Occidental "Vacation Club" High Pressure Sales Pitch

[boulderjohn]

For a while my wife and I got a number of offers for things like weekend getaways at resorts with the obligation being to sit through the presentation. Some of the offers were pretty good, so we took them and figured the amount of time we spent with them was worth it. We also found a very effective way to cut the thing short. We would get the bottom line price and ask about the annual maintenance fees. Then we would do the math and show them how much money we would earn annually if we put that same amount of money in a conservative investment instead. We would also go to that meeting knowing what it cost to rent a week at the place or another place that was comparable. When we showed them that by investing the money somewhere else (and including the annual maintenance fees into the equation) we could usually come to the place any time we wanted and often pay for our plane fare, they usually let us go right away.

 

[ggunn]

BS. I've long since given up being the gracious tourist to some lying time share hawk who won't take no for an answer. No Gracias and a smile to a Mexican time share hawk doesn't mean no to them.

99% of the time they aren't even listening to you reply to them. Pay attention next time and say "Bumble bee" or "Potato" to them, they aren't listening to your response, they keep going "Hey Amigo, where you staying... where you staying.... blah blah blah".

They aren't listening to your response, you're fooling yourself if you think you're having a conversation with a time share hawk. They see you coming they start unloading the speal as you approach, as you get close to them they are still babbling and as you walk on by they are still talking to your back. You're nothing but a number to them. I've long since moved on for feeling sorry for ole Pedro and thinking he is just trying to make a living. This isn't a war veteran missing his legs, it's a time share hawk targeting a gringo to separate him from his money and time.

What are you guys doing, shaking hands and patting all 10 of them on the back, giving out hugs to them all at the airport? No gracias amigo, hey... looking good.... nice one... almost had me... hey, good one, you too, yep, 8th time was almost the charm! No gracias...

screw that, just walk on by them and let them babble on, they will quickly forget you in half a second as the next gringo victim appears.

BS right back at you. I don't feel the need to be a jerk, even if someone is being a jerk to me. I have been going to Cozumel since the 70's and I have never once felt it necessary to unload on any of these guys. I have never sat for a timeshare pitch, never taken a "free moped", and never been detained on the street for more than a few seconds. These guys are just trying to make a living and I let them know firmly but without being an Ahole about it that I will not be a customer no matter what they do. They get the message very quickly and move on. It's just like any other business; if no one ever bought anything from them they wouldn't be doing it. Some of us are obviously interested in what they are selling.

YMMV, but your way ain't my way.

 

[JamesK]

Hmm the only thing I ever got offered was someone's virgin sister. According to him she only had two kids.

 

[Gdog]

Just stay in town, its a lot more fun, food variety, ect. AI isnt for me.

 

[Mike]

BS right back at you. I don't feel the need to be a jerk, even if someone is being a jerk to me.

If simply ignoring a time share hawk's sidewalk sales pitch makes a person a jerk then I must be in pretty good company because that's what the vast majority of people do. If we are observing the real world everyone would acknowledge that 9 out of 10 people simply pay zero attention to time share hawks and ignore them and just keep walking by, but that makes us jerks I guess. I now know in scubaboard world the vast majority give em hugs and have wonderful conversations about art, meditation and world peace... Namaste, tiempo compartido halcon.

Dang don't want to be a jerk by ignoring them anymore. Next time I'll walk up, shake hands with them and give them a WatchTower magazine or something, make sure I express acknowlegement and recognization to them, extend some love maybe give one a back massage...

... or probably not.

Scubaboard - the only place you'll find humans claiming to express brotherly love to time share hawks, its a very special place.

 

[cobra269]

Whether I'm approached at the airport or in town by time share sharks I've never felt I had to be rude or a jerk to them. I just say, no thank you, I own a condo here. Everytime they have just walked away.

I'm on vacation and to me it takes more effort to be a jerk in addition to ruining my day than being nice.

 

[cvchief]

BS right back at you. I don't feel the need to be a jerk, even if someone is being a jerk to me. I have been going to Cozumel since the 70's and I have never once felt it necessary to unload on any of these guys. I have never sat for a timeshare pitch, never taken a "free moped", and never been detained on the street for more than a few seconds. These guys are just trying to make a living and I let them know firmly but without being an Ahole about it that I will not be a customer no matter what they do. They get the message very quickly and move on. It's just like any other business; if no one ever bought anything from them they wouldn't be doing it. Some of us are obviously interested in what they are selling.

YMMV, but your way ain't my way.

Now what if the timeshare guy was smoking a cigar at the table next to you in Kinta or somewhere?

 

[DSR-3]

Way back when I was 18, my brother and I took a shoestring surf trip to Hawaii. It was my first exposure to TS hawks, but the rental car plus booze- cruise were too much to pass on. 'Took the tour, sat at the table and the hawk brought in "his manager" who got right to the "well, what do you think about buying" part. My brother (25) without hesitation or warning came back with "well, with the child support and alimony, I don't think I can handle it". I almost spit my Mai Tai on them- end of sales pitch. We drank more than our fill on the "cruise" and lived in the rental car for 2 days...

The guys at the OG only asked once- after that I actually teased them more than they bothered me!

 

[ccannon707]

Years ago my husband and I fell for one of these TS presentations for a day of using their facilities + bottle of Kaluha and a blanket (!!) in Neuvo Vallarta. It was no 90 minutes but more like 3 hrs. We said no many times and then when we tried to leave they wouldn't let us. That's when my quiet, calm husband started raising his voice.... loud. They got alarmed and let us go. I don't care what they promise to give you "free", nothing is worth going thru that BS.

I find by walking around Cozumel you get hit up by all kinds of sales people. A polite no gracias is sufficient.

Cancun Airport has corralled their sharks, but they are still roaming at the Cozumel airport. That is when I don't make eye contact, ignore and go on my way.

 

[charlesml3]

I've found Cozumel to have the most aggressive hawkers of anywhere I've been. Walking around downtown one stepped in front of us forcing us to stop, usually they just yell at you.

Then whatever you do, never, ever go to Jamaica. Just don't even consider it. Make your own map of the world and just put a big black box over that island as though it got eaten by the nasty pixel monster.

-Charles