I went out to look at a timershare flatly resolved not to buy. I went to see if I'd win the prize. They started off nice enough, but by the end they got downright rude and started using high pressure tactics. We're certainly not going back there. The "manager" who came over when we said "no" to make us the "special deal" noticed the cross my wife was wearing and started asking about our church. When he found out we were regular attenders he started playing the "we're of the same religion, so clearly you should buy from me." Needless to say I was very offended by this approach more than anything else.

I think time shares can be nice though, as long as you go in with your eyes open. My grandmother has one and got us a place in Hawiie for my honeymoon. It wasn't fancy, but it did the trick and we had a real blast.

For those who want an expination of how it all works, basically you are buying into a property with 51 other individuals. Each person gets one assigned week a year that they can use the property. You can then trade this week for a different week if another person makes theirs available (because they want to trade for a different week, etc.) Then there is the large association you can join, which lets you trade your week out to a property somewhere else. You give up your one week at your location and if another comperable timeshare is available you can use it there. There are variations on the theme, but I believe that's how it generally works.