Making informed decisions

I had my first brush with time-share sales while vacationing last year with my wife in Charleston, S.C. Can’t say that it was a bad experience, given it required only about 90 minutes, we got a $100 debit card and plenty of observations to analyze later. Most importantly of all, we escaped the high-pressure zone commitment-free.

A glib salesman described all kinds of resorts to a group of us. He showed photos of exotic scenes. We received a fat directory listing vacation spots around the globe, each available for points earned by paying a monthly fee. Still, putting it all together – equating dollars, points and value – was far beyond the scope of this quick session. Nor was it spelled out in print.

Once we were alone with our young woman handler, who earlier had been so friendly, she began to tighten the screws for about $30,000.

“You don’t really expect me to sign this right now, do you?” I asked. Of course, I knew the answer. “Is there anything I can take home to study this a little closer so I can understand it?” That, too, had an obvious response.

I have no idea how many of the couples, still huddled with salespeople as we exited, partnered with this group. Perhaps some who did are happy with the results.

Switching carriers can cost thousands of dollars.