Originally Posted by
kwklaw
I am an HVGC timeshare owner. And I am a human with compassion. Therefore, I must warn everyone to stay the hell away from HGVC. It is basically a fraudulent operation.
My wife and I bought at the LV Hilton site. We ONLY bought because we were told, in response to specific questions, that we would have no problem booking at the other HGVC resorts of our choice. We told our salesperson specifically that we were only interested in the Hawaii sites, and she reiterated that that would not be a problem. She also said, in reference to Waikoloa which is where we told her we wanted to go right away, that we could use the Hilton hotel facitilities, including the pools, across the street from the HGVC site.
WE WAITED FOUR YEARS to get a reservation at Waikoloa. And when we went across the street, the hotel said that our salesperson was wrong and that we couldn't use any of their facilities. We were stuck there for a week with small children and little to do.
We have always had enormous problems booking a resort away from the one where we own.
Please, please do not buy a HGVC timeshare. We have used ours four times at most in 14 years.
Fantastic advice. If anyone reading this thread is even remotely tempted to purchase a timeshare directly from Hilton Marketing please do the following:
(1) Check resale prices at Redweek, Tug2.net and a reputable broker like Paradise Timeshares
(2) Check the message boards at tug2.net, particularly the Hilton forum to learn how easy (or hard) it will be to reserve peak times/locations with the points that you intend to buy.
YOU CAN TYPICALLY SAVE 50-90% BY PURCHASING RESALE.
Now the timeshare preview packages are another matter. We have attended dozens over the years and never had any compunction about walking out. Is it worth wasting a couple of vacation hours? Depends on the discount.
Originally Posted by
nomad420
I did that for awhile but sick of the presentations. Also, they will definitely put you on "do not fly" list so to say. I have a friend that pulled that too many times and was never invited back. They knew he wasn't buying.
Your point with VRBO is valid as well. I just like a few select HBVC properties and some actually seem to hold their resale value (relative to time shares of course).
There is no "do not fly" list. We were once told by a Marriott guy that we would never receive another offer if we turned him down. But they still come like clockwork every three months, and you can also go online to reserve one. In fact these companies are desperate to get qualified prospects into the salesroom.