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Pressured selling tactics in timeshare have been around for years, hard selling and forcing consumers isn’t a new development. It has been occurring for more than half a century. During the early 1960’s Europe saw the first vacation ownership units, and in 1965, the Hilton Hale Kaanapali became the first timeshare hotel in the United States. Timeshare has become one of the most fruitful innovations of the 20th century. Growth has been swift.

Most consumers are more than happy to attend such presentations, been enticed with the lure of free gifts, a little inconvenience for a freebie, almost all feel confident enough to weather the storm and come out clean on the other side. Unfortunately, the majority having no idea that they are about to be pressured into parting with cash they may not be able to financially manage.

We at TCA are becoming more and more aware of how these high-pressure sales presentations work. Most lure people with the offer of a presentation from a sales representative from the resort offering attractive freebies in exchange for attendance, these usually include cash, free meals, concert or tickets to a sports event, some even offer vacations to exotic destinations. Once you’re in their clutches, the meeting can take anything between 2-8 hours, relentlessly going on and on manipulating the consumer and often obscuring the truth. Throughout the meeting the sales representatives are expecting the consumer to say “no.” in fact they will be expecting to hear it dozens of times. The name of the game is persistence. Unless you are strong-willed and do not get beaten down easily we recommend you do not attend any invitations to a attend a presentation unless you seriously are considering purchasing.

If consumers are genuinely interested in purchasing a timeshare, always do your research thoroughly. Online searches, contact current owners to hear their opinions, check out the annual maintenance fees and most importantly do the sums, is it financially viable for you. In most cases, once people sign along the dotted line they find themselves trapped and the resort will have absolutely no interest in releasing you of your obligation, forcing you to look elsewhere to exit your contract, which could run into thousands of pounds if you don’t seek the correct advice via a legal genuine company.

There are a lot of consumers out there that have already been down the remorse route and wake the next day realising the commitment they have just made. Or maybe one or two years down the line they’ve discovered that they simply can’t afford the ever-increasing maintenance fees that continue to rise year after year, or maybe personal circumstances are now making it impossible to meet the payments. Whatever the case may be, there is a way out, but you’ll have to do more research to exit your contract than you did to enter it.

Thankfully for consumers wishing to exit there are now timeshare exit companies out there willing to help you exit your contract, but again please choose wisely, as there are unfortunately companies out there they who are either unable to follow through with their guarantee to end your ownership or they are scam companies who never had any intention to in the first place.

Should you ever consider attending a timeshare presentation, be sure you are committed to making the right choice for you, not for the sales representative or the resort. And please be careful not to mortgage your financial future on an impulse buy!!

 

For more information regarding this article or assistance in any other timeshare related issues please contact the TCA on 01908 881058 or email: info@TimeshareConsumerAssociation.org.uk