Every day, without fail I’ll either receive a few emails or read several social media posts that contain the phrase “the salesperson told us.”
I could not generate a comprehensive list of what information was relayed to the consumer, but here are some examples:
>The maintenance fees would increase to over $3,000 unless we bought more points
>The developer was going to go public with an IPO making the value of the timeshare skyrocket
>The developer is going to announce something in six months after which we won’t be able to give you this deal
You get my drift here. All too often, less than scrupulous salespeople prognosticate about things that they have no knowledge about in an attempt to persuade the consumer to purchase on the spot.
Let me be brutally honest here: The sales staff have absolutely no inside or secret information. None. Salespeople know exactly what their management team want them to know and believe me, it’s nothing about IPOs, mergers and acquisitions or some supposed new product. Remember, I was a salesperson and manager for over 5 years.
I’ve yet to figure out how supposed rational people trust some stranger and fork over $20,000 or more without doing any research based on future events. Does a name tag make somebody an expert?
Look, timeshare is a wonderful product designed to give you a better vacation experience. Purchase it based on facts. Purchase it based on needs.
But if you’re relying on some guy in a suit or some woman in a nice dress with a name tag that says they’re a vacation counselor who tries to get you to believe that they have some mystical insights into what’s going to happen in the future that they’ll share with you, you’re making a mistake.
They’re timeshare salespeople. Not the Oracle of Delphi. And no, you can’t use your trial program to get you two weeks in Greece either.
9 comments:
Here we go blaming the victims. Why would the average person suspect that a tag team of employees (usually not one) from companies as big as Westgate could legally lie? Why are timeshare salespeople not held to any ethical or even legal standards? We are talking about decades of lies and millions of dollars but it continues, and the last thing that the victims want to hear is that it is our fault because we didn't research. I think even if I had done my research I still would have been in denial that this actually goes on and that somehow nothing can be done about it!?!? Someone needs to be held accountable and there need to be consequences.
Not blaming the victim. I agree that lying salespeople need to be held to some consequences. I just don’t understand how day in and day out, consumers believe some person who they just met.
This behavior, on both sides, is not found in any other industry. Would a consumer believe a cell phone salesman who prognosticates about upcoming service that has yet to be announced? Or a car saleswoman who claims to know that the manufacturer will be announcing a rebate that no one knows about yet? Of course not.
I do not condone lying, nor do I condone letting common sense fly out the window.
The consumer is in a pinch when the salespeople say, "Today only." They have no way of doing research. Additionally, they cannot test out the salesperson's statements until after the rescission period is up. By that time, they are a customer, with a lifetime contract. It would be better if the sales meeting is recorded, but the developers will not allow that to happen. Almost ALL vacationers go for the gift. It is the ONLY way timeshare can be sold. Sad....
The reason it is so easy to believe someone they just met is because that salesperson "represents" that company. If I ever owned a huge timeshare company I would never allow a representative of my company to lie for money. Common sense is knowing that sales reps lying is not only wrong but illegal and when the lies are coming from a multi-million dollar company it is not expected. Common sense is understanding that the small, unknown company might have a need to lie. You may not condone the lies but you alleviate the severity of it and many owners that are in this situation are embarrassed as it is, afraid of hearing exactly what you are stating. You may not realize it but you are giving the liers the power they need to continue.
Not my intention at all. The more we talk about the lies, the more consumers will realize that a $20,000 purchase is not something to go into based solely on a 3 hour sales pitch that, more often than not, contains some misrepresentations if not lies.
All developers need to be more stringent. Liars must not be tolerated.
Good points. The entire sales pitch paradigm needs to be overhauled.
Ms. Schrier, You obviously blame the victim. My husband and I are proof that the consumer is blamed. My husband suffers a debilitating illness. He first had a heart attack at a young age in 2006. We had purchased a Monarch timeshare in 2006. In 2015 he suffered a stroke so we attended a presentation in Las Vegas in 2017 to learn how to be released from the timeshare as I was very worried about losing his income should something happen to him. There was nothing in the contract to contradict being told we had to convert to points because Monarch was bankrupt and Diamond Resorts had taken over. We had no loan at the time. The next two incidents where they again created reasons why the first agent lied to us were just as deceptive. There was no reason to not believe that Hawaii points, unlike our U.S. points, could be sold because land is so valuable. I launched this petition that you will probably not publish despite my not asking for money. Everyone on Michael Flaskey’s YouTube says not to get a lawyer, but my husband and I were told by the MO AG reviewer to get a lawyer and do you really not hold accountable the sales agent that sold 88 and 89 year old Christian Missionaries an additional $63,000 resulting in a $197,000 loan? Can you not see the hypocrisy and the double standard why a couple 88 and 89 are no match for a predator? None of the agents at our three meetings told us about Diamond’s voluntary surrender program so we have to default on a loan over $50,000. I am saddened and disappointed that you blame me and are so against the consumer.
https://www.change.org/Michael-Flaskey-MO-WA-AG-take-down-YouTube
Yet again...the blame does not solely rest on the developer and/or their agents.
I’m truly sorry for your losses and strongly believe that lying salespeople need to be thrown out and dealt with legally if laws were broken.
Unfortunately, the incidents that you use as examples could have been avoided by not making financial decisions on the spot and understanding that unless/until there’s a problem, there’s no sale.
As for very elderly people going to a sales pitch and getting taken advantage of, it’s a disgusting practice that needs to stop.
The more people that understand that a sales pitch is almost never mandatory, the better. I’m trying to get that word out as well.
I believe a huge majority of the blame rests on the developer and their agents. Reputable companies want to be honest and trusted and most consumers know that sales agents just want to make a sale and they can often stretch the truth. However, when there is a clause in the contract that allows sales reps to say anything to make a sale and there are no repercussions for dishonesty that's a big problem. Consumers are not told about that clause and do not realize that typically the whole sales department is relying on this clause to make big bucks! You have the sales rep, the sales manager, and the closing agents all using the same selling points. All focusing on the rental and resale potential and any other fib to make sales.
What do you think would happen if the timeshare industry employees were held accountable for what consumers were told? Is that really too much to ask? Sales might drop but so would the complaints and lawsuits.
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