Sandos Cancun Timeshare Presentation
Our stay at Sandos Cancun was purchased via a timeshare offer were we agreed to attend a presentation in exchange for a four-night all-inclusive stay at the hotel for $150.
I was a bit skeptical about the offer over the phone; however, at $150 for the four-night stay, I was willing to give it a shot.
The hotel could be booked online for four-nights at around $1,500 to $2,000.
We were told that the presentation would be about 90-minutes. I assumed that was not correct as I had previously attended a presentation that lasted three-hours.
Booking Process
The booking process for the hotel was somewhat lengthy. At first I had to give potential dates to the travel company that sold the package via telephone or email.
The travel company took about three days before they got back to me and requested that I complete a document certifying the following things:
- We were married
- We lived at the same address
- We made over $50,000 in annual income
- We have never taken a presentation at Sandos Cancun
- We do not own any timeshare or vacation ownership properties
- We have a Visa or Mastercard credit card
Once we signed the form, the agent setup a reservation and said I would receive a phone call from the hotel to confirm.
About five days later, I received a phone call from someone at Sandos that asked for my to confirm the same six things.
Once that was complete, I received an email confirmation from the hotel which finalized the reservation.
Arrival at the hotel
The check in at the hotel was complicated. We were first required to go to the front desk but then were sent over to the time share area where an agent asked several questions.
We were required to show both of our identification cards which listed us living at the same address and we had to show them that we had a VISA or MasterCard credit card.
Once we did that, the agent scheduled the presentation for the third morning at 8:00 AM and said that we could not schedule any tours, activities, spa treatments or other events for the entire day. We were told that we would have to show our identification cards and credit card again the morning of the presentation.
We proceeded to check in and were able to enjoy the hotel’s facilities for a few days. We were required to authorize $1,500 on our credit card which would be refunded after we complete the presentation.
Presentation
On the morning of the presentation, we arrived at the desk to check in. The agent asked us to show him our identification cards and credit card. The agent confirmed that we were married, lived together, made over $50,000 in income, had never had a timeshare presentation at Sandos and that we did not own any timeshare.
The colleague thanked us and he introduced us to the timeshare sales rep who escorted us to the lounge.
The rep was friendly and polite. He asked us several questions including if we owned any time share or have visited Sandos before. We said no.
He stopped us there and said that they normally do not offer these presentations to people who do not already own time share. He said he would have to get his manager approval to give us the presentation.
This was silly and it was just a sales tactic as we went through so many layers of reservation process and confirmation were each time we certified those things.
The manager came over and he said they would make an exception this time if we were willing to keep an open mind on the experience.
The sales rep invited us to have breakfast with him in the buffet.
We selected our meal and we made light conversation with him while we were enjoying our meal.
Once breakfast was complete, the presentation began.
The sales rep took us to one of the rooms that are given to the owners at the hotel.
Sales Pitch
The room featured a Junior Suite with a living room and bedroom. The living room had a balcony that overlooked the ocean.
The bedroom was setup neatly and the bed was decorated with a welcome message. The room also offered a view of the ocean.
The furniture in the room was a bit dated and the sales rep informed us that the hotel was going through a renovation and the rooms would soon be refreshed.
From the room the sales rep escorted us to a lounge for owners.
The lounge was modern and it featured a luxury bar with premium drinks and a variety of seating.
After visiting the lounge, we were escorted to the sales office where he showed us posters listing each of the locations of Sandos and he explained the amenities that were offered at those hotels.
Once we did that, he escorted us into another room with a table and chair.
The temperature in the room was warm and it was not comfortable.
The sales rep made the presentation at that time.
The sales rep highlighted the opportunity with it being an RCI property and that available to book a week anywhere in the world each year for our ownership or we could stay at the hotel one week each year.
The rep offered an option for Junior Suite, One Bedroom Suite or Two-Bedroom suite.
A first offer of about $30,000 was given to us where you would put over $10k down and then finance the rest.
For that we would get 20 years of one week per-year that could be used at the hotel in a junior suite or throughout the world via RCI. For the RCI option, a booking fee of about $200 per-week was required.
We would be required to pay an annual fee of around $200, as well as a daily per-person charge for all-inclusive at the resort each time we wanted to stay at the hotel.
We declined that offer and was presented with a smaller offer.
We said no to that offer also and were offered a third even smaller offer.
None of the offers made sense to us as they required some up front payment and then annual fee and daily per-person charge for all-inclusive.
The sales rep was friendly and it was not as high pressure as I have seen from other resorts; however, the offer just did not seem like something we would be interested in.
We were finally escorted back to the front desk where we were given back our check-in deposit slip and they thanked us for attending and wished us an enjoyable stay.
In total the presentation lasted two hours and 30 minutes including breakfast.
It could have been shorter if breakfast was not included.
Since we were staying at an all-inclusive resort where breakfast was included anyway it would have been better if that part was skipped because we could have eaten at the same restaurant.
Summary
The presentation was a bit lengthy; however, we felt that the offer just did not make sense for us. We felt that sales rep was friendly and polite. It would have been nicer if the room was more comfortable while we sat through the presentation.
Have you attended a time share presentation? What was your experience like?
Are you a time share owner at an all-inclusive resort? Do you find it worth it even though you have to pay a daily per-person charge?
8 comments
How did you get this offer?
The offer was one of the ones where they call you on the phone and require you to purchase right then… It was an offer for two four-night stays for a total of $300 or $150 per-stay. The offer was available after some back and forth with them. I believe they started at around $800.
We own two timeshares and really enjoy them… more spacious rooms and better amenities than most hotels. However, I wouldn’t do an all-inclusive because the math just doesn’t really work out… you have to pay to buy, pay your annual maintenance dues, then you have to pay a per person daily rate for the all-inclusive. For all-inclusives, you are better off finding deals like this or on Groupon… or using points for Wyndham, Hyatt, or IHG all-inclusive properties.
Most, if not all timeshare presentations are scams. You think you are strong enough to resist their sales tactics, but they are really good at what they do. I got suckered into one in Tahoe. A very expensive mistake. Once the papers were signed, there was no availability for trading overseas or our home resort for the next three years. You can’t ever get rid of a timeshare either. You can’t sell it because the market is saturated with people who want out of it. You’ll pay maintenance fees for the rest of your life. They also don’t tell you that your heirs will be footed with the bill when you die, whether they want it or not. If you want a vacation home, buy one aftermarket. TUG is a great website to find timeshares for very little money. The resorts make you pay full price just for a couple extras. Do your research, buyer beware, and don’t sign anything you don’t understand.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I know timeshares work for many people but you are right, they are very difficult to sell. I know most people if they are able to sell them sell for pennies on the dollar just to get rid of the maintenance dues.
Do you still own the one in Tahoo? Or did you sell it on TUG? Is it an RCI or Interval resort?
I know for me time shares just do not make sense. But I was willing to go to the presentation when the four night stay was only $150 including food and drinks.
I still own the one in Tahoe. We hired a lawyer to get us out of the contract. A very expensive mistake. We still pay the mortgage and maintenance fees while we go to France and have to rent hotel rooms since we can’t get any availability. It is Interval Resort.
That’s awful you can never trade it. I know it is a really common problem. I’ve read if you have a beach one in Hawaii or Mexico it is easier to trade for locations in Europe. But that could be wrong.
All in all, I’m not a fan of timeshares. It is really hard to find value in them with the annual fees. And if it is an all-inclusive, there is no reason to, because you end up paying a huge amount up front, ongoing and then when you want to stay you have to pay high daily AI fees.
Hopefully you can get rid of it at some point. Can you sell it for a loss at least to get rid of the annual fees?
We owe $12,000 on a 5 year mortgage. So giving it away isn’t an option. We are still waiting on the lawyer negotiations to get us out of the contract. That is our only hope right now.