KOA disappoints.... again!

[Desert_Captain]

We wanted to surprise our best friends this Christmas with a special gift. While we have never been fans of KOA for a number of reasons {poor locations, exorbitant fees etc.}, our friends make an annual trip to Moss Landing where frankly, based upon their recommendation, we had a nice visit last September.

On December 11th I went to the KOA website and purchased a gift certificate for our friends to use on their next KOA stay. My credit card was charged immediately. We waited anxiously to hear from our friends when they received the e mail from KOA with their gift certificate. By the 20th with no news I had to call them and ask them to check their e mail, spam accounts etc., in search of their Christmas surprise but alas nothing had been sent.

On the 20th I called KOA, when I tried to reach their customer service number the phone rang about 30 times with no response but on the third call they finally answered. I explained the problem and expressed my frustration at KOA having ruined the Christmas surprise and asking that the gift certificate be sent. They assured me that it had been sent, it had not, and promised to send it immediately.

I followed up with an e mail directly to KOA customer service and received an automated response assuring me I would hear back from them in no more than 2 business days. After nine days I had heard nothing from KOA. I continued to check with our friends but as of this morning, the 29th, they had received nothing from KOA. I called KOA again {another 30 rings before an answer}, was once again assured it had been sent but, they would "send it again".

I asked them to send it directly to me this time so that I would verify delivery and lo and behold it magically appeared in my in box just a couple of minutes later. I forwarded it to our friends who were delighted but hardly surprised.

A big fat thanks for nothing to KOA for ruining what we hoped would be a nice Christmas surprise. Note to KOA management: Taking money for goods and or services without providing the same constitutes fraud, pure and simple. Lying about it, repeatedly, just added to the aggravation.

:M

[fj12ryder]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but OTA television is not free, never has been. There may be no direct bill, but you pay for it every time you buy a product or service. The advertising industry is paid by manufacturers and service providers and you pay for that every time you dine out, buy groceries, buy a new car, or basically buy anything.

This forum is provided by the Affinity group from my understanding, so every time you buy something that is sold by a company owned by the Affinity group you pay for this site. These companies do not do anything that doesn't net them a return of some kind.

[mich800]

Lantley wrote:

d3500ram wrote:
The word "free" has been bastertized and often misused.

Think of items for sale advertised on the TV or radio where the promoter states that shipping is free. Since when did UPS or FedEx begin not charging for their work? The cost of shipping is built into the purchasing price because in my opinion, nothing is free.

RV.net is not free... it is just that we the users do not pay for it.

I can agree with that. With that in mind everyone reading post on RV.net are users.
RV.net is free to users......no strings attached.
If you take it a step further the evil CW (Affinity Group) pays the tab.
They are in cahoots with KOA to extort as much money out of RV'ers as possible without providing anything worthwhile.:W

I think there seems to be confusion on price and cost. This forum is free ($0 price) for the user. That does not mean cost free. In this case the advertisers are paying the costs. And in return hope to generate revenue from thier ads. It's not that complicated.

[Lantley]

d3500ram wrote:
The word "free" has been bastertized and often misused.

Think of items for sale advertised on the TV or radio where the promoter states that shipping is free. Since when did UPS or FedEx begin not charging for their work? The cost of shipping is built into the purchasing price because in my opinion, nothing is free.

RV.net is not free... it is just that we the users do not pay for it.

I can agree with that. With that in mind everyone reading post on RV.net are users.
RV.net is free to users......no strings attached.
If you take it a step further the evil CW (Affinity Group) pays the tab.
They are in cahoots with KOA to extort as much money out of RV'ers as possible without providing anything worthwhile.:W

[d3500ram]

The word "free" has been bastertized and often misused.

Think of items for sale advertised on the TV or radio where the promoter states that shipping is free. Since when did UPS or FedEx begin not charging for their work? The cost of shipping is built into the purchasing price because in my opinion, nothing is free.

RV.net is not free... it is just that we the users do not pay for it.

[Lantley]

qtla9111 wrote:

Lantley wrote:

qtla9111 wrote:
Yep, lets not rally around a fellow rver who got a bad deal but praise the mega company that gives bad service.

And we wonder why we have such poorly built rvs in an industry that is highly unregulated.

I'm with the OP, if you can't get a simple gift card off the ground it doesn't say much about the rest of what you're offering.

Thinking that this forum is free is way out in left field. The forum is here because many people honor the business and its advertising entices us to buy more. Get real people. Free. Puhleeze.

Life is not perfect neither is this forum. But for me it is free because I pay zero for it. I also challenge you to find a better more informative, more active RV forum with or without ads.
Secondly I challenge the OP to find another national retail CG operator where he can send gift cards via E mail.
So while KOA does not get it all right all the time they are raising the bar and taking camping to a higher level/standard that we all benefit from.
My point is don't throw the baby out with the bath water. The gift card transaction could have been more efficient, however is that a reason to never use KOA again? Is that a reason to never buy a camping gift card again? I think we like to over exaggerate the issue when it comes to KOA and CW.
They are national chains that will never be as cozy and efficient as the local mom and pop operator. But they do offer advantages that come with having a national network

There's no need for you to challenge me. I stated my opinion. Customer service is everything it wasn't just about the gift card.

I don't exaggerate on either CW or KOA. I state what is factual information. This forum is not free. People pay for it.

Based on what I have seen of Marcus, nothing is given away for free.

I don't exaggerate on either CW or KOA. I state what is factual information. This forum is not free. People pay for it.

Based on what I have seen of Marcus, nothing is given away for free

I snipped/quoted your comments that sum it all up.

People pay for it is quite the exxageration,
Despite what you may think we do not pay for this forum, Just because there are ads does not mean we pay.
There is cable TV that you get a bill for and there is over the air TV that you do not get a bill for. Both have ads. One is free and one is not.
Free or not is really not that complicated. But if you feel the forum is costing you too many $$ than by all means cut your losses and stop using it.
Last I checked Affinity makes no demands that we patronize anyone or support any of the advertisers.
It is simply our choice to use the forum no strings attached.

[d3500ram]

Good discussion, albeit spirited. But it is respectful without name calling. I find discussions like this interesting to see anthers point of view... as long as it is respectful which this seems to be. Customer service at campgrounds is a legitimate discussion.

[Us_out_West]

My goodness!!! Time for this thread to close.

Happy New Year.

[qtla9111]

Lantley wrote:

qtla9111 wrote:
Yep, lets not rally around a fellow rver who got a bad deal but praise the mega company that gives bad service.

And we wonder why we have such poorly built rvs in an industry that is highly unregulated.

I'm with the OP, if you can't get a simple gift card off the ground it doesn't say much about the rest of what you're offering.

Thinking that this forum is free is way out in left field. The forum is here because many people honor the business and its advertising entices us to buy more. Get real people. Free. Puhleeze.

Life is not perfect neither is this forum. But for me it is free because I pay zero for it. I also challenge you to find a better more informative, more active RV forum with or without ads.
Secondly I challenge the OP to find another national retail CG operator where he can send gift cards via E mail.
So while KOA does not get it all right all the time they are raising the bar and taking camping to a higher level/standard that we all benefit from.
My point is don't throw the baby out with the bath water. The gift card transaction could have been more efficient, however is that a reason to never use KOA again? Is that a reason to never buy a camping gift card again? I think we like to over exaggerate the issue when it comes to KOA and CW.
They are national chains that will never be as cozy and efficient as the local mom and pop operator. But they do offer advantages that come with having a national network

There's no need for you to challenge me. I stated my opinion. Customer service is everything it wasn't just about the gift card.

I don't exaggerate on either CW or KOA. I state what is factual information. This forum is not free. People pay for it.

Based on what I have seen of Marcus, nothing is given away for free.

[DSDP_Don]

We did a coast to coast trip his last summer and we found that majority of the campgrounds getting the best reviews in the areas where we stayed were the KOA's. They've come a long way over the years and are just as nice as most and right in the middle of the price range. A prime example is the Nashville KOA....nice park.

[Bumpyroad]

bcbouy wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:

mike-s wrote:

Lantley wrote:
KOA is a unique operation. Tell me where else you can purchase a nationwide redeemable retail camping gift certificate?

It's called a Visa Gift Card, and is usable at more than just KOAs.

cold, impersonal, no thought as to the recipients likes and desires, etc. A great gift. shows you really care and put thought into the purchase. NOT :s
bumpy

wow.not only extremely judgemental,but a little off topic and totally missing the point.

why didn't you whine about the post I responded to, which was a little off topic also?
bumpy

[Billzo]

A couple of things:

Did you get a confirmation email from KOAGiftcards? Did you check to see which email address you'd entered for your friends? Since you received the card immediately, I tend to give KOA the benefit of the doubt.

You could easily have sent it to yourself originally by putting your information in the Recipient boxes.

While it's a small excuse, you should recognize the time of year when these things happened, most employees are using their vacation days toward the end of the year and many companies are operating on skeleton staffing levels.

[Lantley]

mike-s wrote:

Lantley wrote:
KOA is a unique operation. Tell me where else you can purchase a nationwide redeemable retail camping gift certificate?

It's called a Visa Gift Card, and is usable at more than just KOAs.

Your right maybe the OP should have just sent cash or sent a direct deposit and wired money to his friends account.:S

[colliehauler]

KOA'S are a franchise some are good some not so good. Your choice if you wish to stay there. I always look on RV park reviews to see if it fits my needs. This will give you the price as well. To complain about price after you get there is not doing your due diligence.

[Grit_dog]

westernrvparkowner wrote:

djgarcia wrote:

Pop-Pop C wrote:
Have used KOA's across the country. Never been disappointed. Usually a little pricey, but usually worth it.

At KOA in Astoria, Oregon-----------$$$$$$$$$ 70.00 per night!!!!! I told the lady at the KOA park that I just wanted to rent the site, NOT buy it:):):):) She had no sense of humor and not RV consumer friendly!!!!!

Personally, I get really tired of those type of comments also. While you say it was humor, what you are really saying is the owner and management is taking advantage of people. How would you feel if people said to your face you were charging too much for your services or if you are an employee, Just flat overpaid? Bet if you worked as a programmer for a tech company you wouldn't think kindly of someone who walked up to your desk and said "Wow, you really make $80,000 a year playing on a computer? My kids do it for free. No wonder my internet service is so expensive, I just want to read the stories about the NFL, I'm not trying the buy a team!" You didn't invent that "humorous" line. It's not the first, or even the thousandth time we have heard it. And it doesn't get any funnier with each and every retelling. Forgive me for not jumping with joy whenever someone slyly tells me they think I am ripping them off.

Meh, just gotta be thicker skinned. I have owners/clients telling me I'm ripping them off daily, sometimes hourly, and I'm doing the same to subcontractors and suppliers.
It's a never ending cycle.
However talking KOAs in particular, they've always been expensive, cater to the city slicker crowd and alas, seem to be full of wanna be campers the couple times we've stayed at one. So they must be dooing something right.
Beauty of it is, you can spend $70 for a KOA site, whatever you charge, $12 for a NF site or boondock for free. All valid options.