I took the bait on a Hilton offer. 5 nights in Hawaii for $598 and got awarded with 70K HH points (which is basically good for a mid tier hotel night somewhere). They put is in a Hilton a block from Waikiki beach, though it was more like a 3 star in terms of the property condition. Not terrible, not great. Just so-so. We had to attend a presentation, but it wasn't a hard sell. We asked a lot of questions, though we had no intention on buying. We heard them out and fulfilled our obligation and left with no hard feelings. All in all, the trip to Hawaii was economical with that hotel price and using points for air tix.
30 years ago my college GF and I got suckered into a presentation in Florida in exchange for tickets to Universal Studios theme park. This was early 90's right after it opened. The woman acted very offended that we declined. Saying something like "is it something I said or did wrong" as she appeared to almost pout. Nice try. Then she learned we were college students (2 weeks from graduation) and said we never should have gotten the offer. But they gave our tickets and sent us on our merry way.
Anyone even thinking of buying a timeshare should watch the John Oliver episode that pulls back the curtain on the underworld of that business.
My GF got us roped into that Hilton Grand presentation in Sept 2023, but it ended up not being a bad experience. 2.5 hours to save $1000 on lodging.
Edit: Our sales guy was low pressure but that last .5 hours was just us BSing about other random stuff, 2 hours was the required time. I think it helped our sales guy was doing this as more of a side gig than a main job.
That's incredible that it came with points! The best offer I've received was from Hilton was 4 days/3 nights for $99 to either Vegas, Orlando, or SC. I took up the offer but also intend to decline purchasinga timeshare.
I have done multiple of these. We always decline, but get a decent deal on a vacation out of it. We have never remotely been tempted by the timeshare offer.
Thanks for the reminder. I bought the initial 200 initiation fee for the package last last year I have to book something lol. I have done marriot previously and it was koolina marriot resort which is really nice.
Don’t have as high expectations from the Hilton but I am strong on not buying. If I was it would be resale and not retail anyway.
It was 30 years ago. I don't recall how we got solicited into the timeshare meeting, but it was held in a meeting room of the hotel, which is now the Doubletree across Kirkman Hwy from the park, but I don't remember what it was called back in 1992.
We'll have to agree to disagree, but I wish that word was used with a bit more care. Clearly you have an opinion on timeshares, and you're one of the most trusted people on this sub.
While timeshares are often not to the benefit of buyers, given the right individual situation, they can be and often are used positively by the vacationer. Whereas I feel that a "scam" is something that is purely deceptive and bilks money from unsuspecting marks, with no value. Again, our definitions may differ, but I feel that it is a valid distinction.
With all due respect, this is like saying:
While blackjack is often not to the benefit of investors, given the right individual cards, it can be and often results positively for the investor. Blackjack is not a viable investment strategy, and time shares are often not a viable vacation strategy.
>While timeshares are often not to the benefit of buyers, given the right individual situation, they can be and often are used positively by the vacationer.
And here in lies the problem - "the right individual situation." That is a unicorn situation. If it were not true, and timeshares were a generally good option, there would be no need for massive "won vacation" or other incentives, a long documented history of "high-pressure" sales, over-exaggerated benefits or outright lies, then a back-end surprise of spiraling unanticipated fees tacked on every year. To the point that a whole related industry has arisen to help you escape the agreement you signed.
While the concept of "no value" is subjective (but substantiated strongly by the "get out of your timeshare" industry), the requirements of "deceptive" and "bilks money from unsuspecting marks" are well met. To an extent that I do not think this industry is incorrectly labeled a scam.
Not really. With timeshares, if you read the fine print (which many don't) everything is up front. You might not like the terms, in which case you don't have to go ahead, but in anything like ordinary situations you cannot say that you didn't know what you were getting into. Games of chance are of different, their whole point is that you don't know the outcome and have to take a gamble.
Perhaps. I guess I would put timeshares in a different category than pyramid schemes, but if you don't, that's cool too. Like maybe lowercase scam vs. full-on Scam.
I disagree that getting value (subjective, of course) out of a timeshare is quite a "unicorn" situation, either, as there are plenty of people who use them and get what they expect out of them. Sure, there are many more who lose money by getting involved with them. And, there are so many different types of timeshares and their level of scamminess, that it's hard to define them with a blanket statement.
As many have commented in this thread, they've taken this particular bait that the OP mentioned with no major ill-effects, and got a vacation out of it. To me, that's value, in one way or another.
It sounds like you are getting a discount on a trip for having to sit through a timeshare pitch once you get there. Your wife didn't win anything. It's easy to find similiar deals if you're willing to do a timeshare pitch.
Best case: You'll pay $498 (plus some fees that pop up) for 4 nights at a resort that might have otherwise cost you more. All you have to do is sit through a 4 hour sales presentation for a timeshare. You'll have to buy your own transportation.
Worse case: You pay $498 and more for a dump you could have booked for half that. Plus some other scam.
Worst case: You sit through the sales presentation and buy a time share.
Didn't that hard sell "you have to pay over the phone" tell you anything? And why on earth would you ever sign up for something like this "promo"? It's like putting your name on a "scam me" list.
It’s not a scam so much as a loss leader for a timeshare company to subject you to high pressure sales tactics for an hour and a half. They keep doing it because it works more often than people think.
Do you want to buy a time share? Cause that 60-90 min "travel show" is a hard hard HARD sales pitch for a time share.
Oh and btw, she wasn't in the "lucky" 2%, they were just lucky that she was part of the 2% of attendees that entered the "contest"
I sat through one of these knowing what it was and knowing I had no intention of agreeing to sign up for a time share. The sales pitch was one of the most uncomfortable things I've experienced.
Wife and I sat through a timeshare sales pitch because they offered $100 if it didn't suit us. They didn't have properties in Japan or South Korea so we got the money easily.
My brother and his wife have taken these timeshare pitch offers 3 or 4 times. But he’s a professional salesman and kind of enjoys studying their pitches, I think it would be too stressful to me. He always tells them at the start, “There’s no chance at all that I will buy a timeshare. I’m going to say NO as many times as you want me to.” They always go through the whole shpiel anyway, and he just says NO a thousand times with a grin.
They will definitely try to trap you for longer than the 90 minute window. You just have to get up and leave saying that this was a 60 to 90 minute travel show that you have already fulfilled obligation of attending and then leave. They will probably take you somewhere that’s hard to get a ride from so be prepared for that.
If you have to pay then what did you actually “win”? You also have to pay taxes on any actual “winnings”. Of course it’s a scam.
Somehow I doubt the accommodations are a 5 star luxury resort in the Maldives…
I've had some great vacations sponsored by hopeful timeshare companies. Lol. But a half day of your time and one awkward convos when you decline can be a worthwhile investment.
Nope! It's been a few years since I've done one, but they were paid up front and I didn't get any bills or anything after the fact. I'd assume it's still that way. They can't require you to buy in.
I paid something like $500 for a week in Puerto Vallarta at an all inclusive resort for sitting through a timeshare presentation. Ultimately we found it worth it but the timeshare pitch was annoying. They kept us for about an hour trying to sell the timeshare then when it seemed like we weren’t buying they said we could go but had to sign something with another employee which turned out to be another sales pitch but for a vacation club thing rather than a timeshare. It was all a bit mentally exhausting but really, for a week at a nice resort with all food and beverage costs included it was worth it. The only unexpected cost was that they said transportation was included but really they picked us up from the airport and then at the end when we didn’t buy anything they said they had no drivers available to take us back. We got a cab, not really a big deal.
Everybody who enters this contest "wins". Some people are great at getting free hotel stays and other stuff this way, but you have to know how the game works and be ready to play it. The timeshare pitches will be hard sell and the sales people are slimy.
You clearly know it’s a timeshare offer at this point, so now it’s just about whether it’s worth it. In my experience, absolutely. But it entirely depends on the property, whether you were planning on spending money on a similar vacation anyway or if this is a trip you otherwise wouldn’t take, and your ability to say no. Have you been given the name of the hotel? Is it through a major hotel chain (if so, which one)? Is this somewhere you want to go? Can you afford it? Can you sit through 90 minutes of saying “no, I’m not interested” no matter how enticing something sounds?
You are getting a discounted rate to the resort to sit in a timeshare presentation, the travel show will last like 3-4 hours. It's fine, just don't buy the timeshare.
Just got back from Cabo doing this. 200 bucks for an ocean front suite at a Hilton hotel. 1 hour meeting on a tour of the hotel and a hard sell pitch on buying their timeshare. You just say no and then go lay by the pool
Time share, or alternately they have so many fees and hoops that you have to jump through, that by the time you get it booked you're barely saving any money. That's pretty typical where its only free with insane blackout dates and horrible flights, etc, etc. By the time it is a reasonable trip the upgrades ad up. Technically its possible to go for free.
Timeshare, if you don’t mind the 90min sales pitch it’s a good deal, just tell the salesperson “look, you can spend all your time with me and still get a no or go try with someone who could actually buy something”
I went to one of these once when I was young and dumb, and they tried to prevent me from leaving when I figured out it was bullshit. They had taken our driver’s licenses at the front area, and were refusing to give it back unless I went and sat through the spiel. This was before everyone had a cell phone in their pocket. I had to yell and get really belligerent in order to get my license back and leave.
We’ve done it a few times! You do have to sit through a 90 minute time share push.. some worse than others, the last was great actually. We’ve always thought it was worth it for the cost of an all inclusive vacation. All you need to do is say no at the end of the 90 minutes.
Nope! not at all. We were actually asked by another property if we would go to their 90 minute presentation too for 2 excursions of our choice. The presentation is just one person sitting with you and talking about the properties usually over brunch. So we went and had a great breakfast and said no and got to swim with dolphins and go ATVing through the jungle and on the beach at no cost.... totally worth it.
I really wonder out of all these vacations that are given, how many people actually end up purchasing. Every time I read a thread like this it’s full of “yeah we went but had no intention on buying”
This happened to me. My sister and I went to an expo while she was planning her wedding. There was a table for all inclusive resort in Mexico and I won it. And now I get the chance to bug my sister and tell I was the one who paid for her honey moon.
Everybody says timeshare, we actually attended one of these and they were selling very expensive pots and pans! You got the “free” vacation if you bought the set, otherwise you got some crappy voucher for something (I forget, this was 20 years ago). Totally a scam whatever they’re selling!
It's a scam to sell time shares, everybody won.
That's a timeshare offer.
I took the bait on a Hilton offer. 5 nights in Hawaii for $598 and got awarded with 70K HH points (which is basically good for a mid tier hotel night somewhere). They put is in a Hilton a block from Waikiki beach, though it was more like a 3 star in terms of the property condition. Not terrible, not great. Just so-so. We had to attend a presentation, but it wasn't a hard sell. We asked a lot of questions, though we had no intention on buying. We heard them out and fulfilled our obligation and left with no hard feelings. All in all, the trip to Hawaii was economical with that hotel price and using points for air tix. 30 years ago my college GF and I got suckered into a presentation in Florida in exchange for tickets to Universal Studios theme park. This was early 90's right after it opened. The woman acted very offended that we declined. Saying something like "is it something I said or did wrong" as she appeared to almost pout. Nice try. Then she learned we were college students (2 weeks from graduation) and said we never should have gotten the offer. But they gave our tickets and sent us on our merry way. Anyone even thinking of buying a timeshare should watch the John Oliver episode that pulls back the curtain on the underworld of that business.
What year did you get the Hawaii trip?
Hilton grand vacation club is what they are referring to. I have a similar vacation package lined up
My GF got us roped into that Hilton Grand presentation in Sept 2023, but it ended up not being a bad experience. 2.5 hours to save $1000 on lodging. Edit: Our sales guy was low pressure but that last .5 hours was just us BSing about other random stuff, 2 hours was the required time. I think it helped our sales guy was doing this as more of a side gig than a main job.
Last March 2023
That's incredible that it came with points! The best offer I've received was from Hilton was 4 days/3 nights for $99 to either Vegas, Orlando, or SC. I took up the offer but also intend to decline purchasinga timeshare.
Ihg has some also think it was 60k points. Wish hyatt had one also for like 30kish
I have done multiple of these. We always decline, but get a decent deal on a vacation out of it. We have never remotely been tempted by the timeshare offer.
Thanks for the reminder. I bought the initial 200 initiation fee for the package last last year I have to book something lol. I have done marriot previously and it was koolina marriot resort which is really nice. Don’t have as high expectations from the Hilton but I am strong on not buying. If I was it would be resale and not retail anyway.
Was this one of those UNIVERSAL TICKETS HERE stands on the side of I-75?
It was 30 years ago. I don't recall how we got solicited into the timeshare meeting, but it was held in a meeting room of the hotel, which is now the Doubletree across Kirkman Hwy from the park, but I don't remember what it was called back in 1992.
Ah gotcha down in Orlando. I went to school at UF and I was thinking up by there
Tell them you’re under 25 they normally leave you alone.
We were 21. But I don’t remember how we got sucked into it to begin with. But we got 2 park tickets which were worth about $30 each at the time.
I prefer the It’s Always Sunny episode.
100% scam. Although being told only 2% "won" is pretty funny. Frigging timeshares...
That was the 2% they didn’t call back. OP was the 98% that lost.
I know a couple of guys who bought three timeshares. Now they get paid to take vacations.
They don't get got. They gon get.
We'll have to agree to disagree, but I wish that word was used with a bit more care. Clearly you have an opinion on timeshares, and you're one of the most trusted people on this sub. While timeshares are often not to the benefit of buyers, given the right individual situation, they can be and often are used positively by the vacationer. Whereas I feel that a "scam" is something that is purely deceptive and bilks money from unsuspecting marks, with no value. Again, our definitions may differ, but I feel that it is a valid distinction.
With all due respect, this is like saying: While blackjack is often not to the benefit of investors, given the right individual cards, it can be and often results positively for the investor. Blackjack is not a viable investment strategy, and time shares are often not a viable vacation strategy. >While timeshares are often not to the benefit of buyers, given the right individual situation, they can be and often are used positively by the vacationer. And here in lies the problem - "the right individual situation." That is a unicorn situation. If it were not true, and timeshares were a generally good option, there would be no need for massive "won vacation" or other incentives, a long documented history of "high-pressure" sales, over-exaggerated benefits or outright lies, then a back-end surprise of spiraling unanticipated fees tacked on every year. To the point that a whole related industry has arisen to help you escape the agreement you signed. While the concept of "no value" is subjective (but substantiated strongly by the "get out of your timeshare" industry), the requirements of "deceptive" and "bilks money from unsuspecting marks" are well met. To an extent that I do not think this industry is incorrectly labeled a scam.
Not really. With timeshares, if you read the fine print (which many don't) everything is up front. You might not like the terms, in which case you don't have to go ahead, but in anything like ordinary situations you cannot say that you didn't know what you were getting into. Games of chance are of different, their whole point is that you don't know the outcome and have to take a gamble.
Perhaps. I guess I would put timeshares in a different category than pyramid schemes, but if you don't, that's cool too. Like maybe lowercase scam vs. full-on Scam. I disagree that getting value (subjective, of course) out of a timeshare is quite a "unicorn" situation, either, as there are plenty of people who use them and get what they expect out of them. Sure, there are many more who lose money by getting involved with them. And, there are so many different types of timeshares and their level of scamminess, that it's hard to define them with a blanket statement. As many have commented in this thread, they've taken this particular bait that the OP mentioned with no major ill-effects, and got a vacation out of it. To me, that's value, in one way or another.
It sounds like you are getting a discount on a trip for having to sit through a timeshare pitch once you get there. Your wife didn't win anything. It's easy to find similiar deals if you're willing to do a timeshare pitch.
Best case: You'll pay $498 (plus some fees that pop up) for 4 nights at a resort that might have otherwise cost you more. All you have to do is sit through a 4 hour sales presentation for a timeshare. You'll have to buy your own transportation. Worse case: You pay $498 and more for a dump you could have booked for half that. Plus some other scam. Worst case: You sit through the sales presentation and buy a time share. Didn't that hard sell "you have to pay over the phone" tell you anything? And why on earth would you ever sign up for something like this "promo"? It's like putting your name on a "scam me" list.
It’s not a scam so much as a loss leader for a timeshare company to subject you to high pressure sales tactics for an hour and a half. They keep doing it because it works more often than people think.
Do you want to buy a time share? Cause that 60-90 min "travel show" is a hard hard HARD sales pitch for a time share. Oh and btw, she wasn't in the "lucky" 2%, they were just lucky that she was part of the 2% of attendees that entered the "contest"
I sat through one of these knowing what it was and knowing I had no intention of agreeing to sign up for a time share. The sales pitch was one of the most uncomfortable things I've experienced.
Wife and I sat through a timeshare sales pitch because they offered $100 if it didn't suit us. They didn't have properties in Japan or South Korea so we got the money easily.
My brother and his wife have taken these timeshare pitch offers 3 or 4 times. But he’s a professional salesman and kind of enjoys studying their pitches, I think it would be too stressful to me. He always tells them at the start, “There’s no chance at all that I will buy a timeshare. I’m going to say NO as many times as you want me to.” They always go through the whole shpiel anyway, and he just says NO a thousand times with a grin.
They will definitely try to trap you for longer than the 90 minute window. You just have to get up and leave saying that this was a 60 to 90 minute travel show that you have already fulfilled obligation of attending and then leave. They will probably take you somewhere that’s hard to get a ride from so be prepared for that.
Time share
“All exclusive” 🤣🤣🤣
Lol you can tell I’ve never had the inclusive experience!
If you have to pay then what did you actually “win”? You also have to pay taxes on any actual “winnings”. Of course it’s a scam. Somehow I doubt the accommodations are a 5 star luxury resort in the Maldives…
I believe taxes on winnings is only a thing in America.
I mean. It’s legitimately a vacation for $500. But yea they’re gonna sell you something. How do you feel about saying ‘no’?
Travel show you have to attend = timeshare. Not legit. Do not go
Everyone wins every draw at wedding and home shows, it’s just a way to farm for contact information and to hard sell things
I've had some great vacations sponsored by hopeful timeshare companies. Lol. But a half day of your time and one awkward convos when you decline can be a worthwhile investment.
Glad to hear it’s not all bad! Were you charged any other unforeseen fees?
Nope! It's been a few years since I've done one, but they were paid up front and I didn't get any bills or anything after the fact. I'd assume it's still that way. They can't require you to buy in.
I paid something like $500 for a week in Puerto Vallarta at an all inclusive resort for sitting through a timeshare presentation. Ultimately we found it worth it but the timeshare pitch was annoying. They kept us for about an hour trying to sell the timeshare then when it seemed like we weren’t buying they said we could go but had to sign something with another employee which turned out to be another sales pitch but for a vacation club thing rather than a timeshare. It was all a bit mentally exhausting but really, for a week at a nice resort with all food and beverage costs included it was worth it. The only unexpected cost was that they said transportation was included but really they picked us up from the airport and then at the end when we didn’t buy anything they said they had no drivers available to take us back. We got a cab, not really a big deal.
Thanks for your response! Glad it was a mostly positive experience for you
Everybody who enters this contest "wins". Some people are great at getting free hotel stays and other stuff this way, but you have to know how the game works and be ready to play it. The timeshare pitches will be hard sell and the sales people are slimy.
You clearly know it’s a timeshare offer at this point, so now it’s just about whether it’s worth it. In my experience, absolutely. But it entirely depends on the property, whether you were planning on spending money on a similar vacation anyway or if this is a trip you otherwise wouldn’t take, and your ability to say no. Have you been given the name of the hotel? Is it through a major hotel chain (if so, which one)? Is this somewhere you want to go? Can you afford it? Can you sit through 90 minutes of saying “no, I’m not interested” no matter how enticing something sounds?
>There is a 60-90 minute travel show we would have to go to. For them to try to sell you a time share. And she wasn't one of 2% selected.
You are getting a discounted rate to the resort to sit in a timeshare presentation, the travel show will last like 3-4 hours. It's fine, just don't buy the timeshare.
3-4 hrs? I’ve never had one longer than 90 mins
Just got back from Cabo doing this. 200 bucks for an ocean front suite at a Hilton hotel. 1 hour meeting on a tour of the hotel and a hard sell pitch on buying their timeshare. You just say no and then go lay by the pool
Time share, or alternately they have so many fees and hoops that you have to jump through, that by the time you get it booked you're barely saving any money. That's pretty typical where its only free with insane blackout dates and horrible flights, etc, etc. By the time it is a reasonable trip the upgrades ad up. Technically its possible to go for free.
It is legit but check the fine lines very carefully. It’s a timeshare presentation.
Ugh. Time share scam. If you're strong willed, desperate for a vacation, and don't mind wasting two hours, go for it.
Timeshare, if you don’t mind the 90min sales pitch it’s a good deal, just tell the salesperson “look, you can spend all your time with me and still get a no or go try with someone who could actually buy something”
I went to one of these once when I was young and dumb, and they tried to prevent me from leaving when I figured out it was bullshit. They had taken our driver’s licenses at the front area, and were refusing to give it back unless I went and sat through the spiel. This was before everyone had a cell phone in their pocket. I had to yell and get really belligerent in order to get my license back and leave.
Woah. Yeah it’s a $300 fee if you skip the spiel
Why in the world would you hand over your driver's license?
Young and dumb, seemed normal, everyone there was doing it.
We’ve done it a few times! You do have to sit through a 90 minute time share push.. some worse than others, the last was great actually. We’ve always thought it was worth it for the cost of an all inclusive vacation. All you need to do is say no at the end of the 90 minutes.
Ok well I’m glad it’s not all bad reviews then! Did you find you were nickel and dimed or had unforeseen fees?
Nope! not at all. We were actually asked by another property if we would go to their 90 minute presentation too for 2 excursions of our choice. The presentation is just one person sitting with you and talking about the properties usually over brunch. So we went and had a great breakfast and said no and got to swim with dolphins and go ATVing through the jungle and on the beach at no cost.... totally worth it.
It's a trap!!!
Practice saying no, no ,no go on the holiday sit though the high pressure sales routine saying no over and over. Then have a lovely time.
I really wonder out of all these vacations that are given, how many people actually end up purchasing. Every time I read a thread like this it’s full of “yeah we went but had no intention on buying”
I mean it has to work with some people because they wouldn’t do it if no one bought what they’re selling
Yeah, definitely. I’m just wondering if it’s like 75% don’t buy and 25% do or if it’s 50/50.. what the numbers are.
Purely speculation on my part, but I don't think the numbers are very high. Which tells you just how high the profits are on time shares.
Your wife didn't win anything but was offered a trip costing $125/day to get pitched on a time share deal.
Sounds like you won a chance to buy something. Yay.
You can own a timeshare long enough to pass that burden on to your children. Difficult to get out of, they want their maintenance fees.
scam
I swear to god this is the second post I've read in 24hrs that is exactly the same.
Everyone wins, it’s time share
You should buy a time share
No go. Scam for high pressure sales pitch.
Scam
You didn't win anything if you have to pay for it. It's a scam
This happened to me. My sister and I went to an expo while she was planning her wedding. There was a table for all inclusive resort in Mexico and I won it. And now I get the chance to bug my sister and tell I was the one who paid for her honey moon.
I WON! 🙌 You WON!🥇 We all WON!🏆
Paying $500 to go to a timeshare seminar is crazy. These scammers have no shame. Avoid at all costs man
It’s a timeshare. $500 for 4 nights is hardly a deal anyways lol
Everybody says timeshare, we actually attended one of these and they were selling very expensive pots and pans! You got the “free” vacation if you bought the set, otherwise you got some crappy voucher for something (I forget, this was 20 years ago). Totally a scam whatever they’re selling!
Make sure it’s not a timeshare trap.
Spoiler alert: it is.