Every now and then, I come across a timeshare newbie who doesn't have a clue about his timeshare/trading power/points system/exchange. They believe whatever the sales person says in the presentation or whatever the website says. Some of them don't seek firsthand information, while some of them don't have access to firsthand info. Often I try to help them out, but I could do so only when they seek my advice. Sometimes, I try to explain things in person, sometimes through mail, sometimes through forums like this, but it does take a long time to make them understand things. But we need to help those people understand the nuances of the timeshare industry, as it would help them a lot in the long term. And to think of the fact that I was a newbie myself once, it makes me feel good that I'm helping someone.
Bob
Forums like this are extremely important for newbies, as they get to know about the other side of the coin. The way I see it, it's easy to get the nice things about timesharing, a particular developer, or a particular location. Coz you can get all that stuff in a sales presentation, company websites, and other things. They all say one thing - the good thing. But to know something about the bad things, you certainly need common people, who can call a spade a spade.
As the timeshare market is booming, along with excellent offers you also have scams, which look equally good and tempting on paper. But you need to have firsthand info to distinguish and differentiate between the good and bad. This is where I think forums score in a big way. You have lots of people, who are not known to each other, just trying to share the info they have. As most of them are common people, there is no bias or prejudice for/against any developer. Most of the info are from their personal experience, which brings out the very truth. So, newbies should try to become a part of such forums to know the nuances of the market inside out.
True. But I think most of the newbies have this problem of not knowing where to go when they don't get enough info from their developer. Some of the companies are very helpful and answer every other doubt that the customer has, while some of them are quite busy, so you need to be very specific about your questions without wasting their time. I mean, for someone who doesn't know the difference between fixed and floating week, a mere sales presentation won't do good. Perhaps the best option available for newbies is forums like this. Without spending anything, newbies can get a lot of firsthand info in timeshare community forums. And the best part about this is that everyone has a story to share, good or bad. You learn so much from these real life experiences. When you have a doubt, more often than not, you get opinions/suggestions/tips from more than one person, which brings in different perspectives to a single question. Above all, you get to make some acquaintances after some time. :)
Like you mentioned, these forums do help the newbies in a big way. But at the same time, is it just newbies who get to know different/new things? I mean, I've been timesharing for quite some time now, but still I have doubts regarding things. That's how it goes I guess. As you move along, as you grow, you get to know a lot of things. Whenever a newbie posts a doubt/question, I try to answer it myself or I wait for someone else to do so. Eitherways, I am as interested as the newbie to get an answer for that doubt, coz I get to know a lot from every post that is being posted. You try to give details, and you get some in return. Kudos to these forums.
True Shelia. We do learn a lot from the suggestions given to others, mostly newbies. Let me reiterate my earlier thought. "Forums are the way to go." It's knowledge sharing at its best. After all, you always get what you give. :)