Reserve America cancellations

[Bob_Vaughn]

Is the reserve america cancellation fee set in stone? We were on our way to a campground that we had a reservation for and our rv broke down and was in the shop for 3 weeks. We called them and was told we had to forfeit our deposit. I could understand if we had not called or did not have a legitimate reason for not showing up......Maybe they need to have a system where by cancellations go into a credit account to be used at a later date.......

[Jackfate]

linnemj wrote:

jerseyjim wrote:
I've only used any of those centralized reservation outfits once. That's enough. They DON'T know the campground...some of the staff don't know campers and will put a 30 footer into a 20 foot back-in.....
The one exception MIGHT be the KOA system. However...I personally call the campground itself. Make the reservations there. When you ask (and you should) they will tell you the cancellation policy right then and there.
It also works when traveling, say coast to coast. Figure out where you will be in, 300-400 miles and callthe cg. around 10AM. (Miracle of cell phones)
Never a problem.

Yes it will be a big problem if you call many of the National Parks or popular state parks on day of arrival! Many are fully booked minutes after the reservation window opens 6 months out.

Reserve America gives you pretty good information on the size of the sites and has a search tool. Many times there are photos of the sites too.

RV sales are booming. More and more people home school their kids and many retirees are camping. You can't depend on school being in session to improve site availability as much as you used to.

Amen to that. Bad weather seems to be our only friend !

[linnemj]

jerseyjim wrote:
I've only used any of those centralized reservation outfits once. That's enough. They DON'T know the campground...some of the staff don't know campers and will put a 30 footer into a 20 foot back-in.....
The one exception MIGHT be the KOA system. However...I personally call the campground itself. Make the reservations there. When you ask (and you should) they will tell you the cancellation policy right then and there.
It also works when traveling, say coast to coast. Figure out where you will be in, 300-400 miles and callthe cg. around 10AM. (Miracle of cell phones)
Never a problem.

Yes it will be a big problem if you call many of the National Parks or popular state parks on day of arrival! Many are fully booked minutes after the reservation window opens 6 months out.

Reserve America gives you pretty good information on the size of the sites and has a search tool. Many times there are photos of the sites too.

RV sales are booming. More and more people home school their kids and many retirees are camping. You can't depend on school being in session to improve site availability as much as you used to.

[campinginthewoo]

jerseyjim wrote:
I've only used any of those centralized reservation outfits once. That's enough. They DON'T know the campground...some of the staff don't know campers and will put a 30 footer into a 20 foot back-in.....
The one exception MIGHT be the KOA system. However...I personally call the campground itself. Make the reservations there. When you ask (and you should) they will tell you the cancellation policy right then and there.
It also works when traveling, say coast to coast. Figure out where you will be in, 300-400 miles and callthe cg. around 10AM. (Miracle of cell phones)
Never a problem.

State parks in Illinois

Reservation Information
IDNR and Reserve America have joined together to bring on-line camping, cabin, group camp, and shelter reservations. The new system is available by using the Reserve America website and paying by Visa, MasterCard or Discover.

IDNR camping and shelter reservations will no longer be taken through the mail or over the phone.
Reservations for regular campsites and group campsites require a $5 non-refundable reservation fee and payment of the full camping and utility fees at the time the reservation is made. For more information on our fees, please review our camping fee information.

Payment of the entire camping and utility fee amount will guarantee that the reservation will be held for the entire length of the stay.

Campsites can be reserved for a maximum of 14 nights within a 30-day period and reservations must be made three days before the campsite is needed.

Reservations for Memorial Day, Fourth of July (if July 4th falls on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday) and Labor Day weekends require a two night minimum stay. Some facilities will require a three night minimum stay for Columbus Day.

Shelter reservation fees are $25. Reservations are non-refundable unless the area is closed by the Department. Upon vacating the site, shelter users are required to remove all personal belongings and place all trash in the appropriate receptacles located at the site. Those who fail to do so will be charged a disposal fee of $50. Shelter users who fail to pay the disposal fee will be denied future reservations until the fee is paid in full.

Additional Information:
Most campsites may be reserved from May 1 through October 31. Some parks accept reservations year-round; please review the information about the campsite you are wanting to reserve on the Reserve America website.
A campsite may be reserved for a maximum of 14 nights.
Reservations will be held for the entire length of the booked stay.
A reserved campsite must be vacated by 3 p.m. on the last day of the reservation period.
Most campgrounds have first-come first-served sites, please contact the park for availability of these sites.
Additional permits may be required for large groups. Please review our permits section for more information.
Costs
The reservation fee is $5.00, plus the entire camping fee for each camp site reserved. This $5.00 reservation fee is non-refundable unless the campground is closed by the Department of Natural Resources. The non-refundable shelter reservation fees are $25.

Remember:
The $5.00 reservation fee will NOT be refunded. The camping fees will be refunded if cancelled on the website 3 days in advance of your arrival.
Reservations will be held for the entire camping reservation.
Campers must comply with all other Department camping rules which are posted at each site.
Reservations must be made on the website at least seven days before the campsite is needed.
All cancellations must be made on the website.

[Ralph_Cramden]

DiskDoctr wrote:

cyntdon2010 wrote:
Sometimes its cheaper to do a no show, your only charged for the 1st day.

Not here in PA. If you paid, it's yours. If you don't show up, still no one may park in your spot.

We recently had a situation where we were going to arrive the next afternoon instead of the day before as we planned. We called as a courtesy, but it wasn't necessary.

PA state parks use RA as well, so I'm *guessing* the rules are the same?

They're not the same. When a state contracts with RA the state stipulates the cancellation policy. In PA the policy is the same as it was before RA was in the picture.

Cancellations can be made via the call center or web. Cancellations made up to close of business seven days prior to your scheduled arrival date will incur the $10 cancellation fee per reservation. If you cancel six days or less prior to the arrival date, you will forfeit the first night's fee or $75, whichever is the lesser amount. A $5.00 non-refundable transaction fee is charged on all overnight and day use reservations and registrations. This fee will not be refunded if the reservation is cancelled or transferred

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

The cancellation fee is not set by Reserve America. RA gets paid the same amount for making a reservation, changing a reservation or cancellation of a reservation.

RA gets paid per transaction.

The agency, be it a state park, the Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service or other federal agency sets the amount charged the customer for a cancellation. And the refund policy.

[jerseyjim]

I've only used any of those centralized reservation outfits once. That's enough. They DON'T know the campground...some of the staff don't know campers and will put a 30 footer into a 20 foot back-in.....
The one exception MIGHT be the KOA system. However...I personally call the campground itself. Make the reservations there. When you ask (and you should) they will tell you the cancellation policy right then and there.
It also works when traveling, say coast to coast. Figure out where you will be in, 300-400 miles and callthe cg. around 10AM. (Miracle of cell phones)
Never a problem.

[Dutch_12078]

RA has set fees that they charge their campground and agency clients for cancellations, changes, reservations, etc. The cancellation policy that's passed on to the customers is set by the campgrounds or agencies that use RA as their agent, just as it is by those that manage their own reservation systems.

[Jackfate]

Durb wrote:
I too have been dinged a fee for changing my reservation. One time a wild fire closed the park, not my fault but oh well. My problem is fellow campers are gaming the reservation and cancellation system. All to often I have problems making a reservation because a park is booked full and then I show up at an empty facility. The park is losing revenue and people with families that have to plan a trip in advance can't find spots. Some will reserve their favorite campsite for every weekend of the season then cancel at the last minute and pay the $8 registration fee. $104 for 13 weeks of automatic camp site is a pretty good deal. No consideration at all for their fellow campers.

My solution is for Reserve America is to charge $100 reservation fee for the first campsite reserved. When you show up you get $92 back . Don't show up, lose the $100. The only way to stop the abuse is hit people in the wallet. The RV population is growing fast, the campsite population isn't. Full campgrounds will help alleviate the problem.

Not a bad idea . Last year we couldn't stay in a site for more than two days and generally only one.Had to pay so many additional reservation fees for doing this. And the icing on the cake was we watch our favorite site set empty for days. Paid over $250 in reservation and entrance fees , had to move 26 times in 33 days of camping.
Sorry you got me started. We are doing better this year but takes up a lot of time

Sorry for the rant and I know it strays from a well intentioned OP post but reservatioabuse is one of the few things that make my bottom red.

[Durb]

I too have been dinged a fee for changing my reservation. One time a wild fire closed the park, not my fault but oh well. My problem is fellow campers are gaming the reservation and cancellation system. All to often I have problems making a reservation because a park is booked full and then I show up at an empty facility. The park is losing revenue and people with families that have to plan a trip in advance can't find spots. Some will reserve their favorite campsite for every weekend of the season then cancel at the last minute and pay the $8 registration fee. $104 for 13 weeks of automatic camp site is a pretty good deal. No consideration at all for their fellow campers.

My solution is for Reserve America is to charge $100 reservation fee for the first campsite reserved. When you show up you get $92 back . Don't show up, lose the $100. The only way to stop the abuse is hit people in the wallet. The RV population is growing fast, the campsite population isn't. Full campgrounds will help alleviate the problem.

Sorry for the rant and I know it strays from a well intentioned OP post but reservation abuse is one of the few things that make my bottom red.

[DiskDoctr]

cyntdon2010 wrote:
Sometimes its cheaper to do a no show, your only charged for the 1st day.

Not here in PA. If you paid, it's yours. If you don't show up, still no one may park in your spot.

We recently had a situation where we were going to arrive the next afternoon instead of the day before as we planned. We called as a courtesy, but it wasn't necessary.

PA state parks use RA as well, so I'm *guessing* the rules are the same?

[BB_TX]

I agree with above. No way for them to know if the person had a breakdown, illness, other legitimate reason, or simply changed their plans. They have a stated policy agreed to when reservations are made. Unlikely they have the option to override it.

[cyntdon2010]

Sometimes its cheaper to do a no show, your only charged for the 1st day.

[Bob_Vaughn]

WNYBob wrote:
Try calling the CG

We did, it was a state park....

[WNYBob]

Try calling the CG