Hi Everyone, I'm new to this forum and to RVing. I posted another question on here (my first post) and got great responses. I'm hoping for more great input.Have you ever planned out a trip (like a snowbird trip to Florida) and put deposits on your reservations, and then had to cancel your trip at the last minute? Did you get back your deposit money?As I'm planning my trip, I see that most RV parks seem to have a strict "no refunds" policy. Much different than making reservations at hotels/motels. I'm just wondering if this has been a problem for others and how you all handled it.In 2012 I had a trip planned to Utah, Nevada, California and Arizona. This was before we had the RV, so we were flying to Salt Lake City and renting a car, then looping thru Reno, Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and back to Vegas to fly back home. I made all of the reservations thru Priceline.com, and pre-paid the entire trip, No Refunds. Well, two weeks before the trip, I had a medical problem, and had to cancel everything. Priceline said that if I wanted a refund, I would have to contact the individual hotels/motels myself. I called each of them and explained my situation and, even though the reservations were made with no refunds, I was able to get a full refund from every one of them, except one. That one charged me a $50 fee for cancellation. Funny, that hotel was the Trump Plaza in Vegas. I guess Donald Trump couldn't afford to give me my money back.Has anyone had similar experiences with RV park reservations, or prepaying for a snowbird winter and then cancelling?Thanks for any input you may have.Ken

Yes. We often stay at state parks in general (and for at least half of our snowbird winters), and the canx policies are straightforward in writing. Private parks usually spell out their policies on their website or with a deposit confirmation.I don't object in the least to paying if I have to cancel regardless of the reason. Canx fees help keep people from booking up limited space in multiple campgrounds while they make up their minds for sx months where they'd like to stay.

The answer to your question is "YES" I've had to forfeit my reservation monies. I still make reservations at destinations where a special event is occurring, and take my chances. When traveling cross country I do not make reservations until I decide where to stop for the night.

NCWriter wrote:Yes. We often stay at state parks in general (and for at least half of our snowbird winters), and the canx policies are straightforward in writing. Private parks usually spell out their policies on their website or with a deposit confirmation.I don't object in the least to paying if I have to cancel regardless of the reason. Canx fees help keep people from booking up limited space in multiple campgrounds while they make up their minds for sx months where they'd like to stay.Ditto to what NCWriter says above...

bobojay5 wrote:NCWriter wrote:Yes. We often stay at state parks in general (and for at least half of our snowbird winters), and the canx policies are straightforward in writing. Private parks usually spell out their policies on their website or with a deposit confirmation.I don't object in the least to paying if I have to cancel regardless of the reason. Canx fees help keep people from booking up limited space in multiple campgrounds while they make up their minds for sx months where they'd like to stay.Ditto to what NCWriter says above...x3 Forfeit fees are a necessary evil. Otherwise people abuse the reservation system

It happens. Plans change, health changes, whatever; and sometimes it just seems prudent to forfeit the deposit. That said, most of the time, when the change was unforeseen or tragic my deposit was returned. Regarding the handling fee, many hotels use outside booking services for their reservations and that outside agency wants payment for their services.

Have you ever cancelled a trip and forfeited your deposits?

20 Replies

Jopops
Explorer
Jan 06, 2015
Yup - cancellations happen. When you book far in advance to assure yourself a spot, a lot can change in the meantime.
Cannondale61
Explorer
Jan 06, 2015
Yes I have had to cancel but the campground worked with me and applied the lost deposit to a later trip to there campground. Most places here in Maine have been easy to work with one or two places I lost my deposit but that is the rules.
jfkmk
Explorer
Jan 04, 2015
KenMast wrote:
Hi Everyone,

I'm new to this forum and to RVing. I posted another question on here (my first post) and got great responses. I'm hoping for more great input.

Have you ever planned out a trip (like a snowbird trip to Florida) and put deposits on your reservations, and then had to cancel your trip at the last minute? Did you get back your deposit money?

As I'm planning my trip, I see that most RV parks seem to have a strict "no refunds" policy. Much different than making reservations at hotels/motels. I'm just wondering if this has been a problem for others and how you all handled it.

In 2012 I had a trip planned to Utah, Nevada, California and Arizona. This was before we had the RV, so we were flying to Salt Lake City and renting a car, then looping thru Reno, Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and back to Vegas to fly back home. I made all of the reservations thru Priceline.com, and pre-paid the entire trip, No Refunds. Well, two weeks before the trip, I had a medical problem, and had to cancel everything. Priceline said that if I wanted a refund, I would have to contact the individual hotels/motels myself.

I called each of them and explained my situation and, even though the reservations were made with no refunds, I was able to get a full refund from every one of them, except one. That one charged me a $50 fee for cancellation. Funny, that hotel was the Trump Plaza in Vegas. I guess Donald Trump couldn't afford to give me my money back.

Has anyone had similar experiences with RV park reservations, or prepaying for a snowbird winter and then cancelling?

Thanks for any input you may have.

Ken

Priceline is perhaps the most horrific company to deal with when it comes to trying to modify travel plans. I used them once and vowed I'd never use them again. Most places I've made reservations with charge a small cancellation fee.
2_Retired
Explorer
Jan 04, 2015
Yes. It is necessary for campgrounds to maintain their cancellation policies in order to provide them operating income and to help control those campers who make reservations just for the sake of "maybe I'll go, maybe not" thus not allowing others the opportunity to use the campsite. Many CGs allow for emergency situations by providing those with reservations to "bank" unusable dates for a later time. Sort of a "credit for the future" kind of deal. Others charge a percentage for cancellation, sometimes as high as 100% if the cancellation is within 48 hours of planned camping time. It is, unfortunately, a necessary evil of the industry. I have been forced to cancel some ressies over 40 years of RVing where the CG has actually issued a refund if they are able to fill the campsite with another camper. That seems eminently fair to me.
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Jan 03, 2015
Most CGs have a 'refund policy'......check what it is when making any reservation.

Some give full refunds
Some don't if short notice
Some don't even with notice months before

It is a business..each sets their own policies.
bukhrn
Nomad
Jan 03, 2015
Yes, unfortunately I have had to cancel twice at federal parks, God I hated doing it, but circumstances occasionally arise beyond our control, Recreation.gov, or Reserve America charges $10 to cancel a reservation, Little cost, compared to my depression of having to cancel a camping trip. :(
Jayco-noslide
Explorer
Jan 03, 2015
So far we have not but that day may come. Most of the state parks, etc. where we stay specify their policy and give refunds minus a fee or 1 day cost.
Teacher_s_Pet
Explorer
Jan 03, 2015
We are starting our 10th year of fulltiming and have been Rving for over 30 years. We have never had to accept a cancellation fee. We do not reserve campsites far in advance as a rule. On the day of arrival and within 100 miles, I will call ahead and reserve. We did a 79 day trip to Alaska in 2013 without any campground reservations. We did have prepaid ferry reservations costing over $1500 for the return trip, the fee if cancelled was $200. The two places we do reserve each year are a COE park close to my family reunion and the KOA close to my daughter's home in VA due to UVA home football games, graduation, and festivals during the times of our planned trips.
tenbear
Explorer
Jan 03, 2015
I rarely make reservations unless I really want to stay at a certain park during a planned event. Only a couple of times in the past 15 years have I had to go further down the road to find a vacancy.
time2roll
Nomad
Jan 03, 2015
Never canceled a trip but did leave early once and lost one night fee that was prepaid.
Received a credit that we never used.

Unless the commercial RV park is a must stay place that fills up we don't book too much until on the road.

State and federal parks we fully reserve as they are often full months in advance.