Reserve America transaction fee?

[bobsinn]

I just made a reservation at Long Key SP and there was a $6.70 transaction fee added. I don't believe I ever saw that before . I made a reservation at Stephen Foster 6/24 and there is no transaction fee on that one. Is this something new? Thanks

[Big_Katuna]

1095.

[GMandJM]

Big Katuna wrote:
65. I'm 62 and counting the days.
Federal parks are half off at 62 but few Fed parks in Fl.

Whoo-hoo "only" thirty-six-hundred-and-some-odd days to go 'til G-half qualifies!
(I hope that makes your wait somehow seem more tolerable) 😉

Thanks for the info. Was hoping it was, like, 55 or 60.

[DrewE]

Big Katuna wrote:
I understand there have to be taxes and fees. I don't mind paying for services rendered.
We owned a small beachfront motel for ten years. I had a cancellation fee I charged for last minute cancellation WHEN I COULD NOT RENT THE ROOM.

I never charged anyone if I rented the room.

What irks me about RA is that if I reserve 11 months in advance at a park that is perpetually full, then cancel two months before the reserved date, they charge me $17 and the site will be rented out. Not fair and the rate is too high.

It certainly doesn't cost them $17 to rerent the site.

Reserve America isn't renting the site; the campground is. Reserve America is just providing the campground with the service of processing reservations. They're more or less the ticketmaster of campgrounds. I note that Ticketmaster and other similar concerns also charge a per-ticket fee for selling you tickets. (I've even seen some venues which charged a shipping and handling fee for tickets that were sent via email and printed at my house on my printer.)

Aren't the Reserve America fees (that you see as a consumer) set by the campground? They do vary from state to state. Presumably a state could simply charge more for a camp site and have no cancelation or reservation fees if they wanted to; maybe some here would prefer that. I suspect part of the goal is to discourage speculative reservations.

[Big_Katuna]

I understand there have to be taxes and fees. I don't mind paying for services rendered.
We owned a small beachfront motel for ten years. I had a cancellation fee I charged for last minute cancellation WHEN I COULD NOT RENT THE ROOM.

I never charged anyone if I rented the room.

What irks me about RA is that if I reserve 11 months in advance at a park that is perpetually full, then cancel two months before the reserved date, they charge me $17 and the site will be rented out. Not fair and the rate is too high.

It certainly doesn't cost them $17 to rerent the site.

[bob_nestor]

Maybe I'm a minority of one here, but I find it highly amusing that throughout the world people seem to be perfectly fine with taxes, fees, surcharges, tolls and even the prices of commercial products as long as they're being applied to someone else. But as soon as those costs hit our back pocket we start to complain. Maybe the time to complain was when they were first proposed on others?

[Big_Katuna]

65. I'm 62 and counting the days.
Federal parks are half off at 62 but few Fed parks in Fl.

[GMandJM]

NCWriter wrote:

kgragert wrote:
"At least we get the old f#@t residence rate"

That's always a Plus. When I first started looking at State parks that was a great surprise.

I've been looking forward to using that 50% discount ever since we decided to move to Florida. I think it will really encourage us to sample lots of the parks, especially in the spring and fall when kids are in school.

I can hardly wait to become a Aulde Pheart - just to use the discount. What's the age of attainment? 60? 65?

[NCWriter]

kgragert wrote:
"At least we get the old f#@t residence rate"

That's always a Plus. When I first started looking at State parks that was a great surprise.

I've been looking forward to using that 50% discount ever since we decided to move to Florida. I think it will really encourage us to sample lots of the parks, especially in the spring and fall when kids are in school.

[All_I_could_aff]

Over here in the great state of New Jersey, reserve America charges $9.75 if you make either phone or website reservation flat fee regardless of length if stay. If you do a walk in with no reservation they charge a walk in fee of $5

[PcolaCamper]

At least Florida State Parks don't charge campers a daily entrance fee like some states. Our fees are very reasonable too compared to many other places.

[blangen]

Walmart parking lots are still free.

(Sorry... couldn't resist.) :B

[3oaks]

Just like the airline industry, they charge what ever the market will bare.
Like or dislike park reservation systems, we are stuck with them and all their extra charges unless people choose not to stay in those parks.

[RayUSMC]

Don't like RA and their add-on charges.

[lj2654]

Effective July 1, 2015, visitors will be charged a non-refundable $6.70 reservation fee for camping and cabin reservation fees at the time of reservation online or through the call center. To learn more: click here. Bring your family and friends for an overnight adventure at one of our state parks.