Ask Me Help Desk - Coastal Vacations

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bocasean

I wanted to hear some firsthand accounts of people actually using their package to travel. That's all.

Sorry about that. I haven't heard from anyone who has actually used the end product. But I'm sure someone is about to pop up here anytime soon.

Yeah, you'd think that people would be as willing to talk about the actual product usage as they are about the opportunity.

In my opinion, an opportunity is only as strong as the product supporting it.

And I say this from the perspective of someone who already believes in both the product AND the opportunity. I just want to hear more firsthand accounts of how people have used the product, and I'm sure it's bound to be explained by someone at some point.

There is just no way that I can single-handedly use every item within the package.

That said, I am continuing to go through the tutorials in the training areas, so I might even find what I'm looking for on my own. I just haven't found it yet :)

Bocasean,

What exactly are you looking for? I am really surprised no one in your group can't offer more first hand experience for you. I have my cruise planned for the winter, so I have not taken that killer trip with killer savings. However, someone in my group stayed in a beachfront condo on Maui for $750 for a week. It normally goes for $2100. There are many testimonials I have heard of from networking with more experienced Coastal Directors.

I take it you are with CSG. You should include the official training on the official coastal sites to get the best overall picture of the business. And you should definitely include the product training calls. There is a schedule of official BOD calls on the site.

Noreen

Yeah, I know... I do all those. I continue to listen to the product recordings and go to as many global theatres as I can.

I was just hoping to hear some firsthand accounts of the functionality of the membership, i.e. the other cards outside of the condo cards. I actually have a very strong grasp of how the condo card functions and the value it provides... it's the OTHER cards I'm curious about and was just hoping ot hear some firsthand recollections.

I can research it on my own, as I've been doing and will continue to do, but if people who use the membership were to provide actual product-usage examples, it would speed my learning curve up.

For example, you taking that cruise this winter is something I'm VERY interested in hearing about once you return :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bocasean

I am new Level 1 associate with Coastal Synergy group. I've read a vast majority of the pros, cons, and reviews for both CSG and Coastal Vacations, and I have a reasonably solid understanding of the business system.

So my question is NOT about whether CSG is a good home-based business, but rather, is the vacation package itself a true value?

I've heard conflicting reports as to actual value of the trips, due to blackout dates, difficulty of activation, hidden surcharges, etc, etc.

Would someone who has actually used the vacations and membership cards please give me some insight. I do not want to start selling the product to people without having a bit more confidence and user-knowledge about what I'm selling. I am going on one of the cruises that came in my L1 package, which will provide me with some firsthand knowledge of the product, but there is simply no way I can familiarize myself with the entire package in a short period of time.

p.s. This is my first posting on this forum, so many of you might be wondering if this is going to end up being spam. I will prove over time that it's not, and I only joined this forum because it seems to have a nice mix of pro-Coastal and anti-Coastal sentiment, and I feel it's important to hear both sides of the coin. Thank you for reading and responding!

A very late reply but I have seen many replies to this company but they are either propaganda based or self endorsements. What I have seen little of is the actual product detail comments. Marketing is marketing and whether you are a drug company, a lobbyist or beer company, sales and success have little to do with quality, actual realization or purpose. Having been in the industry for several years, I know that one major portion of their program are travel certs (certificates), This alone is a huge negativity in the travel industry from companies that do not deliver to others who deliver but work the client hard to up-sell or discourage. I know in the earlier years, Coastal actually supplied certs that had expired and were not even valid or worth the 20 bucks paid for them. Currently I am sure they have changed vendors but the shadow of using certs is what it is. There are some outstanding cert companies however even they have large customer dissatisfaction because a vacation is to get away and relax, not be prompted to a possible timeshare presentation or have to upgrade or pay extra! I personally can buy certs for the same locations directly from vendors or marketing companies, but again, I don't as it only causes customer discomfort at the least. I also can buy a condo card they boast about for as little as 80 dollars period. I can get certified as an agent from the same company that Coastal uses for I think 199.00 now. I guess coming from the business, I see little value in the packages and the upgrades to me are a joke as there really is little to the upgrades in international travel etc. as they already exist and Coastal is just marketing it as if it is their idea or corner niche. The fact is that travel certs have been around for many years and used mostly by Timeshare and Vacations clubs to entice people to see a presentation and receive perceived value for doing so. Here is what I tell my clients and friends I care about, why not just use a points credit card to pay all your bills which should average 20,000 to 40,000 dollars a year and pay it off every month to avoid any interest. What you have done is gained 20,000 plus free travel points and increased your credit portfolio. Most card companies now do not put people through travel cert hell or airport standbys. There are hundreds of travel programs out there and 90% probably are not for you but some are if you do your research. I do not advise or advocate timeshares as the actual usage cost sometimes is more than you realize. That coming from a timeshare owner too. Actually 3 I am sad to admit. However due to business purposes I am able to zero out the costs but honestly I have never stayed in any of them. Good Luck in your searches everybody. I hope I was of some use.

Michael J