Have I mentioned I DETEST Reserveamerica?

magnusfide wrote:

Lantley wrote:
Ultimately it's a way for states to save money. They do not have to maintain and manage the infrastructure of having a call center with state employees. It allows the states to farm out the entire operations. As you have seen many states have gone this route.
It allows more tax dollars to go directly into managing the parks vs. being siphoned off for non essential things like call centers

This is a fallacy from RAs sales pitch to the states.

Those states that already had an efficient computerized reservation system do not save any money: this from several DNR heads who also state that their complaints numbers have gone through the roof since RA took over. It's costing them more now to deal with RA problems.

RA is a monopoly. It has been a giant step backwards for many state systems. Sales pitches don't sync with the reality in the states with outstanding park systems before RA.

I see your point but honestly I don't want my state in the reservation business. How efficient it was is debatable. State employees come with pensions that many states can no longer afford. I don't want rangers taking reservations,I want them in the park managing the land and people.
Initially RA was a bit harder to navigate than the old state system simply because RA is designed to fit an unlimited number of parks vs. the finite number of MD parks.

Currently RA effectively gets the job done. I'm sure it is not perfect and there are problems. I am also sure there were problems with the old systems.
While many disagree the OP obviously thinks his current is is due to a problem with the RA system.
As far as it being a monopoly I think that is the whole point of RA. Why not have 1 consolidated system vs. 50 systems or a separate system for each state.
That translates into a lot fewer call centers,equipment and people.
Without getting into salaries and benefits of government employees vs. private. Just the reduction in physical buildings and equipment will produce savings. As you said each state had its own call center set up somewhere. That center had heat, A/C computers and people. Taxes paid for all of this. As tax funds started to run out states were forced to make cuts,and RA evolved and grew as more states ran out of funds and signed up.
Part of the evolution is that the cost of the reservation system was passed on to the end users (campers) vs. the taxpayers.
In the end if we want our parks to have a reservation system, RA is a necessary evil that will never satisfy everyone. But it will provide for a consolidated system that ultimately reduces the cost to taxpayers.