603-581-2350

SCAM!!! They claimed if you would come and look at their dump of a resort they would give you free airline tickets...I should have known it was a scam...The tickets are free however, you have to spend $200-300/night at their hotels...SCUM PUPPIES!!!!

Got a call after filling out a 'win a trip' giveaway at Fisher Cats stadium I received a call from the company, her name was Linda, this morning stating that I won a $3,800 trip. Upon verifying my contact information they asked to verify my income of over $50k. I had recently left my job so I answered that information was not verifiable as I am now self-employed. Linda replied "oh, I'm sorry but you don't qualify now for this giveaway" and hung up the phone. It is a scam similar to the time-share scams and the Fisher Cats should be ashamed to allow this to occur in their ballpark! The number I was instructed to call is 603-581-2338.

I know for a fact that not a single person called any of you from Steele Hill and told you that you WON a travel package.

I have lived in the Lakes Region my entire life. I know many families that own at Steele Hill (yes, even locals love it). I attended dozens of birthday parties there when I was younger. Steele Hill is a nice resort with a traditional charm to it. No, it's not fancy, but it's nice. The rooms are not five star but they are not one star either. The amenities are their strong point.

Steele Hill is not a chain resort, it's a family owned business that has grown since the 1930s. They are also with the Summit in Laconia (a more up to date resort). Steele Hill sponsors many events in New England. At these events, they do drawings. Yes, someone really wins what they entered for. Everyone else's forms (that qualify) are used for a promotional giveaway. It says on the entry form that your information is not shared elsewhere. It's not. The information stays exclusively with Steele Hill. Steele Hill's telemarketers are on site, not an outside source.

Was your call forwarded to a machine? Each marketer has their own callback number. If they are on the phone or not working, that is why you don't get an answer, but THEY WILL CALL YOU BACK. The calls are recorded to cover your a** and theirs. You can use that against them if they've done something wrong or lied. They can use it against you if you didn't listen well enough, made assumptions, and are now furious over your own stupidity.

They specifically tell you that you are selected. Ask them if you won. You will be told it's not considered a winning, it's a promotional giveaway. You haven't spoken to anyone? Any messages left say specifically that you were chosen. Never will they tell you that you have won anything. NO ONE HAS TOLD YOU THAT YOU WON ANYTHING.

The event they sponsor is not involved in the giveaway. As a thank-you for promoting their event, the event allows Steele Hill to promote themselves at the event.

When you go to acquire your gifts you are taken on a physical tour of the resort and listen to a presentation on their timeshare. You do not have to purchase anything to receive EVERYTHING the telemarketer told you that you were selected for.

Steele Hill does not offer these giveaways to get you to by timeshare. The purpose is to promote the resort itself. Steele Hill is a full service resort. You don't have to be an owner to stay there. It's worth more to the resort to do the giveaways to have the public see what they have to offer (besides timeshare), than to run TV ads. Steele Hill has awesome amenities, especially for those who love New Hampshire. They also do beautiful weddings with views of the lakes and mountains. Steele Hill obviously would like if you bought into their program, but that isn't the main idea. If you thought the resort was nice but had no interest buying into anything in the first place, that is the point! Word of mouth is their main advertisement.

The package itself? They buy this package from a travel agency that gives them a business discount for buying in "bulk." Then they just give them away. Your cost in attaining the package is time and gas. If someone buys into a timeshare, they don't even get more gifts than those who do not buy.  Your cost within the package: The hotels in the package major chain hotels and not associated with Steele Hill in any way. You are responsible for your own hotel room. You must choose from the listed hotels. Rates don't exceed around $400/night but most are under $200/night. They tell you it is a COUPLE'S GETAWAY PACKAGE. That is why the best way to use it is for TWO COUPLE GETAWAYS. It is not meant to be a family package! Don't want it? Give it away as gifts! While you are on vaca, you are on vaca. That means no other timeshare tours! The package is an actual travel/vacation package, not a promotion within a promotion within a promotion, etc.

Don't want to fly? Family vacationer only? There is an alternative package you can ask for. Ask if they have something family orientated or tell them you don't like to fly. They will begin offering you a different package (some think it's better than the airline tickets).

Seriously, it's not a scam or the region would have run them out of business. We are protective of our reputation and integrity.

Oh, and if you spend a night with them on a sun, wed, or thurs, into the next, you do actually get your deposit back. Like I said, they legally have to record their calls, therefore they don't do illegal things.

-Laconian

Received the identical call as others have described.  Was told that my entry was selected from when I submitted it at the Providence Bruins game (back in Feb!), and I was told that I was "selected for a nice travel package and a gift certificate."  Called back even though it sounded suspicious (if it sounds too good to be true it usually is) and long story short, it was for a time share presentation.  I explained I was not interested in a time share as we already have vacation property, but I would be happy to look at the info if it were mailed to me.  Was told they don't mail the info but they gave me a website address (which I did not go to).  I do remember filling out a slip for a drawing at a P-Bruins game, but distinctly remember it was for either P-Bruins merchandise or tickets, I don't remember seeing anything about a time share - if I had known it would be used to add me to a call list, I probably would not have filled it out to begin with.

We won a free stay at the resort and loved it.we also bought a time share while we were there. It was a great deal if traveling is what you want to do. The people that say its a scam is people that have boring lives and don't travel. For a trip anywhere the cost is so expensive and I can stay in the first class suite for cheap or use my points. So the people that claimed is a scam have fum at the super 8 hotels