Upon finishing our dining 'experience' at Original Benjamins , a 'seafood' restaurant on the north end of Myrtle Beach, we are approached by a time share salesman who was set up just inside the exit door, for the Bluegreen Vacation Club.
The sales pitch was this. Go to a presentation that would take one and half hours, listen to a sale pitch for a Myrtle Beach timeshare, with absolutely no obligation, and we would be paid $100 for our valuable time, plus receive two mini vacations, and a free continental breakfast.
In addition, we would receive, and we did during the pre-qualification pitch, two certificates for a free boarding and free buffet, if we sign up for a players card, on a casino cruise, on the Sun Cruz Casino, billed as Carolina's largest casino vessel. Unlike the normal river casino boats, this boat is actually a cruise vessel, and goes out to sea.
The day cruises were Monday through Friday 11:00am to 4:15pm, Saturday and Sunday Noon to 5:15pm. The evening cruises were Sunday through Thursday 7:00pm to 12:15am, Friday, Saturday and holidays 7:00pm to 1:00am. Clearly, once you are on the cruise, you are pretty much hostage. There will be no slipping in and out in an hour or two. The coupon flyer says we get free well drinks while we gamble.
So, I decided to take a look at their website, while thinking on this. I see they have nickel slots, so we decide we would check out this boat and report back to the Myrtle Beach View website. I am not much of a gambler, pretty much I just sit at the nickel slots and kill some time. I win alot more than I lose, so for my lifetime, I am way ahead of the game. I am just lucky.
On thinking more about the cruise, I decided that I don't like being held hostage in a gambling situation. Since I am getting quite a bit free, there has to be some catch. We pass.
We are booked in to see the sale pitch for Bluegreen at 9:30am on December 22, 2005. We had to place a $20 cash deposit, to show good faith that we would show up. That $20 was no doubt just the commission for the referrer.
We showed up, and there was not much to learn, except that the condos are very nice, and have a great view. We were not given a price, because it was clear we were not going to buy. But, without knowing the price, there was no way we were going to give them the names of five people we know, so they could pitch the resort to them.
The system had a very complicated point system that was explained to us. Unfortunately, it was so extensive, there was no way to really determine the value of the points, to compare the value of the resort, to other vacation options. That is something that would unfold after sitting at home crunching numbers, not during the presentation.
I did note one contradiction, compare to the website. The salesman said his wife, and us for that matter, could use the facilities for day use, even when we are not booked in. Such would be the pool, lazy river and sun decks.
The website clearly prohibits: "Day use policy: Amenity use at the facilities, including the pools, is limited to guests staying during their scheduled dates of occupancy." You can see it here. That contradiction alone, makes me wonder how many other things, would not be the same in practice, as they were in the sales pitch. His wife may have some pull to use the facilities during the day, but it was clear it was against the policy.
The free two mini 3 day, 2 night vacations, were a waste. There is no information on the class of accommodations. As well, there was a $50 good faith deposit for each mini vacation, that is returned at some point down the road. The best I could tell, you would get your $50 back after six months or so, due to the complicated reservation process.
Why we needed to pay $50 for something that was suppose to be free, then wait the stated six months to get it back, is still a great mystery.
I have no guarantee I won't get booked into $20 a night rooms, for two nights, total $40, then wait six months for my $50. If I have the $50 in my pocket now, I could pay for the two nights at a dirt cheap property (which we do not book) when I check in, and have $10 left immediately to pay for the tip to the maid.
We did get our $20 back, and the $100 as promised. The whole process took two hours.
The Myrtle Beach View
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina - North Myrtle Beach, SC
Resorts - Oceanfront Condos - Weekly Rentals - Monthly Rentals
Restaurant Reviews - Attractions - Nightlife
Myrtle Beach Time Share
