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Very bad campground experience

Slownsy
Explorer
Explorer
Last night we stayed at a Good Sam Park in the west of Calgary that had Woodalls certification in 2009 where we requested a full hook up site with access to WiFi The site we were given didn't even have an electrical bollard. Tried to plug into the next site but had to use an adapter from 30 down to 15 but nothing would work and relay kept tripping. The campers there told us that the power didn't work the previous day and they had already moved people out to a different site. We tested it at 10.6 volt. It was 92F and we have three small dogs so were very unimpressed. Saw the park maintenance man who said power is going out all over the park as it is so,old. Asked this morning for some sort of a refund on the $58 odd fee charged and was met with major hostility from the female manager. Her response was that we didn't even have a reservation which is true but very poor,customer service. She also commented that the park was full and this is why the electricity didn't work. I would have though any park would have sufficient power for sites available. Forget WiFi as it didn't exist past the front porch
Frank
2012 F250 XLT
4x4 Super Cab
8' Tray 6.2lt, 3.7 Diff.
31 REPLIES 31

FULLTIMEWANABE
Explorer
Explorer
It's not acceptable not to receive what you are led to believe you will get, but it's also unfortunate that you came into town during the Biggest Outdoor Show On Earth. As locals many of us head out of town as we watch our population almost double for the 3 weeks just pre and post the 10 day stampede period. Back in the 90's we loved going to Stampede at least 3 or 4 days of the event, and the parade day of about 2 hours was out of this world fabulous. Like everything else things change, most everything has gotten money generation focused instead of the traditional values and we all become more chronologically challenged in fighting the ever increasing crowds year over yar. Now we avoid the city like the plague during major event times.

If anyone still in Calgary area and want to boondock for a few days on our acreage just 5 mins south of the now city limits (between Okotoks and Calgary) feel free to PM us. I feel deeply embarrassed to read a post saying someone received rudeness as guests in our area.

Some interesting facts: Calgary has been voted more than once as the cleanest city in the world in which to live, and generally speaking Calgarians are some of the friendliest folks on the planet when you consider the population/economic size as a comparison.

By the way Newfoundland folks are affectionally referred to as Newfies. Many of them have sadly had to move out west for work in recent decades, many returning to their families on the east coast every few weeks for a visit or until they've managed to save enough to retire back to Newfoundland and their families. Signs of the times.
It Takes No More Effort To Aim High Than To Aim Low - Reach For The Stars

texasAUtiger
Explorer
Explorer
kalynzoo wrote:
If you use RVParkreviews.com please post there as it will be a warning to others.If you use RVParkreviews.com please post there as it will be a warning to others. On very few (like 2 or 3) occasions over the last 35+ years I pulled in without a reservation and accepted the safe site that was offered for the night. Only once, in Tucson some 30 years was a park so icky that we left before coffee. Now a days we call ahead with the cell at about noonish to ask if we can come in that same evening, this only if we have not made reservations long in advance. There is really no excuse for poor customer service. Your negative post will do nothing for their business model.
Better luck with the rest of your travels, and Happy Trails.
Dad, Mom, and two young kids
2015 Keystone Bullet 272BHS
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Slownsy
Explorer
Explorer
The point was the park don't supply what they charge for, is old and run down and manรจgement are not friendly, if this is the type of campground u like, great for u, not all others were happy.
Frank.
Frank
2012 F250 XLT
4x4 Super Cab
8' Tray 6.2lt, 3.7 Diff.

Crowe
Explorer
Explorer
You really should get out more!!! Seriously, British Columbia in the West, the Icefields Parkway in Alberta, and the Atlantic Maritimes in the East are some of the most beautiful places in North America. The Canadian people are also some of the friendliest you will find, especially in Newfoundland.

Cannot agree more, especially Newfoundland. And they are soooo proud of their heritage they describe themselves as Newfoundlanders first, Canadians second.

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be

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accsys
Explorer
Explorer
Slownsy wrote:
@. accsys. Go and have a look at site 10 right next to the dog exercise area and see that there is no bollard and how far over to their neighbors site your cord needs to reach their 15amp supply

That is similar to most of the sites in the park and is the most frequent complaint on review sites. A power pedestal is shared by adjacent sites. The first one there usually gets the 30 amp connection, the second gets the 15 amp. In our loop, the pull-throughs also share a pedestal but there are two 30 amp connections and two 15 amp connections in it. Researching RV Park Reviews last winter we found out power could be a problem and since we have a big rig, we arrived very early on our check-in day to try and be the first on our pedestal as we had to have 30 amp if at all possible. We were first on our pedestal, but since it had two 30 amp connections, it didn't make any difference. This is an old, tired KOA that could definitely use an upgrade.

I believe part of your problem was also that you seem to have been staying for more than one night and reservations were keeping you from getting a better site. There was a site in the pair next to us that was open Friday night but filled on Saturday. I suspect there will be many sites open tonight since the Stampede ended last night.

DutchmenSport wrote:
Thanks. The OP has USA as his home and I don't do Canada. (don't know the geography either). Had no clue this was Canada!

You really should get out more!!! :B Seriously, British Columbia in the West, the Icefields Parkway in Alberta, and the Atlantic Maritimes in the East are some of the most beautiful places in North America. The Canadian people are also some of the friendliest you will find, especially in Newfoundland.
John & Doris
Doris and Robbies Blogs
2017 Cedar Creek Cottage 40 CCK
FMCA F380583, PA, Good Sams

2oldman
Explorer II
Explorer II
Executive wrote:
Canadian parks do not have power or electricity....they have hydro....:W:B...and it's typical.....Dennis
They don't have pedestals, they have bollards.
"If I'm wearing long pants, I'm too far north" - 2oldman

Slownsy
Explorer
Explorer
@. accsys. Go and have a look at site 10 right next to the dog exercise area and see that there is no bollard and how far over to their neighbors site your cord needs to reach their 15amp supply
Frank
2012 F250 XLT
4x4 Super Cab
8' Tray 6.2lt, 3.7 Diff.

Slownsy
Explorer
Explorer
Sorry we have not answered sooner but we have not been to an Internet service area. We are traveling as we like, not knowing where we will end up each day. We have heard of the Calgary Stampede of course but not being native to either Canada or the USA did not know when it is held. Bottom line is that we asked for specific needs and this was not supplied and by time we had dealt with maintenance man etc it was too late to continue on elsewhere, especially since we were now aware it was Stampede week. We could have accepted no power or internet if we were made aware at check in but to be uninformed and then treated as badly as we were when we asked for a partial refund especially when they were aware of an issue is unacceptable. There was also no bollard at the site and we had only the option of using a 15 amp outlet from the neighboring sites bollard.. The comment re the volts begin 106 is correct. Sorry for my error
Frank
2012 F250 XLT
4x4 Super Cab
8' Tray 6.2lt, 3.7 Diff.

Vulcan_Rider
Explorer
Explorer
Crowe wrote:
BUT....once you get to the stadium and they sell you a ticket,

Not at all. When a scalper sells you a ticket you have no guarantee it's real.


I said nothing about a scalper. By "they" I meant the venue....the owner.

The situation and circumstances makes NO DIFFERENCE.
The implication, if they didn't state differently, is that you are getting the advertised services; that probably is legally enforceable.

DutchmenSport
Explorer
Explorer
Executive wrote:
DutchmenSport wrote:
What or where is Calgary? Never heard of it.


It's only the largest city in Alberta, and Canada's third largest city with over 1,000,000 people living there. The Calgary stampede is an annual rodeo event attracting over a MILLION visitor's each year. It's a 10 day event....Dennis


Thanks. The OP has USA as his home and I don't do Canada. (don't know the geography either). Had no clue this was Canada!

bcsdguy
Explorer
Explorer
Bottom line: Both parties were at fault in some way.
No person is completely worthless ... one can always serve as a bad example.

colliehauler
Explorer III
Explorer III
winnietrey wrote:
Would have been the right thing to do in my opinion, if the owner at the time of check in. Had simply said " yes we have a site, however the power may not be working ". If you want it, this is the fee. Just be up front with the customer, and a lot of problems go away.

If CG wanted to give a discount, cool, but if not that's fine too. As being high season someone would probably want it, but just be up front. And let the customer make the choice.
I would agree with this as well, they new about the problem and did not tell the guest.

Executive45
Explorer III
Explorer III
DutchmenSport wrote:
What or where is Calgary? Never heard of it.


It's only the largest city in Alberta, and Canada's third largest city with over 1,000,000 people living there. The Calgary stampede is an annual rodeo event attracting over a MILLION visitor's each year. It's a 10 day event....Dennis
We can do more than we think we can, but most do less than we think we do
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Mike_E_
Explorer II
Explorer II
I stayed at this CG a few years ago, and the first thing that struck me while I was in line at the checkout window was a couple signs...

"Any verbal abuse directed at Park staff will not be tolerated and you will lose your reservation."

Hmmm I thought...

I had similar power issues and just moved myself to a spot that had it's own supply (most sites share a power post, with only one 30A and one 15A receptacle). I was lucky though, the park wasn't full.

In a nutshell. ..... Old park run by off-shore investors who are not RV'ers.
Being the only show in town though, they really don't have to do anything to remedy anything.