Campground Question

[Born_To_Travel]

On Wednesday, I checked in to a RV park near Dayton as I planned to visit the U.S. Air Force Museum.. The park advertised that it was the closest to WPAFB and that was the selling point for me.. I arrived and the park was older but clean, but when I registered the woman told me they did not have a credit card machine (I thought that was odd) and it was cash or personal check only.. I paid with a check for two nights (Wed and Thur night) and was taken to my pull thru.. The next morning (Thurs) I left in my RV as I did not have a towed car.. I visited the museum and returned to the park at 5 p.m. only to find a TT with slideouts in my space... All the other empty spots that were empty when I left were still empty.. I was livid and went to the office, were a different woman was working.. I asked her why there was another camper in my spot when I was paid up until Friday morning.. She told me that she thought I was not coming back and that they have a waiting list and she gave it to someone else.. I told her I counted 5 drive thrus that were the same as mine that were empty and you can not rent out a spot that was already paid for, and that was illegal.. She just smirked and said I could have drive thru lot 76 as it was nicer anyway and had shade... I took it and the next morning looked around and those same spots that were empty at 5 were still empty in the morning, so there was no waiting list.. Is it not illegal to do this?...

[Dog_Folks]

Executive wrote:

Born To Travel wrote:
The reason I am not naming this park is because I feel the owner does not know what is going on and why hurt him when he plays no part?.. I have worked at places that dealt mostly in cash and I have had a front row seat to some of the games that were played...If anything I feel sorry for the owner and just trying to educate others . Like the old saying goes, We screwed the last guy and passed the savings on to you... Trick is not to be the last guy...

What "others" are you trying to educate..:h....the only education needed here seems to be to either leave a sign that 'your' campsite is occupied or tell the office you're returning. You COULD have shared with the office when you checked in that you'll be taking your rig to the museum the next day so you're site will be unoccupied until you RETUN. But, that might have been too easy....

IMHO, get over it....you're not going to educate anyone unless you name the park so people can decide for themselves....I understand a rant, done em myself, but once the rant's over, it's over. Let it go....you continue to 'defend' your rant....it's done.....Dennis

Agree. A rant is one thing, continuing to defend it through 7 pages it is another.

We got the message.

We are educated.

Let it go.

[Naio]

kcmoedoe wrote:
Nobody posts about businesses that treat them right. The fact of the matter is, people conduct business and use 100s, if not 1000s, of products and services every day. They never take the time or expend the effort to give those businesses and services props. They only make that effort when something goes egregiously wrong.

Are you kidding? Look at Ebay and Amazon comments!

[Executive45]

Born To Travel wrote:
The reason I am not naming this park is because I feel the owner does not know what is going on and why hurt him when he plays no part?.. I have worked at places that dealt mostly in cash and I have had a front row seat to some of the games that were played...If anything I feel sorry for the owner and just trying to educate others . Like the old saying goes, We screwed the last guy and passed the savings on to you... Trick is not to be the last guy...

What "others" are you trying to educate..:h....the only education needed here seems to be to either leave a sign that 'your' campsite is occupied or tell the office you're returning. You COULD have shared with the office when you checked in that you'll be taking your rig to the museum the next day so you're site will be unoccupied until you RETUN. But, that might have been too easy....

IMHO, get over it....you're not going to educate anyone unless you name the park so people can decide for themselves....I understand a rant, done em myself, but once the rant's over, it's over. Let it go....you continue to 'defend' your rant....it's done.....Dennis

[kcmoedoe]

southpark wrote:

Born To Travel wrote:
Like the old saying goes, We screwed the last guy and passed the savings on to you... Trick is not to be the last guy...

My wife is in the diamond and jewelry business and years ago I convinced her to stop letting people try to haggle down the price. Otherwise you have to make up for it (they are a very price competitive store so margins are razor thin) with the next person who isn't so pushy -- and how is that fair to them? For years the price is the price and rather than pulling the "what can I do to get you to buy today" gambit, customers are encouraged to make apples-to-apples comparisons with the competition they see they were offered the discounted best price up front with no games.

I'm sure some will say I've gone way off topic and, if I have, I'm sorry. But I think the OPs comments are just reflecting frustration at the way things are done these days. I could be wrong, but I suspect if this experience were isolated they might not have been so bothered. The fact is it is hard to find a place that you feel you can really trust. We read about unscrupulous places on these pages ALL the time.

Yet there remain a few holdouts who still cling to the concept that it takes a lifetime to build a good reputation, but only a moment to destroy it. And they conduct their business and hiring practices in a way that reflects that. But they seem so rare sometimes they stick out like a sore thumb. I guess that's why folks get so excited when they're able to post about a business that treated them fair and square.

Nobody posts about businesses that treat them right. The fact of the matter is, people conduct business and use 100s, if not 1000s, of products and services every day. They never take the time or expend the effort to give those businesses and services props. They only make that effort when something goes egregiously wrong.

[kcmoedoe]

Born To Travel wrote:

kcmoedoe wrote:

Born To Travel wrote:

2gypsies wrote:
We have worked at parks and there's absolutely no excuse for assigning someone else to a site that has been paid for already unless the site occupant stopped at the office and said "we're leaving and not coming back". Otherwise, that site is yours for the duration. There should be no assumptions that you're not returning.

Yes, it would have been ideal if you had left something on that site when you left or told the office, however, it shouldn't be necessary.

The office has a record of what sites are sold. How did they even know you were gone? Did they go to look at the site before re-assigning it? I don't think so.

My thoughts exactly... The woman who rented it out again, you could tell she was far from stupid... This is why I think there was more to the story..

And, what, exactly could that more to the story be? You said they had plenty of empty sites, so they weren't turning anyone away and they weren't going to make any additional greedy profit by renting "your" site and leaving another site empty. You also said the site they gave you was better than the site you had, so they probably didn't even have anyone who wouldn't stay unless they got that specific site. It is pretty apparent that the only "more to the story" is they screwed up and either put someone into "your" site by mistake, or the had a guest who screwed up and pulled into "your" site by mistake and the park didn't want to inconvenience that guy once he got all set up so they took the path or least resistance and just moved you to a different site. And as for whether or not the lady was "Far from Stupid", I don't think there is anyone who could remember what sites were occupied and what sites were not on any given day off the top of their head. If the park had poor systems, it would be easy to lose track of what sites were open, especially if the primary system they use is to look out and see. Empty sites all look the same, empty.

Do you really think that they are that sloppy?.. Come on.. If that TT paid cash and she put them in my spot, then there would be no record of his stay if the paperwork got "lost" and the cash would go to her and the park owner would not know.. Being she put me in spot 76 with no record of me being there it could still be done.. The park would thing that spot 68 was occupied by me and no record of the TT and all the records look fine... This is what I wonder about.. And why I say she was not stupid... And as for the TT wondering into the wrong spot, I was escorted all the way to that spot, as I am shure he was too. She was not surprised in the least that he was there because she put him there...

Or they could have put the other person in site 76 and pocket the cash and not have even the least bit of a possibility that someone would return to site 68, creating an issue. Stealing in any retail position is pretty easy, thankfully most people are not thieves and I sure haven't seen any indication the lady in question is. For the record, it isn't very hard to look up a park that claims to be the closest to the museum that only takes cash. And after looking at their reviews, your bad comments will obviously fall on deaf ears. The park's rating are atrocious , to say the least. One more complaint won't move the meter.

[southpark]

Born To Travel wrote:
Like the old saying goes, We screwed the last guy and passed the savings on to you... Trick is not to be the last guy...

My wife is in the diamond and jewelry business and years ago I convinced her to stop letting people try to haggle down the price. Otherwise you have to make up for it (they are a very price competitive store so margins are razor thin) with the next person who isn't so pushy -- and how is that fair to them? For years the price is the price and rather than pulling the "what can I do to get you to buy today" gambit, customers are encouraged to make apples-to-apples comparisons with the competition they see they were offered the discounted best price up front with no games.

I'm sure some will say I've gone way off topic and, if I have, I'm sorry. But I think the OPs comments are just reflecting frustration at the way things are done these days. I could be wrong, but I suspect if this experience were isolated they might not have been so bothered. The fact is it is hard to find a place that you feel you can really trust. We read about unscrupulous places on these pages ALL the time.

Yet there remain a few holdouts who still cling to the concept that it takes a lifetime to build a good reputation, but only a moment to destroy it. And they conduct their business and hiring practices in a way that reflects that. But they seem so rare sometimes they stick out like a sore thumb. I guess that's why folks get so excited when they're able to post about a business that treated them fair and square.

[Born_To_Travel]

wallynm wrote:
FWIW we have left RV parks with time still on the clock. If we are staying for a few days or for a few weeks we ask what the weekly or Monthly rates are and then calculate the daily rate. Sometimes we leave earlier. If you did not tell them you were returning or did not mark the site with something you have no reason to complain. Are you sure you were not so mad any facial expressions was a smirk to you.

Lighten help

Born To Travel wrote:
On Wednesday, I checked in to a RV park near Dayton as I planned to visit the U.S. Air Force Museum.. The park advertised that it was the closest to WPAFB and that was the selling point for me.. I arrived and the park was older but clean, but when I registered the woman told me they did not have a credit card machine (I thought that was odd) and it was cash or personal check only.. I paid with a check for two nights (Wed and Thur night) and was taken to my pull thru.. The next morning (Thurs) I left in my RV as I did not have a towed car.. I visited the museum and returned to the park at 5 p.m. only to find a TT with slideouts in my space... All the other empty spots that were empty when I left were still empty.. I was livid and went to the office, were a different woman was working.. I asked her why there was another camper in my spot when I was paid up until Friday morning.. She told me that she thought I was not coming back and that they have a waiting list and she gave it to someone else.. I told her I counted 5 drive thrus that were the same as mine that were empty and you can not rent out a spot that was already paid for, and that was illegal.. She just smirked and said I could have drive thru lot 76 as it was nicer anyway and had shade... I took it and the next morning looked around and those same spots that were empty at 5 were still empty in the morning, so there was no waiting list.. Is it not illegal to do this?...

What part of this don't you get?.. I left at 10 am so I still had a full day to go.. And it was paid in full.. I don't believe how naive some people are..

[southpark]

Deano56 wrote:

Born To Travel wrote:
They have a record of my payment and there was other spots to rent .. In my opinion, they basically double rented my campsite... There was no apology or anything... I did not like how they lied to me..

how did they double rent your site if they didn't charge you for the other site you stayed at? People make mistakes, don't we all?

I think the OP's point is that the gal really did think he left, permanently, had a new person roll in for one night, and when he pulled out a roll of cash to pay she put him in a site which she thought no one was but had a record for the boss showing it was paid for. Cash goes in her pocket and no one is the wiser. Does that about sum it up OP?

Someone mentioned stupid on the first page. Ron White, in his comedy routine points out there's no fix for it. And do note that half the country is below the median. So half the people you meet are going to have it. Moreover, half the country is fond of taking something that isn't theirs. Either voting to give it to themselves or to someone else to make themselves feel good about themselves. So that mentality (coming up with justifications for taking something that isn't yours is really prevalent today. Not to mention the gal was probably a minimum wage employee. If she's not young she could be in that position because she's not one to give a cr@p.

If the OP feels he needs to do something he should write a letter detailing what happened (with an eye to be careful not to libel anyone) and ascertain how to contact the owners of the park. My guess is he'll feel better having simply written the letter, even before he sends it and potentially makes what may be a very sad existence even sadder.

[wallynm]

FWIW we have left RV parks with time still on the clock. If we are staying for a few days or for a few weeks we ask what the weekly or Monthly rates are and then calculate the daily rate. Sometimes we leave earlier. If you did not tell them you were returning or did not mark the site with something you have no reason to complain. Are you sure you were not so mad any facial expressions was a smirk to you.

Lighten help

Born To Travel wrote:
On Wednesday, I checked in to a RV park near Dayton as I planned to visit the U.S. Air Force Museum.. The park advertised that it was the closest to WPAFB and that was the selling point for me.. I arrived and the park was older but clean, but when I registered the woman told me they did not have a credit card machine (I thought that was odd) and it was cash or personal check only.. I paid with a check for two nights (Wed and Thur night) and was taken to my pull thru.. The next morning (Thurs) I left in my RV as I did not have a towed car.. I visited the museum and returned to the park at 5 p.m. only to find a TT with slideouts in my space... All the other empty spots that were empty when I left were still empty.. I was livid and went to the office, were a different woman was working.. I asked her why there was another camper in my spot when I was paid up until Friday morning.. She told me that she thought I was not coming back and that they have a waiting list and she gave it to someone else.. I told her I counted 5 drive thrus that were the same as mine that were empty and you can not rent out a spot that was already paid for, and that was illegal.. She just smirked and said I could have drive thru lot 76 as it was nicer anyway and had shade... I took it and the next morning looked around and those same spots that were empty at 5 were still empty in the morning, so there was no waiting list.. Is it not illegal to do this?...

[Born_To_Travel]

The reason I am not naming this park is because I feel the owner does not know what is going on and why hurt him when he plays no part?.. I have worked at places that dealt mostly in cash and I have had a front row seat to some of the games that were played... If anything I feel sorry for the owner and just trying to educate others.. Like the old saying goes, We screwed the last guy and passed the savings on to you... Trick is not to be the last guy...

[Naio]

It never ceases to amaze me how many people don't understand that apologizing costs them nothing, and gains them much. Because she was not willing to simply say, 'I'm so sorry' we made a mistake,' you are considering posting bad reviews about their park, which will impact their business for years to come.

I think the tax evasion / pocketing cash / no records so the next shift doesn't know you exist story is the most likely explanation for what happened. And who would have noticed the scam, if the lady up front hadn't been such a butt about it?

They are making all kinds of customer service mistakes.

[hl_remington]

I have never told a park when I leave, when a park has over 150 sites
how would they keep up with who leaves and returns

[Deano56]

Born To Travel wrote:
They have a record of my payment and there was other spots to rent .. In my opinion, they basically double rented my campsite... There was no apology or anything... I did not like how they lied to me..

how did they double rent your site if they didn't charge you for the other site you stayed at? People make mistakes, don't we all?

[Born_To_Travel]

kcmoedoe wrote:

Born To Travel wrote:

2gypsies wrote:
We have worked at parks and there's absolutely no excuse for assigning someone else to a site that has been paid for already unless the site occupant stopped at the office and said "we're leaving and not coming back". Otherwise, that site is yours for the duration. There should be no assumptions that you're not returning.

Yes, it would have been ideal if you had left something on that site when you left or told the office, however, it shouldn't be necessary.

The office has a record of what sites are sold. How did they even know you were gone? Did they go to look at the site before re-assigning it? I don't think so.

My thoughts exactly... The woman who rented it out again, you could tell she was far from stupid... This is why I think there was more to the story..

And, what, exactly could that more to the story be? You said they had plenty of empty sites, so they weren't turning anyone away and they weren't going to make any additional greedy profit by renting "your" site and leaving another site empty. You also said the site they gave you was better than the site you had, so they probably didn't even have anyone who wouldn't stay unless they got that specific site. It is pretty apparent that the only "more to the story" is they screwed up and either put someone into "your" site by mistake, or the had a guest who screwed up and pulled into "your" site by mistake and the park didn't want to inconvenience that guy once he got all set up so they took the path or least resistance and just moved you to a different site. And as for whether or not the lady was "Far from Stupid", I don't think there is anyone who could remember what sites were occupied and what sites were not on any given day off the top of their head. If the park had poor systems, it would be easy to lose track of what sites were open, especially if the primary system they use is to look out and see. Empty sites all look the same, empty.

Do you really think that they are that sloppy?.. Come on.. If that TT paid cash and she put them in my spot, then there would be no record of his stay if the paperwork got "lost" and the cash would go to her and the park owner would not know.. Being she put me in spot 76 with no record of me being there it could still be done.. The park would thing that spot 68 was occupied by me and no record of the TT and all the records look fine... This is what I wonder about.. And why I say she was not stupid... And as for the TT wondering into the wrong spot, I was escorted all the way to that spot, as I am shure he was too. She was not surprised in the least that he was there because she put him there...

[kcmoedoe]

Born To Travel wrote:

2gypsies wrote:
We have worked at parks and there's absolutely no excuse for assigning someone else to a site that has been paid for already unless the site occupant stopped at the office and said "we're leaving and not coming back". Otherwise, that site is yours for the duration. There should be no assumptions that you're not returning.

Yes, it would have been ideal if you had left something on that site when you left or told the office, however, it shouldn't be necessary.

The office has a record of what sites are sold. How did they even know you were gone? Did they go to look at the site before re-assigning it? I don't think so.

My thoughts exactly... The woman who rented it out again, you could tell she was far from stupid... This is why I think there was more to the story..

And, what, exactly could that more to the story be? You said they had plenty of empty sites, so they weren't turning anyone away and they weren't going to make any additional greedy profit by renting "your" site and leaving another site empty. You also said the site they gave you was better than the site you had, so they probably didn't even have anyone who wouldn't stay unless they got that specific site. It is pretty apparent that the only "more to the story" is they screwed up and either put someone into "your" site by mistake, or the had a guest who screwed up and pulled into "your" site by mistake and the park didn't want to inconvenience that guy once he got all set up so they took the path or least resistance and just moved you to a different site. And as for whether or not the lady was "Far from Stupid", I don't think there is anyone who could remember what sites were occupied and what sites were not on any given day off the top of their head. If the park had poor systems, it would be easy to lose track of what sites were open, especially if the primary system they use is to look out and see. Empty sites all look the same, empty.