Buyer's Remorse

Since Sunday when I put down a deposit on a timeshare, I've been researching the company -- and have begun to believe I made a big mistake! Yes, I should have done my research before attending the presentation, but  . . . I didn't. (I was using that pause to come up with a good reason for not doing so, but I couldn't.) Sifting through the reviews and complaints has proven a time-intensive endeavor. Some people complain that they had actually sit through a presentation to get [insert specific gift here]. Well, of course you did! First of all, this isn't a surprise, as you have to schedule the time for your presentation when you accept the gift. Secondly, why on earth would any business give you something for nothing? I'm sure the "gifting" is worth it as an incentive even if only a small percentage of participants end up purchasing. There were a lot of those kinds of complaints, and I just disregarded those.

The ones I found more troubling were those that said properties were never available for vacation, even when members tried many months in advance to book them. Some other reviewers wrote about miserable accomodations -- ratty furniture, bad neighborhoods, non-working air systems, etc. The reviews that bothered me most were those that said the "maintenance fees" increase significantly every year. I'm not paying a vast amount of money for the plan -- not as much as, for example, a second home -- but still it's a lot of money for me. If this plan is really everything it says it is, then it's definitely worth it. If, on the other hand, it isn't -- and these many reviews are credible -- then I would do a lot better getting out of the contract and using my money to plan my own vacations. I'm feeling much better today and more ready (although not quite fully ready!) to deal with all of this. Did I mention already that I have ten days to change my mind? Well, now I have eight days, but still enough time.

I do love to travel and I wish I could be sure that this plan is a good idea. There's just too much out there, though, that makes me feel otherwise. When I was talking about this with my youngest son yesterday, he said I should listen to the little voice that's talking me out of it. He might be right, but a lot of what I've done lately has involved ignoring that little voice. I'll have to consider it further.