Bad experience Lancaster KOA

soren wrote:
The OP..remember?? the one who started this thread.. was not singled out for anything. Everyone has to pay the price or dont come in.


My response was specifically addressing WRVPO's sickening attitude toward disabled guests, not the OP's complaint. That said, being denied the ability to have someone enter the park, briefly, to pick up a disabled guest, without an outrageous fee, is a pretty textbook definition of failing to make reasonable accommodation. Not only would this situation look pretty bad in the local press, and any RV review site that is willing to post it, but it's well worth contacting the state's disability advocate office with the info.

Well my "sickening attitude" comes from people threatening to do this or that, rather than asking for assistance. I stand by my statement that people using the ADA as a club, rather than a guide makes businesses wary of the disabled. It is common knowledge that there is a group of disabled advocates (or scammers, take your choice) that make their living going to businesses, finding small violations of the ADA laws and threatening to sue if they are not paid off. The violations they cite are things like the toilet being a half inch too low, the ramps having a 6.5 percent grade instead of the specified 6 percent and on and on.
I spend the vast majority of my time helping guests. I go out of my way, above and beyond, to make people's vacations as enjoyable as possible. However, threaten me with a lawsuit, a bad review or just plain badmouthing to your friends if I don't do something you want and you will get NOTHING.
Typical of most rants, the OP has mislead everyone. The fee for visitors at the campground in question is $6.00 per person, not $18.00. The $18.00 apparently comes from the OPs desire to have three people come in and pick them up. Everyone talks about making reasonable accommodations, how about the OP's friends staying outside the park while ONE person goes in to pick them up? Then you have a much more reasonable fee of $6.00.
Logically, the only reason three people would have to go in would be because they actually aren't just driving in, picking up the guests and leaving, but actually plan on staying a while.

westernrvparkowner wrote:
Typical of most rants, the OP has mislead everyone. The fee for visitors at the campground in question is $6.00 per person, not $18.00. The $18.00 apparently comes from the OPs desire to have three people come in and pick them up. Everyone talks about making reasonable accommodations, how about the OP's friends staying outside the park while ONE person goes in to pick them up? Then you have a much more reasonable fee of $6.00.
Logically, the only reason three people would have to go in would be because they actually aren't just driving in, picking up the guests and leaving, but actually plan on staying a while.

I think it could be that he thought it would be awkward to tell his friends that two of them had to stand outside the gate while the other drives in. Who wants to look like a cheapskate?

But to save $12, I'd probably do it. Or, like the OP and his wife, I would just walk to the gate instead to avoid paying at all.

Seems like this sort of rant is typical of folks. Post a complaint/rant, not necessarily disclose ALL the information, but enough to justify your complaint, and then not return to amplify or answer questions others may have.

Not slamming the OP necessarily, but it seems, based on the info provided by others, to include the disclosure that the real guest entrance fee could have been $6 instead of $18, this, to me, does not rise to the level of an ADA complaint. Access was not restricted or denied based on disability. Now, the campground could have maybe been more accommodating and perhaps told the OP that we will allow ONE guest to drive in, and pick you guys up. Leave the rest of the guests at the gate, and be back in 15 mins or so. Now, that would have been the nice gesture to do. But, maybe the employees did not have the authority to do that. If I was an employee, and I was told NO EXCEPTIONS to the guest fee, then that is EXACTLY what I would say. I might try to find a manager if said manager could waive the policy, but I would not jeopardize losing my job by violating my bosses policy.

Seems like alot of folks want to jump on the band wagon and sic the ADA on the campground.. even if the likelihood is that it wouldn't stick. I agree with WRVPO, that it is this attitude, not just in this situation, but in alot of situations these days, that really pisses me off. The attitude that if I don't get my way, Im just gonna sue, or sic the feds on you until you give me what I want is sickening in it's own right.

In the end, the campground decided to do what it decided to do, and they will live with the consequences of their decisions/actions. It is perfectly within OP's right to post a negative response for others to make an informed decision, BUT, and this is critical, ALL information should be disclosed. Carefully omitting key pieces of information (ie the cost PER GUEST is only $6) is not telling both sides of the story.

As with probably every single situation involving two or more individuals, there are multiple sides to the story. Im quite sure this situation is no different.

Mike

Crowe wrote:
ADA requires reasonable accommodation of the disability.

This applies more in the workplace for employees. What applies in the campground is access to the facilities. It does not require special treatment. No grounds for a lawsuit.

THIS^^^^

spent 20 years working with the Disabled and this incident is NOT an ADA issue. if they didn't a ADA-compliant campsite, then it could be an ADA issue.
but providing a shuttle ride for them is NOT.

it would been the right thing to do but sounds like the staff/policies at this place aren't Nice.

I'm betting the owners started out fresh with great personalities and customer service, but were gradually reduced to their current attitude and rule book due to people taking advantage of them.

Could they have let a car with 3 people drive in to pick someone up and then immediately return? Sure, but then they would have to use additional resources to make sure that they did just that. As business owners with lots of guests, do you think they have the time for that? I don't.

Upon getting burned continuously, they morphed into the people that they are now - getting flamed on the internet by a bunch of axe grinders with a list of lawyers on their Rolodex.

On edit the KOA in question has a 7.5 rating on RV Park Reviews. Most of the current reviews are pretty good. People seem to enjoy being in a quiet place with scenic views where the rules are enforced.

2012Coleman wrote:
I'm betting the owners started out fresh with great personalities and customer service, but were gradually reduced to their current attitude and rule book due to people taking advantage of them...

Good post. I've been fortunate in my life to not have had to deal directly with the public. It doesn't sound like fun.

The $18 fee was as follows, $6 for car and then $6 for each person in the car. So at best we could have saved $6 by having one of our friends stay at the gate. Not sure if he would have charged us again for drop off. Manager we dealt with was some what nasty and not helpful on other questions we had, it was almost like we were a bother. We had previously stayed at the Gettysburg KOA and they could not have more accommodating. When they saw my wife come in to register with a cane, they said "oh lets get a better site for you and one that's closer to pool etc." No problem with shuttle going to our site. We have had similar good experiences at other rv parks.

two travelers wrote:
The $18 fee was as follows, $6 for car and then $6 for each person in the car. So at best we could have saved $6 by having one of our friends stay at the gate. Not sure if he would have charged us again for drop off. Manager we dealt with was some what nasty and not helpful on other questions we had, it was almost like we were a bother. We had previously stayed at the Gettysburg KOA and they could not have more accommodating. When they saw my wife come in to register with a cane, they said "oh lets get a better site for you and one that's closer to pool etc." No problem with shuttle going to our site. We have had similar good experiences at other rv parks.

Consider those fees appear to be in place to discourage guest for any reason.
I imagine the CG while willing to, really does not want to collect the fee. Rather they hope the fees discourage guest because they would rather not have to police the guest.
In the long run the CG is happy with their pay or stay away policy...
because it is effective in discouraging/limiting guest.

That is one KOA campground we will avoid.

GeoBoy wrote:
That is one KOA campground we will avoid.

You obviously didn't read the replies.

Whatever...