How a Las Vegas Timeshare Scam Scored us Free Hotels
Las Vegas is infamous for being lined with scammers trying to sell you something. But can you believe there are also a ton of hustlers thirsty to give you free stuff?
Sounds crazy but it’s actually a pretty good way to score free hotel nights, dinners, and show tickets.
On my most recent trip to Las Vegas, I was offered a variety of presents in exchange for just a few hours of my time. And to my surprise, what seemed like a timeshare trap soon paid dividends.
Here’s everything you should know before signing your soul (or just 5 hours) away for Las Vegas timeshares.
The Timeshare Ploy
Often in Vegas, in exchange for a few hours of your time, you will be rewarded with free hotel stays or other goodies. In the lobby of the Stratosphere, a group of guys wait around the casino for people interested in free stuff (like us). We got offered two nights hotel accommodations, two free dinner passes, and two tickets to a show of our choosing. The hotel options were from all over the world, and we chose a Brazilian steak house and Vegas! The Show for our entertainment.
In return, we signed up for a three-hour-long presentation on a timeshare resort. We put a $50 deposit down, signed a few papers, and then had our deposit returned.
The Presentation
We met at our arranged time and a shuttle brought us to one of Diamond resort timeshares. Energetic man #1 goes on about how you should invest money for traveling and leave a legacy for your children and more motivational hype to get you to realize your life sucks. After that long hour, energetic man #2 shows you around the apartment-like hotels and all the amenities. After that, they go over all the pricing options for your new dream vacation lifestyle.
The Timeshare Battalion
These guys are true salesmen and will not take no for an answer. After respectfully declining the offer, their hustler instincts kicked in. Their persistence increased as they tried to coerce us with guilt and temptation to buy their timeshare at any cost. After an hour, financial rep #1 stepped onto the stage and gave us a ton of payment options to try and seal the deal. We remained true to our conviction and kept declining.
They were getting desperate at this point. The final boss, financial rep #2 appeared with tax deferred options and even lower payment plans, with bonus points to spend. Our resolve remained intact and the finally gave up.
Timeshare Resort Financial Details
Essentially the timeshare is used as a point system to stay at any hotel across the globe for usually one to two weeks. They claim you would be using the money already spent on current travels. However, the exorbitant membership fee and 17% interest rate left us raising our eyebrows. Plus, there are tons of hidden fees, annual membership costs, and almost no exit strategy. Their opening price was almost $40,000. It only makes sense if your yearly hotel budget is above the annual average of how much you pay. Using Airbnb, hostels, or cheap hotels often has a cheaper price tag.
Final Thoughts
The timeshare idea itself isn’t a scam. If you are constantly spending lots of money on global travel, the packages could be an appropriate investment. But for others, it might be overpriced. Being able to stay at a fancy hotel anywhere in the world, for any amount of time is much better than traditional timeshare offers. But if you’re a budget traveler and don’t necessarily need luxury accommodations, there may be better places to spend your money. The whole enjoyment of traveling comes from the freedom to choose your path and embrace the culture of each new city. At a significantly reduced price, I could see how this type of deal could be beneficial. If you have a big family and enjoy relaxing in decadent resorts with pools and other high-end facilities, there may be some value. But for adventurous travelers, it may mirror chains of captivity.
In the end, all the gifts cost a lot of time and harassment. Was it worth it? Yeah probably. Would I do it again? Also, yeah probably. But I like capitalizing on free ways to travel more. The food was good, the show was nice, and those 2 free nights at any hotel we want will come in handy. If you can endure the persistent onslaught of condescending comments, I would say go for it. Just be prepared to lose a significant amount of time that could have been spent sightseeing. I hope this helps if you ever get roped into buying a timeshare. Thanks for reading and keep leveling up!
If instead you are interested in partying with those extra few hours Vegas style, Check out the crazy two night fiesta in sin city vlog.
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