RV park rates

[GHOST1750]

we have used the same RV park three times before and got the monthly rate but this time the said they couldn't give us the monthly but would give us the weekly rate which makes us paying twice the amount. In my business I couldn't and wouldn't price gouge. There are no other RV parks available in the area and we have to be there on business. Our club has used the same RV Resort in Ca. for years which included the use of the club house. This year they informed us the club house would be $40.00 an hour the park is under new ownership. Apparently the same owners bought another RV park we use and starting next year will charge a daily rate for use of club house which means we will not be using those two RV parks for our club.

[Edd505]

BillyBob Jim wrote:
It's amazing the lengths some will go to in order to squirrel away a nickel.

The best I have seen lately was the couple in a new class C Dynamax Force who arrived late, took an undeveloped site using an honor system envelope near 3 different tent camping families, then thought they were going to run the onboard genny all night for the AC. This when there were dozens of electric sites unoccupied. When the gent was confronted about the noise of the genny and told about the electric sites, he even admitted he took the undeveloped site to save the additional $6.50 the electric site would have cost. Can you even run an onboard genny for 8 hours or so for an AC on $6.50 in fuel. :S

$140K new super C + squeaking for $6.50 = priceless.

and that 140K Super C can park next to the 350K Class A parked in a Walmart lot. Guess it's so they can make the RV payment.

[pianotuna]

Adiabatman wrote:

Do you find a lot of affordable RV parks like that? If so, how do you find them?

Hi Adiabatman,

I've added over 600 locations at https://freecampsites.net/

The site includes a good trip planner with the ability to filter for items such as electric power.

[sgfrye]

westernrvparkowner wrote:
Charging market rates is not price gouging. The definition of price gouging is charging a much higher price than normal when some event makes an essential item scarce. Typical example is charging 10 times the normal price for fuel, ice, water, generators or other necessities after a hurricane. Even then, it is legal to stop extending discounts. A recreational RV site, not in the middle of a natural catastrophe, cannot be guilty of price gouging.
The park you are referencing has obviously decided to stop offering a discount for long term stays. There are many potential reasons. They may have found that there is no need to offer that discount since long term stays in the area have no other choice. They may be able to fill the sites with short term renters, so why take in 50% less revenue with a monthly guest. Long term stays may have hastened those decisions by being less than ideal guests. You can find multiple examples in reviews were parks are downgraded due to an abundance of long term residents. All of those reasons factored into the decision we made years ago to not offer any rates beyond weekly. As a matter of fact, we do not allow stays in excess of a month regardless of what the customer is willing to pay. They are simply making a business decision, don't take it personally.

best answer

[Supercharged]

BillyBob Jim wrote:
It's amazing the lengths some will go to in order to squirrel away a nickel.

The best I have seen lately was the couple in a new class C Dynamax Force who arrived late, took an undeveloped site using an honor system envelope near 3 different tent camping families, then thought they were going to run the onboard genny all night for the AC. This when there were dozens of electric sites unoccupied. When the gent was confronted about the noise of the genny and told about the electric sites, he even admitted he took the undeveloped site to save the additional $6.50 the electric site would have cost. Can you even run an onboard genny for 8 hours or so for an AC on $6.50 in fuel. :S

$140K new super C + squeaking for $6.50 = priceless.

Thats a sad story.Maybe if he has 50 cents you could have found 6 folks with a dollar for him.

[mikestock]

I've learned that these rules that apply to any business and any successful business owner will learn them the easy way or the hard way:
Treat everyone with respect.
Provide a good product or service.
Charge too much and you won't make money.
Charge too little you won't make money.

[Adiabatman]

DallasSteve wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
I stayed in a lovely grassed park last night. There are 12 sites with 15 amp power, flush toilets and showers for a fee of $10.00 per night.

I was the only camper.

Do you find a lot of affordable RV parks like that? If so, how do you find them?

We have found Ultimate Campgrounds to be the most helpful in finding cheaper public camping locations.

[4x4van]

So the campground decided to not offer long term (other than 1 week) stays. I have seen my share of run-down long-term "RV"s in campgrounds that I can see (at least partly) why they may have made that decision. In any case, their business decision, their right. Your rig has wheels; it makes it easy to go elsewhere if you don't like the new pricing.

[schlep1967]

I hate paying high prices just like the next person, but... Many campgrounds have been owned for many years and the big overhead of a mortgage for the property has long disappeared. When the property is sold, the new owner now has a huge mortgage to pay. The campground that was bought 40 years ago cost maybe $200,000 will sell today in the multi-millions. Huge difference in the monthly bills.

[pianotuna]

It sounds penny wise and pound foolish to me. I head for an inexpensive electrical site when I need the air conditioner. Not because it saves money(it does, at least in Canada)--but because I will not use the generator when I sleep.

BillyBob Jim wrote:
Force who arrived late, took an undeveloped site using an honor system envelope near 3 different tent camping families, then thought they were going to run the onboard genny all night for the AC. This when there were dozens of electric sites unoccupied. When the gent was confronted about the noise of the genny and told about the electric sites, he even admitted he took the undeveloped site to save the additional $6.50 the electric site would have cost. Can you even run an onboard genny for 8 hours or so for an AC on $6.50 in fuel. :S

$140K new super C + squeaking for $6.50 = priceless.

[BillyBob_Jim]

It's amazing the lengths some will go to in order to squirrel away a nickel.

The best I have seen lately was the couple in a new class C Dynamax Force who arrived late, took an undeveloped site using an honor system envelope near 3 different tent camping families, then thought they were going to run the onboard genny all night for the AC. This when there were dozens of electric sites unoccupied. When the gent was confronted about the noise of the genny and told about the electric sites, he even admitted he took the undeveloped site to save the additional $6.50 the electric site would have cost. Can you even run an onboard genny for 8 hours or so for an AC on $6.50 in fuel. :S

$140K new super C + squeaking for $6.50 = priceless.

[travelnutz]

We are past long time (we done very well) business owners so we know that to stay in business you have to make a reasonable profit or will or be shut down. That said, we are not penny pinchers by any means but also not stupid and be overcharged for a CG site or overnight site either.

Have seen many CG's that were always busy and fairly priced for what they offered their customers selling out to mew owners big or small and then raising their prices higher than the rate of inflation and soon become half full even at peak times or well less than half full or gone out of business as most RV'ers are NOT stupid! They can make some well needed improvements to the CG and raise the price slightly but most seem to think a $30,000 or $60,000 needed upgrade done must be paid back in just one or two years and smart RV'ers refuse to be fleeced with big rate increases and there goes the bulk of their customer base. Word travels so fast and there goes the long time repeat customers including us and we are big on spreading the truth and factual details both positive and negative on such CG places.

A dressed up to the nines pig is still a pig in actuality and almost nothing more!

It's your money and only you have the right to decide if you are getting what you want for the cost paid. Your RV has wheels under it and rolls so easily to a more desirable in terms of needs and price worthiness CG's. You get nothing more than a receipt for the monies spent at any CG whether you paid $10/night or $70/night+ for your stay. How gullible are you???

[JaxDad]

There used to be a little place almost on the FL / GA border. It wasn’t really a campground as most people would define it. It was a little bungalow on a probably 10 acre lot with a horshoe-shaped driveway that went down the back and around back to the road. In the middle of the back area was a small bathhouse and a source of potable water. The only ‘services’ were 20 amp elec and a place to park for the night.

If you went through off season it was pretty empty, but during the snowbirds migrating times it was often full to overflowing.

It was ideally located, right off the highway and an easy day’s drive north of the entire west coast.

It too was something in the order of $10 a night, and if the owner (who was a vet) knew you were a vet you’d have to nearly arm wrestle him to get him to take the money.

I used to find I had a ‘spare’ bottle of Crown Royal that I could somehow convince him to take instead.

Last I heard the old fella passed away a few years back and the family stopped hosting.

[olfarmer]

If I feel like I am getting price gouged I just go somewhere else!

[Executive45]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi Western,

It is run by the community. I think the intent is to offer accommodation for family members who come back home in the summer time (when the living is easy). There are no services in town except for a post office. There may be a place to buy groceries.

Have a look on google maps with satellite view:

50.937951, -105.689746

westernrvparkowner wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
I stayed in a lovely grassed park last night. There are 12 sites with 15 amp power, flush toilets and showers for a fee of $10.00 per night.

I was the only camper.

WOW, that sure proves that having a low price really brings in the business. Every so often we get a thread about how if there were parks with $10.00 a night rates people would flock to them and no longer need to use places like big box parking lots, rest stops, truck stops and boondocking. Somewhere there must be a Walmart executive panicking over the lost business we so often hear about that is driven by them allowing free overnights. I wonder if the owners of that $10.00 park have considered franchising their concept. It sure looks like a winner.

Whether it's pertinent to this thread or not, it's nice to hear of alternatives. Especially if we're just 'passing thru' and don't need frills. That said, IMO, and it's just that...the LAST line says it all...

pianotuna wrote:
I stayed in a lovely grassed park last night. There are 12 sites with 15 amp power, flush toilets and showers for a fee of $10.00 per night.

I was the only camper.

This pretty much indicates why a $10/night concept might not work.....Dennis