More Vacation Break

Although a very skeptical person and not that easily tempted, I almost got sucked into this because my mother lives in Florida and I thought I might visit her and take advantage of this incredible deal, if only we could come up with the money for the plane trip. I actually spent time thinking about this before very reluctantly throwing it away. I knew it was too good to be true.

My husband and I were almost involved in something similar awhile back. A company said we were the lucky winners of a four-day, three-night trip to either San Francisco or Las Vegas. We wanted to go to San Francisco. The company told us that to get the trip, we would have to go to Ventura and listen to a sales pitch but that we were under no obligation to buy anything. So we decided to do it.

What we experienced was the very same type of sales pitch that you did, with the very same sort of persistent people pushing you, asking you question after question about your lifestyle and just simply not understanding why you would not like to save all this money on such a good deal. The package was $3,000-$4,000.

Of course, we knew from the start we could not do it. And in the end, feeling like poor beggars, we said, “Look, we really can’t do it and that’s all there is to it.”

Finally, when it was time to leave, we were told that if we wanted to take our promised three-day trip, we had to pay a $50 deposit--which would be refunded to us when we got to San Francisco--to hold our reservation. We had 30 days to decide when we wanted to take this trip and to pay the $50. Ultimately we declined.

I guess we saved that $50 and God knows what other costs. There really needs to be more of this sort of thing in the newspaper to protect people.

NANCY LEVEY

Santa Barbara

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We also decided to accept the “Vacation Break Dream Vacation”. We enjoyed it thoroughly and thought it was an amazingly good value. We also paid for upgrades to a beachfront condominium and to add our 16-year-old to the package for $99. We can’t complain.

We bought travel from Vacation Break’s travel agency. They had better fares than any we could find. We also took the Alamo rental car--a good value, we think.

We accepted the three-day bonus Orlando package. We were assigned the Marriott Hotel-International Drive, a beautifully landscaped facility with gardens, lakes, pools and good reasonable restaurants. It was worth it and there was no time-share sales pitch.

We thought the package was very reasonable. It was a vacation we could not otherwise afford. No one pressured us to accept options. We knew we had bought a bare-bones vacation. We appreciated the opportunity to upgrade it.

Yes, we accepted with the understanding that we would participate in a 90-minute time-share presentation that actually lasted four hours. We took some precautions: We arrived early and walked through accessible areas of the existing time share. We weighed what we liked, and did not like, before we saw the sales people. We even heard the salesmen discuss how many units they were expected to sell (quota).

We had a very pleasant and agreeable salesman. We asked about the resale market and received the stock answer: Why would anyone want to sell such an attractive property? If they did, they would all receive many times their original investment (we know better). We were prepared, felt less pressure, enjoyed our breakfast, and honestly hope we left as friends without buying.

If Vacation Break was in California and we were inclined to use the condo year after year, we would have considered a purchase.

HANS and ESTHER KASTAN

La Canada

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Your experience with Vacation Break was very similar to ours. We got our invitation in 1994, and took the trip in May 1995. We went first to Ft. Lauderdale, then to the Bahamas. Our hotel in Ft. Lauderdale was labeled as a “suite,” but was not.

We did not get a car, since we would only be there for two nights. The transportation to the vacation ownership was $20 each way, which we had to pay. In our case, they tried to sell us a time-share that was “going to be built soon.” Ground had not been cleared yet.

Even though we told them at the outset that we would not buy, we were there for five hours. The worst part of the experience is the implication that we aren’t very smart, and perhaps cannot afford to vacation. We explained that we already own two time shares, and did not want another, but it made no difference--we were stuck.

Our “inexpensive” vacation cost us over $2,000.

The final insult was the phone call I received several months ago inviting us to go on another Vacation Break trip, since we had not purchased a time share last time, and they thought we deserved another chance. They also wanted names of friends to invite. I don’t have that many enemies.

HELEN M. SNYDER

Alta Loma

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Your article was very informative but unless the reader grabs a calculator--like I did--the figures don’t jump out at you.

Using the figures provided, about 180,000 trips go unused. Using your own initial cost of $400 this equates to an unused $72 million over 18 months. That would mean these guys take in $1.3 million a day cost free!!

Secondly, 127,000 trips were used during this same time period. They said 90% go to the presentation (114,300) and 10% (11,430) of that number end up buying a time share. That is 11,430 sales multiplied by $11,500 average cost for another $131 million!

That is more than $200 million. That doesn’t take into account that the profits on all the nickel and dime charges you mentioned. All this based on a 4-6% response rate to mailings.

BILL STEIN

Torrance

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Although I declined a similar offer of a cruise, early on--when time shares were offering a number of promotions--we bought two weeks in a new venture in Palm Springs. Although our sales lady was lovely, not pushy, and fairly knowledgeable, it was not her sales pitch that sold us on the time-share idea. As she rambled on, my wife picked up the company’s catalog and suddenly exclaimed, “Does this mean we could trade for a time share in England?” Answer: yes. [We said] “Where do we sign?” and we were new owners.

When our hard-nosed real estate attorney heard that we owned five weeks at different locations he ridiculed us soundly because, in his words, “time shares are bad investments.” Our answer was that we didn’t look at them as true investments except as a vacation vehicle for ourselves and to deed to our children.

We only use our two units on the California coast. We trade the others. We have had wonderful stays in England, the Italian Alps, Austria, France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. And, of course Kauai and Maui. And we have taken one, two or three granddaughters with us.

So, time shares can either be a bummer like your experience or, with some good planning be a real family adventure.

Been there. Done it.

GEORGE PEGG

Simi Valley

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One point about time shares is rarely mentioned: besides the maintenance fees (which could be increased substantially for various reasons) one often has to pay tax fees (you are an owner). So you pay, pay and pay!

CLAUDE NEAU

Los Angeles

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“Have you ever gotten one of these?” Yes, I have, and numerous others. Being very cynical about these types of deals. I open them (sometimes) and throw them away. I did, however, read your article with a great deal of interest and am pleased that my cynicism was on the mark.

BARBARA K. PATTON

Aliso Viejo

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Editor’s note: Travel writer Christopher Reynolds has received dozens of inquiries from readers wanting to lodge complaints or seek refunds in connection with vacation certificates or vacation time share offers. Consumers should first contact individual companies directly, making their request in writing and citing particulars of their case. Further advice may be available from the following organizations:

The Florida Department of Agriculture’s Division of Consumer Services, (904) 488-2221; a government group that logs complaints against Florida-based companies.

Florida State Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s time-share bureau, (407) 317-7225. Another sate government complaint-taking apparatus.

The California State Attorney General’s office Public Inquiry Unit, (800) 952-5225.

The American Society of Travel Agents, (703) 739-2782; a trade group to which many time-share companies belong.

The American Resort Development Assn., (202) 371-6700; another trade group.

Letters to the editor are subject to condensation. Send letter, including a telephone number, to: Travel Section, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.