Sin City provides local timeshare companies with an advantage when it comes to targeting new fractional owners. Besides the draw of Las Vegas itself, many tourists are easily persuaded while visiting the city of lights. Unreasonable spending and an overwhelming number of distractions make it easy for resorts to sign travelers to a perpetual (lifetime) agreement.
Since our previous article highlighted some of the ways timeshare companies lure consumers to the desert, we thought it would be helpful to prepare our readers for a Las Vegas timeshare presentation. Nearly everyone that purchases a timeshare vacation while on vacation doesn’t anticipate doing so beforehand. Many take the bait because they’re unaware of the tactics that salesman use during the presentation. Most of them don’t even know what a timeshare actually entails. This allows sales reps to dance around disclosure while puffing up the purchase. As you can imagine, it puts attendees at a tremendous disadvantage.
VOC’s Vegas Timeshare Presentation Tips:
Whether you’ve traded a few hours for a free gift in Vegas or you anticipate being pulled off the street during your Vegas vacation, here are a few things to chew on before you consider signing any dotted lines.
1. Prepare for a Hard Sell and an Over Promised Product
Before you walk into a timeshare sales presentation, it’s important to realize that everything sold (or given) to you will sound appealing. The sale is focused on making you feel like you need the property and that you can afford it. If there’s anything you take away from this article, it should be that the experience will be painted a lot more grand than it really is. It’s highly unlikely your exhilaration will exceed what it is at the point of sale. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
Don’t allow yourself to be distracted during the presentation. Although the thought of buying into fractional ownership may sound perfect, never make a hasty decision while visiting Vegas. Wait until you get home to sleep on it. Unlike most purchases, you can’t just dump a timeshare if it doesn’t work out. Besides the resale market being nonexistent, signing a timeshare contract exposes you to a number of additional hard sell tactics that can drain your wallet quickly.
2. Do Some Homework on Timeshare Contracts Beforehand
Before attending a Las Vegas timeshare presentation, you have to understand that all timeshare sales reps are paid handsomely in commissions. Their livelihoods and lifestyles are driven by your signature. The best part for them is they never have to see or hear from you again. It’s their job to create so much urgency that you don’t even think about looking up actual reviews or researching the legality of your purchase.
Vegas timeshare sales teams are paid to nurture you into making a purchase on the spot. Some sales reps will say anything to accomplish this. Las Vegas is even more cutthroat. These people are really good at what they do. They know how to ask the right questions in order to present you with intriguing options. If you know a little bit about what you’re getting yourself into, then you’ll be able to identify false statements and blatant lies. The fact of the matter is, sales misspeak has been penalized quite a bit in the timeshare industry. Getting up to speed on deceptive practices before the sales pitch can help you avoid a big mistake.
3. Document the Vegas Timeshare Presentation.
While this may sound like a silly thing to do while you’re on vacation, taking notes (of the sales pitch) will actually help you enter and exit the presentation with confidence. Believe it or not, people that say “No” to a Vegas timeshare may end up toiling with their decision throughout their vacation. When you take the time to do your homework and take notes during the spiel, then doubt can be eliminated altogether. This is important because you don’t want to return to the resort begging for another “deal”.
Documenting a Vegas timeshare presentation creates clarity and helps you ask the right questions so you can get the right answers. Highlighting what entices you most and finding out what each actually entails will help you determine if your intrigue is real. Being able to cross reference your interpretation of the deal (or what’s being presented) with the actual agreement is invaluable.
4. Request a Copy of the Timeshare Agreement
While “mulling over the contract” isn’t going to be music to a salesman’s ears, it’s necessary that you do just that. Asking for a copy of the timeshare agreement is absolutely imperative. If you’ve prepared for the Vegas timeshare presentation and taken notes throughout, then you have no reason to avoid a cross reference.
Sadly, many timeshare owners agree to a perpetual contract they know nothing about. Don’t be another statistic. Although pushback should be expected, be persistent and willing to walk away if they’re unwilling to provide you with your own copy. If you can’t confirm what you have written down, then run. At the end of the day, verbal agreements mean nothing in a legal battle.
5. Compare Your Notes with the Timeshare Contract
If there’s one thing worth mentioning, it’s that going over the contract with the sales rep is rather risky. We’d like to remain consistent here and remind you to consider the purchase after your vacation is over. It’s never beneficial to review the details of a major purchase with the sales rep. You’ll never be able to disengage from your initial intrigue.
When it comes to buying something of this magnitude, it’s important you make sense of what’s being presented to you. With that being said, at least make sure statements made during the Vegas timeshare presentation are actually in the contract. If the details are inaccurate then nothing about the purchase should appeal to you.
6. Don’t Let the Pressure of “Buy It Now” Misguide You
Understanding what to expect out of sales jargon (or commission breath) may not be enough to help you lean on logic. We’d be remiss if we didn’t prepare you for additional statements that can lead you to believe taking a risk is worth taking the deal. Aside from persuasive misspeak, timeshare sales teams are very good at making you feel guilty for saying “No.” One of the ways they do so is by pressuring you to take advantage of “today only” offers and promotions. Don’t take the bait.
The price of the timeshare only increases when you believe the offer expired. If you return expecting to pay more, you will. Ironically, if you continue to push back, the pricing tends to magically become more favorable. If you feel like their offer might be too good to pass up, we still encourage you to avoid giving in. Tell them you want to think about it. If they want your business then any valid offer on that day should be valid at the time you want to move forward. Refusing to give you time to review the purchase should be a major red flag.
7. Don’t Let “Free” or “Complimentary” Gifts Cloud Your Judgement
As aforementioned, being lured to the Entertainment Capital of the World with promising intrigue is a common step of the timeshare sales process. But it doesn’t start and stop with the invitation. During most Las Vegas timeshare presentations, “free” and “complementary” items are frequently offered to prospects so they stay longer. What was supposed to be 90 minutes can easily turn into an all day event. The longer you’re engaged, the more likely you are to buy the timeshare. Sales teams know this. Whether you want to pursue additional “free gifts” or not, you don’t have stay longer just to get what was originally promised to you.
If “90 minutes” of your time was required for you to receive “XYZ” then the resort is legally required to provide you with “XYZ” once you’ve served your time that was advertised to you. Keep in mind, escaping the presentation can be tricky in itself. Expect to be passed off to 5 more “closers” who’re trained to sweeten the pot so you’ll sign the timeshare contract.
In this scenario, continue to reiterate what you’re legally owed and reference the advertisement that brought you there. If they fail to comply, they’re violating existing laws that regulate advertising. They should know the punishment is pretty severe. When you’re able to specifically pinpoint their misconduct, getting what you came for becomes easy. Moreover, taking advantage of these 7 tips allows things to work out in your favor. If you want to Viva in Las Vegas then you’ll need to look past the tactics of timeshare companies.
If you recently visited Vegas and feel as though you’ve prematurely signed up for a timeshare contract, we’d be happy to provide you with a free consultation. If the purchased product doesn’t match what was verbally told to you, then you have every right to cancel the agreement.
