KOA ridiculous charge

so it was $43 full hookup site
and it was $40 for overflow with no hookups

yea that stinks :)
I understand it from the CG point of view for financials and all----but it still sucks! I don't think you were gouged, but when you see it as above, $3 more for full hookup, you do end up feeling gouged in the wallet!

let it go as usual with the zillion unfair other things in life we all deal with :) :)

Lantley wrote:

Lauren wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
You could have 2 KOA's right next to each other, one would be a dump and the other would be perfect!

That, in fact, could be true of any RV parks. I have never been to a KOA that is a dump but sure can't say that about privately owned. And I do a lot of research before I stay anyplace; some of them - like most anything else - just don't get the truth "quite right".

That's just it KOA. The KOA brand helps ensure the place is not a total dump. Yes you pay more for the KOA brand but you get a bit of quality assurance vs. Joe's campground.

You would think so! Go to the KOA in Butte MT. Then stay at the one in Hayward WI. Then tell me they are similar!
When choosing a KOA you are not guaranteed that they will be the same quality!

KOA's are highly overrated. We rarely if ever stay there and only stay if there is no other option. In 16 years of Riving we've stayed in less then 5 KOA's. We got robbed in the Amarillo KOA and yes it's a dump. Lost thousands in camera gear. Just not a good value.

Lauren wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
You could have 2 KOA's right next to each other, one would be a dump and the other would be perfect!

That, in fact, could be true of any RV parks. I have never been to a KOA that is a dump but sure can't say that about privately owned. And I do a lot of research before I stay anyplace; some of them - like most anything else - just don't get the truth "quite right".

That's just it KOA. The KOA brand helps ensure the place is not a total dump. Yes you pay more for the KOA brand but you get a bit of quality assurance vs. Joe's campground.

We have stayed at a couple KOA's in BC and Alberta. We liked both alot. One was grassy and open the other was very well treed. The prices were not out of line. The best thing about both is they were very pet friendly. That's a big thing for us.

dodge guy wrote:
You could have 2 KOA's right next to each other, one would be a dump and the other would be perfect!

That, in fact, could be true of any RV parks. I have never been to a KOA that is a dump but sure can't say that about privately owned. And I do a lot of research before I stay anyplace; some of them - like most anything else - just don't get the truth "quite right".

lol, I'm sitting up here in Connecticut thinking to myself "Wow, $40? that's cheap!"...

Assuming the campground didn't cut the camper off from using the bath facilities, laundry, pool, and whatever else - then that is a a good price for a "family resort" campground around my neck of the woods. I assume also he had access to a dump station with fresh water to refill his water tank.

Local campground near me, if you just need to empty your tanks, charges $20 JUST TO DUMP if you don't have a campsite. Spending an extra $20 to spend the night and have access to bathroom, showers, and laundry doesn't seem to outrageous for a one time only deal.

Yes, $40 seems a lot to spend the night in a parking lot (which is where I assume the overflow spot was), but sometimes it happens. If they charged you $36, would it be better? and would you come back here and talk about the wonderful KOA that helped you out for one night? Or is $34.50 better?

It might have been better if you had come on here to start a post simply letting people know how much that particular KOA charges for overflow, as opposed to ranting about them.

And... assuming you were coming off a long day of driving, you were tired and cranky, and just needed a place to overnight for a few hours, I can see getting a bit uppity at the price.

Nope! KOA is for the people that don't do their research and are either new at RV'ing or are renting an RV. They consider them like a McDonalds where everything is the same everywhere. That is just not the case!

You could have 2 KOA's right next to each other, one would be a dump and the other would be perfect!

westernrvparkowner wrote:

Richert wrote:
KOA is for people who have no idea that there are a lot of less expensive CG's out there that are very nice and you don't pay high prices. My last experience with KOA was about 10 years ago, I needed a place to sleep with just electric, price then was like $30, looked in my CG book from Good Sam and found a CG about 5-10 miles down the road for $15 and had water & Electric. Of course there was no playground, gameroom, swimming pool, and all the other stuff we don't use. CG owners need to realize what the difference needs are for all the different campers out there. All that to say "Stay away from KOA"

It is much more likely that KOA is for all the people who want some or all of those amenities who do not want to travel 5 or 10 miles out of their way. Trying to be the low cost provider is often not a good business strategy.

Exactly. My kids like pools, craft activities, nature demonstrations, etc. I don't regularly stay at KOA or Jellystone Parks... but we try to go to at least one of these types of parks every year for the kids to have a chance to let loose and have fun. Its a LOT cheaper than going to a waterpark.

They aren't for everyone, and I certainly couldn't afford to make it standard operating procedure to stay at them all the time.

On the other hand, sometimes I want/need a bare bones park and don't want to pay for amenities. Thankfully my trailer has wheels and we can drive until we find the park we want.

Overflow is like Walmart. Go to Walmart. It is just an overnight to sleep.