It happened again. We were sucked into another pay-for-vacations-forever presentation. The first time we were enticed by a free helicopter ride if we agreed to a “90-minute” presentation. This time we were offered a 3-night stay at a hotel and a $200 cash gift for “2-hours” of our time. 

We had sworn off vacation ownership after the first 90-minute timeshare sales pitch turned into a 6-hour high pressure situation. And yet here we were accepting once again. Helicopter rides, free hotel stays, cash gifts. Is it worth it? 

So, here’s what happened: The night before the presentation we were sent its location address which was 45 minutes away from the hotel where we were staying. That was the first red flag. Once at the resort where the presentation was held, we wondered why we weren’t booked in that very same exclusive resort. That was the second red flag. 

We were then greeted by a welcoming salesman. He guided us to a balcony overlooking a water complex of pools and lazy rivers. He then asked us to tell him everything about us from where we come from to our most cherished hopes and dreams. We were sharing a great deal of private information with this salesman we had just met.

With the lingering memory of our first timeshare sales pitch, we were surprised at how much fun we were having the second time around. It was a friendly experience and the time went by very quickly.

When the two hours were up, my husband and I were ready to leave. The salesman, however, wasn’t close to being done. That’s when everything quickly soured. He was going to finish no matter what, and he wasn’t willing to tell us how much longer the presentation would take. 

We weren’t willing to spend endless hours listening to this salesman’s spiel. When he realized we weren’t signing anything after what he assumed was a done deal, his demeanor changed. His polished veneer immediately dropped, he started antagonizing my husband, and he simply was not allowing us to leave.

He started using guilt tactics, he said he had hardly gotten the chance to know us after we shared our private information with him for two hours. He said, “I thought we were having a good time?” He told us we wasted his time and that he didn’t respect the fact that we wanted to leave. 

Finally, he said something so egregious to my husband that we immediately pulled the plug. My husband remained calm and unfazed while I told the salesman that his presentation was officially over. Not wanting to lose any other prospective sales happening simultaneously, the manager stepped in and quickly signed us out. He apologized for what had happened, spoke with us a bit longer, and then we left.