chasnval Report post Posted September 22, 2014 This is just an FYI... I'm posting this because I am VERY frustrated with this resort. Do NOT PAY in advance here! They make absolutely NO attempt to help you if you need to cancel for an emergency!!! They even rented our space to someone else for the MAJORITY of the time we had paid, and they still didn't refund ANY of our payment, nor did they offer to let us come and stay another time. We will NEVER go there!!!! There are too many other beautiful places to stay in this area. Not a happy camper here!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillAdams Report post Posted September 22, 2014 This is a fairly common practice. I don't know why so many campgrounds have this policy but we have seen it in hundreds of places. NO REFUNDS! Period. We now pay day by day if necessary unless you are absolutely certain there is no chance that something might change or we have specific fixed plans in that area. It's a stupid policy (and likely one you could battle if you paid by CC) and creates more animosity than would ever be created by the extra income this greed generates. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chasnval Report post Posted September 22, 2014 I absolutely agree with you, Bill. All they had to do in order to appease me would have been to say we could come stay another time if they had space available. They were completely inflexible though. Oh well... We just will never go there now, and out of frustration I made this post (and others). We usually book for just a night with an option to extend, but this time we were planning to go with several other couples so I booked an entire week. We had an emergency (with our fur child) come up and unfortunately we couldn't go. :-( Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Xplorer Report post Posted September 22, 2014 Summersville Summersville RV Park Reviews CANCELLATION POLICY If you must cancel, you may choose between a rebooking or a 90% refund on cancellations made 30 days prior to date of reservation. On cancellations less than 30 days, you may receive either a Rebook or a 90% Refund, ONLY if re-rented for your entire reservation period. No Refunds or rebooking on cancellations of 3 days or less. RE-BOOKED Reservations are only good for the year the original reservation was made and initial reservation policies apply. Understand that we cannot be held responsible for weather, illness, work schedules, or other situations affecting our guests and therefore, enforce our cancellation policy regardless of circumstances. For these reasons we strongly recommend travel insurance. Refunds will usually appear on your credit card statement within 2 - 5 business days. Occasionally the debit & credit card refunds can take up to 30 days to appear. A very slow, peaceful, stress free quiet day in the High Desert today. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elkhartjim Report post Posted September 22, 2014 I'm sure sorry for your problem but it appears they have a stated cancellation policy which apparently you didn't adhere too. We have had this happen during our travels and we'll most likely have it happen again. It looks like a great destination, I'll put this on my list of places to stay if in the area. “Bad planning on my part does not constitute an emergency on their part" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
medico Report post Posted September 23, 2014 Unfortunately there are some unscrupulous RV Parks out there. I would write a review on RV Park Reviews. Don't just put your complaint as it will not be published. Write everything you found, both good and bad. Include you complaint as a part of the review. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elkhartjim Report post Posted September 23, 2014 I'm curious, Medico, how can you include this campground as an "unscrupulous RV Park" when their cancellation policy is clearly stated on their website? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillAdams Report post Posted September 23, 2014 I would call it unscrupulous as well as one of the definitions is not honest or fair. It's certainly not fair to have that kind of a policy (IMHO). The reality is "stuff" happens that is completely beyond our control. I am even more sympathetic as my furry buddy ended up in the emergency room last night and I would have done whatever was necessary to ensure his well being. I get the part where you can't have your money back (still a stupid policy) but the re-booking option should be held up as an option. I have to say that I generally avoid KOA campgrounds but to their benefit (and the reason I do stay more at KOA's more now than I used to) is that they have a no questions asked refund policy. Gotta go? Just let them know and you get the necessary refund without question. That may or may not be true every where every time but I have never been refused one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billbaldwin Report post Posted September 23, 2014 I've missed reservations in the past and will probably miss some in the future. It's never been the fault of the CG. It’s easy to forget CG’s are in the business to make money, if they are holding a reservation for you there is a good chance they have turned someone away. Paying a couple of hundred dollars for a camping spot you don't use is never easy, but the flip side is first come like at some federal campgounds and we know how well that works:( Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted September 23, 2014 We seldom make reservations at campgrounds but on occasion it is necessary. We just came from a campground that had almost exactly the same cancellation policy, word for word. We haven't had to pull out of a park ahead of schedule for quite a while. If I had to pull out of a park with that policy, I wouldn't say a word to anyone. If they didn't know you were gone for good they wouldn't be able to rent your site to someone else until your term expired. You can at least deprive them of the double rent they would get from turning the site over to someone else. Park owners and campers should be two sides of the same coin. We need each other. In markets where there are more campers than campgrounds, park owners hold the upper hand. They can set restrictions as above and raise prices higher than in other locations. In areas (or seasons) when there are more campgrounds than campers, park owners have to compete to attract campers to their parks. They have to charge lower prices and be friendlier to campers to encourage them to return. In these cases campers hold the upper hand, we can pick and choose campgrounds with better rates and/or policies. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillAdams Report post Posted September 24, 2014 I've missed reservations in the past and will probably miss some in the future. It's never been the fault of the CG. It’s easy to forget CG’s are in the business to make money, if they are holding a reservation for you there is a good chance they have turned someone away. Paying a couple of hundred dollars for a camping spot you don't use is never easy, but the flip side is first come like at some federal campgounds and we know how well that works:( If a campground is really in business to make money then they must first be good business folks. The first rule of business is that it is much less expensive to retain a customer than it is to get a new customer. If you want to alienate every customer who has an emergency then go for it. However, if you want to have a bit of compassion you will likely earn much more money on the back end than the "one time" money you earn with a flawed policy. As I mentioned above, I used to avoid KOA's but now use them if they are convenient for no other reason than I know that their early departure policy is one that instills a feeling of understanding for my lifestyle. I have never lost a single dollar at a KOA because my plans changed either voluntarily or involuntarily. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
medico Report post Posted September 24, 2014 I have to agree with Bill. Attracting new customers is MUCH more expensive than getting a customer to return when they are pleased with their first experience. Repeat customers are what gives profits as they cost almost nothing in advertising, whereas new customers are what business spend advertising dollars to attract. I have also had an emergency while on the road and had to cancel a reservation with a short notice (2 or 3 days). I believe this happened to be at a KOA in Arkansas. My entire prepayment was returned. Guess what, when in that area I will use this park again! Their assistance in a difficult situation will be remembered. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillAdams Report post Posted September 25, 2014 If you travel a lot as we did, you find that there are some very cool things about KOA in general and some of the KOA parks specifically. In December of 2012 we needed to get from Vegas to Denver and along the way we wanted to stop at the KOA in Richfield, UT. Turns out that campground is closed that time of year but there was a sign that said find a site, hook up, have a great night. Yep, full 50 amp service for the overnighter at no charge at that time of year. We were completely blown away, found someone to thank (and verify) and posted our positive experience anywhere anyone would listen (like here)! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chasnval Report post Posted September 25, 2014 Bill - Thanks for sharing that information. The people here on the FMCA forum are much nicer than on other forums. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
campcop Report post Posted September 27, 2014 Bill, your experience with KOA was better than ours a few years ago. We were traveling thru AZ and could not make it to the next campground , a KOA due to a snow storm...they refused a refund...like the campground was in high demand at that time.....but to corporate KOA's credit they did give me free night after a written complaint . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillAdams Report post Posted September 28, 2014 Remember that each and every KOA is an independent business and not owned or operated by KOA. Not everything everywhere works as it should. I do believe that the KOA's charge too much and some have no facilities to justify these additional charges. However, if you cannot be sure of your plans or if simply MUST be there, the KOA option might be OK. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted September 28, 2014 26 KOA's are owned by the CEO, who also is Senior VP of Harrah's Casino in Reno, NV. The only KOA that I ever had a $$$ issue with, was August 4,2014 on my way to Redmond, it was Reno KOA! Look up KOA on Google, Wikipedia. Interesting read.Carl C. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
