Time share hell Show tickets! Dollywood discounts! Tourist information! You'll see these signs all over as you approach the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from the Tennessee side, going through Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.
Don't believe it for an instant!
Oh yeah, you'll get your tickets, eventually, but TANSTAAFL is a universal concept, and you'll pay for those tickets with a twenty to thiry minute high pressure sales pitch for time share chalets or cabins. Does anybody go on vacation to look for real estate? (OK, my parents are getting ready to do that just next week, but they're an exception) Is a vacation home considered an impulse buy now? It must be because these shacks are spreading faster than kudzu and are even more annoying. At least kudzu looks pretty as it chokes the life out of the landscape.
I used to work on a small island out in the Pacific, and had to fly through Honolulu to get there. I had about a 20 hour layover, and would spend a lot of time walking up and down the main boulevard, people watching. Hawaii is a paradise without question, but the snake in this particular Eden must be the time-share shills. They're set up in the lobbies of the major hotels, as well as in booths lining the streets. Since I was there alone, I was vaccinated against them, since they target young couples. I wasn't aware of how intrusive they were until I flew my wife out during one of my layovers. I took a couple of extra days before returning home, and we explored the island. I can't count how many times we were asked to "view a short presentation on time shares, in exchange for a {Insert random premium here}. We are sure you will be amazed at how inexpensive it is to actuallyown a piece of Paradise!" It didn't spoil our vacation, but it was an annoyance. I remember being grateful that this particular pestilence had not spread to Gatlinburg.
And then I returned home, and found that we had been infested after all. There are booths and signs all over the place, even at the local WalMart. I can see it now:
"Honey, I'm going to run to the store to pick up some eggs and some soda. Is there anything else we need?""Yeah! Why don't you check and see how much a timeshare on a chalet would be?"
I just don't see it.
Posted by Rich at April 29, 2002 2:16 AM