Just got back from Cabo and listened to one of the resort's spiels about timeshares. High pressure, answer for everything type of pitch. After 4 or 5 no's they got it down to what seemed fairly reasonable. I still said no. Makes me curious though, does anyone actually own a timeshare? Is it working out or a money pit?

Hell no!

No, but it doesn't stop the calls and letters offering to help me sell my (nonexistent) timeshare.

I know of a guy who buys and sells them.
He makes decent money on some auction site, “1 week in Myrtle Beech $xxxx”


Otherwise, they are a money pit.

go look at websites where individuals are trying to sell one they bought. I can remember in 2009'ish time frame, there were some listed for $1. People were just desperate to get out from under them.

No, don't go to any invite they offer high pressure they don't understand what the words Not Interested means. Hell if one salesman can't convince you they send another one, we went once in Branson, MO never again almost had to fight our way out of there. No telling how many people get suckered into that trap.

I think maintenance fee's and other "fee's" can be increased at any time?

Please, never sign up for these. While membership fees "never increase " other, more hidden fees/costs do; you are locked in to a place/time for your vacation, and there is no resale market or value for your interest.

No

very high pressure business. and they try to "save" you monies by using their credit card offering, as the points can be used toward your time share. I have sat in on a few "offerings" and they are very insistent. My girlfriend at the time had an "every other year" timeshare that we made work. but she was extremely frugal and we would use the regular weekdays when able (weekends use more points). She always managed to use all her points and not leave anything on the table. From the outside looking in, most would NOT fare as well.

We went through 3 different sales persons in Cancun, always saying no.
The fourth and last guy was the big head honcho - he said “ call me Santa, cuz I come bearing gifts”....
Then he up and offered us a “used timeshare”....! I laughed at him and said “they’re all used timeshares”.
He finally ended our business by saying “get out of here”. Literally! We still laff about it.😅

They must be selling a few cuz they keep on giving away trips and such trying to get more sold.

They do keep Chuck MacDowell busy.

The wife and I had a weekend in Branson, MO many moons ago, courtesy of a timeshare seller. We learned two things that weekend.
1. We never, ever, want a timeshare.
2. Branson, MO sucks.

Did anybody get a free canoe/life raft/boat from a timeshare sales meeting? Free lunch??

The meal wasn’t great.

never have attended one.

I got an ad to attend one once - a free ski vacation in return for sitting in on a 90 minute presentation.

I thought it was odd - they were going to put me up in a hotel, not even stay at the timeshare.

I hear all these horror stories about them not letting you leave - what prevents someone at the 90 minute mark from just getting up and walking out?

that's unfortunate - looks like I'll be spending some time in Wichita next summer. Closest thing of interest seemed to be Branson.

The one in Branson was $100 and they fought hard to keep that offer, but lost we used that $100 we got at a couple shows.

I made the mistake of signing up for the Toyota Tacoma giveaway inside of bAss Pro Shops - it was a Silverleaf Resort scam out of Branson. Those idiots called me for TWO years trying to get me to sign up.

Went to many of them in Ol' Mehico in the 90's along the Messican Rivera during the hey day. Too many free really good meals and comps to remember. Never succumbed.

I can't believe the timeshare business is still alive and well, but as PT Barnum said...

We have friends who have not one but two timeshares at a high-end Caribbean resort. They've had them for many years and go there every year for a few weeks. Wife and I have gone down with them a few times. I can't see getting locked into a particular weed or two of vacation at the same place, every year forever. Also, the numbers just don't add up. There is no logical reason to get a timeshare.

I had a friend that "sold them" for a few months, I'm pretty sure that IT gave him an ULCER !!!!!!!

Maintenance fees .


A sucker born every minute

Amazing people fall for these scams

Hell is gonna be worse than the ulcer.

Your first point is fact. Your second point is opinion.

There is a lot to like about the Branson area. Traveling down the strip during peak hours and not knowing what side roads to hit to get around the traffic is not something to like.

View from one of our condo's (not a timeshare), watching the fisheman float by on Lake Taneycomo chasing trout. I've pushed the 20" mark, would love to catch one of the 30+ pounders that have been recently caught in it. I think there was a 40+ pound brown caught last year.


Tight lines in the morning fog


Flatlanders catching pellet eaters...




Table Rock Lake is upstream about 2 miles, do some pleasure boating or crappie fishing on it.



As to timeshares----before we bought some condos for nightly rentals there, we would occasionally go stay at some timeshare places that were just trying to fill some rooms in the off season. Could get really good nightly rates there with some ammenities, better than hotels. One time wife succumbed to sit in on the timeshare presentation to get a free airline ticket anywhere in the country. I went out of curiousity. It was cringe worthy the tactics they tried using to get you to buy. Anybody with even a remote amount of critical thinking and some minimal math skills could see right through it all. They're nice to start, then get pushy, then get really pushy, then you tell them to F off and the guy leaves and his buddy comes in apologizing about how the other guy was, and that is not how they want to do business, but "what can we do to get you to buy". Uh, nothing?

We've got one and love it. Use it for one or two weeks every year.

Nope, don’t own one

I’m a homebody got my own slice a heaven😉

No one owns a timeshare; the timeshare owns them.

Wonderful things to pass on to your children if you hate them.

About the dumbest thing I've heard of if you can do simple math. I just returned from Belize, I wasn't bothered by a single timeshare pitch. I think Mexico is timeshare central, maybe the laws there??

I'm amazed that J.G. Wentworth doesn't deal in them.

We have a family cabin on a little lake that my siblings and I pay for. I don't want or need a timeshare. If I want to stay somewhere else I'll pay for a hotel.

My wife likes to sign me up for the schpeel when we go to Cancun. I count the different ways of telling them no.

I suggest having fun with it, get the sales team to drink tequila shots while giving their pitch. Every no they elicit, everyone does a shot. Test their commitment.

Full disclosure, I have drank mas tequila in Mexico and have sat through the pitch. I just thought of mixing the two.

Kinda the same here- we have a deer camp on acres. Need a weekend/week away? Go there. Was the way it was my whole life.

The business is built on the concept that people simple minded enough to attend the presentation are good candidates for a really bad product.


mike r

Yep. It's in the mountains of north Idaho.

Yes, and you may also be subject to "special assessments" when the place needs a new roof etc.

About the only business more corrupt then the timeshare industry is the "let us get you out of your timeshare" industry.

If you really want a timeshare you don’t need to pay full price. I’ve been offered several for free but you have to pay some sort of processing fees which was around $1500 then if you do buy one the maintenance fees was $600 a year and that was 10 years ago. We have been to several just to get the free stays but I told the wife no more of them. If we want to go somewhere we will just pay up and avoid the 2 hours of sales pitches.

I no idea what they are or how it works. Only heard negative. I have no significant other to talk me into such pitfalls so that’s that.

I don't know, ours is great. It's been in the family for about two decades. We now make more per week we rent it, than we paid for it to begin with (inflation not accounted for). And it always rents, is never empty. The maintenance fees are just under 10%. We know most of the people who own when we do, since we go every year. It's fantastic and for me to rent a place there now, you are looking 5K minimum per week. My in-laws came a few years ago and paid 7K for a week to get a place that was less nice than ours.

Actually, they’re both opinions.

I’m sure there are folks who think the timeshare game is the way to go. We’re not those folks. Just like I’m sure there are folks who think that tourist trap of a town, Branson, is a great place to spend their vacation time. Again, we’re not those folks.

The country around Branson might be amazing, probably is. But Branson sucks.

In my opinion…. 🤓

I've probably owned 40-50. Uninformed, I bought the first one while at the resort. The rest I bought at auction. I have used them, rented them, traded them for another location I wanted to visit. Then sold them all except one.

I'm waaay ahead.

I got a free big game fishing trip in Cabo; was excellent. Another time got a 3-pack of activities that was all fun. I could've been suckered into it, but the wife is viscious! She will piss them off and still take the prize. My friend has a timeshare in Puerto Vallarta that he goes to every March. Does not talk about it being a great deal.

We had two. Originally bought in 1985 and loved it, great place and time for family stuff. We liked it so well we bought another and used it for years. Unfortunately the maintenance fees went up, and up, and up. Paid some to get rid of them but it was worth it. We enjoyed them tremendously and saw places we'd not have gone, but they priced themselves out of my interest. They are a horrible "investment " but for us they worked great, until they didn't. Strongly recommend you run the other way.

We bought one 15 years ago when we were in Maui, Hawaii. I didn't want it but the wife did. She uses up all of her points every year. I refuse to go. I have no idea about what the Maintenace fees are because she gets the envelopes when they arrive and deals with it. She will go to Hawaii with some girl friends of hers and I stay home or go where I want to.

If she passes before me and I see a time share envelope come to the house I'm going to $hitcan it. I have no time for their garbage. I'll let them chase me down and do something about it. The money is gone and there is no getting it back so what do I care at this point. Maybe one of the kids will want it but I doubt it. Wasted money.

kwg