Most common campground complaints?

[karead7]

Running a campground for this season, we're lucky (or maybe hard working enough?) that we don't hear about too many complaints.

So we were thinking, what things have you found to complain about at a campground? What's the most common thing you dislike that a campground manager would be able to do something about?

Here's our experience with complaints so far...

http://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2013/07/campground-complaints.html

[2012Coleman]

If you own a campground, I'm not sure why you would solicit complaints about other CG's in a public forum. Does your CG have a website? If so, is there a survey? Do you ask people to fill it out? Did you search for your CG on RVParkReviews.com?

If not why not? This would be a beter indication of issues specific to you.

[3_dog_nights]

I can almost live with the firepit being to close to my awning, but the last time I had a problem it was my neighbors firepit about three feet from my bedroom slide. Didn't sleep all night waiting for the fire.

[motorcycle_jack]

I vote with my wallet and don't complain because I learned long ago it doesn't change things. If a campground has the following, I skip it next time:

Unkempt sites or CG, weeds or uncut grass
Dirty bathrooms
Campfires going day and night - usually with no one tending it most of the time
Dogs running loose
Cliques who move in on the weekend and "group council" in the middle of the road

AN OWNER WHO IS NEVER AROUND EXCEPT TO SHARE A BEER WITH THE CLIQUE ON SAT. NIGHT

I usually find the nicest CG's after leaving the pig behind.

[Tvov]

I don't think I have ever complained to the management at a campground - which makes me wonder if I am the "people" that everyone else complains about! lol

I guess my biggest "complaint" about campgrounds is when they are not as advertised. If the campground has one tree by the office, it is not a "heavily wooded" campground. "Spacious sites" means you need more room than just enough to open the camper door. "Family friendly campground" means loud, drunken campers need to be dealt with immediately. "Pool" - means just that!! If the campground advertises a pool, then the pool should be filled up, running, and clean. If the pool is advertised as heated, then HEAT the pool!

As for on-site management, enforce the rules fairly. Yes, the seasonal people are supposed to abide by the campground rules - you, the management, need to make sure of that.

For people new to camping at campgrounds, management needs to take into account that they may not know all the rules, with an eye towards discretion including (especially) the "common courtesy" things that may not be written down that help to make a campground run smoothly. I've been in situations where the management has just been rude in enforcing rules - it is unnecessary, and leaves a very bad impression.

[Community Alumni]

Sites that are too close and in some cases facing each other (awning to awning), wifi that never works properly, advertised cable that only gets a dozen poor quality stations and no HD, fire pits that are under your awning, sites that are not level or are on grass that will sink you on rainy days, unkept facilities such as dirty wash rooms/showers and grounds that are poorly kept. These area few that I've come across over the years that really tick me off.

[tomdinwv]

I've only been in one CG that I can complain about. The water connection was on the wrong side of the TT and at the front of the site. I just used it to fill my fresh water tank and we ran off it while we were there. The sewer connection was waaaay back in the rear of the site and on an uphill slope compared to the gravel pad the TT was parked on. I just used the dump station on my way out of the CG instead of trying to make the poo poo run uphill. There was also a couple of large trees that were close to the TT and I couldn't open my awning and the site had a bunch of holes and dips in it, making it a little hard to walk. Didn't let any of this ruin the couple of nights we stayed there. Just worked around everything.

[rondeb]

B.O. Plenty wrote:
Barking dogs and their stupid deaf owners.

B.O.

X2

and Pull through spots that in order to hook up to sewer, water and power, you have to unhook the car and put it in front of the RV
because the hook ups are toward the rear of the spot.

[JayWalker2009]

karead7 wrote:
Thanks for the feedback everyone! If I take anything away from this at all, it's that people don't like barking dogs, and that our trees need to be trimmed a bit!

Hope you're all having a good weekend!

IN all seriousness, dogs who are left in campers who bark the entire day really are an issue for those who want to enjoy their time at their site during the day. I have rarely made a complaint in all of my years of camping but the one thing that will always make me feel like I am going mad is that family who leaves fido (or multiple fido's) in their rig and takes off the entire day and the dog(s) bark the entire time non stop. Luckily this hasn't happened often, but the time or two it has, it really, really raked my nerves.

But it always comes down to that 'my dog doesn't bark' thing when people discuss this topic. Well, somebodies dogs are barking. lol

[bertnspike]

no dedicated dog walk area

mixing long term (seasonal) and short term campers

not cutting the grass often enough

[DiskDoctr]

Has anyone said barking dogs? LOL.

More of "things of interest" than complaints. Keeping an eye out for these things helps prevent complaints and shows visitors you care about them and their camping experience.

Non-movable fire rings squeezed on the parking pad, putting it too close to the awning.

Very unlevel camping spots. If a spot is made to be level, it greatly simplifies setup and looks quite professional. Remember, you don't have to do them all at once 😉

Small gravel where the awning extends is much easier on the feet, even with an awning mat. The big pieces always seem to catch me in just the wrong spot 😉

Power pedestals without bees are nice.

A spot for an additional tent/screen house, etc is nice.

Clean bathhouses are ALWAYS appreciated! Sufficient hot water and pressure is very considerate.

Did I mention clean bathhouses are appreciated? 😉

A tip for your seasonal person who wants more privacy and quiet: offer to move him to a more remote spot, away from your weekend visitors. Either he will understand weekends are busier with "non-professional" campers, or he won't.

If he wants to change spots, that's fine, too. Either way, he is a participant in the choices, as is appropriate.

But that is just a suggestion, you know the situation better than we do.

Kudos on even requesting such info. It shows you care about your visitors. Be ready, you may get much more than you bargained for 😉

[FunnyCamper]

I don't have hardly any complaints. a few bad campers that overstept the rules and dirty bathhouses and low maintenance at a few cgs.

the complaint I mostly have is management should enforce their rules. man up and take action about situations that unfold in the cg. if people complain about it or not. enforce cg rules within reason and every camper should be happy. and maintain the property, trees, roads, etc.

all common sense 🙂

[noe-place]

I'm too busy having fun to worry much about what bothers someone else. If I worried about complaining I'd be too busy taking notes and watching my neighbors. :B

[terry_thiessen]

Dog owners that let their dogs run loose and pee on my tires and or jack.. Also not being able to convince my wife that we should be gone from home more then 6weeks.

[3_dog_nights]

Trim those dogs and leave the bark on those trees!! You got it!

[camperpaul]

Showers are too cold ...

Showers are too hot ...

I guess you can't please everybody.