[Janet Hill]

And I have 3 children that WILL NOT sit through that presentation. Will that make it less than 90 mins? I REFUSE to allow them to take my children to play. Will others be involved or is it a private presentation?

You have to listen to the full 90 minutes or they do not have to honor your room rate or give you the free tickets. I definately would not put it past Westgate to refuse to honor your package rate if you have to leave because of your children.

 

[jmpellet]

We are doing two of them in June/July along with Nick Hotel and Royal Pacific for a nice long vacation. We are doing Horizons by Marriott for $199 for 4 nights with a 90 minute required presentation and Sheraton Vistana Villages for $269 (plus $100 cash back upon arrival) for 4 nights with no tour required. Marriott is pretty low pressure but I'm sure I'll have to fight off the Sheraton during my stay -- which I'm willing to do.

 

[Detailor]

As others have said, you are obligated to attend the full 90 minute presentation or you'll be charged extra for the room and not get any tickets just like it says in your contract language.

The 90 minutes generally begins when you sit down with the salesperson (the breakfast time and any time devoted to a promotional video usually aren't counted as part of the 90 minutes). The breakfast and video, if any, are presented to a group of prospective purchasers then you are split up by family to discuss a timeshare purchase with an individual salesperson. The salesperson may take you on a tour of the resort - in those cases the magic 90 minute point in time usually comes when you are far from the place that you started from. Once you've said no a few times you should probably expect to see the sales manager who may offer a better deal, add more sales pressure, and keep at you longer in order to get to say yes just so they'll let you go. You need to understand that the salesperson and probably the sales manager will tell you things that just aren't true (You can trade one of your timeshare weeks for any week, anytime, any where in the world! Wouldn't it be great to spend next Christmas in Hawaii?) You also need to let them know that you know that you're not obligated to stay after the 90 minutes is up - that's what your lodging contract says and that's what Florida State Law governing timeshare sales says. Given all of that - don't expect that you'll get out earlier than 90 minutes, expect at least a couple of hours to cover breakfast time (whether you want it or not), promo video (whether you want it or not), the sales pitch, the sales manager wrangling, and the time associated with getting your tickets from whomever they hand you off to.
While I have no direct knowledge of the Westgate sales process, I'm given to understand that the Westgate sales process is among the worst in the timeshare industry for a prospective purchaser to experience.

Dick Taylor

 

[lukenlaurafan77]

Thank you all so much. I REALLY appreciate your help. I've learned a ton here. So I'm taking it this is a personal tour then? How am I pushing a double stroller while they take me on a "tour" of the grounds? And at precisley 90 mins I can get up and tell them I am leaving correct? And ask for the stuff I was promised? They cannot refuse that correct? Cuz my kids will NOT sit for 90 mins in their strollers quietly, which is fine with me.

 

[Janet Hill]

Cuz my kids will NOT sit for 90 mins in their strollers quietly, which is fine with me.

If you are so sure that your children will not cooperate for the presentation - why bother. Westgate is tough and while your presentation is interupted by your kids the 90 minute clock is not ticking - you could be there for 3 or 4 hours.

You can get accommadations for not much more than this and not have to do a presentation.

 

[lukenlaurafan77]

really? Where at? And what happens that I've already booked and paid? Can I cancel. We leave next Sun. Thanks.

 

[dizzi]

How much are you paying anight for westgate? I bet you could go on priceline and get soemthign just as good for what ever you have paid and not haev to sit through a presentation. I have always wondered why people put themsleves through this torture. I did it once, will never do it again........OH EXCEPT for the DVC presentations...........THEY ARE AWESOME!!!!

 

[Brian Noble]

Just as an aside, I personally believe that life is far to short to spend "90 minutes" of it being harassed by a timeshare sales weasel, no matter what incentives I am offered.

 

[grammynelliebelle]

How are the DVC presentations different? What promos do they offer and are they high pressure?We once went to a presentation years ago in the Poconos and they offered a 3 piece corning ware set. (it was a tiny casserole, a plastic lid, and a glass lid) LOL it was 3 pieces. I'm pretty leary of these things, but DVC may be different. Please let me know what you all think. Thanks Grammy

 

[spiceycat]

DVC does not have hard core sales people.

DVC believes that the resort will sell you. If it doesn't - not a problem.

the Marriott also does not have hard core.

DVC does not give out much in promotion - maybe lunch or sometimes fast passes.

Marriott gives money.

Westgate is definitely the worst!!! so if you can do okay with them - don't even worry about the others timeshare pitches.

remember just about everything the sales person tells you is a lie. don't believe anything they say.

on the other side both DVC and Marriott has been know to retrain sales people to insist on hard core. if that doesn't work they are fired.

 

[Brian Noble]

DVC is night and day different---no pressure at all. But, the incentives are not worth much either---a few "immediate" fastpasses for example.

 

[Detailor]

Just as an aside, I personally believe that life is far to short to spend "90 minutes" of it being harassed by a timeshare sales weasel, no matter what incentives I am offered.

While a lot of timeshare owners seem to make a game of attending timeshare presentation, I must say that I agree with Brian. I've attended one such presentation - at Sheraton Vistana Resorts in 1997 - that didn't seem to me to be terribly pressure-packed, but it was a real waste of our vacation time (it seems to me that the 90 minutes somehow stretched to a little over two hours) despite the Disney Dollars ($150 ?) that they gave us. We own two timeshare weeks at a single resort that we've never visited, let alone attended a presentation at.

Dick Taylor