Sweetheart Deal Read Free Page B

“But—”
    â€œYou don’t usually get away for two consecutive weeks and, because of your schedules, it’s hard to know exactly when you’ll be able to take that time off?”
    â€œExactly,” I said, impressed by just how attentive he’d been and how fuzzy I was starting to feel. “And depending on—”
    â€œA price that would satisfy the very bargain-wise Mrs. Frugalicious?” he said, jotting down a number on the notepad, which he proceeded to slide across his desk.
    â€œWow!” I said, putting down my drink and confirming the lack of zeros on the page. “This is all it costs for two weeks a year in a three-bedroom unit?”
    â€œI’ve quoted the bottom-line price for what are known as floating weeks, which will exclude certain high-traffic times of the year, but yes.”
    â€œBut—?”
    â€œWhat point would there be in playing price games with you, of all people?” he asked. “We both know the true investment lies in the vacation—the fun and memories created by spending time in any number of great places we can offer you as a vacation property owner.”
    â€œTrue,” I managed.
    â€œHow about I give you a few minutes to think it over?”
    â€œThat would be great,” I said, picking up a conveniently placed calculator and pretending to crunch a number or two of my own.
    â€œCut,” Geo said.
    We set up for the shot again, and once again I found myself sharing my cue-card prompted thoughts:
    â€œLike most people, I agreed to this whole timeshare presentation business for the perks I was promised in exchange for ninety minutes of my precious vacation time. I mean, what are the chances that I, Mrs. Frugalicious, would spring for such a big-ticket item without doing extensive background research first? Here’s the thing, though …”
    I read the next line I was supposed to recite: This feels like it may be too good a deal to pass up!
    I signaled Geo to stop shooting. “Hold up.”
    â€œWhat is it?” he asked.
    â€œThis all looks great and everything, but I haven’t done any real research on timeshares and—”
    â€œOne step ahead of you,” he said, handing me an article entitled Ten Tips for Your Timeshare Presentation. “Look it over and let’s get on with it.”
    I scanned a few of the bolded points:
    â€”Even though you may have agreed to the timeshare presentation simply for the perks and upgrades, take the tour with sincere interest.
    â€”Location is key. If you plan to trade or exchange timeshare locations, especially in desirable areas, you need to own in an area that has high year-round , global demand.
    â€”The average timeshare purchase is roughly $15,000 to $20,000. Upscale units are in the upper $20,000s to low $40,000s. There’s also an average yearly maintenance fee that can run anywhere from $250 to $1,000. 
    â€”Assume approximately 20 years of use and determine the true cost per week by adding annual fees to annual amortized cost, factoring in the number of weeks per year.
    â€œThis is informative,” I said, noting that I was supposed to, ask questions so the salesman recognizes you’re too savvy to fall for anything short of a great deal. “But I should still do some more in-depth research if I’m actually going to go ahead and sign something.”
    â€œNo need,” Geo said. “The timeshare was pre-negotiated as part of the deal we made with the resort.”
    â€œI still have to pay—”
    â€œNothing!”
    â€œ W-What ?”
    â€œJust another benefit of being the star of The Family Frugalicious! ”
    â€œOh,” I said.
    â€œMore like, olé! ”
    With that, Alejandro stepped back into the room, champagne bottle in hand, and the camera was back on.
    â€œReady to celebrate?” he asked, with an expectant smile. A smile shared by Geo, the cameraman, the cue card