High Pressure Sales?

[garymacd]

I don't know if this has been asked before, so here goes.

We have always seen the displays for the DVC but never had the courage to step up to it. We have heard horror stories from friends about the high pressure sales techniques used by other (read: non-Disney) properties.

Now, everyone. Tell the truth: how high pressure are the sales techniques at DVC?

High pressure?

Team Sales?

Brow Beating?

Intimidating?

Stealing Our Children for It's A Small World if we don't agree to buy?

[KineGirl]

I was just like you...I HATE high pressure sales and the only reason I even went on the DVC tour was because I already knew I was buying in all those many years ago. I was so afraid of the things you mentioned but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised that there was no pressure at all! It was great! The rep was awesome and it was totally relaxed and informative. I think (I could be wrong) that the DVC salespeople are on salary and not commissioned based which might have a lot to do with it. Either way it was nothing like our RIC timeshare pitch, which again, I only went on because I knew we would get it - which was over the top high pressure.:sick: In that case though, its worth to hold back a little as the deal gets a little better with each "no thanks". :thumbsup: DVC is actually a fun tour IMO.. like everything Disney does!

[dolphinmickey9170]

Glen, our sales rep, was FABULOUS. There was nothing mentioned above. Glen sat with us and answered every question we had, he never pushed, pulled, twisted or wrangled. We did sign the day we left and they worked everything out perfectly. I never once felt pressured. I know I could have walked out at any time and not felt like I had been forced.

[Kidsmom]

No Pressure!! We went....kinda interested....

We actually really liked what we heard and felt like we kept the meeting going long. We could have been done in 30 min. EASY...we were there 1.5 hours. We called him every day over the next 5 days with questions we came up with and he answered honestly with NO pressure. We did it and LOVE it.

I actually tell people to go if they are mildly thinking about it and hear if there are good incentives to go (we got free fast passes for us and the kids) because you hear and see all about what you have been wondering about....with out the pressure.

As to what the OP said about Salary vs commission: I wonder the same thing. I think they get a great salary (Our guide talked about how long he worked at WDW before he got this job) but I have to think there probably is some comission. I would love to hear from someone who knows!

If you are interested.....take the tour....little pressure....and you get ice cream at the end!

[Maleficent's Dad]

I think DVC must pay their sales' reps salaries that are high for the industry as they do not push at all. Although there has to be some sort of commission - hey, it is a sales business after all!

Their attitude is great. It's sort of like, "Here's what we've got. It's a great product. Call me if you're interested. Take your time, and good luck with your decision." There's really NO pressure to buy at all. We have been surprised at how lax the sales' reps can be at times...

We've added points over the years, and NEVER have they tried any pitch to get us to do more than we wanted.

Our initial contracts were done totally over the phone and via fax/mail.

One time we actually went and met with our sales' rep - he was great. Gave us FP's and ice cream just for saying hello!

[sillyolbear]

Having the same reservations you have regarding high pressure sales, I was nervous going into our tour. However, it really is true--DVC is different. Our guide was anything but high pressure.

[mook3y]

I would say that if there is any "high pressure" to your visit, it most likely would be coming from a spouse. :D

[Queen Stephanie]

I totally understand your reservations regarding
high-pressure sales persons...however, I must say we purchased our DVC resort at OKW in 2000 and our sale rep was not pushy at all. In fact, she just plugged in a DVD and left us alone in the room. After DH and I watched this magical DVD with glittery pictures of happy people and Disney's amazing music, we were convinced that we should own a piece of the magic. The DVD is the powerful tool, I mean after watching it and purchasing DVC we joked around about changing our names to Disney! The Queen:mickey:

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

I would say that if there is any "high pressure" to your visit, it most likely would be coming from a spouse. :D

ITA!:thumbsup:
All of our communication was done over the phone. We bought in sight unseen. Our rep fielded many calls from us over the course of a few days while my husband went back and forth. We never felt any pressure at all.

My husband was the only one to feel any kind of pressure, from me!!:thedolls:

[AHOTE]

We had a very relaxed and informative tour. We were never pushed or pressured and Maribelle, :number1: our Vacation Club Guide, was great. We spent about an hour and a half with her at WDW and a few hours over the phone in the week after our return to finalize our purchase. I have no reservations in recommending DVC to anyone who is even a little bit interested. The Magic is there.

[Sharon1026]

No pressure at all when we were looking. That would be very un-Disney like.

[JMTStone]

The only pressure was from us calling Brendan every other day to ask questions. He was really patient. We didn't visit at the parks, we ordered the DVD online then took a few months to call them.

I'm with Sean Riley Taylor's mom (as usual)...

[garymacd]

Thanks, everyone for your time and input. I hope it puts others at ease if they are considering purchasing DVC.

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

I was wondering the same thing. Thanks for all the responses. My DH and I have thought about looking into it but we haven't because we've had bad experiences in the past with VC sales people. I think we'll have to look into it in Oct.

I have one question - Which resort do they show you? Do you have a choice?

[Kidsmom]

They show you Saratoga Springs (I believe that it is not sold out yet), but they also show you a sample of AK right there at Saratoga. So, you get a choice.

Good Luck!!

[Ed]

Stealing Our Children for It's A Small World if we don't agree to buy?

You say that like it's a BAD thing ! :D



I would say that if there is any "high pressure" to your visit, it most likely would be coming from a spouse. :D

Amen. I was skeptical and reluctant until DW, our resident bookkeeper and budget guru, said she thought it would be good for us. I had the last word in THAT discussion. "Yes, dear." And I haven't regretted that decision one bit.



If you are interested.....take the tour....little pressure....and you get ice cream at the end!

"Little" pressure? Not in our case. More like NO pressure. Our guide, Susie, was the most laid-back salesperson I've ever encountered. And that's a GOOD thing!

Susie was so good to work with that we subsequently ended up making three additional purchases after our first. When we're in the SSR area, we often stop by the Preview Center just to say Hi to her.

And BTW - we were referred to Susie by the world-famous :thedolls: JimmyC :thedolls: , another DVC member.

And who can resist free ice cream at the end of the tour ? :bar:

[FUN]

I Will Have To Check It Out When Im Their In November

[Horizon93]

No pressure at all. Our guide Rob gave us a great presentation, answered all of our questions, and knew we were not going to sign right away. He sent us out feeling informed, not pressured and seriously considering. By later that day. DW and I had decided that were in. ON the flight home we determined that 160 wasn't enough, then 180 wasn't enough, and settled at 210. Now we are at 295!

A year ago, as I looked forward to our WDW trip to the Swan, I had no intention of even talking to someone at the kiosks let alone taking the tour. But I am glad we did!

[gmgdisneymom]

I agree - not only low pressure but no pressure. AND we got fast passes to use immed. at any ride. Something like 4 rides for every person in our group. AND they kept giving them to us - I think we ended up with 12 each - we had to finally give some away because we couldn't use them all.

I think we pressured the sales guy more than he pressured us. I felt bad about harassing him instead of the other way around. We only had one day left so he came in on his day off to finalize everything and according to the other sales lady - he did not really have to be there - which makes me think that they are on salary and not commission.

After we signed up he sent us stuff for the kids and some other things. Very nice - nothing like I have ever experienced with time shares before

[ElenitaB]

I actually had to pressure our guide as I needed to get the airport and wanted to sign on the dotted line before our plane left! ;)

On the other hand, the sales staff at Sheraton made me cry (seriously). Not nice at all. :mad:

[gmgdisneymom]

The time share people in Mexico (private resort) were evil. I was afraid that we would have to call the police to get them to let us leave

[McGoofy]

I'm here at WDW right now!:mickey: We took the tour yesterday with a guy named Todd. No pressure at all!!! He said it would take about an hour, but we took an hour and a half just because we had lots of questions. He did not pressure us to buy at all, and even encouraged us to think about a less expensive incentive plan that they are offering right now where you can buy at AK Villas for just 100 points rather than the normal 160. We had a great DVC tour, and enjoyed using our bonus fast passes today at Toy Story Midway Mania for the grand opening.:thumbsup:

[Fryguy]

I bought in in '01 when my wife and I where there and there was no pressure. We decided to add on a few years later and our rep, Doug, took care of us again as well. He treated our son to snacks and stuff and make it real fun for him.

I just called him again the other day - what 7 years later - to add on more points. It took us 5 minutes to add more points - no problems, no pressure, and incredibly helpful.

How many time share places have the same people there over over 7 years?

They make you feel like family.

[Tygger7]

We went on the DVC tour for the first time on our last visit to WDW, which was just a couple of weeks ago. Our sales rep was Caesar, and I must say I was disappointed. He was much "pushier" than I was expecting and kept trying to get us to commit to a time to come back and finalize the deal before we checked out, saying that he couldn't give us the best deal once we left. He was extremely difficult to understand, and I got to the point where I quit asking questions because I couldn't understand his answers (and I've found out since that some of his answers weren't totally accurate). Then, to make matters even worse, he called our hotel room EVERY DAY until we left trying to entice us to "buy now". I basically decided that when we do buy into DVC, we're going buy "used" so we can get one of the Wilderness Lodge Villas, since that's where I want to be.

On a side note, do you guys have any contacts/resources that you recommend should I want to talk to someone to get more info? There's just no way I want to talk to Caesar again.

[Momof2boys]

We had always planned to do the tour while at WDW, but never seemed to make the time. While on Spring Break, we wandered into the Disney Doorway to Dreams store at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, IL. They showed us an exact replica of the Kidani Village rooms, took the boys into a play area while we had our questions answered, watched a DVD, and talked about it. It was just LIKE being at WDW. They even gave us some trinkets to take home. We weren't ready to sign yet, but left with tons of knowledge.

Last month my MIL's condo sold, so 2 months after being there in March we called and went down to sign the papers - giving us 300 points at SSR. Received the promotional incentives PLUS some really nice swag.

[Maleficent's Dad]

I just called him again the other day - what 7 years later - to add on more points.

How many time share places have the same people there over over 7 years?
I've always felt the same. Our rep told us that he's been there since *almost* the beginning and will retire from DVC. He enjoys his job, is an owner at DVC, and is very relaxed. We also have added on points in less than 1/2 an hour!

On a side note, do you guys have any contacts/resources that you recommend should I want to talk to someone to get more info? There's just no way I want to talk to Caesar again.
I would definitely contact DVC directly (not Caesar) and express/emphasize the following:
1. You felt pressured by the sales' rep
2. He "hounded" you during your vacation! :mad:
3. Other members have shared with you how easy a process it is to purchase and this guy was the antithesis of what you expected

Contact phone for non-members:
(800) 500-3990

If you go to:
http://dvc.disney.go.com/dvc/index
you can "chat live" with a rep - perhaps ask there who you could contact with a complaint about this sales' rep.

WDW Community Relations phone number is:
407-560-6233

You can also always email WDW directly and put "DVC Sales" in the subject line:
[email protected]
OR
Walt Disney World Guest Communications
PO Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040

[xipetotec]

I don't know if this has been asked before, so here goes.

We have always seen the displays for the DVC but never had the courage to step up to it. We have heard horror stories from friends about the high pressure sales techniques used by other (read: non-Disney) properties.

Now, everyone. Tell the truth: how high pressure are the sales techniques at DVC?

High pressure?

Team Sales?

Brow Beating?

Intimidating?

Stealing Our Children for It's A Small World if we don't agree to buy?

I have a testimonial that fits right in with the good side of this!

My parents felt the same way. They had been to Timeshare presentations before, and my father was *very* wary. But back in 2002, my mother was just too curious, and she approached one of the stands and asked what it was all about. They told her a bit, and gave her some basic initial numbers and invited them to the presentation.

Before going, my father worked out the numbers he expected to see. He went in there saying "If they present me with a bunch more numbers, I'm outta there. If they use terms like 'you better buy now', I'm out of there! If they pull any kind of pressure tactics, or force us to stay there, I'm outta there" .... suffice it to say, they came back the proud owners of BCV points ( and have since added on twice ).

Also, We've all seen the DVC counters. can anyone say they've been harassed by them? I get a friendly "hello" and maybe a welcome home if I'm AT a DVC resort. and that's it.

In contrast, when at Universal Studios, I was having all sorts of folks approaching me with pamphlets and "free theme park day to visit out presentation" ... simply annoying.

[Ian]

We took kind of a long and winding road to joining DVC ... I think we first looked into it back in like 2002 maybe.

Ricardo, the sales rep we talked to back then, was really great. I wouldn't say he was "no pressure", but definitely very, very low key. He mostly put out an aura of, "Look ... I know what I'm selling basically sells itself, so I'm not going to hammer you into buying."

We appreciated that. Ultimately that time around we decided it wasn't the right time for us to buy in (stupid, stupid, STUPID!!) and Ricardo was cool with that. He never called back, harrassed us, or anything. Just accepted our decision and let us move on.

So when we went back to look again in 2007, we were pleasantly surprised that Ricardo was again our sales rep. Same low key presentation, same laid back attitude ... and this time it worked and we bought in.

Best decision we ever made!

One thing to note, though ... we contacted him a few months ago about maybe doing an add-on and that ended up being a little more high pressure than I would have liked. He really was pushing us to do an SSR add-on by March 1st, because incentives ran out, we'd get a great deal, etc.

I had told him we were really looking for a resale at another resort (we like the option of staying in different places and being able to book at the 11 months window), but he was pretty locked in on SSR.

That was a little disappointing.

[xipetotec]

One thing to note, though ... we contacted him a few months ago about maybe doing an add-on and that ended up being a little more high pressure than I would have liked. He really was pushing us to do an SSR add-on by March 1st, because incentives ran out, we'd get a great deal, etc.

I had told him we were really looking for a resale at another resort (we like the option of staying in different places and being able to book at the 11 months window), but he was pretty locked in on SSR.

That was a little disappointing.

When we wanted to add on, I met with our guy Nick Tamberino ( on behalf of my mother, since I was on-site ). She wanted Beach Club Villas. And this was two years ago, way after everything was sold out. He said so, said he could put me on a list. He DID mention SSR, but didn't push it. If anything, he tried to get us to get boardwalk as he said this becomes more available in resale, but again, didn't push it, just mentioned it was easier to get resales.

In the end, we got a resale from Jaki Apetz, but it wasn't because of any shortcomings from Nick, DVC just didn't have what we wanted in "stock".

[Disney Dudes]

DVC is definitely a low/no pressure sales atmosphere. Pretty sure they do work on base pay w/commission and that they are not to pressure people. They know that they have a great product with almost a captive audience that will basically sell itself.

I have had many dealings with my guide (Gib) over the last 10 years or so and I cannot express enough how great he is to deal with. In my opinion he has helped me out more than I would ever expected from WDW.

I doubt the Guide that was "high pressure" will be there very long because that is not the Disney way. If he is, I guarantee he will have to go through training again.

In February of this year, I took a tour of another Vacation Club or whatever it was called! We were at Universal near one of the water rides and the next thing I knew I was in some hut with some nut case offering reduced blue man group tickets. To get out of there, I gave him the $20.00 deposit and signed up for a tour. I really didn't expect that I would go but thought the $20 was worth it to leave.

We decide why not and take the tour, get the free lunch, and our tickets. Well lunch was hot dogs and whatever, the sales guy asks how we ended up there, told him, and he's like "oh, one of the head hunter's brought you in here" (real nice huh!). So the sales guy is trying to impress us with numbers, facts, etc, who the owner knows, etc. and then we check out the rooms (which were nice) and then we go to hard sales area! Wow! I wasn't sure at first but after entering this place, I was sure that everyone working there was wearing black (kind of odd for Florida - you know the orange, yellow, and blue thing!) and did we get the **** and hard sales line. They actually had people at tables at this place and if they bought, someone came around with a microphone and announced it.

I finally convinced the guy that I could not make a decision at this time (several walk aways and come back with better deal (actually just different), and then finally told the big kuhuna - NO! They pretty much told us - no deal now or for for the next year and a half or so and then just blew us completely off. We did figure out where to get our blue man group tickets, a voucher for a cheap stay in one of their units for a week (LOL - if any one is interested!). So anxious to get out, I walked a half mile or so to get my car so I didn't have to wait for a ride.

Sorry to be so long - but hopefully I have saved someone some trouble. My advise - Buy DVC, if at Universal, stay wide left near the sales huts (if they're on right!), and finally just go to a booth in front of most 7-11's and get discounted tickets to the Blue Man Group!

[Disney Dudes]

My wife just informed me they were not called "head hunters". The actual description is "body snatchers"!

[garymacd]

Thanks, everyone, for the information and opinions. I don't feel so intimidated to approach them now.

Although I will make a wide port beam turn around anyone I see at Universal - if I ever deign to go there.

[Reyam56]

High pressure...NOT AT ALL!
We first looked at the property in October of '95. They suggested we go home and talk it over the decide. In January of '96 we signed the papers. It was all done via mail. It couldn't have been any less high pressure at all.

[RAIDER]

Well we went in with an open mind and with the attitude we wouldnt be able to afford it :) and we treated it as a bit of a laugh and a day out of sorts to satify our curiosity .
With that attitude in mind we were lucky to have a rep called Michael Collier who was brilliant and at never at any point put the high pressure sales on . In fact he said right from the word go that this sort of plan doesnt suit everyone .To which its very true .
Hence to say it did suit our lifestyle and we bought into the BLT and our only regret is that we didnt buy into the DVC 5 years earlier :thumbsup:

[garymacd]

I remember coming home from a national computer show a couple of years ago an signing a chit for some free draw.

Guess what I won?

A FREE 14 day vacation!

2 days in Miami
3 days on a cruise
2 days in New Orleans
2 days in Mexico
2 days in Los Angeles
Blah, blah, blah!

I also won some art work.

And all I had to do was pay my air fare to get to each of these locations, and listen to a sales pitch at each of them.

Guess what I did?

Told the caller I didn't think I won much and hung up. He wasn't very understanding about why I didn't want to accept such great prize.

That was why I started this thread.

[pianobabe]

DH and I did a DVC tour with Michael Collier back in 2008. He was great. We never felt any pressure from him (or anyone else we came in contact with) what so ever. We were not able to buy at that time, but eventually we want too. Every now and then we will get an email from Michael talking about a new deal, but the emails are something we agreed to receive. When we are able to buy into DVC, we would not hesitate to talk with Michael or any of the other sales reps.

[DonLefNY]

A few years before signing up for DVC we did a timeshare presentation in Hawaii. Very high pressure at that one. The presentation with DVC was like a chat with a neighbor over coffee.

[MariMouse]

There is absolutely no pressure! We did a tour of the Boardwalk way back when--and didn't buy! I've regretted that decision, but we did buy through Timeshares Store in 2004. So my advice is take the tour and buy!:thumbsup:

[MinnieMommie]

I always say that I wish my guide had been more resourceful in encouraging me to become a member. I should have bought in to DVC earlier. We also had no pressure when we added on. We are planning to add on again and talk with our guide about this but all she does is talk with us and follow our lead. She does not push at all. :mickey:

[DVC2004]

Guides are discouraged from pressuring at DVC. Subtle pressure is OK, and most people don't realize it because it's so smooth. Velvet hammer!

[CardsFan81]

I didn't find the pitch to be high pressured at all. Our rep was GREAT about making sure we didn't feel pressured. The tour was a blast too. We were glad we did it.

We didn't buy DVC while we were on property b/c we wanted to make sure we weren't buying 'in the moment.' We also talked with random DVC members on our trip to find out what they liked and what they didn't like.

[andywicks]

We didn't experience any pressure at all duringthe sales process! In fact we did not commit whilst we were on vacation, but phoned from home (UK) a few weeks later and paperword was sent out. We found DVC to be very professional, but not pushy and if you do commit whilst you are at the sales centre, you meet the quality assurance manager (after the sales rep) to ensure that you fully understand everything. They have no problem if you need time toi think and go back another time or commit later from home!

We have added to our points on two occassions and always had the same good experience. The "free" ice cream at the Saratoga Springs sales centre is good too! (Its the most expensive "free" ice cream in the world mind you! Costr us about $10000 as I recall :cool:).

We started with 270 points ay VWL and have since added a further 270 at VAKL.

Make sure you understand the annual dues figures that are payable annually rather than via a payment plan! We find DVC perfect for us and have done a "points + cash" cruise twice now also using our DVC points...:mickey:

Have fun!

[Loweschevy]

It defintely was not a high pressure sale for us. Jonathon bascially laid everything out and allowed us to make the decision. You were in a small little office, but its not like they left you there for hours or the heat was left one either. My parents felt more comfortable making the decision after the presentation as well.

A few years ago, my parents looked into the Marriott Vacation Club. We stayed at the Canyon Villas @ Desert Ridge in Phoenix in exchange for attending the sales pitch for 1.5 hours.

Well after 3 hours, my parents were totally whizzed off, this was high pressure, multiple sales people in the rooms at different times, tiny little room etc. Marriott's price was about $30,000, or twice what the standard DVC investment was and the perks were no where near as good.