Best Excuses for NOT buying a Timeshare?

[ampaholic]

We were discussing colleges that were worth considering on another thread and numerous people stated their bigotted opinions that southern college degrees were not respected outside of the south and told others not to consider sending their children to ANY SEC school. I almost quit TUG. I definetelly cut back on posts and reading. It is very sad that in 2011 we are still viewed as uneducated, racist, unemployed, slackers, etc by many parts of the country and that it is OK to espouse those negative views without recrimination. If I lumped all northerners into one group based on the Jersey Shore TV series I would be as wrong as those who base all southern perceptions on Boss Hog from the Dukes Of Hazzard.

If I went to a predominatelly black college no one would dare say those degrees are not respected and if some did others would be quick to admonish the posters and the posts might even get removed by a moderator, however it is still OK to malign the south, it's institutions, and it's residents. If I was black and through the posts I realized that many people here did not respect me simply because I had a degree from a black college I would not remain an active member. Why should I remain active on a forum when the same type of thoughts are prevalently posted about my college, my degree, and my area of the country with virtually nobody but myself being offended? The worst thing is that the people from the most "prestigious" schools were the most arrogant and offensive. Sorry to get off topic but you asked where I have been and that is my answer.

Got to run, my moonshine still is working overtime getting ready for my Saturday night sales of white lightning to Mrs Fife's 3rd grade class reunion tonight. The finest most educated members of my community will all be there, well except for those that are pregnant or in jail.......

Tombo

I agree with your statement 100%. I feel I must add not all who come here feel such.

Please watch out for your blood pressure - some of us love having you here.

 

[Karen G]

I almost quit TUG.

Tombo

I agree with your statement 100%. I feel I must add not all who come here feel such.

Count me as another who is glad you didn't quit.

 

[klpca]

We were discussing colleges that were worth considering on another thread and numerous people stated their bigotted opinions that southern college degrees were not respected outside of the south and told others not to consider sending their children to ANY SEC school.

Well, that's about the stupidest thing I have ever heard.

I'm from California so I've heard about every disparaging comment in the book, but it never gets any easier to hear. (Usually I hear it from friends who have moved away and can't wait to tell me how screwed we are living here).

Glad that you've stayed around. Your advice is spot on.

 

[ronparise]

We were discussing colleges that were worth considering on another thread and numerous people stated their bigotted opinions that southern college degrees were not respected outside of the south and told others not to consider sending their children to ANY SEC school. I almost quit TUG. I definetelly cut back on posts and reading. It is very sad that in 2011 we are still viewed as uneducated, racist, unemployed, slackers, etc by many parts of the country and that it is OK to espouse those negative views without recrimination. If I lumped all northerners into one group based on the Jersey Shore TV series I would be as wrong as those who base all southern perceptions on Boss Hog from the Dukes Of Hazzard.

If I went to a predominatelly black college no one would dare say those degrees are not respected and if some did others would be quick to admonish the posters and the posts might even get removed by a moderator, however it is still OK to malign the south, it's institutions, and it's residents. If I was black and through the posts I realized that many people here did not respect me simply because I had a degree from a black college I would not remain an active member. Why should I remain active on a forum when the same type of thoughts are prevalently posted about my college, my degree, and my area of the country with virtually nobody but myself being offended? The worst thing is that the people from the most "prestigious" schools were the most arrogant and offensive. Sorry to get off topic but you asked where I have been and that is my answer.

Got to run, my moonshine still is working overtime getting ready for my Saturday night sales of white lightning to Mrs Fife's 3rd grade class reunion tonight. The finest most educated members of my community will all be there, well except for those that are pregnant or in jail.......

I must have missed something here. Why did this come up?

But as long as we are here

You went to school in the South, I went to school in W.VA (and I really did drink moonshine with one of my classmates who lived nearby. I think he is a doctor now) You have to know that no one cares where you went to school, more than a few years after graduation...Heck, with the pace of "new knowledge" (Ive read that the world's total body of knowledge doubles every few years) what I learned over 40 years ago is pretty meaningless today...

I think we all have them and we all suffer from them; prejudices..

I assume that a young woman that speaks with a "valley girl" accent is stupid. I know its not true, but I also know that she has to overcome a bad first impression when she is talking to me...I dont like that this is my first impression...but there it is. "prejudice" in all its glory. At least this is one Im aware of and struggle to deal with it.

On the receiving end, Ive begun to see that there are a lot of folks that are wrong about old people....We really dont get more stupid and helpless as we get older...but as my hair got grayer and my wrinkles deeper...(and what do I do about this damned turkey neck?) the assumptions about my intellect also changed. There are pluses too...My tendency to be a dirty old man is tolerated now not because im not one but because the girls think Im harmless now (little do they know about the regular hormone injections and the little purple pill in my pocket)

Here on tug, there seems to be a accepted point of view that someone that would consider not paying their maintenance fees is something less than a good person. And how do you think all the posts that ask for prayers for a loved one make us atheists feel? Those posts belie a certain prejudice too.

Toughen up Tombo the one with the prejudice is the lesser person...not you

 

[swtravels]

I'm with you! $100 is so little when you consider that you would have essentially wasted 1/7 of your vacation and the possible added stress for all the remaining days.

OP here...Not sure how this $100 notion got started but the discount for the 7 nights is actually close to $1,000. I tried to book the trip on multiple travel websites and directly through the resort and never got a price within $1,000.

 

[djs]

To rebut that, say "We will apply at our bank for a mortgage with the timeshare as collateral."

I once got the line "oh, yeah the rate on this loan is about 15%, but when you get home to Boston you should easily be able to refinance it to something closer to 6%." This was at Worstgate and was not even supposed to be a sales pitch. It was supposed to be some survey for exchangers so they could find out how we liked the resort; I should have known better since this particular survey couldn't be filled out in the comfort of my unit. Needless to say, my guard was up and they got nothing from me.

 

[Passepartout]

OP here...Not sure how this $100 notion got started but the discount for the 7 nights is actually close to $1,000. I tried to book the trip on multiple travel websites and directly through the resort and never got a price within $1,000.

In this thread there have been a lot of anecdotal reports from folks who are serial presentation attenders. Small amounts seem to attract some more than others. One can tolerate more for a nearly free vacation than a small gift card or a few restaurant meals.

To the OP: We hope we haven't scared you out of going on the 'free (or cheap)' vacation and having a great time. As high pressure as the sales staff are, even they know that if you don't have a good time at the resort, you won't buy. No one would. Hopefully, you have found a few strategies to answer their arguments, and to shorten the presentation. I think letting the salesperson know fairly early in the process that you are aware that developer prices are hugely inflated to pay their commissions, and that you are knowledgeable on timeshare resales blunts any argument they can have. Simply saying 'No, thanks, I just came to satisfy the requirements of my vacation' should finish the job.

Please let us know how it comes out and if anything you read here was helpful.

Jim Ricks

 

[sail27bill]

Just tell them you found this great website called Tug and learned a whole lot about buying resale. FWIW, My husband and I did this at an owner update for Starwood last year (we had a cheap vacation deal offered to us and we took it). No matter what they said, we told them we weren't buying, we really liked Tug, and if we ever bought developer again (have 2 developer units), we would be retroing a unit as part of the sale. It was a pretty intense presentation all around, but I told them thanks but no thanks. It went on for over 2 hours. I used my husband's blackberry to hook up to ebay and see what the units were selling for. Told them sorry, but that $20,000 difference will pay for a lot of other things I need. Finally, they let us out.

Good luck and enjoy your vacation.

Anita

 

[bilfbr245]

Tombo, I too am glad to have you back. I have learned a lot over the years from your posts. But I was also following that thread about college choices, and I honestly do not think anyone involved in exchanges with you was bigotted in any way, nor do I think anyone insulted you or disparaged southern culture. Some referred to a perception about southern colleges that is an independently verifiable fact notwithstanding anyone's actual opinion on the merits. (For what its worth, I graduated from a southern university.) I would like to think that after passions have cooled over a couple months, that you might go back and re-read the posts and question whether or not you might have been a little bit overly sensitive. And to be honest, the only person making insults on the thread was you. Are you really happy several months later with some of the disparaging remarks you dished out? A little self reflection at times can work wonders. You are among friends here, and we all get a little riled up and carried away sometimes. But it is sometimes useful to reflect upon our own issues too.

 

[Talent312]

Next time I will watch the rain from my balcony or take a nap rather than let myself get aggravated on vacation for $100. It just isn't worth it IMO.

I'm with you on this... and shucks, I went to an SEC school, as well.

Whether its saving $100 or $500, I will not have my sanity questioned nor my vacation time encumbered by these slimeball cretins, no matter what they offer. They say that everyone has a price, but some of us think there are a few things more valuable than $$.

 

[vacationtime1]

We quit going to presentations years ago since the misery is not worth $100 to us.

. . . .

I went to gifting mad, I went back to the room mad, and once again I would rather not have gone through that misery for $100. Next time I will watch the rain from my balcony or take a nap rather than let myself get aggravated on vacation for $100. It just isn't worth it IMO.

I'm with you on this...

Whether its saving $100 or $500, I will not have my sanity questioned nor my vacation time encumbered by these slimeball cretins, no matter what they offer. They say that everyone has a price, but some of us think there are a few things more valuable than $$.

Me too.

Vacations are to reduce stress, not to create it.

 

[presley]

It isn't worth the money to me, either.

You could go in drunk. Go in drunk and obnoxious. Maybe they will let you out early.

 

[tombo]

Tombo, I too am glad to have you back. I have learned a lot over the years from your posts. But I was also following that thread about college choices, and I honestly do not think anyone involved in exchanges with you was bigotted in any way, nor do I think anyone insulted you or disparaged southern culture. Some referred to a perception about southern colleges that is an independently verifiable fact notwithstanding anyone's actual opinion on the merits. (For what its worth, I graduated from a southern university.) I would like to think that after passions have cooled over a couple months, that you might go back and re-read the posts and question whether or not you might have been a little bit overly sensitive. And to be honest, the only person making insults on the thread was you.

In my original post I said:

The reality is that Bama's out of state tutition and that of many southern universities is often cheaper than in state at many northern Universities. One of my best friends in college was from Michigan and his father was a VP worldwide of a Ford division. He came to Bama for the football (spectator not player) and said it was cheaper than in state at Michigan State.

All kidding aside unless you are wealthy OR POOR, Ivy League schools are unaffordable. The poor go there for free subsidised by the wealthy, the government, and the working stiffs who go too far in debt for a 4 year degree IMO. At about $60,000 to $70,000 a year a 4 year Ivy degree will cost $200,000 or more compared to around $50,000 for a public school. The connections and jobs will undoubtably be better at the Ivy league schools, but if you have 2 kids a $400,000 outlay over an 8 year period is just not feasible for most.

Look at their desired degree and search for the best public schools on the net. My school is ranked 34th on the 2011 USA Today's top schools. Florida, Georgia, and UNC Chapel Hill are top 20.
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandr...ges/rankings/national-universities/top-public
.

These are some of the posts that followed. To not feel that these are negative posts about southern colleges is ridiculous.

I would, however, add the caution that the big football schools in the south tend to not be as well regarded academically outside of the south. Here in Georgia people tend to think you can't do much better than UGA or Georgia Tech - in New York, Boston, Chicago, etc. the attitude is not the same.

Tombo,

Fair or not, the statement that an SEC won't carry much weight out of SEC country is probably true, with the exception of Vandy.

I'm not being a hater, and I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone. As you can see, I live in Georgia. However, I've lived a lot of other places before I lived here (including Europe). Your initial comment quoted above is correct - people assume that academic institutions in the southern US are substandard. Whether that assumption is right or wrong is somewhat irrelevant - it IS the assumption of a lot of people. I just think it's something to factor in when considering a university. When it comes time for our daughter to choose a school, my husband and I have every intention of encouraging her to look outside of the southeast, simply because of the above-mentioned prejudices/assumptions about schools in the south. Whatever US News says, people are going to believe what they're going to believe.

You are bragging about being number 34 in the ranking of Public Universities? LOL. It's actual ranking is number 79 in national Universities.

Saying SEC schools (aside from Vanderbilt) are anywhere close to any of the top 20 Private Universities in the Country is like saying Alabama is close to San Jose State in football. It just isn't true no matter how you spin it.

Gee how could I have gotten mad from the above comments? How could I not have?

 

[bjones9942]

All you have to do is say this: 'Perdone, mi hemmorrhoids están actuando para arriba.'

If they give you grief after that, add '¿Le frotarlas para mí?'. I can assure you they will show you the door very quickly.


As an aside, Ron - there certainly can be circumstances where you need to just walk away. My issue is that it shouldn't be the first option.

 

[bilfbr245]

Duplicate Post

 

[bilfbr245]

After graduating from a southern university, I attended the University of Maine Law School. In a recent published article on law school rankings, the author obeserved that although the University of Maine Law School was a very high quality school, it still might lack the reputation or cache that some of the better known law schools have. So, perceptions mattter, to some extent at least, and students thinking of attending UM might take this into consideration. I think that this is all that the other posters were trying to say. They were talking about perception.

Now I am even bracing in case someone tells me someday that UM Law is not as good as Harvard or Columbia, not only in perception but also in reality. This could happen I suppose. And I could react angrily I guess and claim that everyone is bigotted and thinks that we are all backwater hicks up here in Maine. (Full disclosure, I am a little bit of a backwater hick, but am working on it.)

I did not participate in that other thread, but read the posts as an impartial observer, and I am telling you that, in my opinion, people were just trying to be helpful to the OP. I don't think that the posts your quote here are bigotted. The one post that is a little confrontational from Boca came as a reaction after some heat had already been generated.

 

[krmlaw]

yes! we have the perfect one.

at our last presentation (after we found TUG and ebay sales), I printed out an ad for $1 on ebay of the resort we were touring.

After 90 minutes, I said to them their time was up, that I had agreed to 90 minutes and no more.

I then asked to speak with the highest supervisor to make an offer.

He came over thinking he had a sale, and I gave him the ebay ad for $1.

I told him if he could match the ebay ad, I would sign right there and then.

He looked at us, laughed, and told us to have a nice day.

 

[ampaholic]

To the OP:

I think if you find out what college or university the timeshare presenters went to and then disrespect those schools you will disrupt the thread er presentation enough that they will get frustrated and kick you out.

If necessary after they start steaming, dial it back and act like you are totally surprised they are offended, it works here

To Tombo:

I would have been steamed as well and I didn't even go to an SEC school. You know who and you know who 2 were sure kicking the dog for no good reason. :annoyed:

To bilfbr245:

I think the dog has done gone and run off. :zzz:

 

[DeniseM]

I see no reason to rehash the college thread here - please stay on-topic.

If you must re-open the college thread - post in that thread - not here.

:deadhorse:

 

[Rob&Carol Q]

I see no reason to rehash the college thread here - please stay on-topic.

If you must re-open the college thread - post in that thread - not here.

:deadhorse:

Party pooper....

 

[DebBrown]

Gee how could I have gotten mad from the above comments? How could I not have?

tombo, Here's the thing you need to remember: One person - or even 5 or 10 people - do not represent every TUG member's view. There are hundreds more of us out here! It would be ashame if you let something like this drive you away from TUG. I am glad you are still here.

Deb

 

[bilfbr245]

DeniseM, Most respectfully, I think you are missing the point here. TUG contributors on on another thread are being called bigots on this thread. That is the only reason I posted. It is also suggested that these TUG contributors are in effect responsible for perpetuating derogative stereotypes about southern culture. I think this kind of name calling is intemperate and iinappropriate at best. These contributors are being mischaracterized out of context. And people on this thread are accepting the mischaracterizations, calling these contributors stupid, lesser people, and not representative of TUG. I would have thought that that would have been the point at which moderators stepped in, not when someone stepped in to restore a little perpective. I have no skin in this game. I was not part of the other thread. But I hate to sit back and see good people maligned based on misrepresentation and hyberbole for offering what they intended to be helpful comments. Its one thing to disagree with a poster, and debate with him. Its something else to malign his character on another thread that he may not even be aware of. Trying to set the record straight once comments like this are allowed on a thread should never be considered off topic.

 

[DeniseM]

1) It is clearly off-topic

2) I see no sense in reopening a topic that was so inflammatory for some.

3) I do not read every post - I wasn't aware of the direction this thread had taken, until it was reported today.

Please let it go, or post in the other thread -better yet, let's put it behind us and move on.

If there are those that want to continue the debate, I recommend that you take it private.

Further off-topic posts will be deleted.

 

[MLR]

I am still laughing as I write this............

I will be ready:hysterical: :hysterical: ...

Or as soon as the attorneys get that pesky fraud , wrongful death, etc lawsuit off my back,

This isn't my wife, she didn't want to come ....

All of these work pretty well, but if you just don't respond and ask or answer any questions with anything except, I just came for the free gift, breakfast, room, etc over and over again, they normally get the message.

jmho, Greg

:hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical:

THIS IS THE FUNNIEST POST I HAVE READ IN AGES!!!!!!!!!!!! I know the poster was serious - but it does help to have a sense of humor about these things. We were toying with the notion of attending a presentation in exchange for Disney discounts - we just might now - with the help given in this thread. I am still smiling!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Maeltne]

Print off a few closed auctions for their specific time-share on Ebay. Show that you can get the same thing for 5%-10% of their cost.

Note that if they sign your discount/attendance note quickly you'll leave quietly - otherwise in 5 minutes you'll start making the same comments - but loudly.