NATIONAL PARK CAMPSITE FEE PAID BY CHECK

[beckid]

I went to Sequoia National Park a month ago (June 6-16) and paid for 2 campsites using checks...they still have not cashed them. Does it usually take that long??

[beckid]

Wow! Thanks for the insight everyone!

[vermilye]

I had one that took 13 months.

[2gypsies1]

Perhaps you were their 'star camper' and your stay is free.

[nevadanick]

They are not in the business of making money, only spending it.

[path1]

3oaks wrote:

path1 wrote:
If paying "iron ranger" we only use check.

:)If you use a "chipped" credit card in an iron ranger, they don't give your card back. They and are not chipped enabled:S

But if you use a "chipped" credit card when paying the "iron ranger" in the same campground that narcodog was at you may get cash back! :B

narcodog wrote:
A couple of years ago we stayed at a CG in Mt that the Iron Ranger was over flowing with $$$'s. This was a remote CG so it must have not been emptied all summer.

AH AH...someone caught on to my sick sense of humor.

I never seen a iron ranger overflowing. But one time saw kids trying to fish money out till parents yelled at them.

[3oaks]

path1 wrote:
If paying "iron ranger" we only use check.

:)If you use a "chipped" credit card in an iron ranger, they don't give your card back. They and are not chipped enabled:S

But if you use a "chipped" credit card when paying the "iron ranger" in the same campground that narcodog was at you may get cash back! :B

narcodog wrote:
A couple of years ago we stayed at a CG in Mt that the Iron Ranger was over flowing with $$$'s. This was a remote CG so it must have not been emptied all summer.

[JFNM]

Yes, always takes a long while to clear.

[path1]

If paying "iron ranger" we only use check.

:)If you use a "chipped" credit card in an iron ranger, they don't give your card back. They and are not chipped enabled:S

[scrubjaysnest]

That happens every year to us. Sometimes they never get cashed.

[narcodog]

A couple of years ago we stayed at a CG in Mt that the Iron Ranger was over flowing with $$$'s. This was a remote CG so it must have not been emptied all summer.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

When we volunteered at an NPS campground, we were a little surprised that processing the campground envelopes was not a priority. The locked iron ranger boxes would sit in the security office until they ran out of boxes. Then three people had to empty the boxes and verify the count of the number of envelopes.

The envelopes went into a bank bag, locked. About once a month the employees who verified the count of envelopes had to go to park HQ where designated employees would open the bank bags. The count would be reverified. Then the designated employee and two others who had not been involved in emptying the campground boxes would open the envelopes and do a cash / check count. Three people had to get the same amounts, then a courier would be called to take the money/ checks to a certain national bank.

Taking four to eight weeks for a check to be deposited was normal.

The park gets 95% of the campground receipts for use in the park, next fiscal year. Since the money doesn't come to the park until next October, there is no urgency to get the money deposited.

[doxiemom11]

Takes a long time at any government operates facility it seems. I know in the forestry division where we hosted they collected from the fee tube 1X per week, then prepared a deposit and sent it on to a main office location somewhere in another state. After that it was deposited.

[gbopp]

Maybe they have some young employees who have never seen a check and don't know that to do with it? :B

[mockturtle]

I agree that it sometimes takes a long time.