What happens if you don't do the timeshare presentation?

[HappyLawyer]

I just booked an promo offer somewhere, then i get the conf in the mail and it says the offer includes a presentation, this was not stated in my original booking plus i already own a timeshare in FL so i have never looked into this, does anyone know? I mean i did not agree verbally and it was not implied because i had no knowledge.

 

[CarolA]

You will be required to give them a credit card at check in to get your room. If you do NOT do the presentation they will charge you the full rack rate for the room.

(It's geneally there somewhere in the original offer but in VERY VERY hard to find place.)

 

[HappyLawyer]

You will be required to give them a credit card at check in to get your room. If you do NOT do the presentation they will charge you the full rack rate for the room.

(It's geneally there somewhere in the original offer but in VERY VERY hard to find place.)

actually it was not, i made the resv over the phone, they did not mention it, but i have consulted another attorney who specializes in this particular (as it is not my field) and he has told me exactly what to do.

 

[tweetylori]

Just look for the fine print in whatever you agreed to.

 

[Mysteria]

actually it was not, i made the resv over the phone, they did not mention it, but i have consulted another attorney who specializes in this particular (as it is not my field) and he has told me exactly what to do.

Can you share with us what he/she told you to do? I'm sure many people could use that kind of information.

Myst

 

[bicker]

Sounds pretty slimy to accept a promotion and then not live up to your side of the bargain. If you really object to sitting through the presentation, then you should cancel entirely.

 

[MiaSRN62]

bicker says :Sounds pretty slimy to accept a promotion and then not live up to your side of the bargain

I don't think it sounds "slimy" of the OP. The presentation requirement was never disclosed in the original offer. This happened to me in '99. My local grocery store had a promo. If you spent $200 in groceries there, then you could get 3 nights for $99 at a local Orlando hotel. I paid the $99 and got my certificate. I asked the grocery store clerk to explain to me how I was to book and she told me to call the number on the certificate.....give my code....and book it. When I booked it, it went smooth as silk. It was great for a last minute trip. Only once I got there was I told about the timeshare presentation. I think it's slimy of these timeshare promoters to "hide" the fact that a presentation is required in the fine print. It's like they want to trick one into having to go. I never attended the the timeshare spiel. Sure enough, I was charged rack rate on my credit card as CarolA mentioned. I took it to the attorney general's office in Tallahassee, FL and won. Took close to 3 months to get my money back, but they agreed it was shady how the timeshare promoter snuck the clause in the fine print and how it was not initially disclosed to me. So I wish the OP luck. For the hassle portion of this situation, I'd just back out now. I went through alot of letter writing and phone calls to get my $500 back and would not think it was worth it if you haven't already taken the trip.

 

[bicker]

If there isn't a meeting of the minds, the right thing to do is terminate the transaction, not exploit it.

 

[MiaSRN62]

I just feel more pressure/laws need to be put on these timeshare companies to conduct themselves in a respectable and law-abiding way and to protect the interests of the customer. Some of these companies sneak the "requirements" way into the fine print as a means of tricking the customer. I think it's wrong and something needs to be done. But I agree, the OP should back out just to avoid the hassle of fighting with them. I think with the OP, it's the principle of the matter of this point. It ALL should have been disclosed from the very beginning. Sometimes I feel people need to stand up to these companies or they'll just keep doing this sort of thing. Some of these companies use very shady means to lure people in. Should not be allowed. In my case, the timeshare involved in shady offerings was Summer Bay.

 

[bicker]

Sorry, but I think there is enough questionable "conduct" going around to cover both sides of the transaction. What are the actual terms of the promotion? The last time I took such an offer, I got three nights at a two bedroom villa just outside Universal for $100 flat. Anyone who asserts that they thought they were just getting an extraordinarily good deal from a timeshare company is being disingenuous.

Furthermore, and I'm not directing this at the OP specifically, but rather speaking "in general" -- just because someone says they weren't told about their obligations doesn't mean they weren't, and doesn't mean that they weren't at fault for failure to learn all the conditions of the offering. This goes back to the whole societal issue with people having unreasonable expectations that everything out there is supposed to precisely crafted to their personal needs and preferences. It's not rational.

Mia: I get that you don't like the typical sales tactics of timeshare companies. Then ban them. Ban promotions such as that which the OP says he's been offered. The fact is that despite years and years, they haven't been banned. There aren't enough people who see it as the kind of problem you see it as. Maybe that will change some day. However, you cannot change it so that they are forced to offer $100 for three nights and not get back the difference between that and how much those nights were worth ($600 maybe, $800?? maybe more?) somehow -- if not through the effectiveness of the sales tactics they apply then they either cannot offer such promotions at all, or have to charge higher prices, and all those folks who are willing to live up to their obligations related to these promotions LOSE OUT on the opportunity to do so.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Anyone who asserts that they thought they were just getting an extraordinarily good deal from a timeshare company is being disingenuous.

I definitely ban promotions that are not upfront with their requirements. Those that disclose their requirements, I am fine with. But to make the above quote is wrong imho. I did feel I earned the right to get the 3 nights for $99 based on the fact that I spent the required $200 on groceries at the grocery store and based on the fact that the timeshare tour was NOT disclosed in my paperwork. Obviously, the attorney general of FL agreed with me. They said they had numerous complaints about Summer Bay. Now this was '99.....hoping Summer Bay has changed their tactics. But I sort of resent the fact of what you stated in your above quote. I realize you say you are speaking generally. But I hardly feel I was being disingenuous in the deal. I spoke to 3 different people before I left for that trip and NONE of them ever hinted that I'd have to take a tour. Rather it was Summer Bay that was disingenuous and the attorney generals office agreed with me. I totally believe some timeshare companies conduct themselves in less-than-honest ways. By no means do I feel all companies do or that all timeshare promotions are shady. Many are very good deals and very much disclosed upfront. It is the ones that try and trick the consumer that I have a problem with.

 

[bicker]

I definitely ban promotions that are not upfront with their requirements.

Define "upfront". If you really mean what you're suggesting, then prepare to spend about 45 minutes on the telephone every time you make airline reservations. The terms and conditions go on for 77 pages. It is a well-established principle in this country that "terms and conditions apply" and if you want to know what they are, you have to (1) ask, and (2) read a lengthy hardcopy yourself, offline.

If you go into any commercial transaction without gaining a full understanding of the terms and conditions, then the only one you have to blame is yourself.

But I sort of resent the fact of what you stated in your above quote. I realize you say you are speaking generally.

So how can you resent it unless it applied to you?

 

[MiaSRN62]

Well I don't want to quarrel with ya Bicker. But I resent your statement about being disingenuous because you made a broad, blanket statement....as if to imply that "anyone" who believes they're getting a great deal with no strings is disingenuous. I got a great deal. I saved a few hundred dollars on my hotel and never suspected that a timeshare tour was involved. It was never mentioned and my stay was not even at Summer Bay----it was at a Holiday Inn in Kissimmee. So yes, I thought I was getting a good deal because I spent the required amount of money on groceries......paid my $99 for my 3 night certificate. How was I supposed to know that a timeshare tour was involved in the deal if noone ever mentioned it and it was not in the fine print. So I believe there are others that are taken by scams like this and it's def not the customer who is being disingenuous.

Define "upfront". Simple. Let the customer know what's involved in detail before they book the promo rate. Don't tell them afterwards when they get the confirmation----why waste everyone's time ? Be honest from the get-go. Don't trick them into after they've already arrived at the resort and then inform they need to take a tour. It's pretty simple really, but many companies feel the need to trick, scheme and deceive.


I don't think we see eye-to-eye on this matter and that's fine.

 

[bicker]

I suppose we can agree to disagree about this. The main reason why I don't see what you're saying is because most people would know that they're getting something worth $600 for $100, and would have a healthy curiousity about what makes up for the $500 difference.

 

[MiaSRN62]

The main reason why I don't see what you're saying is because most people would know that they're getting something worth $600 for $100, and would have a healthy curiousity about what makes up for the $500 difference.

I can understand what you're saying. But why can't the timeshare companies just be upfront and very clear with their offerings ? Why is this so hard ? Why hide it in the fine print or trick people ? I don't get this practice. Maybe it's just me, or perhaps it's because I got taken by one of the shady companies (and not all are). Many times it IS a great deal. Then disclose it as such and all that is involved. Makes for a much happier customer. I don't know if I could trust a timeshare company (as far as buying into it) if they were sneaky/snide in how they got me to attend ?

 

[bicker]

But why can't the timeshare companies just be upfront and very clear with their offerings ? Why is this so hard ? Why hide it in the fine print or trick people ?

My guess is that they can be more effective presenting a positive message for their promotion, rather than focusing so much attention on what some would consider the negative aspects. Why not ask Disney why they focus on all the good things about their offerings? The Dining Plan brochure doesn't list the restaurants that are not participating -- it only lists those that are participating. When you ask Disney a clear yes-and-no question, if the answer is a "good thing" then they answer with a clear "yes" -- when the answer is a "bad thing" then they answer with some highly polished advertising copy that paints the "bad thing" in the best light possible. It's the way things are.

I understand that you'd rather the world be more transparent. So would I. I wish transparency was required at all levels. It would prevent people from taking money under the table, since every time money changes hands there would be a record that we all could scrutinize. No more evading taxes. No more doubt about how to get the best deal on something, since we all would know exactly what everyone else paid, so we all would get the same deal.

It isn't going to happen, at least not in our lifetimes. Too many people have too much of a vested interest in keeping their privacy.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Why not ask Disney why they focus on all the good things about their offerings? The Dining Plan brochure doesn't list the restaurants that are not participating -- it only lists those that are participating.

We really do see things pretty differently because I'm not getting the analogy here ? If disney lists the restaurants that are participating, that's all I need to know ? I have Disney Dining Experience card. Before I paid for it, I knew exactly which restaurants I could dine at.
In my experience with the timeshare presentation, when I purchased the $200 worth of groceries....then the $99 for the hotel certificate.....then booked my dates.....I never knew a timeshare tour was involved. I was "suprised" with that little secret when I arrived and checked in. Not right. It would be like if when I purchased the DDE card, when I got to the restaurant of my choice, I was told I had to take a tour before I could dine there or I would have to pay full price for my meal despite having paid an upfront cost of the DDE. I don't feel disney deceived me or was not upfront when I agreed to pay the $60 for the card ? I knew what I would be entitled to and what I was getting.

No....don't want the world to be transparent. I just want big companies like these timeshare organizations to spell out their requirements. Disney told me exactly what I needed as far as the dining. I need to be an AP holder, I needed to pay $60 and I knew which restaurants I could use the discount because it was plainly listed. The fact that I needed to take a timeshare tour at Summer Bay was not plainly listed anywhere when I bought my groceries and then later when I paid the $99. I was told a month later when I arrived at the resort. Even when I got the confirmation for my stay in the mail the timeshare tour was not mentioned. So I don't see the analogy and I don't think I'm asking for the world in this respect. I feel I'm asking for what I'm entitled to as a consumer. Thank goodness the state of FL AG's office felt the same. I applaud them for going after Summer Bay. Never felt the need to bring the attorney general into the picture with disney. I felt they disclosed to me what I would get for my $60.

 

[bicker]

I don't feel disney deceived me or was not upfront ...

Those are your perceptions. Other people disagree. Plus, perhaps my examples weren't as good as they could have been. I'm deliberately avoiding certain issue where Disney will not provide a clear "no" because they're controversial within themselves, and would invariably lead this thread way off track.

Here is an airline example: You see all those nifty promotions and you book one of those $99 fares only to find out later that you get bumped from your flight because you paid the lowest fare and they needed room for a full-fare passenger. You thought that your seat assignment confirmed that you were getting on that flight. You were wrong, but the only way to have known is to read and understand the written 77 pages of terms and conditions.

The point is that expecting a verbal description of an offering to be complete is unreasonable. If you choose not to obtain and read the written terms and conditions, you deserve whatever you get.

No....don't want the world to be transparent. I just want big companies like these timeshare organizations to spell out their requirements.

Yet people insist on putting pro-business politicians into Congress and the White House -- even the Democrats who get elected, like Bill Clinton, are pro-business. Clearly, you're either alone in your perspective, or people just like to complain, but aren't willing to "put their money where their mouth is" and elect people who will actually skew business more in favor of buyers over sellers.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Yet people insist on putting pro-business politicians into Congress and the White House -- even the Democrats who get elected, like Bill Clinton, are pro-business. Clearly, you're either alone in your perspective, or people just like to complain, but aren't willing to "put their money where their mouth is" and elect people who will actually skew business more in favor of buyers over sellers.

Well, maybe I am alone in my perspective as you stated. I feel when I vote, I try to put people in office who support the consumer and not big business. Sometimes the choices just aren't there.
I agree the statements I made are my perceptions and many or all here may not agree. I don't know of many topics all people will agree upon. Either way, I will agree to disagree with you on many of the points here Bicker. I respect what you have to say, just don't see eye to eye necessarily.

 

[bicker]

I feel when I vote, I try to put people in office who support the consumer and not big business. Sometimes the choices just aren't there.

Absolutely. I think the whole "pro-consumer" perspective is just a ruse -- that there really isn't any real support for that as a major issue in our society. People are driven far more often, and more strongly, by matters of faith, war and peace, jobs, and health care.