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   Shell Vacations Club Alert

The following articles were posted on shellvacationsclub.blogspot.com, now defunct:

 

Shell Vacations Club Attack With High Pressure Sales Pitch

Don’t you love their logo? SHELL VACATIONS CLUB - Pointing the Way. Ahhhhhhh, so peaceful. The problem with their logo……They are pointing the way to your bank account!

These guys are good, no, they are VERY GOOD. When you walk into their super high pressure sales pitch, you don’t even see it coming. It is like a lobster waiting to be boiled…the water is nice and cool…the lobster is relaxing, and then………..BAM!!! The lobster is dead (you being the lobster of course).

Like most “potential buyers,” you were probably lured into the showroom with promises of $50 gift cards, free vacation packages, stereos, etc. Buy the time you leave, you have forked over $1,000-$5,000 in down payments, agreed to pay $8,000-$25,000 for “points” and signed a contract with interest rates as high as 18%...oh, and the best part…you made your decision in 90 minutes.

WOW, that was quick. I wish I could pick a movie at Blockbuster like that!

If you were like me, when you walked back to the car, you were not quite sure what you purchased, but it sure was awesome! You were going to travel the world with “points.” Hmmmm, so what did I buy again????

Let’s get back to the point because this is a rant on high pressure sales, not how the Shell Vacations Club point system is filled with false promises and unrealistic expectation.

First off, if you are going into the presentation, don’t be fooled by the easy going nature of the sales personnel. They want to close the deal and they are not your friend. Repeat,
“The sales person is not my friend.” They will try to wear you down by connecting at a personal level. They know that if you begin to like them, they will have an easier time gaining your trust, and ultimately making the sale.

You will be expected to commit for at least 90 minutes. This is mandatory for you to claim your “prizes” and this is explained at least 50 times. They dangle this prize in front of you like a dog waiting for a treat. Because you commit to this time frame, you must stay for a minimum of 90 minutes, but they will keep you as long as humanly possible. The best defense against this strategy is to watch the clock. When 90 minutes has passed, just stand up and leave (with you prizes of course). See, the longer you stay, the more you will feel indebted to the sales associate. You will feel like you are letting him or her down by not buying the vacation package…after all, they spent 3 1/2 hours with you.

Let the lies fly (and time too)…The sales person is going to promise you the world. If he or she is really good, they are going to tell you how they own the package and travel all over the country with little or no money. They are going to tell you that you can book a trip anywhere in the world with only a few days notice by calling their convenient 800 number.

You will also be introduced to RCI. This is a timeshare network designed for easy exchange of points for trips outside Shell Vacations Club resorts. RCI is useful, but there is always a fee to exchange points…another way they stick it to you! Finally, they will tell you that you have “ownership” in the resort. They will tell you about the resorts you will own and how amazing and desirable they are. Since you are going to be a big high rolling VIP owner, they will explain how you get “owner rates” on all the Shell Vacations Club resorts. Guess what, this means absolutely nothing. Your owner rates are only good when you book a trip one week in advance…and guess what, besides the fact that you only have one week to plan a trip, 98% of the time, the room you want will not be available for “owners….” probably because most people don’t book vacations with only a few days to plan. Go figure…

If these snake oil salesmen actually reel you in, at least ask them to put everything in writing because I guarantee that unless you are going to plan your trip 12-18 months in advance or traveling between Monday night and Thursday, you are going to be disappointed with the results.

This brings me to my final point…after the entire hoopla is over and you finally have to say no, just say it and SHUT UP. 99.9% of the time, the sales associate assisting you is going to act really disappointed…we are talking, can’t feed my family disappointment. They are going to act like you just crushed any reason to live. Guess what, this is a sales trick. The longer you stay (past the 90 minute requirement), the easier it will be for them to pull out the “guilt card” and take your money. Get out as soon as humanly possible!!!

As mentioned in a previous post, if you fall for their high pressure tactics, there is still light at the end of the tunnel. CANCEL YOUR MEMBERSHIP IMMEDIATELY and purchase the identical package on the secondary market (eBay, timeshare resellers) for a severe discount.

Don’t let Shell Vacations Club steal your hard earned vacation money!!!

Posted by Shell Game at 7:27 PM, Sunday May 20th, 2007

Shell Vacations Club Is Stealing Your Money!!!

Wow, upbeat vacation music, flowery Hawaiian shirts, friendly people, free food…it’s like my vacation has already started! WRONG!!!

Let me explain something about Shell Vacations Club…first of all, they make money selling vacation memberships to you…oh, did I say money, I mean TRUCK LOADS OF MONEY. The amount of profit in these vacation packages is astronomical. They could actually give the vacation packages away and still make a profit by charging you the maintenance and membership fees alone.

See, when you buy a vacation deal from Shell Vacations Club, you are paying for the points. Let’s just say that 1,500 vacation points costs, oh, $9,600 (which is about right). Now, they throw on 16% annual interest…hmmmm, which should be about $1,500 the first year. Now your 1,500 vacation points cost $11,100. I don’t know about you, but that is a lot of money. They tell you that this is a one-time charge and you can use the vacation package for the rest of your life (which is true), So, what do you get for that much money???

1,500 points will buy you 3-4 nights in San Francisco (hotel only)! That does not sound like such a great deal. What about Hawaii, Bermuda, Europe, Asia…You can kiss that goodbye unless you are willing to fork over $25,000+ (oh, and annual interest on $25,000 at 16% is $4,000). But wait, it gets worse, much worse!

With 1,500 points, you have approximately $850 in annual maintenance and membership fees. These fees NEVER end! You heard me correctly!!! You will have to pays these annual fees for the lifetime of your membership. That means that you pay $11,100 based on interest for one year plus $850 in annual maintenance and membership fees (did I mention that they never end...).

The last time I checked (and I checked), you could stay in the exact same San Francisco hotel (The Donatello Hotel) Shell Vacations Club uses for $189-$210 per night. That is a reasonable price for a nice hotel in San Francisco. So if you divide the $850 in NEVER ENDING maintenance and membership fees by 4 (the number of nights you get with 1,500 points), you are paying approximately $210 per night to stay at The Donatello Hotel.

For those of you who still don’t understand, you are paying for your vacation every single year for the life of your membership! This is all in addition to the $11,100 you paid for the 1,500 vacation points.

THIS IS THE BIGGEST RIP-OFF ON THE ENTIRE PLANET! Well, maybe the second biggest rip-off if you consider the price of high end designer handbags (at least you only pay for the handbag once...not every single year you use it).

So, if you just signed up, what do you do??? CANCEL YOUR MEMBERSHIP IMMEDIATELY!!! You have 2-3 days to cancel your Shell Vacations Club membership without penalties. The company is required to offer this because even the government understands what a rip-off the program actually is.

Oh, and if they really brainwashed you into believing that their program is so great, cancel immediately and buy the points on the secondary market for a 50% discount. You will find these programs on eBay and other time share reselling sites for a lot less money. Don’t let Shell Vacations Club steal your hard earned vacation money!

Posted by Shell Game at 10:45 AM, Tuesday, May 15, 2007