GB had his direct questions on resale value dodged
Westgate Timeshare Resort Issues
Date of Incident: 4/13/2003
We too have a Westgate Story to share that should be interesting to all that reads it.
We had a friend that listed us for Westgate's Vacation Package and received solicitations thru the mail and over the phone. The opportunity seemed great and we were in need of a Florida Vacation for Spring Break. I only spoke briefly with my friend that had a timeshare and he only shared the "good" and hesitated to speak when I told him that we were contacted by Westgate on his referral.
We arrived at the property, which was very nicely maintained and the accomodations were outstanding. We were escorted to our condo for the vacation and only contacted briefly a day or two early in our stay. We were set at the next to last day to tour the property with a young lady. After a breakfast in a large room with dozens of other families around, the surroundings and sales tactics were beginning to worry me. Our sales agent was very cordial, but was careful about answering any questions that were zingers about the property. I specifically recall asking about resale of the condo and was given a vague answer that left me a little worried.
Following our tour, we were shown pictures of the owner w/ notable persons, all seemed to be Republicans. The Bush's were prominently shown with Westgate's Founder. It seemed somewhat impressive, but I started to question in my mind, the presentation and where it was going.
Next, we were seated "for the kill". The sales agent began showing some preliminary pricing and options for other vacations. We were shown a laminated sheet that showed pricing and some costs per month, which were almost as expensive as my house payment. We then mentioned that we had financial obligations that limited our ability to commit to any offer. The agent excused herself and brought in another agent, a young lady that was very competent and qualified for her task, sales. She worked feverishly in writing down at least three quotes for the week, offering many ways to get this in our price range. We resisted the temptation to sign anything on this day and then insisted to her that we would not sign anything today. As she continued with the high pressure tactics, I told her that I didn't like the tactics, and compared them to a used car salesman. She got upset with my label and the conversation switched gears. She finally ended abruptly the "sales" portion of the conversation and then asked another associate to join us.
This lady handled rentals and not sales. She described options which seemed confusing and then proceeded to make us aware that we could immediately begin monthly payments for our future vacation. We declined but made a point of asking for a business card for the future. She made it clear that this offer was her best and only available today. She then stamped our green sheet that the agent kept with her for the meeting and left in a huff.
Finally, with it understood by all of the Westgate staff that we were not commiting to buying, the agent makes a point of insulting us for using the vacation without purchasing their property. She then proceeds to say that we were dishonest in accepting the offer and said we should have been completely aware of what was expected in attending this presentation.
A couple final comments: A few red flags were only waved during the presentation and not during our stay. The properties were very well maintained and activities and services all very good. The interest rates were mostly in the range of 17 3/4 %. As the agent said, this was because many of our owners do not have good credit and we don't do credit checks. This worried us as we saw many minority families purchasing timeshares that they probably can't afford.
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person who participated in the timeshare incident. Submissions are not
edited in any fashion. Names are not shown for privacy reasons.
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