Pushy DVC sales experience with a few lies thrown in

[Sandisw]

Disappointing that you got such an inexperienced guide who doesn't quite know how to make it magical for a potential new buyer. The guide I used way back when when I bought direct was nothing like this. He was wonderful, not pushy, and did bend over backwards to help us get our first trip booked to replace a cash stay we had. It was August so it might have been easier, but it was a great experience.

I wish buying direct made sense for us...I want another 100 points at VGF or BLT...just so I could give him another sale he was so nice. But, a $40 to $80 difference per point isn't enough for me to do that!! LOL

 

[Best Aunt]

I bought over the phone. I used a guide who was and is still recommended on the dis. He wasn’t pushy but he just didn’t seem to understand that his sales pitch wouldn’t make sense for everyone and that he should adjust it based on the customer.

I stuck to my guns and he finally caved and said he would have to check and see if he could sell me what I wanted (purchase rules were different back then.) He did call back and made the sale. It seems like some guides just repeat a sales pitch and are not ready to deal with a knowledgeable customer.

 

[pangyal]

Honestly you will want to purchase resale first, then direct. reason being, you will not be limited to use-year in your resale contract search if you buy that first. Disney can now modify use year on direct contracts (+1) and they can sell you whatever number of points you want (+1). Unfortunately, for benefits, that number is now > 100. Here's another (+1), direct points you can have RIGHT NOW. You don't have to wait for ROFR and closing. Have you considered a "guaranteed week" contract? You can't get that resale. That's something I learned about on the My DVC Points podcast BTW.

Gee, maybe I should be a direct sale guide - seems like I have a better handle on the benefits than your guide did .

Just FYI for anyone who is curious, yes- you can totally get guaranteed weeks on the resale market too. No need to be locked into buying direct if that’s what you really want to buy

 

[sndral]

...Have you considered a "guaranteed week" contract? You can't get that resale. That's something I learned about on the My DVC Points podcast BTW...

Just FYI for anyone who is curious, yes- you can totally get guaranteed weeks on the resale market too. No need to be locked into buying direct if that’s what you really want to buy

I’ve seen a few guaranteed week contracts on the resale market, but there aren’t that many of them, so you may wait awhile for the week you want to hit the resale market. Of course, once DVC sells their allocated # of guaranteed villas for any particular week you can’t buy a guaranteed week direct either.
OP’s guide’s lie that the point charts could not change actually wouldn’t fly w/ a sales pitch to sell a fixed week since one of the benefits for buying a fixed week is that no matter what happens w/ point charts & seasons you get your week.
In any event, AKV doesn’t have fixed weeks.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Just FYI for anyone who is curious, yes- you can totally get guaranteed weeks on the resale market too. No need to be locked into buying direct if that’s what you really want to buy

There is that Aulani week 52 GV out there after all!

 

[SG131]

Well if it makes you feel any better, there is almost no cash inventory at the villas for the first two weeks of December so if you were traveling then no guide would've been able to accommodate a welcome home stay so you didn't miss out there by having a lousy guide. Like you I have a resale contract and at some point was considering adding on direct for the benefits, but the more I read about bad sales experiences coupled with the much higher cost of direct the more I am leaning to just getting a second resale contract.

 

[Daisy1940]

Well if it makes you feel any better, there is almost no cash inventory at the villas for the first two weeks of December so if you were traveling then no guide would've been able to accommodate a welcome home stay so you didn't miss out there by having a lousy guide. Like you I have a resale contract and at some point was considering adding on direct for the benefits, but the more I read about bad sales experiences coupled with the much higher cost of direct the more I am leaning to just getting a second resale contract.

We are going the second week of December so that does make me feel better. We’ll get quite a few more points with a second resale contract so we’re looking at that as the upside.

 

[LuigiSpice]

My experience was fine. I knew what I was getting into. Its a sales pitch. They pushed Riviera. I was well prepared. Didn't let any of the sales jargon fluster me. Lady was very nice. Tried to gear me towards resale and Riviera (can't fault someone for doing their job), but once I demonstrated my in depth knowledge of the product (thanks Disboards!), she knew she had to take a different approach and put her effort towards 75 SSR points + resale. Didn't need her to convince me as this is something I was considering as it was, but at the end of the day she got the sale.

This was basically my exact experience. I even told the guide afterwards via email how much her approach helped sway my wife (a skeptic off all things) into considering and then agreeing to purchase.

 

[chainkid]

Its funny but years ago the salespeople were almost too laid back. The DVC properties of BWV and BC sold themselves with zero pressure. I actually bought direct after a cash ressie . They assigned me a guide and I purchased several direct contracts from Celeste over the years. I was interested in buying at one of the Magic Kingdom resorts so did a split stay for a couple nights at each. I walked up to a guide on site and asked to see the rooms and they were very accommodating at each resort. The resale market was just getting started around that time. My guess is that the early salespeople had it easy and everything sold itself. I ended up finding something I didn't like about each monorail DVC and went home and bought two resale at BWV. Resale process though stressful worked great. I did find that I knew far more than any of the guides and had to refrain from correcting them on false information. I chalked it up to lack of knowledge rather than outright deceit on their part. I do not feel I'm part of a club. I love DVC and would never buy Riveira because you can't sell it if you have financial issues for a profit. I will stay there when its open as it looks lovely but $69 per point back then was a steal . New prices are highway robbery.

 

[ELMC]

New prices are highway robbery.

 

[WIll C]

Prices are highway robbery no matter where you look. The cash price for hotels, even in the "off" season are ridiculous.

 

[DSLRuser]

DVC would sell itself if Disney just showed buyers what they are actually selling. This is just completely baffling to me.

Well.......The product they are selling is Riviera, not Animal Kingdom. AK has been wait listed for quite some time.

During the sales pitch, we indicated that we were well researched and I told her honestly that we were buying the bulk of our points resell and that we wanted information on direct benefits to decide whether buying any points direct was right for us.

Put yourself in the sales person position. You immediately come in and tell the person I know everything, I dont want to buy most of my purchase from you, i want to buy resale, but yet you expect the sales person to do all of the dirty work for you?

You said you were well researched. If you just wanted to see AKL, all you had to do was go to the front desk and not waste a sales persons time, keeping them from making a living.

What you did is just like a person going to a car dealership and test driving a car, then going and buying it used some place else. Every sales person in every profession is going to treat you poorly in that situation.

And don't give me the argument you were going to buy 75-100 points. Especially when you already said you were buying the bulk from resale. Sorry, but you were just wasting the salesmans time. They are their to "sell" 300+ point contracts.....not the small 75-100 point stuff.

Yes I know people buy small contracts....but the big ones are where the spiffs are, and you already said you were buying that elsewhere.

 

[DSLRuser]

If I were you, I'd call management and report the experience. That's the only way it will get better.

Sorry.....i am with the sales person...the OP was wasting the salesmans time.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Sorry.....i am with the sales person...the OP was wasting the salesmans time.

I wouldn't go that far. Take my experience; I knew almost nothing about DVC but my wife wanted to check it out even though I was a solid "no" walking in the door. Am I also wasting the salesman's time, or is that their challenge to sell me on the product?

What I see happening that is quite discouraging is that the guides are having a hard time selling the product. And, in fact, I should preface that; they are having a hard time selling the product at the terms and prices that Disney is now listing. That's what leads to the frustration on the part of the guide and the sleezy sales tactics that are the standard for all other timeshares.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Disappointing that you got such an inexperienced guide who doesn't quite know how to make it magical for a potential new buyer. The guide I used way back when when I bought direct was nothing like this. He was wonderful, not pushy, and did bend over backwards to help us get our first trip booked to replace a cash stay we had. It was August so it might have been easier, but it was a great experience.

I wish buying direct made sense for us...I want another 100 points at VGF or BLT...just so I could give him another sale he was so nice. But, a $40 to $80 difference per point isn't enough for me to do that!! LOL

But the PRIDE of buying direct. You're forgetting that - it's priceless.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Sorry.....i am with the sales person...the OP was wasting the salesmans time.

Really?

It sounds like it would have been the easiest sale of the day but you may not be "listening" any better than the guide was.

 

[Sandisw]

But the PRIDE of buying direct. You're forgetting that - it's priceless.

Hahaha..yeah, I think I’ll let my pride take the hit instead of my wallet!

 

[disneynutz]

The problem is that Disney has done a great job making us think that it is a warm and fuzzy company with magic and pixie dust. When we learn that it isn't, we don't know how to accept it. DVC sales people are there to sell the active resort, they hate resale and don't like wasting time on a non sale. They don't want to spend time touring prospects at a resort that they aren't suppose to be selling. Most Guides don't tour anyway, they have underlings for that role. Guides are there to close sales period.

Bill

 

[ScubaCat]

She kept responding to my questions by saying "Don't you want the pride of saying you bought directly from Disney?"

Next time, ask her why she wants you to feel like a family of lions when you buy and see what she says.

 

[SG131]

Well.......The product they are selling is Riviera, not Animal Kingdom. AK has been wait listed for quite some time.

That's not actually true. Many people have been very successful buying animal kingdom direct. You may have to wait a few weeks, but usually they have some points readily available. The only resort they truly won't be able to help with is the Grand Californian.