A Time Share Story

I had mentioned a few posts back that we had agreed to a 90 minute presentation for a time share called Sedona Pines Resort.  Part of the RCI time share network.  In exchange for our time we received some pretty significant discounts to the Verde Canyon Railway and the Safari Jeep tour.  

We were reluctant as we had done something like this years ago in Vegas and the experience was painful.  At that time we were promised free tickets to a show in exchange for our time to sit in on a presentation on a new resort that was being built on the outskirts of Vegas.  We met at a designated location with a number of other prospective investors, or as I prefer to call us, suckers.  We boarded a bus for the trip out of town to the resort, which was still under construction. 

First lesson, never rely on their transportation as we were totally at their mercy to get back to town.  

Everyone was very friendly and we sat through a group presentation at the end of which I thought we would be free to board the bus and get back to our vacation.  Wrong!.  They broke us up into couples and we got our own personal consultant.  This is where the brow beating began.  I have never seen anyone talk so fast or so long without ever taking a breath.  Perhaps he had gills behind his ears cause I never saw him inhale.  As it became evident that we were not interesting the price began to drop.  Pretty soon he brought over the sales manager to provide a fresh perspective on the opportunity that we were missing out on.  We kept telling them that we just wanted our free tickets and a bus ride back to town.  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity they showed us out to a hallway which we thought was the route to our freedom.  Not so fast.  We first had to pass one more individual who was supposed to give us our tickets but not before another sales pitch. And guess what, the price had dropped again.  By this time they could have paid us and I wouldn’t have been interested.  Finally, tickets in hand, we opened one more door and we broke for daylight.  Our bus was parked waiting for more “catch and release” survivors to appear.  Finally the bus departed.  

Keep in mind this was one of those 3 day, 4 night Vegas trips so an afternoon of our time was a significant commitment which really ticked us off.  Never again we said.

On the positive side the show, which took place in the back of some building which we entered off a side door, not a promising start we thought, was one of the best shows we saw in Vegas so not all was lost.

Keeping in mind our history of time share presentations we were very reluctant to commit to another painful experience.  This time we drove to the Resort so at least we knew we had an escape should it come to that.  Our appointed consultant took us into a large room set up with small tables with 3 chairs at each table.  Very cosy.  This time the presentation was much more low key and involved more of a conversation.  At one point he even acknowledged that given our lifestyle a time share was probably not suitable for us.  He was actually listening to us, Wow.  

We took a tour of the facility which was quite nice.  It actually had RV spots which we could book free of charge for up to 26 weeks a year.  Now we began to start to get interested.  Finally, well after the 90 minutes had come and gone, we started to talk about price.  Their modus operandi is to first establish value, link it to our lifestyle and then finally after all other questions tell us the price which by now will sound like a real deal to us.  Funny thing is it worked.  

While we weren’t sure we would fully utilize the 40,000 points we were buying, which could be converted into 4-5 weeks per year, but we figured our son and daughter-in-law, who travel frequently with their 3 sons, would be able to utilize what we wouldn’t.  

Enter the sales manager who offered us a reduced price from about $20k down to $15k.  

I never buy stuff on the spur of the moment however I knew we had a 7 day “cooling off period” (they didn’t tell us that but I noticed it in the documents we had to review) so we decided to proceed. 

Everyone was so happy.  They brought over little bottles of champagne which Delmar, our sales guy, proceeded to pop.  The corks shot across the room making sure all the other prospects saw.  All the other sales consultants cheered.  We felt so special.

Anyway we finally got out of their with a s__t load of documents for me to peruse in the next 7 days.  We felt pretty good about our purchase for a day or so and then I started doing dome research on the internet.  That’s when “buyers remorse” started to kick in.  I know that it is very difficult to find positive customer experiences on the internet for almost anything but the customer experience for RCI was almost 100% negative.  Then I started reading the legal documents I had been provided with.  The rules and previously undisclosed fees made us cringe.  What had we done.

We had provided a deposit of $1600, charged to our Visa, with the balance to be paid on the following Monday.  This would allow me time to transfer some funds over to our US account and pay the balance.  We went to the Resort on Monday at the appointed time to meet with the Sales Manager, who had become our best friend, and had been so happy to have us as part of their family.  He came out from the back where they were hosting another sales presentation and he couldn’t remember who we were or why we were there.  Guess we didn’t leave as much of an impression as we thought or perhaps he has a really big family and couldn't quite place us.  Anyway after a few minutes it came back to him and he smiled and prepared to get the rest of our money from us.  That’s when I broke the new to him that we had changed our mind.  He tried a couple more sales pitches but when he realized our resolve the smile disappeared and he almost recoiled like perhaps we had some communicable disease.  I could almost feel the chill in the air.  He said he would send someone from “Corporate” to take care of us.  It had a bit of an ominous sound to it.  Shortly a lady came from the back all smiles and confirmed our decision.  Then she made another sales pitch.  When we turned her down that cold front came back in the room.  She confirmed we had all the documents they had given us, took our letter advising we were cancelling the deal and started to leave.  I asked about our deposit that was charged to our Visa and she curtly advised that it would be about a week to process and our Visa would be credited.  Funny, it took seconds to charge our Visa but yet it was going to take a week to give us our money back.  Them Corporate people just don’t understand customer service.  But then again we weren’t customers anymore and it was clear all the niceties were over with and we should clear out.

We now await our credit to our Visa and chalk this up to another one of those life experiences that will make us so much wiser in the future.  In the grand scheme of things the deal was probably not that bad and could have been beneficial longer term.  The main roadblock was the fact that we travel with a four legged furry companion and pet friendly accommodation would restrict availability of accommodations.  We also have a lot going on right now with our new home under construction and want to keep things simple.  This seemed like it could complicate our lives more than we want.

Anyway that’s enough for this story.  Its been almost a week and we are happy with our decision.  I have a few more hiking posts to come for Sedona and on Dec 1 we are off to Gold Canyon for a month.  More posts from there as we have fast Wifi so fewer trips to Starbucks.      

  

Jerome, a return visit.

On Friday we made a return visit to Jerome.  Its an old mining town on the side of a mountain which, once the mine closed, was virtually a ghost town until they made it a tourist attraction.  Copper has been mined in the area since prehistoric times with the Spanish moving in in 1583 and the Americans filing mining claims in 1876.  Now all thats mined is the tourists’ wallet.  

We visited here 2 years ago and its a great place to walk around.  There are the usual arts and craft stores, restaurants, B&Bs and even a Biker Bar.  We had lunch at Vaqueros Grill and Cantina and had the Fajita’s.  I had a beer in a boot.  Everything was great including the decor.  

Lori’s been feeling a bit under the weather.  Too much bouncing in the back of a Jeep perhaps, so we will be hanging out at the trailer the next few days.  Speaking of hanging out at our RV site.  I took Charli for a morning walk on the trail through the woods to the creek and what did my eyes behold.  A Coyote, in fact 2 of them.  They were also out for their morning walk.  Looking for breakfast no doubt.  Not knowing how many of them there might be lurking in the trees and not wanting to be on their menu we turned around and headed back to the trailer park. 

Whats left of what once was a pretty majestic building.

Typical of many of the buildings that have been restored.  Notice the wall of glass at the back of the building as seen through the doorway.  A pretty magnificent view.

This guy got to the saloon about 70 years ago and never left.

Vaqueros Grill and Cantina.  Our stop for lunch.  No need to punch up the colours on this photo.  Very visually stimulating.  I don't get the skulls.  There must be some local significance as we see them in the decor and artwork everywhere in the southwest.  Will have to ask someone about their cultural significance.

 Drained my boot and it was time to go.

In its day Jerome, as many frontier towns was filled with boarding houses, bars and houses of ill repute.  An example of the sidewalk advertising showing off the ample inventory available inside once upon a time.
 

 This brightly decorated candy shop caught our eye but not before we smelled the aroma of popcorn and fudge.  I'm sure the exhaust fans from the kitchen were strategically placed to vent out over the street.  Great marketing.

The House of Joy in the former Red Light District.  The inventory has changed.

 The Jerome Grand Hotel sits at the very highest point of town and the view (seen below) is fantastic. The road up was one way and I was very glad not to meet anybody on the way up or down.  Turning around the truck at the top was enough of a challenge.

Its Thanksgiving down here and we are sitting in Starbucks.  Only place with fast enough internet for me to post my blogs and update all our apps.  Tomorrow is Black Friday and we aren't going anywhere near a store so will be more time to catch up on some more blogs.

Safari Jeep Tour

On Wednesday, Nov 16, we went on a Jeep Tour which took us west of Sedona and afforded us some great views of the canyons.   This was the second of our GIFTS from Sedona Pines Resort to attend their Time Share presentation.  Regular price for the Jeep Tour was $99 each and we got in for $30 each.  The Jeep Tour, much like the Railroad, was a once in a lifetime experience.  Another way to put it is we did it once, enjoyed it, but that was enough.  

We saw some great scenery but nothing more dramatic than we could see while out on a hike or for that matter from the highway on some of the lookouts.  The terrain was pretty rugged in places and the jeep and the driver handled it fine but sitting in the back of an open air jeep in the cool evening air breathing in the fine desert dust was a little more atmosphere than Lori or I had bargained for.  If off roading is your thing it might be more enjoyable however if I’m going to do that I’m going to be driving.

We did see a couple of wild Javelina’s running through the underbrush but they were too quick for me to catch with the camera.  Charli and I have also seen an Owl and 2 Coyotes while out for our early morning trail walks just outside the RV Park.  Lori missed these wildlife sighting as she was still in her PJs snuggled under a blanket drinking her morning coffee.  You snooze you lose.  

Looks like tears running down the rocks

The turning leaves make for a nice contrast.

Our ride for the afternoon.  The combination of under inflated tires and super soft suspension made for a nice gentle (most of the time) rolling ride in the back of the jeep.

The setting sun broke through and otherwise cloudy day and provided a different hue to the colour of the rocks. 

Next up Jerome

   

Bell Rock and Courtyard Butte Hike

On Monday, Nov 14, we headed to Sedona to take in some hikes among the red rocks.  First we stopped at the Red Rock Ranger Station to get some maps and pick up a pass.  There are numerous hikes in the Sedona area and a Red Rock Pass is required.  We got the annual pass for $20.  The revenue from the sale of these passes goes entirely to signage and trail maintenance and it shows.  

From the Ranger Station we proceeded a few miles down the road, thru the village of Oak Creek, to the trailhead for the Bell Rock and Courthouse Loop Trail.  Its an excellent hike, easy to follow and at 4 miles a nice distance for this early in our hiking season.  While the elevation gain was only 250 ft I’m sure we went up and down that 250 ft about 10 times.  At some point it was like doing stairs.  By the end my knees and quads were so sore it felt like I’d walked about 10 miles.  But the views were great and it was a very enjoyable morning. 

One of the nice things for us about most of the trails here is that you can take your dog.  The rules are simple.  Keep them on a leash and pick up after them.  We even met a volunteer on the trail and he thanked us for keeping Charli on a leash.  We saw some other people on the trail that felt that that rule didn’t apply to them.  Just after we left the parking lot Charli decided to leave a large deposit.  We dutifully bagged it and carried it with us.  About half way along the trail we stopped for a water break.  About 30 minutes later Lori realized that she hadn’t picked up the bag of treasure.  OOPS!!  It was left sitting beside the trail in a nice bright blue bag.  It was too far to go back so hopefully someone else picked it up for us.  Our Apologies.  

The area around Sedona has 4 natural Vortexes.  “These are swirling centres of subtle energy coming out from the surface of the earth.  The energy is supposed to interact with who a person is inside.  It supposedly resonates with and strengthens the Inner Being of each person that comes within about a quarter mile of it.  If someone is at all a sensitive person it is easy to feel the energy at these vortexes and it can be an uplifting experience.”   No shit!  I took this right out of the tourist guide.  Bell Rock is supposed to have one of these Vortexes and I felt nothing other than the awe of the view.  Not sure what that says about me as a “sensitive” person but we intend on going back and making an attempt to get a little higher up.  Perhaps I’ll feel something stirring from within.   

A view of Bell Rock from the trail.

Courthouse Butte

A closeup of Courthouse Butte.   Looks like someone got up there with a chisel and took away a section of rock and then sanded it smooth.

The variation in the colours of the rocks with the green vegetation and the blue blue sky provides great contrast.  Almost like working in primary colours.  Looking forward to an occasion when a nice fluffy white clout can be thrown in.  You will see some of those in an upcoming post.

Courthouse Butte.

A great example of the trail.  Vegetation all around us providing some much needed shade.  The strategically placed rocks provide an easy climb although by mile 4 the knees and quads were starting to burn.

The vortex on Bell Rock is stronger the higher up you go.  We kept hearing this drum.  Finally was able to zoom in on this fella half way up Bell Rock using the rhythm of the drum and the energy of the vortex to get in touch with his inner self.  Perhaps that was my problem.  No drum.

We took a climb up Bell Rock but only got a short distance and decided the rest of the climb would have to wait for another day.

 Ho Hum.  Another picture of red rocks, blue sky and green vegetation.

Next up a Jeep Safari.  

Verde Canyon Railrod

On Saturday, Nov 12, we stopped in at Starbucks to update our technology and post some blogs.  Next door is a Tourist Info booth and they were advertising some discounts on some local attractions.  One was a ride on the Verde Canyon Railroad which we wanted to go on so we stopped in.  Turns out this was a front for Sedona Pines which is a time share resort.  If we agreed to attend a 90 minute presentation we could get discounted tickets to the Railroad as well as a Jeep tour.  Since we have more time than money we signed up to attend their sales pitch on Tuesday and in turn we got 50% off the first class tickets to the Railroad ride on Sunday and 70% off the Jeep tour on Wednesday.  More about the Time Share pitch later. 

The Verde Canyon Railroad departed from Clarksdale (yes they did play “The Last Train To Clarksville” as we were leaving Perkinsville for our return trip) and took us along an old railway line which was used primarily for mining and is now strictly used as a ride for tourists.  It took us about 20 miles back into the wilderness following along a canyon wall.  The destination was a ghost town called Perkinsville.  

We had first class tickets which would have come at a cost of $100 each but with the discount we got ours for $100 total.  That provided us with seating on soft comfortable sofas, a champagne toast to start our trip, appetizers and a cash bar.  Each air conditioned car had an open air viewing car attached and we could wander back and forth at our leisure.  The return trip took just under 4 hours and was a very leisurely way to spend an afternoon.  I am glad we got the discount as I’m not sure there was enough value for the tickets at full price.  

The cars and tracks are all older and we were doing a lot of rocking and rolling down the tracks but at 5-10 miles per hour we stayed on the tracks.

The open air cars provided a great view of the scenery.

We were warned to keep our extremities inside the car as in places, especially through the tunnel, the clearance could be as little as 6 inches.  Going through the tunnel was interesting.  From a bright sunny Arizona day to total blackness in seconds.  And then blinding light as we came out the other end.

 The train station in Perkinsville has seen better days.  There were 2 sets of tracks which allowed the engine to switch positions to pull us home.

 The 1st class train car was quite comphie although the sofas, which we were seated on, provided a closeup view primarily of the rock face and the chairs on the left provided a better view of the canyon and the rock faces on the far side of the valley.  I spent a good portion of the ride on the viewing car.  Lori never left the comfort of the sofa.

The caboose, seen here right behind the 2 engines, could be rented for small private parties.  We only had one drink each but with the sun shining in the windows and the gentle swaying of the train car it would have been very easy to take a siesta.

Next up, a Red Rock hike.

Hiking Shots of Verde Valley

Just a few shots of our hikes through Dead Horse State Park.  A short hike up to the mesa above the Verde valley provides some great views of the valley below.  We are planning a few hikes around Sedona next week which should provide some great shots of the red rocks of Sedona.

Its Veterans Day down here, Remembrance Day back home, and things will probably be crazy busy in town and out on the trails so think we will veg out by the trailer the next few days.

Should be some time to arrange for some maintenance on the trailer.  One of my trailer tires is showing wear on the outside of the tread so I think a wheel alignment is called for.  Will see if I can line something up for when we get to Phoenix.  Alternatively I may just put the spare on and run it till we get home.  Taking the trailer in for work when it is also your home can be a bit problematic.  I want to swap the tires out at some point for better quality rubber.  The manufacturers tend to put the cheapest tires on, usually from a Chinese manufacturer, and have gained a reputation as "china bombs".  Last thing you want is a blowout on the trailer.  The shredded rubber causes all sorts of damage to the trailer.

Thats the mesa in front with the Verde valley down in the bottom.  On the far side, about half way up, to the left, is a small town kind of hanging on the side of the mountain. There is a small J on the rocks above the town indicating the town of Jerome.  Its an old mining town, now mostly tourism.  We were there 2 years ago and will be making a return visit.  

 Another shot with Jerome in the distance.

 Lori picking her foot falls very carefully.  The lose rocks can make for a dangerous fall if your foot is planted in the wrong spot.

Have to remember my selfie stick as part of our hiking gear just to prove that we are both on the same hike.

A few more days of R&R around the campground and then some Sedona hikes.  Stopped by a Tourist Info store today not realizing it was sponsored by a Time share.  Had some great deals on a train ride thru the Verde valley and a Jeep Tour.  The downside we have to attend a presentation at a time share.  We did this once in Vegas and had a terrible time trying to get out of there with our wallets intact.  We are sitting in Starbucks trying to decide if the aggravation is worth the money saved on the train and jeep tours.  Lori is against it but I am trying to convince her that we have far more time than money.  We will see who wins this discussion.  

Birthday in Sedona

Celebrated my 61st birthday on Monday and although I'm not sure what 61 is supposed to feel like I do know I don't feel like 40 anymore.  Frankly I haven't felt like 40 for some time.  Where do those aches and pains come from anyway.

Drove into Sedona today for a little window shopping and a birthday lunch with my best friend, who also happens to be my wife.  We decided to go back to Tlaquepaque, and I challenge you to try to pronounce it, which is basically an outdoor mall, although the pictures will show that its like no mall you have seen before.  The stores are very artsy as is most of Sedona and most of the artwork is well beyond our price point however there are lots of absolutely beautiful creations and admiring the creative ability of the artists is free.  

The fountains are all dressed up for Thanksgiving

Albert and Lori sharing a park bench

Mark gave me a few tips on my blog.  Basically, less verbiage, more pictures.  Point taken.

Lots of Colourful weathervanes along the street. All different designs.   

Lots of artwork on display outside of an Art Gallery.  Inside was lots more beautiful work.

The building is built of stone matching the cliff face behind.  Almost looks like its carved right out of the rock face.

Pretty nice place to have a vacation home.  Beautiful views everywhere you look.

Building blends in seamlessly with the cliff.