How pushy are Westgate Timeshare Presentations?

[3littlekeets]

We really want to go to Gatlinburg next week for hiking and playing -- and the indoor waterpark :-). But, to stay at the Westgate Property, I had to agree to a timeshare talk of 90 mins...over breakfast.

 

I know I have no intention of buying a timeshare, and if I did, it would be on the resale market. How can I just say no without feeling guilty or pressured???

 

Thanks!

[Jean in Newcastle]

We haven't done Westgate but we did do two other presentations by two other companies (in another part of the country). They are pushy. They will use the whole time (and have gone overtime with us trying to get us to sign up). They will try to manipulate you into "seeing things their way" - I knew they would so it didn't bother me that much but you do have to be aware of it and not let yourself be sucked in. In our case, we received a low-cost weekend in resort areas - we felt that they deserved an honest appraisal of their timeshare. If we were in a much higher tax bracket and had the lifestyle to go with this, it actually would have been a good deal. It was not a good deal for us. We could not afford the yearly maintenance fees (even if we had been able to afford the lump sum you are supposed to give them up front to "buy in" to the time-share). They did let us go (and honored their low cost weekend offer) but it was a hard-sell.

[PariSarah]

. . . I've been on one of these presentations. It's how we were able to go on a honeymoon, actually! :D

 

I didn't find it particularly onerous, but I don't generally have a problem with guilt over saying no. They gave us lots of information on how much money it would save us to own a timeshare. We smiled, nodded from time to time, agreed with everything they said, and declined to make a decision right then. Then we went home and told them no over the phone.

 

I can't imagine that you'll have a problem, unless you're unduly sensitive to people wanting something from you. If you're nervous about it, practice saying the following things in front of a mirror:

 

"Thank you for this very informative presentation. We will not be making a decision today. We will take the literature home with us and think about it."

 

"I believe your time is up. Thank you for this information. We'll call you when we've made our decision."

 

"I beg your pardon?" (This is for any high-pressure tactics, like, "What kind of man doesn't want to give his wife a vacation every year?")

 

"I assure you that this sort of sales pitch will not incline me to purchase your product." (This is for if they get rude. They probably won't--their style of sales pitch generally depends on hurrying you into a decision, not shaming or bullying you into one.)

[Diana in OR]

I read your title as, "How pushy are Westgate Timeshare Presbytarians?"

 

I've never known Presbytarians to be pushy at all. At least it gave me a laugh for the day! :lol:

[3littlekeets]

I read your title as, "How pushy are Westgate Timeshare Presbytarians?"

 

I've never known Presbytarians to be pushy at all. At least it gave me a laugh for the day! :lol:

 

 

That's so funny! Now, during the presentation, that's all I will be thinking about:lol:.

 

Thanks for the input all! I've never been on a presentation for a timeshare, but I know that even if we were inclined to buy, I can do much better on a resale than a new one.

 

I'm just excited about getting away for a few days. :D

[Cindyg]

I wouldn't go. Everyone who goes to the presentation goes in determined to get the free weekend and not buy. Yet plenty of people buy or they wouldn't use this sales technique. They are experts in getting non-buyers to buy. If they come to believe you really won't buy, they will switch instantly from super-friendly to treating you like dirt, and you'll feel terrible.

 

Plus, the way the presentation is scheduled, it will eat up the better part of a day. It won't be something you can slip in quickly in the morning before you go out, or quickly in the evening when you get back.

 

And whose going to keep the kids while you're being pitched?

 

I wouldn't go.

[Nancy in MI]

We went to one in Orlando a few years ago. Our boys were young (7 and 4 I think) and the salesperson was very understanding that they were not interested in sitting for too long! We were up fromt with him about the fact that we were not interested in buying and he was great about it. He just said his speal and that was it. The resort was beautiful!

 

On the other hand, dh and I went to one in NH years ago when we were first married for a ski weekend. (It wasn't a Westgate Resort) and the guy was a jerk. He told us we were taking advantage of the resort! :001_huh:

 

So I really think it depends on the salesperson.

 

:001_smile:

Nancy

[Nancy in MI]

. . .

"Thank you for this very informative presentation. We will not be making a decision today. We will take the literature home with us and think about it."

 

"I believe your time is up. Thank you for this information. We'll call you when we've made our decision."

 

"I beg your pardon?" (This is for any high-pressure tactics, like, "What kind of man doesn't want to give his wife a vacation every year?")

 

"I assure you that this sort of sales pitch will not incline me to purchase your product." (This is for if they get rude. They probably won't--their style of sales pitch generally depends on hurrying you into a decision, not shaming or bullying you into one.)

 

:iagree:

 

Nancy

[3littlekeets]

. . . I've been on one of these presentations. It's how we were able to go on a honeymoon, actually! :D

 

I didn't find it particularly onerous, but I don't generally have a problem with guilt over saying no. They gave us lots of information on how much money it would save us to own a timeshare. We smiled, nodded from time to time, agreed with everything they said, and declined to make a decision right then. Then we went home and told them no over the phone.

 

I can't imagine that you'll have a problem, unless you're unduly sensitive to people wanting something from you. If you're nervous about it, practice saying the following things in front of a mirror:

 

"Thank you for this very informative presentation. We will not be making a decision today. We will take the literature home with us and think about it."

 

"I believe your time is up. Thank you for this information. We'll call you when we've made our decision."

 

"I beg your pardon?" (This is for any high-pressure tactics, like, "What kind of man doesn't want to give his wife a vacation every year?")

 

"I assure you that this sort of sales pitch will not incline me to purchase your product." (This is for if they get rude. They probably won't--their style of sales pitch generally depends on hurrying you into a decision, not shaming or bullying you into one.)

 

Thank you! I'll be committing these lines to memory :-).

[3littlekeets]

I wouldn't go. Everyone who goes to the presentation goes in determined to get the free weekend and not buy. Yet plenty of people buy or they wouldn't use this sales technique. They are experts in getting non-buyers to buy. If they come to believe you really won't buy, they will switch instantly from super-friendly to treating you like dirt, and you'll feel terrible.

 

Plus, the way the presentation is scheduled, it will eat up the better part of a day. It won't be something you can slip in quickly in the morning before you go out, or quickly in the evening when you get back.

 

And whose going to keep the kids while you're being pitched?

 

I wouldn't go.

 

It is over breakfast and the kids will be there -- and I'm hoping they will not behave perfectly :D and be the perfect excuse to leave :lol:.

 

I would have loved to have stayed somewhere else, but this resort has an indoor waterpark -- the main draw for the kids! Between the room discount and waterpark tickets, we'll save over 500.00. For 90 mins. that's a pretty good discount. I'll be using the lines above and trust me, there isn't enough in our actual checking account to cover any down payment they would want. So, we'll be :auto: away with no timeshare.

[JESSICAinMD]

We went Westgate and went to there presentation. You get a free breakfast and then tour the property. Then they take you to a meeting room and discuss purchasing. We told them how little my husband made at the time (as an army soldier) and they shook our hand a let us enjoy the day w/o any more discussion. Our experience was very positive.

[justasque]

I LOVE my timeshare.

 

First post? :001_huh:

[Jean in Newcastle]

First post? :001_huh:

 

Don't feed the troll.

[LidiyaDawn]

I've heard of these things but never gone along to one… but hey, a free weekend (or substantial savings on an awesome trip)? I'd grab that! If you don't want to buy, then you just don't buy - it's not like they can rip your credit card from your hand. ;)

[nono]

Before kids, I used to go to timeshare presentations all the time, because I got a kick out of them. (Never bought, and I only went to the ones that offered free dinners or bottles of liquor. :tongue_smilie:) It was amazing to me to see how wide the range smarm was! Some companies were quite professional, while others went to levels of smarm that I hadn't known existed in the business world!

 

But, just remember this thing -- if they are decent, act decent. If they are not decent, you don't have to give logical answers...and just confound them until they kick you out or you make your exit.

 

One of my favorite stories was when my dh was the only one pitched to...it was as if I wasn't there! The guy tried to close my dh with a line like, "Don't you think you can afford to give your wife (first time he recognized I was there!) this gift that keeps on giving?" And my dh responded that he had no idea, as I handled all our money. Then he added, "I mostly married her for her money, so you'd better ask her." I hadn't anticipated the last zinger. The guy didn't know what to say, and I stood up and said, looking in my dh's direction, "I think we're done here."

 

We :lol: the whole rest of the weekend about that one. It was the first time my dh started down the "confound them" trail. Usually, that was my job.

 

Over the years, I will say that the whole industry has improved its professionalism, which is good. If you go, let us know how it goes!!!

 

We did end up buying a timeshare eventually, and we do use it and enjoy it! Keep in mind though there's a whole resale world out there, where often, you can get a better deal than buying from the original pitchmen. Usually the resales don't include some of the extra benefits that the developer offers. But if you can live with that, you can get some really good deals.

[DawnM]

I will never, ever, ever stay at a Westgate again. We had several issues that I won't bore you with, but suffice it to say THEY ARE SHARKS!

 

We finally got out of the timeshare presentation after 3.5 HOURS of saying NO, NO, NO!

 

We met several owners at the hot tub over the several days we were there. They all said they wish they hadn't bought, other than one guy, and even he says he would have to rethink it if he had it to do over again.

 

I will NEVER do it again, particularly not with Westgate.

 

Dawn

[happyhomemaker25]

Want to know what I think of Westgate? Go!! Go and take everything they offer and then GLEEFULLY tell them, "NO WAY!" Gleefully. :glare:

 

My mom went to one to try to get us tickets to Disney. I KNOW now my husband should have gone along.

She got a good deal on a condo that someone had walked away from. It was actually a good deal.

The raw deal was:

My mom is obviously handicapped! She is short and bow legged and can't walk very far without assistance. She uses a walker for crying out loud.

On the map the guy showed her the condo and then drove her over to it. They got out and walked into the downstairs condo. He kept talking about how you can walk right outside to the pool from her condo.

When we went the next year to "her" condo imagine our surprise when it was the upstairs unit. There is no elevator in the older two story buildings. Every year they try to find us another one in either the towers with an elevator (NICE) or a downstairs unit.

All we asked is if they could move her to a downstairs unit. Permanently. Basically a trade because the guy was not honest with her about which condo she was getting. They told her to do that SHE would have to pay a fee. So every year when we go we have to cross our fingers and hope they have a downstairs unit available for us to use. One year they did not. She has tried to sell, but there is no selling these things.

Maybe she should have been more careful with the ppwork, but the guy was very dishonest and unethical in how she was treated and while they do try to put her in a downstairs condo every year they can't promise her one.

[blakereese]

I would go.

 

Make sure you watch the time. Have something planned right after. If your appt is at 12, then at 1:30 you have to leave NO MATTER WHAT. They will try to keep you later, bring in the sales mgr. to talk to you, etc. Be firm, be honest that you can't afford it right now, but that you'd like to look around.

 

Did they already set your appt? Make sure you know ahead of time, and if you can do it first thing in the AM. That way you can make your other plans around it and not eat up one of your vacation days.

 

Hope it works out. It is a good deal when you can get a discounted trip out of it. DH and I used to do it before we had kids, and we were able to stay in some fun places.