Low class!

[Slowbee]

If I'm not at the disney store... I'm at Todai or Surf City Squeeze... best shops in the mall next to Disney....

 

[bavaria]

Slowbee, if you find a trail of chocolate crumbs leading to Todai, you know that I have been there!

 

[wildernessDad]

I do not know about the Chicago store, but personally, I never had the feeling that I was undergoing a timeshare sales pitch nor have I ever felt any pressure whatsoever to buy.

 

[DonnaL]

I believe DVC sales is pretty much the same as any sales department with any company.........especially companies with bonuses, commissions, etc. which most sales areas are. You will have the aggressive, pushy types who may do well in the short term, but, a lot of these types don't continue to do well in the long run because follow through isn't there. Personally, when I come across this type I get out of town.....fast. I worked in direct sales for almost 12 years and I always took a very low key approach to my sales and took pride in the products I sold, followed through with my customers and had many, many repeat customers and referrals and did very well......could have done better if I chose to.......not by being pushy and aggressive, though, just by working more than I chose to. I feel sad when I see a very pushy DVC guide because IMO they just "haven't gotten it yet". They're selling one of the best products in the world......all they really need to do is present the product and the necessary information in a straightforward manner and absolutely, follow through with people who are on the fence, but, for whatever reason, haven't purchased. The key word is follow through here....... but, most consumers will back off from the overaggressive type sooner than buy from them. Then, guaranteed.... when that consumer is ready or knows someone else who is ready the low key salesperson's name will come up and a referral happens. Granted, that salesperson probably won't be the absolute top salesperson each and every time, but, they will have represented their company well.......better than the guy you can't get rid of!!!

 

[Slowbee]

Slowbee, if you find a trail of chocolate crumbs leading to Todai, you know that I have been there!

I'm going to start looking for a trail and see who's been there...

 

[KristineN]

I didn't leave with any negative feelings...I knew going in this was a sales pitch....and I guess it worked for us since we added on.

My guide Byron was there....so I had the opportunity to meet him...and it confirms what I have always thought of him...great guy, very easy to work with, organized, etc etc etc

 

[Sully]

We were there on Thursday. I actually found it quite interesting. For once at a presentation they gave you information, not just playing games. On Thursday afternoon, the president, Jim Lewis was present so he knows what is going on. We came, drank some soda, ate some food, listened and toured, talked with one of the guides for a short time and left. We were not hasseled at all. It was pretty much what we had expected. You have to realize that the reason DVC opened the store was to sell vacation club points.

 

[Inkmahm]

I didn't leave with any negative feelings...I knew going in this was a sales pitch....and I guess it worked for us since we added on.

My guide Byron was there....so I had the opportunity to meet him...and it confirms what I have always thought of him...great guy, very easy to work with, organized, etc etc etc

Ack! Byron was there and I missed him? He's my guide, too. Never have met him in person.

 

[KristineN]

Yep! I didn't know before hand...I am telling you...a great guy!

Ack! Byron was there and I missed him? He's my guide, too. Never have met him in person.

 

[DVCtinkerbell]

We went to the Chicago event on Wednesday. I knew going in that we would not be ready to add-on until next year. I started to think about it with the incentives but then I felt like I would be going around my current guide. We have had her for years and I feel somewhat obliged to contact her when we are ready to buy. The guides that day seemed like slick salespeople.

 

[jagson]

our dvc purchase experience was quite pleasant. our guide gave us the pros and cons (mostly pros) of dvc, and did not pressure us into our purchase. in fact, he suggested we give it some thought before we purchased; i had to push the issue of purchasing then and there on him. i was pressuring him for us to purchase. what a switch? the next day after purchasing dvc we went to another timeshare presentation which offered us $100 to attend. it was a high pressure, 2 man tag team affair, quite the opposite of the dvc presentation. once they were convinced we weren't going to purchase, they curtly dismissed us and gave us our $100. it was a great deal, but we were not allowed to "think it over and get back with you" . i think we would have gotten that timeshare if they had not been so rude.
just wahted to share the contrast between the 2 presentations.

 

[disrailfan]

Wow, Everyone goes to a sales presentation? DW and I bought site unseen in 2000. We used some people that were banking with her at the bank she worked at at the time to understand the system. (By the way, no one in Indiana that owns DVC gets a kick back off of referring anyone either).

We bought the whole thing site unseen. It was the best thing we ever did. No more working on vacation (we used to use vacations to go on Jaycee Conventions). We now get to enjoy our vacations.

Now we recently sat down with Brandon, our sales guide, at SSR in June and decided to buy into AKV, but we had already pretty well made up our mind before we even got to Florida.

We love our DVC ownership and would not give it up for the world.

 

[ebenmax]

We had been given big hype from some very credible people (not our guide) in FL about the great incentives in Chicago vs. Florida and went with every intention of adding on 100 points at SSR. Although we enjoyed the presentation, this is why we did not add-on.

110 pts.minimum - we would have gone 10 more pts.
$10 off pp (for SSR which we wanted) - same as FL
110 - matching developer points total 110 - NOT in FL BUT FL was offering DOUBLE developer points (with no $10 off pp)
110 - 2006 points - same as FL
110 - 2006 points were bankable - same as FL (we have Dec. UY)
No closing costs - same as FL
MF pro-rated for 2006 pts. - same as FL
Automatic loan approval (which we did not need)

So we figured and planned then found the following:

Chicago

110 pts. at $94 pp = $10340.00
110 dev. points + 110 (2006 pts.) = 220 pts.


Florida

100 pts. at $104 pp = $10400.00
200 dev. points + 100 (2006 pts.) = 300 pts

We were disappointed because the deals were basically a wash and Chicago was supposed to have been SO much better.

 

[javamom]

We took the SSR DVC tour during our Christmas trip (it's in my trip report). I would say that there was some pressure to buy. We were in one of those little rooms that they sit in with you. I found that to be a little weird.

Bear in mind though, that we had already decided that IF we did buy into DVC it would be a resale in the Epcot area (which is exactly what happened as we are currently closing on a contract on a resale). Our guide made it clear that they were not going to offer one of those properties, and told us that they were not as good a value as the longer contract available at SSR.

So, we left not buying, but we knew that going in. This was a fact-finding mission for us and a chance to tour the rooms for a feel of what the accomods would be like.

We left feeling that it was a positive experience, maybe a touch freezy, but maybe I just don't like being sold to in a little docotr's office room. That was a little creepy-dee for me. But hey, we got what we came for and scored some fastpasses, ice cream, and a ride to our ADR.

The kids loved the whole playroom set-up while we were touring.

 

[BCV23]

I do not know about the Chicago store, but personally, I never had the feeling that I was undergoing a timeshare sales pitch nor have I ever felt any pressure whatsoever to buy.

The presentation was not in the DVC store but in a theater and only current members received invitations. Very different from the one on one tours with a DVC Guide. I thought the sales presentation was relatively brief as someone else said and not high pressure. But I wish there had been complete written details of the offer. In that sense, it was not as forthcoming as I would prefer. Rather it seemed meant to build excitement enough to encourage addons without knowing all the details.

I'm sure once people met with guides, more info was provided.

 

[Sully]

Reading the Disney news about the DVC store opening in Chicago area as posted on the home page of the DIS boards, they stated that since 2003 membership has doubled to over 300,00 members. They told us at the Thursday presentation that membership is now at about 120,00 members. Boy, those guides must have been busy the past 3 days. I guess Disney struck a gold mine in the Chicago area.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

thanks! Sadly I am very familiar with the mall, and may be out that way soon... I can always find my way TO the chocolate store.... and usually one can find me by following the chocolate crumbs

Chocolate is GOOD for you.... especially DARK chocolate. mmmm.... Dove's Dark.

 

[LOLA2]

Do they have a model for you to walk through?

 

[ebenmax]

Yes. . . it is beautiful!! It looks like the models in WDW. They show a 1BR and the studio or in other words at 2BR lockoff