Another Thing I Wish Wouldn’t Happen
September 8, 2008
Filed under Lisa Ann Schreier
I just saw it again: a client who owned a timeshare came into a timeshare sales pitch and the salesperson convinced the client that his company’s timeshare was “better” than the one the client currently owned.
“But what about the maintenance fee?” the client asked. “I don’t want to pay twice.”
“No problem,” the salesperson replied. “I know someone who will buy back your timeshare and then you won’t have to pay two maintenance fees.”
On the surface, things seem OK with this scenario, don’t they? The client seemed happy and the salesperson for sure was happy.
But do a little digging and you’ll find out that the “someone who will buy your timeshare,” if he exists, is a crony of the salesperson who won’t be contacting the client until–you guessed it–after the ten-day recession period is over. At which point the client will find out that either the “someone who will buy your timeshare” doesn’t exist, or isn’t interested in buying the timeshare.
It happens every day at hundreds, if not thousands, of timeshares around the world, and while it upsets me, I have to place some of the blame on the consumer.
Please . . . if you find yourself in this scenario and the resort in question doesn’t give you information that you can corroborate on the spot, then refuse to do business with them.
As I like to say, “Put up or shut up.”
