Steele Hill - Travel Package Give-away...

[Argie's Wife]

Just got a call from a telemarketer/sales rep. from Steele Hill stating I'd won 4 airline tickets to 31 locations around the US and Europe. The tickets are valid for 2 years, good with major carriers, transferrable, but I'd have to book my stay with a travel agent for hotels (anything from one star to five star hotels), and the average length of stay for in the US is 3-7 nights, while Hawaii or Europe is 7 nights or more. There's a few blackout days for flying - like around Christmas, Easter, etc.

When we go to pick up the tickets, etc., we're supposed to take a tour of Steele Hill Resort. The tour is like an hour and a half, I think....

Argie thinks this is a scam... I'm not sure what to think... there's some stuff on the internet about this and some folks thought it wasn't legit while others have said positive things about it...

Anyone else here on the forum have experience with this program or know anyone who does? What do you think?

[BroadHopper]

You have to sit through a time share presentation. The more you keep putting off the sale, the more the price of the time share goes down. If you stick it out, even if you didn't buy anything, you will get a free weekend at the resort.

If you really want a time share, buy it off the internet. For instant, I know a couple who bought an ESI time share in one of these presentations. They paid $30,000. A few years later they had to sell. They could get at most $7,000 for their investment. Same ESI time share is going for $3,000 on the internet.

The steep mark up pays for the promotions.

[thebix]

We went to Steele Hill on this deal last spring, and ending up buying a modest points package.
But we can't afford the $1500 or more hotel cost for the 5-8 days minimum in order to use the 'free' air fare.
They carefully package the 'free' stuff to be an attractive sales pitch, but also such that very few people manage to take advantage of it. The hotels you must use are priced at the max rate, $250-500 a might, and require the minimum number of days. If you wanted a nice vacation to one of the places, I am sure you could book a bargain airfare and discount hotel for a lot less. So you would end up paying for the 'free' air fare in the end, anyway.
But we are going to St. Martin next February on our points!

[MarkinNH]

As the old saying goes.
If it sounds to good to be true, It is !

[Lakesrider]

Also remember that the "Free" Places that they send you to are also going to want you to attend their seminars and sell you their packages.
We own several time shares. All bought off of ebay. We paid only the Maintenance fees to get them. we own in Park City Utah (Sundance film Festival weeks) Down in Kissimmee Fl, and also in Mertyl Beach. Look at ebay.
We were offered $25,000 for a timeshare we got off ebay for 699.00. And that was for a school vacation week. Of course we sold it, because it is just too busy there to do anything on school vacation week anywhere near Disney.
I would look at a time share in Branson, Mertyl Beach, Hilton Head. Of course you can't give away a time share right now anywhere near the Gulf....

[Greene's Basin Girl]

Also remember that the "Free" Places that they send you to are also going to want you to attend their seminars and sell you their packages.
We own several time shares. All bought off of ebay. We paid only the Maintenance fees to get them. we own in Park City Utah (Sundance film Festival weeks) Down in Kissimmee Fl, and also in Mertyl Beach. Look at ebay.
We were offered $25,000 for a timeshare we got off ebay for 699.00. And that was for a school vacation week. Of course we sold it, because it is just too busy there to do anything on school vacation week anywhere near Disney.
I would look at a time share in Branson, Mertyl Beach, Hilton Head. Of course you can't give away a time share right now anywhere near the Gulf....
I bought a timeshare in Florida and Wyndham points off ebay. It is extremely inexpensive to purchase that way. If you buy though you will always have annual fees that can run close to $1000.00.