Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Hi everybody,
I'm going on a business trip and will be staying at a nationally branded hotel. (Can we mention names on this forum?) My employer will be paying for the trip. I'm simply seeking a roof over my head for a few days. The hotel does a heavy business in selling timeshares. Yelp reviews for the hotel indicate the salespeople engage in "sharp" practices. I'd like to avoid wasting time listening to sales pitches or accidentally signing things that lead to surprise fees. Any recommendations on how to stay out of trouble?

What sort of hotel chain is this ?! I've never heard of such weirdness...

Instead of being fake nice you can act unpleasant and potentially frightening.

What I have learned is that people use your own politeness against you. So just refuse to be polite. The more they press you, the more you should treat them like garbage.

Treat it like a unique opportunity to be incredibly mean and cruel.

Or, you could treat them as if they don’t exist. While they talk to you, state straight ahead, or walk away, without acknowledging their existence.

I find that one loud, clear, and assertive "no" (and then looking away and going about your business) ends basically all sales attempts immediately. You don't owe any attention or conversation. That one "no" you gave was you being nice. Being clear and assertive in your tone (with no (fake) "Oh, I'm sorry... blah blah blah) is nicer to them because you're being totally clear they should try someone else.

Some salesmen will continue after that, but they trail off right away if you're walking off, turning your back to them, etc. Their most important step in selling is getting your attention, so if you show you that they won't get it, they know to move on. This can be different in other cultures where more is needed to get them to stop. Often holding up your hand in the "stop gesture" (with your palm at them and all fingers out) while you walk buy them or continue with whatever you're doing is good, or sort of waving them off with your hand.

If you accidentally find yourself at some group sales pitch, just leave.

The salespeople will appreciate you ending the engagement right away too.

I attended a timeshare sales pitch because they were handing out a $200 debit card if you stayed through the entire presentation. They went at me hard after the sales pitch. I was escalated to a manager and then a director but I just kept declining the offer. They tied me up for 2 hours but they had free food (scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, juice, coffee, etc.); it was a morning sales pitch. Essentially I got paid $100 an hour to say "NO" and eat breakfast.

I'm immune to sales pitches and I get even more recalcitrant when they start the sales psychology jedi mind tricks.

Kriegsspiel wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 02, 2019 8:32 pm

The salespeople will appreciate you ending the engagement right away too.

Yes, I will state something to that effect too: A more elaborate "no" like "I'm not buying anything, so your time is better spent convincing someone else. Thank you!" [closes door, hangs up, walks away]

Though if you want a free $200 card maybe its not too unfair to endure a little badgering by the sales folks....no free lunch and all

I just smile, say 'No, thanks' or just shake my head and continue walking. It saves theirs, and more importantly, my time.

My experience with annoying sales people are mostly in the realm of financial products (especially at pension fund selection season) or telecommunications contracts (cell phone and cable). If I happen to have some of their shares, I like to tell them "Good job, carry on!", which tends to get them confused, I guess it's not in the script book. Otherwise, what Kriegsspiel and jacob said.
PS. How does one accidentally sign something? I can imagine that happening if drugging you is among the sharp practices the salespeople engage in.. in that case, maybe find another place to stay for the trip.

During my 2 hour session, I told them "NO" repeatedly. Had they taken the 1st "NO" and handed over the $200 gift card, they would have saved themselves 1.5 hours. The sales pitch was 30 minutes and the other 1.5 hours was spent trying to convince me to buy a timeshare. You have to understand something. If they are putting out a big breakfast spread and handing out $200 debit cards to everyone who attends, they expect to get more money out than what they paid in. I saw at least 10 people signing timeshare contracts. The timeshare was in the amount of "points". If you purchase X points (doled out yearly), you can stay at Y location. The bigger the contract, the more X points received each year. The buy-in floor was $20k. The brochure showed exotic places to stay in like Tonga, Tahiti, and Hawaii. They also had european destinations for those wanting the euro-experience.

About 15 minutes after my 1st "No", I started asking for the details regarding the points and the location which were never provided. I would ask for them after every "No". At the end, they were forced to hand over the $200 card and let me go on my way. The Debit Card expired in 1 year and had a weekly $5 maintenance fee deducted (stipulated in the fine print ). I read everything so I knew that I had to burn the Card fast or lose money; thank goodness Amazon allows you purchase reward cards, that don't expire, with debit cards. I guarantee that most people lose significant money or all the money on that debit card scam.

I actually found documentation online regarding their timeshare program. It was a total scam. They reserved the right to inflate the cost of rooms without notice as well ballooning the points needed during their busy season. I felt bad for all those people who signed that crappy agreement.

chenda wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 02, 2019 5:58 pm

What sort of hotel chain is this ?! I've never heard of such weirdness...

Hilton Grand Vacations

Pretend to talk on the phone or wear headphones (or both) when in public areas. I do this constantly to avoid people. I even do it in my own home.

@brookline I had no idea timeshares are such a big thing, I thought they were all scammy fly-by-night outfits. A good technique to tell someone to shut up is to repeat a set phrase exactly again and again. Hence:

Dodgy salesperson: Hey how's it going ?
You: I'm just here on business.
Dodgy salesperson: Cool, want some free stuff ?
You. I'm just here on business.
Dodgy salesperson: Great! We do great offers for blah blah blah...
You: I'm just here on business.

They get the message soon enough, although it has to be exactly the same phrase otherwise it loses its punch. Also don't be to quick with your smile, especially if you're female. Apparently women who smile less are taken more seriously by male business associates.

You: "What? Timeshare? I don't have any time to share with YOU. Excuse me."

If a polite but firm NO doesn't dissuade the hardcore sales pitch you can always try a non-sequitur.

Example:

Sales Person: Have you looked into our timeshare deals? They are quite great and we're doing a promotion at 11AM - shall I put you down as attendee?
You: I'm supposed to be attending to my Grandmother's medicine. Thanks for the reminder! (And then just walk away).

You would be surprised how well it works.

@brookline:
I wish I was there with you - that's one of a few areas of my expertise. I shake my head "No", smile politely, and keep on walking. I am also aware that my body becomes a tad stiff at these moments conveying an absolute lack of a possibility.

brookline wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 03, 2019 12:18 pm

Hilton Grand Vacations

I took advantage of one of their offers too.
I paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $70 for three nights in a four star place in Orlando, breakfast for two included.
Only caveat was I had to attend one of these sales meetings. I lost a half day but overall was well worth it.

PSA: if you are getting sales calls on your phone, just say "opt out" and hang up, don't waste your time saying anything else. If it's a reputable company, they'll have a button for opting out which takes your number out of their system. If you just say "no" (or nothing) and hang up their robo-dialer will call you again at some point.

brookline wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 03, 2019 12:18 pm

Hilton Grand Vacations

You said this was a paid-for room, so you probably won't get any sales pushes. Hotel chains sell units in their timeshares as hotel rooms all the time. I've done it at Marriott timeshares and all my interactions with the staff were as if I were staying at a normal Marriott. The upside for you is the common amenities are a little nicer and you usually get a full kitchen. They may have some special events you can avail yourself of, like at one of the Marriott timeshares they were doing this waffle breakfast I never got charged for.

If you do get marketed to, just say you're there on business and don't have the time.