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Sitting through timeshare presentations doesn’t have to be a bad thing

By Brian Miller

Boracay Island, PHILIPPINES - SEPTEMBER 30: A worker walks past chairs at a resort on September 30, 2020 in Boracay Island, Philippines. The Philippines is reopening Boracay Island, a popular tourist destination known for its resorts and beaches, to more visitors starting October 1 in a bid to revive its pandemic-hit tourism sector. Tourism accounted for almost 13% of the Philippines economic output last year, according to the Department of Tourism. The reopening of Boracay comes as the nation tries to stimulate the economy even as coronavirus cases continue to rise. The country surpassed 312,000 cases of COVID-19, with at least 5,504 deaths. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)
Boracay Island, PHILIPPINES - SEPTEMBER 30: A worker walks past chairs at a resort on September 30, 2020 in Boracay Island, Philippines. The Philippines is reopening Boracay Island, a popular tourist destination known for its resorts and beaches, to more visitors starting October 1 in a bid to revive its pandemic-hit tourism sector. Tourism accounted for almost 13% of the Philippines economic output last year, according to the Department of Tourism. The reopening of Boracay comes as the nation tries to stimulate the economy even as coronavirus cases continue to rise. The country surpassed 312,000 cases of COVID-19, with at least 5,504 deaths. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images) /
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Sitting through a timeshare presentation is no one’s ideal vacation but there is value to it.

Whether you are coming off a cruise ship, heading to a Disney theme park, or simply staying at a resort that is part of a timeshare system, you are bound to run into the pitch to buy-in.

No one likes to be hassled about buying into a timeshare but that doesn’t mean you can’t get back at them needling you to sit through a presentation. If you have the time, or you can make the time, you should.

To be transparent, I am a member of Diamond Resorts which is one of the more respected timeshare companies on the market. Yes, I sat through the presentation and was given a can’t turn down option but I went in looking to join after spending the last ten years sitting through the blowhards trying to convince me that spending my money on a property I will never own is in my best interest.

The go-to comment is that “it will transfer to your kids when you die” that they all throw out at you. So I am setting my kids up to have to deal with this when I am gone and you are reminding me of my immortality. That’s not a great selling point. Wait, I did say you should sit through these correct? Yes, so let’s jump ahead.

A couple of years ago I was in the Bahamas on a cruise and while boarding back on the ship was approached about a timeshare opportunity. My wife and I had a lot of time once we got back to the states so decided it was worth checking out.

Are the promises made when they approach you about a timeshare legit? Yes, they are.

We have been promised everything from a high-priced dinner to a $150.00 gift card and even free excursions to islands on our trip if only we would sit through a short two-hour presentation. The presentation itself doesn’t last 2 hours. They walk you through a property while telling you how many points you can spend to stay at this luxury resort for free, which really isn’t free at all.

Afterward, when all is over with and done with you and you have repeatedly said, “I am not interested” they will finally take you over to a counter where everything they promised you will be handed out to you. Including a free week stay at the property in many cases.

What you need to do is ask the person trying to schedule you what you get out of going. Don’t be afraid to say you are not spending two hours of your vacation sitting through a presentation for $150.00 or whatever it is. They will offer you more.

I recommend doing this at the start of your vacation and not at the end. In many cases, some of what they offer will be useful on your trip. We were given a free boat shuttle to an island off the coast of South Carolina that allowed us to spend an entire day on a private beach. We never saw anyone else the entire time we were there.

The hardest part is the presentation. They are quick speaking and the circles are educated well in the spinning of facts that make the resort options look far better than they actually are. You only need to stay focused and tell them no. When your time is up, tell them you are done and would like to go.

Diamond Resorts gave me a lot but again, we went in with an actual interest in seeing how we could save money on our vacations. Are we satisfied? Too early to tell since COVID-19 shut everything down and we have only been “owners” for less than a year.

My point is don’t summarily dismiss the pitch when they are offering you a lot that could save you money on your vacation. Just be ready to laugh it all off because sometimes, the comedy of it all is better than a two-hour standup act.

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