Last week, we visited the Universal Parks in Orlando, Florida. If you haven’t been to Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure, you have to plan a trip! It was a lot of fun. Not only that, but they are super accommodating to people with food allergies. While we had a blast at the parks, the one thing I would advise just saying NO to, is the people offering great things for “just 90 minutes of your time”. A.K.A the timeshare trap. When I am done, I will not only tell you why a timeshare was not right for us, but also why I will NEVER ever stay in a Westgate hotel.
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Why Timeshares?
On paper, a timeshare seems like a really great idea. For the particular presentation we sat through, you pay a specified amount for seven years and after that, you own your timeshare. I’m not going to go into the specifics of our timeshare presentation. One, because I don’t remember the specifics and don’t want to get something wrong; and two, because I wasn’t too impressed with the timeshare. Just being honest! I mean, don’t get me wrong, it did seem like a great way to go on vacations, but in our particular situation where my husband travels a lot for work, we use his hotel points to save money on vacation. So a timeshare at this time of our life, doesn’t make sense.
Why Did we Agree to the Presentation?
Honestly? Because we were stupid. I mean, at the time, I thought we were being smart. You see, there are people all over Universal Studios trying to get people to sign up for the timeshare trap. When my daughter and I were stopped after getting off the Men in Black ride, we were told we would be getting this “amazing buffet breakfast” and $75 cash. So…in my mind…I was thinking that breakfast at our current hotel was $23.95 per adult (and our 13 year old was considered an adult), and we were spending about $100+ a day on food and drinks, so free breakfast and $75 cash for just 90 minutes of our time was a good idea.
It wasn’t. It was a terrible idea. One of the first things I asked the guy that was booking a spot in the timeshare trap schedule, was if the breakfast was accommodating to food allergies. I was assured up and down that it was. Guess what…it wasn’t. The only thing I could eat was the banana and let me tell you, they were soft and squishy and gross.
Where was this Timeshare for?
Our “90 minute” (can you tell they kept us much longer than 90 minutes?) timeshare trap meeting was at the Westgate Lakes Resorts on Turkey Lake Rd in Orlando. The man that delivered the presentation was very nice. Gave a good spiel and showed us all the reasons that we needed to buy into the timeshare life. In fact, there was one point that he walked away and I looked at my husband and he started laughing at me because he could tell that the idea of vacations was appealing to me. We went on a tour of the property, saw what we would be purchasing, and while it was nice, it was nothing special. At least in my opinion.
I will Never Stay in a Westgate Hotel
Like I said, the presentation was a the Westgate Lakes Resorts in Orlando. After our tour, our presenter took us to a very loud room with other people getting the same spiel, to finish the sale. As soon as we told him that we didn’t think this was for us, he got up and went to his manager to get us a better deal. The price for the timeshare dropped significantly. However, we reiterated that the ability to use hotel points and whatnot to offset our vacation costs, is what works for us right now.
He didn’t like that answer. In fact, he didn’t like it so much, that he abruptly stood up and walked away. His manager came over with our final paperwork to get our $75 and a “deal” for us to stay in one of their timeshares for a week for only $300 (give or take). We told him no thank you and I started to tell him that for us, it makes sense to use hotel points. However, I never got to finish my sentence. This “manager” stood up, shoved our paper at us, and walked away. I have never felt so disrespected in my entire life. If this is how a manager representing Westgate Lakes Resorts in Orlando treats potential customers, then I know one place I will never stay. Even if it is absolutely free.
Just say No to the Timeshare trap
So what did I learn? If something seems too good to be true, it usually is. When someone says, “it will only require 90 minutes of your time”, that is also too good to be true. If fact, we were there over two hours and we were disrespected and starving. So we left there, with our $75 and headed to Chick Fil-A where they fall all over themselves to be polite and respectful to each and every customer that comes into their restaurant.
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