Paying For Water

ferndaleflyer wrote:
I would go elsewhere....But at my home in MD I have my own sewer system and city water so I get charged $6.00 each month because I have septic. Then they add $85 per year "rain water runoff" fee and $245 for trash which I must take 1/4 mile to the main road. So don't worry RV parks like political people will figure out a way to separate you from your money if they can.

.Many reasons posted here encouraging us to sell our RV'S and find other ways of traveling. After reading about the POOR quality of RV'S, terrible service of dealers, and now RV parks gouging their customers, you have succeded in TURNING ME OFF.
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RobWNY wrote:
In another thread, someone posted that all SUN RV Resorts are installing water meters so it must be a corporate decision rather than an individual park having increased water expense issues. I have no problem paying for what I use but I just don't like it when park owners make money on my use too. For instance, I looked at staying at two RV parks that were in the same municipality. Right next door to each other actually. One charges .10/kWh for electricity and the other park charges .14/kWh The Municipality has to be charging the same price to the Park owners so why the difference in cost to the people visiting the park? The same can happen for water too. I guess one can argue that one park may have installed new equipment and has to pay for it while the other park is using old equipment already paid off but I doubt it. It's more likely an unethical park owner making money where he shouldn't be.

It is called Capitalism. One business is perfectly FREE to charge whatever he wants. There is nothing unethical about it. The customer is also FREE to take his business elsewhere.
Just a few days ago, as an advertising experiment, PayLess shoes set up a high end display in New York for their shoes, but they came up with a new name for the store........Palessi.
To their surprise, people paid $645 for shoes that were sold in their other store for $39.95. The purchasers raved about the high quality materials and workmanship for the exact same shoes they could have bought at PayLess. They were eventually given their money back, but it was a great lesson in how free enterprise works. For whatever reason, some consumers are willing to pay much more for a product than others, just because they figure that a higher price MUST mean high quality.
There is NOTHING unethical about what an RV park owner decides to charge for his RV sites. Perhaps he is offering more amenities. That is for the consumer to decide if the higher price is worth it.

I would go elsewhere....But at my home in MD I have my own sewer system and city water so I get charged $6.00 each month because I have septic. Then they add $85 per year "rain water runoff" fee and $245 for trash which I must take 1/4 mile to the main road. So don't worry RV parks like political people will figure out a way to separate you from your money if they can.

The addition water meters and charging for water use is about revenue generation.The park will charge to each occupant a rate higher than they pay. That spread will be enough to generate a surprising amount of revenue. Raising the monthly rate would accomplish the same thing, but potential tenants would look at the monthly rate and consider it too high compared to neighboring parks.

Thinks of a restaurant that did not allow tips to servers, but increased their prices 20% and paid the servers a higher wage. Customers would not go there to eat claiming their prices were too high!!!!

In another thread, someone posted that all SUN RV Resorts are installing water meters so it must be a corporate decision rather than an individual park having increased water expense issues. I have no problem paying for what I use but I just don't like it when park owners make money on my use too. For instance, I looked at staying at two RV parks that were in the same municipality. Right next door to each other actually. One charges .10/kWh for electricity and the other park charges .14/kWh The Municipality has to be charging the same price to the Park owners so why the difference in cost to the people visiting the park? The same can happen for water too. I guess one can argue that one park may have installed new equipment and has to pay for it while the other park is using old equipment already paid off but I doubt it. It's more likely an unethical park owner making money where he shouldn't be.

SDcampowneroperator wrote:

Scottiemom wrote:
We own a lot in a retirement park here in MIssion, Texas. We collectively own our park. The water system is owned by a water utility which also owns the sewer system. We pay $434 a year for water.

Dale

. like in an S& B does that $434 also cover sewer property tax and trash?

Hmmmm. Not sure. It does not cover trash because we buy bags to put our trash in. So we are heavily into recycling down here which results in less trash. The utility is privately owned by the park developer and runs the water and sewer systems, so I'm guessing it is all inclusive. All in all, I think it's pretty cheap and we don't mind paying it.

Dale

It would be interesting to see what their rate structure is.... as I recall, they can only do a pass thru of charges ( plus administrative uplift) from the utility company, otherwise they essentially become a utility and fall under the massive regulations levied on public utilities.

Executive wrote:
Doubt if the meters are for travelers. Like the installation of electric meters, these will be for annuals or long term tenants. I have never been to a park where electric is charged for short term stays. 30 days or more, yes. Otherwise, no. Much ado about nothing....Dennis

Yep, thats about it. I have noticed here in AZ that parks that install meters (water and electric) are also those that have begone the transition to long term RV or straight park models. They essentially are becoming mobile home parks for RVers. Metering is just the evolutionary process from transient to permanent.

If the place is hooked to municipal sewer, the park is probably charged for water and sewer combined in one payment. In other words, the more water used, the more goes down the sewer so they get one bill for both.
I don't get free municipal water at home and I would not expect to get it at an RV park as a full timer. Now for a short term stay, I would guess that it is figured in the daily rate. Basically if you use public water and sewer someone has to pay for it. The park is making the ones that use the most, pay the most. Sounds fair to me.

I'm guessing the rates have jumped and the owners are no longer willing/able to absorb the cost.

If there is a water meter, there will also be a sewer charge, unless the park has its own private sewer system. Any system that gets any type of state or federal funding (loans or grants) is required to calculate the sewer charge off the water usage. It's normally at least 100% of the water rate and can be much more. The rates jump a lot when a system has been neglected for years and then has to make a lot of upgrades to avoid stiff fines from the state and feds. The sewer and water rates have to cover all the costs of upgrades.