Branson, MO

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Heath Hawkins: A Branson Vacation - Part 5: The Infamous Timeshare Package

If you are reading this column you have probably just been contacted by a friendly voice congratulating you for being selected to receive a wonderful vacation package to Branson, MO. You may or may not have given in, but you are wondering if the deal is toogood to be true.

The truth is that it is a good deal, but with a catch. My wife and I do time share tours all the time, so I feel like I know how they work.

You are setting home and minding your own business, probably having dinner when the phone rings. You hear, “Congratulation, Jones family, you have been selected to receive a great Branson vacation. You will receive two nights, three days lodging in a top hotel, two tickets to a show of your choice and a gift certificate for dinner at Red Lobster. Does this sound like something you would be interested in? The total cost to you is only $59.”

Sounds too good to be true right? Well, in a way, it is. You do get a good deal on the lodging, shows and food. But you do have to do something in return. If you paid for everything you received above, you would easily spend $150. So the price is right, but is it worth it.

Here is what you have to do in return. On the second day of your trip you will have to set through a timeshare sales pitch. You will meet a personal salesperson that will make small talk to get to know you for a few minutes. Usually there is a group video or presentation from a manager. They tell you all the great things about the timeshare company and why you should buy time with their company. Their favorite line is, “I know that none of you want to buy anything. All we ask is that you keep an open mind.” I have to be honest, the sales pitch sounds really convincing.

When that segment is over you will go with your salesperson on a tour of the property and see a sample condo. They are very nice; some are much nicer than my home. Then it is back to the sales room for the pressured sales pitch. They all tell you there will be no pressure to buy if you are not interested. Just tell them NO and be on your way. I disagree, I always feel very pressured.

It is not that easy. Every question they ask is very leading. So by your own answers their product is something you should be interested in. Most people are surprised at exactly how expensive the package is. When you say no to the initial package, they will have a second package for you. They will ask questions like, “Why would you not want something like this?” You feel embarrassed to be honest and say it is just too expensive for me. So they keep on. After several times saying NO, your salesperson will get their manager who will again have one more offer. A few more times at NO with him and you think you are off the hook, but there is usually one more person who will offer you one more package.

This last salesman will tell you that he is on salary and not paid on commission, so he does not care if you buy or not. He just does not want you to regret your decision later. So he will offer you one more package that might be in your range. What he does not tell you is that even though he is not paid on commission, he does get a nice bonus for closing a deal.

After a final NO, you are off to get your hotel voucher, show tickets and whatever else they promised. You look at your watch and remember that they said the presentation would take 90 minutes. It has been over two hours, and now you are questioning if the whole thing was worth it or not.

Well, you did get a great bargain on your vacation package and the worst part is over now. So in my opinion, it is worth it. My wife and I have gone on more than a dozen of these tours around the country and in Branson. We are pros now and see it as a cheap way to get lots of vacation for less money. Sure it is an inconvenience, but look at what you get. Every time, we say this will be our last one, but then that call comes and we are off again.

Just a couple weeks ago we went on a tour. We had to pay a $20 deposit for the package but after the tour of a Branson timeshare we got our $20 deposit back plus one free night at a very nice hotel and a $100 gift certificate to the Tanger Outlet Mall. This was a great treat for us, what do you think.

Here are a few tips to make sure you know what you are getting:

(1) If the package does not include lodging, it is not worth it.

(2) When a timeshare calls with an offer, have the person on the phone repeat the offer back to you several times. Write down exactly what they offered you and get the salesperson's name and the name of the company they are with and the phone number.

(3) If part of your package includes gift certificates, ask to make sure it is like a cash certificate and not one where you have to keep up with receipts and mail them in for reimbursement.

(4) Ask about the type of hotel you will be in and see if you are able to recommend one. If yes, choose something you know (like the Holiday Inn, Radisson or Best Western).

(5) Find out when you will receive confirmation in the mail and ask what happens if you need to change your date.

(6) Ask for additional FREE things. They want you to come and some can give you more. One time I told them I was very interested but I really wanted tickets to Dixie Stampede. Rather than lose my business they added them in for FREE!

(7) One strategy that I have heard of people using, but have not tried it yet myself, is telling them upfront that you were told you would only be here or 90 minutes (or 120 depending on the company) and your appointment was a 9:00 a.m. (or whatever time you were scheduled for). Let them know that in 90 minutes from 9:00 a.m. you are leaving. They will try to say you cannot leave until the entire process is over, or they will not give you the promised stuff. Stick to your guns. Remember they also promised you would be out in 90 minutes, not three hours. The people I talked to who did this said the time share people were not happy, but they got their FREE stuff and left.

While in Branson you will have hecklers offering you FREE show tickets all the time. They are everywhere. You should know their pitches will be very similar to the time share, but it may be called a vacation club. Though you may not have to take a tour with them, the sales pitch is just as long and high pressure.

The bottom line is that you have to know that you are not getting something for nothing. The timeshare company is investing money in the package they offered you. You will get a good deal, but they do this in the hopes you will buy something.

You have to be able to deal with the pressure of the sale pitch. It can take a lot to say NO. I should know that as well as anyone. We bought on our first two tours. Ha Ha! So I have two timeshares for sale – any takers?