AI Summary
5 min readThe Timeshare Trap
A water park in Wisconsin Dells told David Farrier he wasn't welcome. The reason? In a previous episode of Flightless Bird, he'd made some skeptical comments about timeshares. The park's email ended with a line that practically guaranteed Farrier would investigate: "I don't want to give the impression that we're out to scam people because we aren't." So he did what any journalist would do—he went undercover to a timeshare sales presentation at the resort connected to that water park, recording the whole thing covertly in Wisconsin, which is a one-party consent state.
What a Timeshare Actually Is
The concept originated in the UK in the 1960s, expanding on a post-WWII system where four European families would jointly purchase a vacation cottage, each getting exclusive use for one season. The first US timeshare appeared in 1974, launched by Caribbean International Corporation based in Florida. As one article put it, the model caught on because entrepreneurs saw "enormous profits that could be made by selling the same room 52 times to 52 different owners." The points system—that bewildering currency that makes everything more confusing—arrived in 1991 thanks to the Disney Vacation Club.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:51) **Timeshares: The Setup and David's Reluctance** - David and Hayden discuss whether timeshares exist in New Zealand and David explains his deep personal aversion to being told what to do.
- 2 (01:36) **The Origin Story: A Water Park Says No** - David cold-emailed water parks in the Wisconsin Dells and one refused, citing his prior negative remarks about timeshares.
- 3 (03:26) **David's Personality & The Timeshare Trap** - David and Rob discuss how David's irritation with small things made the forced timeline of the timeshare meeting a perfect storm.
- 4 (07:10) **Rob's Family Timeshare History** - Rob explains his family's relationship with timeshares, which were a practical solution for a family of six before Airbnb existed.
- 5 (08:57) **The Mystery of the Timeshare Publicist** - David and Rob are baffled about how the water park found a single negative line about timeshares from a previous, unrelated episode.
- 6 (11:04) **Rob's Personal History with Timeshare Pitches** - Rob reveals he grew up attending these sales meetings to get gift cards, a tactic his dad used on him.
- 7 (13:37) **What is a Timeshare? (Rob's Childhood Perspective)** - Rob explains the practical experience of a timeshare from a kid's point of view, focusing on the points system and condos.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
In this week's Flightless Bird, David investigates America's obsession with timeshares - going undercover at a timeshare sales session, where he feels his sanity slowly slipping away as the hours pass by.
More on timeshares: https://www.go-koala.com/timeshare/resources/are-timeshares-scams
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