Santa Claus picking us up? Oh and don't tell anyone?

[ajstanger]

We just got back from our 6th trip to PV. This time around we went for 10 days (awesome) and we swore to not do any TS presentations this time around. We brought our 2 sons with us so we were 4 people. We refused the presentation at Villa Del Palmar (Flamingos) so the guy refused to give us the "gold card" (That's a different story there that I won't go into here). We bought the Pirate day tour from the pirate sales lady at VDP and had a blast. My wife was Pocohontes for the show (got a shirt).

anyway, to my point/question.

After 7 days we decided to go on a combo tour (canopy/quad) and started shopping around for our best price that we could get without a TS presentation. We ended up in old town not too far past the Malecon at a "tour" booth talking to a guy about getting a trip. He tried talking my wife into doing a time share at Playa Del Sol Grand (I read the post already about that place). I refuse to go to Nuevo because if I go then I cannot give blood at Red Cross (4 times a year, which I am proud to do) anymore because they are flagged for malaria (by the Red Cross). So he starts telling us about a place in Conchas Chitas that was under construction (I still don't know the name of the place) and he would only charge us 400 pesos and we could get the combo tour for 4 if we did that "short" presentation. I kept rolling my eyeballs at my wife so she would know that I really didn't want to do a TS presentation. Well we ended up signing the paper and handing over 400 pesos. The guy told us that his brother named "Santa Claus" would pick us up the next morning at 7:30 in front of the Pizza Hut (in front of the Soriana). He said he would also be there. He told us 5 or 6 times not to tell anyone. He also said they would give us the 1000 pesos to pay for the combo tour when they picked us up and then we would pay for it with that money when we got there. Don't tell anyone he says yet again. He says that he can get in trouble if anyone finds out that he was setting up presentations for the place in Conchas Chitas when he was supposed to be doing it for Playa Del Sol. They would pick us up and bring us to the presentation and then afterwards they would take us to the quads.

Bottom line is that my wife did not sleep at all that night because it really bothered her how strange and secrative the guy was about the whole thing. Also the name Santa Claus seemed wierd. So when the alarm went off and we discussed it, I told her that we can just not show up for the pick up and for her to try and get some sleep. Forget about the 400 pesos ($31.00 US at the time) because it isn't worth the worry. Her intuition is usually pretty accurate anyway. At 8:45 our phone rang and I picked it up. It was the sales guy (I forgot his name). He told me that he has been waiting and waiting and waiting. I just told him that our boys were sick and we didn't get any sleep so we were going to pass and that we were sorry but we had no way to contact him to tell him. He gave me his cell number in case we changed our minds or if the boys got better.

I also want to mention that at the beginning of his sales pitch he asked if we have a credit card. Then after we signed the paper and he said to make sure that we all had our ID's (drivers license) for the quads, he now says to bring 2 credit cards. we told him we only travel with one so that's all we have. He says ok but his "commission" will be less with 1 card but OK.

So has anyone else been dealt with this way? We feel like we made the right choice by skipping the whole thing. Has anyone else dealt with "Santa Clause". Sounded like a bunch of BS to me.

It was too scary and fishy to take the chance.

Adios,
T.

[katnsocal]

They do this all the time. Yes they do get in trouble if they get caught, thus the "Santa Claus" will pick you up....no names given. What they do is they work together friend to friend and help each other out. If you don't want to go all the way out to Nuevo but they think you would consider a closer location they will sign you up for their friend who works as an OPC for that closer resort, chances are he is somewhere really close to where you are standing talking with the guy setting it up. That friend then splits the commission with the guy who convinced you to go. Both make money that way. If the company catches them doing it they will be fired so they don't tell you "Roberto is going to pick you up" because then you have the name of a real OPC to give to someone if you are not happy, etc. Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures to put food on their table. They are not ripping you off, just going against their companies rules. Back in the day when I had alot of OPC friends I have gone on a couple of those presentations just to help someone out, but I refuse to do any more timeshare presentations, I must be getting old. I still have one friend who tries every year to get me to go and every year I tell him..."You know I don't do TS presentations anymore".

[Plus4]

We just got back from our 6th trip to PV. This time around we went for 10 days (awesome) and we swore to not do any TS presentations this time around. We brought our 2 sons with us so we were 4 people. We refused the presentation at Villa Del Palmar (Flamingos) so the guy refused to give us the "gold card" (That's a different story there that I won't go into here). We bought the Pirate day tour from the pirate sales lady at VDP and had a blast. My wife was Pocohontes for the show (got a shirt).

anyway, to my point/question.

After 7 days we decided to go on a combo tour (canopy/quad) and started shopping around for our best price that we could get without a TS presentation. We ended up in old town not too far past the Malecon at a "tour" booth talking to a guy about getting a trip. He tried talking my wife into doing a time share at Playa Del Sol Grand (I read the post already about that place). I refuse to go to Nuevo because if I go then I cannot give blood at Red Cross (4 times a year, which I am proud to do) anymore because they are flagged for malaria (by the Red Cross). So he starts telling us about a place in Conchas Chitas that was under construction (I still don't know the name of the place) and he would only charge us 400 pesos and we could get the combo tour for 4 if we did that "short" presentation. I kept rolling my eyeballs at my wife so she would know that I really didn't want to do a TS presentation. Well we ended up signing the paper and handing over 400 pesos. The guy told us that his brother named "Santa Claus" would pick us up the next morning at 7:30 in front of the Pizza Hut (in front of the Soriana). He said he would also be there. He told us 5 or 6 times not to tell anyone. He also said they would give us the 1000 pesos to pay for the combo tour when they picked us up and then we would pay for it with that money when we got there. Don't tell anyone he says yet again. He says that he can get in trouble if anyone finds out that he was setting up presentations for the place in Conchas Chitas when he was supposed to be doing it for Playa Del Sol. They would pick us up and bring us to the presentation and then afterwards they would take us to the quads.

Bottom line is that my wife did not sleep at all that night because it really bothered her how strange and secrative the guy was about the whole thing. Also the name Santa Claus seemed wierd. So when the alarm went off and we discussed it, I told her that we can just not show up for the pick up and for her to try and get some sleep. Forget about the 400 pesos ($31.00 US at the time) because it isn't worth the worry. Her intuition is usually pretty accurate anyway. At 8:45 our phone rang and I picked it up. It was the sales guy (I forgot his name). He told me that he has been waiting and waiting and waiting. I just told him that our boys were sick and we didn't get any sleep so we were going to pass and that we were sorry but we had no way to contact him to tell him. He gave me his cell number in case we changed our minds or if the boys got better.

I also want to mention that at the beginning of his sales pitch he asked if we have a credit card. Then after we signed the paper and he said to make sure that we all had our ID's (drivers license) for the quads, he now says to bring 2 credit cards. we told him we only travel with one so that's all we have. He says ok but his "commission" will be less with 1 card but OK.

So has anyone else been dealt with this way? We feel like we made the right choice by skipping the whole thing. Has anyone else dealt with "Santa Clause". Sounded like a bunch of BS to me.

It was too scary and fishy to take the chance.

Adios,
T.

My Goodness ajstanger...Jesus .... Santa Claus and Time share sharks out to get you ..
Yikes Sounds very scary to me too

very fishy stuff...
Won't tell a soul