Where you told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when you purchased your timeshare? It’s highly probable that if you purchased your timeshare at the resort, the sales representatives may have used deceptive timeshare sales tactics on you.
Promises, promises;
Were you promised the presentation would take no longer than ‘90 minutes’ but in reality, it dragged on and on for hours on end, the representatives taking it in turns, laying on the guilt and pressuring you into buying a timeshare. If you were lied to or misled, you may have legal recourse! Please keep reading to see if these promises sound familiar. And let’s be honest if you asked the question, how long will this take, and they said anything up to 8 hours or until you buckle under pressure, would you still go! The famous “This will only take 90 minutes” will be the first lie you will come across. Walking around the resort can take 90 minutes alone. After the resort tour you will then be expected to sit through a presentation which again could be hours, before you know it 3 hours could have passed, and that’s before you are approached by your pushy sometimes aggressive sales representative. All this for the promise of 200 cigarettes, a bottle of spirit or show tickets.
Once in a life time opportunity;
Another tool they use to woo you, is to tell you this is the ‘deal of the day’ and this offer will never return, it’s now or never. A sales manager will be beckoned to lower the price you have been offered, pushing for a signature. Even if you agree to the ‘deal of the day’ the price you are paying for sure will be far too much for the timeshare. This is without doubt another deceptive timeshare sales tactic!
Always get it in writing;
If you decide to go ahead, always request a copy of the contract there and then, don’t be fobbed off by them telling you they will send it later. There’s a good chance you may never see your promises in writing. You must demand to see everything in writing before putting pen to paper and committing to something so big. Remember if it isn’t in writing, there’s no proof it was said! Another common occurrence, owners’ timeshares can get swapped to a demoted ownership without them even knowing. This can be fobbed off by the purchaser been told, what they signed for was a ‘bi annual one bedroomed ownership’, when in fact they thought they had purchased was an annual two bedroom.
You can travel anywhere in the world;
You will be told you can use your week
/s anywhere, anytime, chances are you will not be able to trade your timeshare week for anything other than the resort and week you have purchased. The laws of supply and demand just will not allow it unless that is you pay a further handsome fee to upgrade to a better location. More, deceptive timeshare tactics!
Best investment you will ever make;
This is far from the truth; a timeshare is NOT an investment. The sales prices at the resort could indeed be rocketing but that does not mean the value of your timeshare is. It’s like buying a new car, as soon as you drive off the forecourt the value decreases by at least 50%. It is a liability that has fees and financial responsibilities until the end of the contract.
The ever-increasing maintenance fees;
Most timeshare contracts state the fees may increase, usually around 25% a year or more. Do not take this as gospel. In Florida there is a huge loop hole, for example, the timeshare developer can increase the fees as much as they want without your knowledge or permission.
You can sell at any time;
Not true, there are far more timeshares than there are buyers. Sadly, people become so desperate to dispose of them, that they sell on Ebay for as little as one pound, just to be rid of the burden of the annual maintenance and up keep fees.
The answer;
Do your research and try to avoid buying a timeshare at the resort for the retail price. Look on the internet for private sellers. Here at Timeshare Advice guarantee you will save tens of thousands of your hard-earned cash.
See our recent post regarding our frequently asked questions.