A Brief Yet Interesting Conversation
I just returned from a local business professionals networking event where I had a brief conversation with a fellow member about her time-share situation and how much she loves it.
Funny thing was, I can’t understand why…
During the conversation she related that a trip to Hard Rock Punta Cana (a fantastic all-inclusive resort nn the Dominican Republic) will cost her only $2793 for the mandatory all inclusive add-on to the time-share value she and her husband already possess. If they were taking the kids then $3593 for all 4 of them….
Now I know that the Hard Rock Punta Cana is an excellent resort, but that struck me as just a bit higher than I would have expected so I came back to the office to see what my price would be (without the time-share value it must be significantly higher, right?)
- So what was the retail price I pulled up if EZTravelPad were booking it? $2944 or with adding in 2 children then $3302
- So what was the price going directly to the Hard Rock website? $2984 (yep, $40 higher)
Both prices (not sure about the time-share though) also include $1500 in resort credits (free money in the casino, spa, golf, tours, room upgrades, etc)
To be fair I do not know some specific details about the time-share cost she related, for example-
- Were they in some sort of high end suite?
- What specific dates?
- Was she talking about 2 weeks instead of just 1?
- Are there monthly maintenance fees involved?
- Is there a booking fee per trip?
or…
- Do they pay her to retain the time-share in exchange for her paying more than she otherwise would on her vacation? (ok, that’s just my humor coming out)
Seriously though, this is just another example of the effectiveness of a great sales pitch convincing a consumer that by pre-paying for vacations that they may take sometime in the future they can save a ton of money – when if fact it is just not the case…. I’ve seen it over and over again
Do yourself a favor – find yourself a good travel consultant who you trust and respect. The odds are that they will help you find the best solution to your unique vacation wants & needs – plus probably find it at a lower price than you could yourself – thus, get you the best “Deal”
If you do not currently work with a travel consultant (agent) then consider giving EZTravelPad a call… and check out the video below for more info!!
