Couple Books Orlando Vacation Through Marriott Bonvoy Card. They Didn’t Realize They’d Have To Watch a Timeshare Presentation: ‘This Happened to Us’

Timeshare presentations are such a common punchline that it’s hard to believe anyone still goes to them—or ends up buying one.

But while most people understand that timeshares are, more often than not, a terrible investment, there may be some circumstances where getting a timeshare actually makes a little bit of sense. At least, that’s how the employee in the timeshare meeting makes it seem.

These people are trained on all of the normal talking points, and one may be surprised at just how easily they can be convinced into signing up after looking over the details of the package being offered. You go on vacation, then boom—you come home with a lifelong investment.

One couple recently sparked discussion after saying they bought into a timeshare program to the tune of $23,000. They later believed they had been lied to. Here’s why they’re now calling out Marriott Vacation Club.

What Happened At This Marriott Vacation Club Presentation?

In a video with over 39,000 views, TikTok user Courtney (@cbav213) says she and her husband recently traveled to Orlando on what they believed to be a deal through her Marriott Bonvoy credit card. A week before her trip, however, she discovered that they would be required to attend a timeshare presentation.

“So we both walk in on the same page like, ‘We’re not doing this. We’re not buying anything. We’ll just get out of here,’” she recalls.

However, she and her husband were soon convinced to buy a package. According to Courtney, she was told that, for a one-time payment of $23,000 and annual maintenance fees of around $1,300 to $1,400, they could receive an annual allotment of points to use at participating vacation properties.

The properties themselves were enticing and appeared to have a broad range of availability. Not only that, but Courtney said she believed she would be getting a host of other perks, such as points and a free trip.

Things Take A Turn

After signing on, she decided to contact her salesperson to see the booking portal for Marriott Vacation Club owners, which she believed she had just seen the day prior at the meeting. Specifically, she wanted to check availability for a vacation in Kauai, Hawaii, in February 2027.

However, rather than show her the portal, the salesperson suddenly claimed that they couldn’t access it.

“I’m like, ‘But you showed it to me yesterday, so what did you show me yesterday?’” she asks.

Instead, the salesperson began sending her apparently hypothetical points totals paired with availability dates on the Marriott website. This does not mean that the dates are bookable with points—a fact that Courtney repeatedly reiterated to the salesperson.

“He gets pretty [expletive] with us and says, ‘I’m giving you all this free stuff. Why are you questioning so much?’” Courtney recalls.

At this point, Courtney says she began to suspect two things. First, she says that Marriott may have misrepresented the available stock for their vacation properties. Second, she alleges that the site she saw in the meeting was a mockup that did not show actual availability.

All of this made Courtney decide that this program was a bad idea.

“Rescission period is in full force, and I am rescinding,” she declares.

Is It Actually Difficult To Book A Marriott Vacation Club Stay?

If Courtney was concerned about difficulties booking on the exact dates she wanted, it’s a good thing she got out of the program.

First, it should be noted that Vacation Club owners aren’t entitled to the same days and rooms as everyone else. Instead, they have a separate system through which they can reserve rooms and dates.

Because of this, there’s no guarantee that a Marriott Vacation Club member will be able to book the room and dates they want, even if the room is available to someone paying cash and they (theoretically) have enough points to book it.

Complaints about a lack of available rooms in this program can be found across the internet. One Redditor claimed they searched nine resorts in the Caribbean and Cabo for their desired time, only to find almost none available.

“The sales pitch was: ‘With points + planning ahead, you’ll have great options,’” the user wrote. “Reality has been… the opposite.”

They’re Not Alone

Other users have made similar allegations. Some say they began looking over a year ahead of time, only to find that there was no availability on their desired dates.

All of that said, there’s no direct evidence that Courtney was shown a fake website. Thankfully, the state of Florida offers purchasers of covered timeshare contracts 10 calendar days to cancel. This is a right that cannot be waived.

In short, if you want a flexible way to book vacations, a timeshare is probably not the best option.

In the comments section, users largely agreed with this perspective.

“I can’t believe I found a video where someone actually bought one of these timeshares after that sales pitch,” a user wrote.

“We found out the hard way through Diamond Resorts……same issues. Finally paid about $1,000 to escape the annual maintenance,” offered another.

“The fact that they require you to decide on the spot at these presentations instead of letting you have a week to consider it and do the math says everything,” stated a third. “I feel less pressure at the Toyota dealership.”

BroBible reached out to Marriott via email and Courtney via email and Instagram direct message.