When Vacation Village Resorts called me a few days ago, I was told that all I had to do was sit through a relatively brief timeshare presentation and my wife and I would be awarded three separate stays at any of their facilities around the country, regardless of whether or not we ended up purchasing anything. Obviously my curiosity was peaked, so after putting in some quick research to determine this wasn't a scam, I signed us up and scheduled a time to visit their Virginia location, the Williamsburg Plantation Resort. Having a relatively strong mental fortitude is a trait common to many runners, so I figured it would be easy enough to listen to the presentation, politely decline, and then collect our rewards.
We woke up bright and early this morning to make the two hour drive to Williamsburg, and arrived shortly before our scheduled appointment. Coffee and doughnuts were provided as people began to steadily trickle into the lobby. Within minutes of being there, our names were called from the front desk and we were introduced to our sales associate. He informed us that the resort was off-site and that this location simply served as a reception center, so we got into his car and set off for a drive. Because my wife and I had arrived early, he toured us around the area, all the while talking about what an incredible place Williamsburg was and how it had no off-season since there was always something to do. Towards the end of his little tour, he stopped the car on the side of the road, looked right at me, and said, "I was like you once, an individual who had never attended one of these kinds of things before. I just need you to keep an open mind. I can't make you buy anything today and you're under no obligation, but I kept an open mind back when I did this and now I own three timeshare properties." He concluded his speech with a longer than necessary pause, and then put the car in gear to take us to the resort.
He gave us a quick tour of the facilities, showing off both the indoor and the outdoor pool, the game room, and their vast collection of DVD's. He then took us to a schedule board to highlight all of the programs and activities offered that week, all of which included with being a member. After he finished showing us around, he brought us to a large room with many small tables; a couple and their sales associate were seated at nearly every table, but we found an empty one and took our seats. He proceeded to talk for an inordinate amount of time, covering the timeshare exchange program and asking us about our previous travel history. With that done, he told us he had just one more thing to show us, the timeshare unit itself, and then we could come back to start talking about a price.
The unit was definitely nice and spacious; it had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a kitchen stocked with everything necessary to prepare and serve a meal, and a large living room with a fireplace, TV, and pull-out sofa. Our sales associate talked to us about the dirtiness of hotels and how bringing friends along to your timeshare often meant that they would pay for your meals or contribute in some other way. As another sales associate and her touring couple started to make their way into the unit, we made our exit and went back to the room filled with tables.
Once we sat down, the games really began. Our sales associate presented us with a total price, as well as the cost of the down payment and our monthly payments. We of course politely declined, and then he began to sweeten the deal. He offered us discounts on the property and the down payment, and told us that if we purchased today we could have premier membership as opposed to standard. When we again said no, our sales associate called over an inventory specialist to bring the price down even further, dropping it to nearly half that of the original offer. After declining many more times, the inventory specialist left the table and our sales associate became fairly angry; he told us that we would never get to go on a honeymoon and that we came in today completely closed, not even a little bit open. His indignation was quickly abated though, and he was nothing but pleasant on the ride back to the reception center.
Our sales associate walked us through the lobby and into a room in the back, where he passed us off to someone new; this individual was cute and personable, and it became clear that her job was to make sure a sale was made. She started off by asking how our first sales associate did and what previous offers had already been made. Then she completely switch gears, and began making new offers; these were extremely low and affordable, but we stuck to our guns and declined. When she was finally convinced that we weren't going to be buying a timeshare, she checkout us out and awarded us our three vacation vouchers.
In full disclosure for anyone considering doing this, the company did require a $75 deposit to help ensure your attendance at the presentation, but this was returned, and then some, on a Visa gift card. As for the presentation itself, the fine print says that it will take "approximately 90 minutes," but it took us almost exactly 3 hours. And finally, the vouchers don't actually entitle you to stay at their resorts, but rather their affiliated hotels nearby their resorts. So if none of this scares you off, my wife and I found it to be a pretty cool way of acquiring some free accommodations.
We woke up bright and early this morning to make the two hour drive to Williamsburg, and arrived shortly before our scheduled appointment. Coffee and doughnuts were provided as people began to steadily trickle into the lobby. Within minutes of being there, our names were called from the front desk and we were introduced to our sales associate. He informed us that the resort was off-site and that this location simply served as a reception center, so we got into his car and set off for a drive. Because my wife and I had arrived early, he toured us around the area, all the while talking about what an incredible place Williamsburg was and how it had no off-season since there was always something to do. Towards the end of his little tour, he stopped the car on the side of the road, looked right at me, and said, "I was like you once, an individual who had never attended one of these kinds of things before. I just need you to keep an open mind. I can't make you buy anything today and you're under no obligation, but I kept an open mind back when I did this and now I own three timeshare properties." He concluded his speech with a longer than necessary pause, and then put the car in gear to take us to the resort.
He gave us a quick tour of the facilities, showing off both the indoor and the outdoor pool, the game room, and their vast collection of DVD's. He then took us to a schedule board to highlight all of the programs and activities offered that week, all of which included with being a member. After he finished showing us around, he brought us to a large room with many small tables; a couple and their sales associate were seated at nearly every table, but we found an empty one and took our seats. He proceeded to talk for an inordinate amount of time, covering the timeshare exchange program and asking us about our previous travel history. With that done, he told us he had just one more thing to show us, the timeshare unit itself, and then we could come back to start talking about a price.
The unit was definitely nice and spacious; it had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a kitchen stocked with everything necessary to prepare and serve a meal, and a large living room with a fireplace, TV, and pull-out sofa. Our sales associate talked to us about the dirtiness of hotels and how bringing friends along to your timeshare often meant that they would pay for your meals or contribute in some other way. As another sales associate and her touring couple started to make their way into the unit, we made our exit and went back to the room filled with tables.
Once we sat down, the games really began. Our sales associate presented us with a total price, as well as the cost of the down payment and our monthly payments. We of course politely declined, and then he began to sweeten the deal. He offered us discounts on the property and the down payment, and told us that if we purchased today we could have premier membership as opposed to standard. When we again said no, our sales associate called over an inventory specialist to bring the price down even further, dropping it to nearly half that of the original offer. After declining many more times, the inventory specialist left the table and our sales associate became fairly angry; he told us that we would never get to go on a honeymoon and that we came in today completely closed, not even a little bit open. His indignation was quickly abated though, and he was nothing but pleasant on the ride back to the reception center.
Our sales associate walked us through the lobby and into a room in the back, where he passed us off to someone new; this individual was cute and personable, and it became clear that her job was to make sure a sale was made. She started off by asking how our first sales associate did and what previous offers had already been made. Then she completely switch gears, and began making new offers; these were extremely low and affordable, but we stuck to our guns and declined. When she was finally convinced that we weren't going to be buying a timeshare, she checkout us out and awarded us our three vacation vouchers.
In full disclosure for anyone considering doing this, the company did require a $75 deposit to help ensure your attendance at the presentation, but this was returned, and then some, on a Visa gift card. As for the presentation itself, the fine print says that it will take "approximately 90 minutes," but it took us almost exactly 3 hours. And finally, the vouchers don't actually entitle you to stay at their resorts, but rather their affiliated hotels nearby their resorts. So if none of this scares you off, my wife and I found it to be a pretty cool way of acquiring some free accommodations.
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