Buzz
There's a reason the words timeshare and scam often go hand-in-hand: buying a timeshare is typically a bad financial move. With their infamous reputation, timeshare companies entice you with freebies such as dinner vouchers, concert tickets, or even luxurious vacations. All they ask is that you endure a grueling, high-pressure sales pitch. If you're willing to take the risk, here are some tips for surviving the presentation and walking away with your freebie.
This post is part of our Evil Week series at Mytour, where we explore the darker side of getting things done. Sometimes evil is justified, and other times, understanding evil helps you know how to overcome it. Want more? Visit our evil week tag page.
Some presentations can stretch for hours (or even eight, in some extreme, nightmarish situations), loaded with high-pressure sales tactics. It may sound as simple as saying 'no,' but it’s not that easy: the goal is to make it harder and harder for you to refuse, until you eventually give in. Still, many have made it through timeshare presentations, collecting their free gifts without spending a cent. I've never personally attended one, but I've always been curious. So, I reached out to survivors—people who've walked away with Disneyland tickets, free dinners, vacations, and more.
Evaluate the Worth of Your Time
Before jumping in, make sure you know exactly how long the presentation will take, then consider how much your time is truly worth. Are those free magic show tickets really worth three hours of your time? Personally, I’d rather take a nap for three hours than sit through a presentation or attend a magic show, but it's your decision. On the other hand, some freebies are undeniably valuable. A pair of Disneyland tickets, for example, can cost a couple hundred bucks, making them worth a few hours of your time.
It’s not just about time, though. Getting through these presentations takes effort. You’ll face a series of screenings to determine if you’re a suitable target, which can take hours. After all, it takes time to convince someone.
Still interested? Let’s dive in.
Bring a “Bad Cop”
There’s power in numbers. Even if you’re determined to say no, every part of the sales pitch is meticulously crafted to change your mind. The company knows all the excuses you might come up with. They’ve studied them and worked hard to find a way to wear you down. That’s why bringing someone else along is essential.
One reader (who prefers to remain anonymous) shared her experience of attending a timeshare presentation in Vegas and admits she got swept up in the excitement:
I was just two signatures away from committing to a timeshare. The way I managed to escape without one was by bringing one of my best guy friends, who helped me see reason and turn down the offer. The line that worked best was,
“I need to consult with my [financial planner] to see if this is a good investment.”
They handed me the paperwork, and I walked out free of any timeshare commitment.
If you struggle with saying no, they’ll find your soft spot, so make sure you have someone with you who can talk some sense into you. And if you still can’t hold your ground, just blame a fictional financial planner or life coach.
Pick Your Approach: Offensive or Defensive
To reel in customers, the timeshare company’s goal is to minimize the number of people they think will refuse. It’s all about the numbers, as Certified Financial Planner Jason Hull explains.
They aim to quickly identify and eliminate false positives—people who seem like they might agree but ultimately don’t. If you’re not buying a timeshare, you’re considered a false positive—someone who passed the initial screening...but won’t actually make a purchase.
To clarify: you want to be a false positive. However, you need to disguise it so they don’t filter you out too soon. Hull suggests being agreeable to appear like you’ll bite, which will also help you get through the presentation faster. The salesperson won’t have to explain things in more detail, and by the time you politely decline, they’ll realize they’ve let a false positive slip through.
That’s a solid defensive strategy, but what about your offensive approach? Once you pass the initial screening, you may want to take a more assertive route, depending on your personality and the presentation’s tone.
One anonymous tipster—let’s call her BJ—has successfully dodged three timeshare deals to score free Disneyland tickets. Her first move is to ask the presenter how long the process will take from start to finish. They usually estimate around 60 minutes. BJ then reminds them of the time every 15 minutes, which she claims helps prevent them from dragging it out. But the real fireworks happen at the end:
The final 15 minutes take place in a large conference room, filled with other salespeople, managers, and plenty of potential customers like me. Each group is seated at a table, and the ‘pitch’ begins. When I’m given the final price of the timeshare, I immediately start breaking it down. I pull out a calculator and begin calculating how much this so-called ‘free vacation’ will actually cost me. I then calculate how many years it would take to pay off the timeshare before my vacation is truly ‘free.’ Most of them are stumped and rush to fetch a manager who tries to talk with me. I simply repeat the same argument.
Think it sounds too simple? She admits her method did stir things up during one presentation:
I had one agent, who after realizing I wasn’t going to buy, turned downright aggressive and obnoxious. So, I decided to raise my voice so the whole room could hear and said, “I don’t appreciate being pressured like this... I’ve already told you no, I’m not signing those papers.”
Then I stood up and asked, 'Now, where are my free Disney tickets?'
Though her story made me uncomfortable, BJ is now my hero. According to her, it’s important to strengthen your offense. But not everyone can handle that. If you’re not the confrontational type, it might backfire, and you could give in when things get tough. If that’s the case, consider going with a more defensive strategy.
Make It a Game
One way to avoid getting caught up in the drama of a timeshare presentation: don’t take it too seriously. In the end, it’s all about staying firm in your decisions.
Pamela Hanson recalls that she and her husband were vacationing in Mexico when they attended a timeshare presentation to earn a free dinner and breakfast. They soon realized that after firmly saying no, they were passed off to someone else with a new offer. She shared:
Once we recognized the pattern, we made it a game. We savored the food and let the timeshare company move us from one salesperson to the next, each offering us 'a deal we just couldn’t resist.' The final pitch came from an ex-football player wearing a Super Bowl ring who tried to convince us to buy the mortgage on a foreclosed timeshare because the deal was too good to miss. He was skilled—worked that angle like a pro, and we were actually impressed by his persistence. When he finally accepted that we weren’t going to spend any money, he escorted us to a room where we received our restaurant voucher.
Hanson mentioned that she actually had a good time, calling it a day full of 'delicious food, fantastic entertainment, and a much-needed break from the sunny beach, which our skin was grateful for.'
'And of course, we got to see a Super Bowl ring and enjoy a lovely dinner out,' she added.
It’s all about your mindset. If you can find enjoyment in the process, it’ll make the whole ordeal easier to endure. Just don’t have too much fun and forget to keep saying no.
Craft Your Exit Plan
Having an exit plan is absolutely crucial, though it’s not as easy as it sounds. The timeshare company is already prepared for your 'no,' and their whole approach revolves around finding weaknesses in your reasoning. Can’t afford it? 'But it’s cheaper than that one night you spent at your last hotel!' Don’t travel enough? 'You’ll be traveling more once you own this incredible timeshare!'
Your excuse can’t just be any flimsy reason. It needs to be a strong one. A skilled salesperson won’t take no for an answer, and instead of simply asking if you’re interested, they’ll ask which package you’re choosing. If you say you can’t afford it, they’ll remind you that you’re already on vacation or question how much you spent on your previous trip.
Financial Advisor Matt Ahrens supports this strategy. On his own timeshare presentation during a trip, he explained to the company that he had planned for the vacation a year in advance, when his financial situation was much different. He then told them that he had no extra funds in his budget to buy a timeshare.
Ahrens emphasizes that it’s about showing them your own financial picture. He shared what he told the company as part of his exit strategy:
We recently bought a home with a 4% mortgage interest rate. If we had gone ahead with the timeshare, we would have been stuck with a minimum 11% interest on the remaining balance. It’s obvious that the financing deal wasn’t favorable. Plus, if we or our children wanted to sell the timeshare back, we’d get only 60 cents on the dollar. As a financial advisor, I’d much rather invest that money elsewhere than face a 40% loss.
However, this leads to a cycle of rebuttals, as pointed out by Melissa Heisler of ItsMyLifeInc.com. Presenting numbers to them will just prompt them to respond with even more numbers. Here’s her exit plan:
Find a 'no' they can’t argue with... I finally told them that my mother was ill and I couldn’t commit to any long-term decisions at the moment. A white lie, I admit. But one they couldn’t refute.
In the end, when nothing else works: lie your way out of the presentation.
Lying to get a free vacation might sound unethical, but don’t feel too guilty about it. Timeshare companies expect this behavior and have factored it into their business model. In fact, their tactics are pretty shady as well. As the saying goes, you can’t fight fire with fire, but in the case of timeshares, you might just score a free meal out of it.
Image courtesy of ImageFlow (Shutterstock).
