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Lantley's avatar
Lantley
Nomad
Oct 09, 2017

Got gamed Westmoreland State Park in Va- reservation rant!

Those familiar with VA state parks know that you can reserve a site online but in may VA state parks it is not a site specific reservation.
You actually get to choose your site once you arrive on a first come first serve basis.
In short VA state parks guarantees you a spot but not a specific numbered spot.
When I arrived there were several unoccupied sites that I wanted to take however they had name tags designating them as taken or occupied however there was no one actually occupying the site. THe sites were all tagged with the same name
Turns out one member of a large group had arrived and tagged 8 other sites as occupied even though those people had not arrived yet.
As it turns out 2 of those sites were still unoccupied the next morning.
It would seem if sites are distributed on first come first save basis than all parties need to be present to claim/occupy a site.
I ended up with a lesser site even though I arrived a full day earlier.
I have never had a problem with the VA system until now.
I do know VA state parks sometimes monitors RV.net site.
If you're listening, I think there is a flaw in your policy.
How can one reserve/hold a site for someone not present if site are 1st come 1st serve?
I can agree holding one site is OK but to holding 7 is a bit much.
Why did I have to settle for a lesser site, when I was present and ready vs. someone not there.
The 1st come 1st serve policy works as long as no one is allowed to game/cheat the system. Rant Over!
  • Lantley's avatar
    Lantley
    Nomad
    Oct 12, 2017
    Walaby wrote:
    Bird Freak wrote:
    Let me throw you another situation here. I reserved 3 sites in a Fla. park with my credit card and paid for 3 nights when doing so. I arrived before my two other brothers. I am there and claimed all three sites. Are you saying you should be able to take one of those even though I am there and have paid for the spots although I have not set up anything on the other two sites yet?

    While Im not the OP, I would say the answer to your question, from my perspective, is YES, I should be able to take one of those spots, if I showed up before your other two brothers. Unless, of course, they are site specific reservations. Now, If I was preparing to occupy the site, and you came up to me, and explained the situation, I'd probably move to accommodate you and your brothers. But, I'd be miffed if they didn't show up and the site I wanted was subsequently vacant.

    The Florida state parks I've stayed at are site specific reservations. Although I will admit, I've only been to a couple.

    Mike


    In my case there were 2 vacant sites in the A.M..
    One went to a member of the group. But I believe the last site went to a non group camper that just rolled up and found a vacant site.

    So the site that I was denied the day before went to someone outside the group after all. While I never went to the office to confirm the final site occupant was from outside the group. The name tags on the site did not match the name on the rest of the group's site.
    Ultimately this annoyance led to me ranting.
  • Lantley's avatar
    Lantley
    Nomad
    Oct 12, 2017
    Bird Freak wrote:
    Let me throw you another situation here. I reserved 3 sites in a Fla. park with my credit card and paid for 3 nights when doing so. I arrived before my two other brothers. I am there and claimed all three sites. Are you saying you should be able to take one of those even though I am there and have paid for the spots although I have not set up anything on the other two sites yet?

    If reservations are first come first serve with an occupancy rule than yes I feel I am entitled to any unoccupied site.
    What makes your group special that they supersede everyone else.
    If your group wants to be together they need to make the effort to arrive together.
    Now if this is a private park the owner can grant exemptions as they wish. However in a public park it becomes even more important to apply the rules equally
  • Lantley's avatar
    Lantley
    Nomad
    Oct 12, 2017
    westernrvparkowner wrote:
    To summarize all these posts. The policy that would be far and away the best is the one that works for you. All the other policies do nothing but cramp your style.

    Western you some it up pretty well.
    You said in a post at the beginning of this thread that no policy would appease everyone.
    I imagine you see a version of reservation policy heartache everyday.

    Nevertheless I still want to see the same rules/policies applied to everyone equally.
    Once you start to cater or favor one crowd you will surely upset the other crowd.
  • westernrvparkow's avatar
    westernrvparkow
    Explorer
    Oct 12, 2017
    To summarize all these posts. The policy that would be far and away the best is the one that works for you. All the other policies do nothing but cramp your style.
  • Bird_Freak's avatar
    Bird_Freak
    Explorer II
    Oct 12, 2017
    bakerkids wrote:
    Walaby wrote:
    Bird Freak wrote:
    Let me throw you another situation here. I reserved 3 sites in a Fla. park with my credit card and paid for 3 nights when doing so. I arrived before my two other brothers. I am there and claimed all three sites. Are you saying you should be able to take one of those even though I am there and have paid for the spots although I have not set up anything on the other two sites yet?

    While Im not the OP, I would say the answer to your question, from my perspective, is YES, I should be able to take one of those spots, if I showed up before your other two brothers. Unless, of course, they are site specific reservations. Now, If I was preparing to occupy the site, and you came up to me, and explained the situation, I'd probably move to accommodate you and your brothers. But, I'd be miffed if they didn't show up and the site I wanted was subsequently vacant.

    The Florida state parks I've stayed at are site specific reservations. Although I will admit, I've only been to a couple.

    Mike


    My "take" exactly.
    I never stated it was a state park as it was not. I paid for the sites and I was there. Its all a matter of opinion really but to me if I am there and I already paid for it its mine. I did put chairs on them.
  • DanNJanice's avatar
    DanNJanice
    Explorer
    Oct 12, 2017
    DiskDoctr wrote:
    What changes in the reservation system do you think would solve your problem?

    I have never understood a First-Come First-Serve "reservation" system. This system might work if the campground was a tarmac, where all sites were equal, but that is the only way I could see it working.
    Regarding changing the system so it works for the OP, just allow sites to be selected when the reservation is placed. Now, the OP may still not get the site they want (the group would have booked the same block of sites anyway) but at least the OP would know what site they had and if it would work for them.
  • bakerkids's avatar
    bakerkids
    Explorer
    Oct 12, 2017
    Walaby wrote:
    Bird Freak wrote:
    Let me throw you another situation here. I reserved 3 sites in a Fla. park with my credit card and paid for 3 nights when doing so. I arrived before my two other brothers. I am there and claimed all three sites. Are you saying you should be able to take one of those even though I am there and have paid for the spots although I have not set up anything on the other two sites yet?

    While Im not the OP, I would say the answer to your question, from my perspective, is YES, I should be able to take one of those spots, if I showed up before your other two brothers. Unless, of course, they are site specific reservations. Now, If I was preparing to occupy the site, and you came up to me, and explained the situation, I'd probably move to accommodate you and your brothers. But, I'd be miffed if they didn't show up and the site I wanted was subsequently vacant.

    The Florida state parks I've stayed at are site specific reservations. Although I will admit, I've only been to a couple.

    Mike


    My "take" exactly.
  • Walaby's avatar
    Walaby
    Explorer II
    Oct 12, 2017
    Bird Freak wrote:
    Let me throw you another situation here. I reserved 3 sites in a Fla. park with my credit card and paid for 3 nights when doing so. I arrived before my two other brothers. I am there and claimed all three sites. Are you saying you should be able to take one of those even though I am there and have paid for the spots although I have not set up anything on the other two sites yet?

    While Im not the OP, I would say the answer to your question, from my perspective, is YES, I should be able to take one of those spots, if I showed up before your other two brothers. Unless, of course, they are site specific reservations. Now, If I was preparing to occupy the site, and you came up to me, and explained the situation, I'd probably move to accommodate you and your brothers. But, I'd be miffed if they didn't show up and the site I wanted was subsequently vacant.

    The Florida state parks I've stayed at are site specific reservations. Although I will admit, I've only been to a couple.

    Mike
  • Bird_Freak's avatar
    Bird_Freak
    Explorer II
    Oct 12, 2017
    Let me throw you another situation here. I reserved 3 sites in a Fla. park with my credit card and paid for 3 nights when doing so. I arrived before my two other brothers. I am there and claimed all three sites. Are you saying you should be able to take one of those even though I am there and have paid for the spots although I have not set up anything on the other two sites yet?
  • Pops's avatar
    Pops
    Explorer
    Oct 12, 2017
    I can understand your situation that happened, but I prefer Non-specific reservations for the same reasons as Charles. Be the early bird and 9 out of 10 times you going to be a happy camper. The OP happened to get that 1 time, and he sucked it up, made the best of it, and ranted some.

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