Too much money for overnight stay!

[solismaris]

So I was considering booking an overnight stay near my sister's wedding reception which is in the afternoon. So I wouldn't have to drive so far afterwards. I called two places. They both had room. I explained that I only needed an overnight place to sleep and would not use any of their facilities; could I please checkin early so I can make the reception?

Both said no and I asked them to be flexible but they would not budge. I only wanted them to let me come at 11:00 instead of their 3:00 checkin time.

Oh well; their loss. I'll keep my $50 and spend it elsewhere. And I'll remember those campgrounds and NEVER stay there.

[jdb7566]

mockturtle wrote:
It would be interesting to know the average time people actually check out of RV parks. While there are always a few who 'get their money's worth' by staying to the last minute, most of us leave early. And we don't get a discount for doing so. :R

Do you get a discount if you only use a half a loaf of bread? Not me, as I'm one 'those few who always get their money's worth'. Silly, eh?

[jdb7566]

solismaris wrote:
So I was considering booking an overnight stay near my sister's wedding reception which is in the afternoon. So I wouldn't have to drive so far afterwards. I called two places. They both had room. I explained that I only needed an overnight place to sleep and would not use any of their facilities; could I please checkin early so I can make the reception?

Both said no and I asked them to be flexible but they would not budge. I only wanted them to let me come at 11:00 instead of their 3:00 checkin time.

Oh well; their loss. I'll keep my $50 and spend it elsewhere. And I'll remember those campgrounds and NEVER stay there.

Not their loss, I'm sure they rented that spot, with or without you and I doubt they missed you.

[MrWizard]

its one thing to have a reservation for a certain night
and show up a little early and get lucky and the previous camper has gone

it something else to get mad, because the CG staff would NOT agree that it is OK to show up early and be allowed in 4hrs early

what if the previous nights campers were not gone yet at 11am when he wanted to arrive, for that kind of guarantee you pay for (2) nights and show up anytime you want.. after first nights check in time 5pm ? midnight ? 6am ?


he got made because they would not say yes you can come in 4hrs early

[Supercharged]

solismaris wrote:
So I was considering booking an overnight stay near my sister's wedding reception which is in the afternoon. So I wouldn't have to drive so far afterwards. I called two places. They both had room. I explained that I only needed an overnight place to sleep and would not use any of their facilities; could I please checkin early so I can make the reception?

Both said no and I asked them to be flexible but they would not budge. I only wanted them to let me come at 11:00 instead of their 3:00 checkin time.

Oh well; their loss. I'll keep my $50 and spend it elsewhere. And I'll remember those campgrounds and NEVER stay there.

Maybe you should have gone to W-Mart,only for a few hours as they always say. But yet with all the lead flying in the air in there parking lots you might not have made it to the wedding. But remember you can save 5 cents on your bread.

[westernrvparkow]

dubdub07 wrote:

SoundGuy wrote:

solismaris wrote:
I only wanted them to let me come at 11:00 instead of their 3:00 checkin time.

Oh well; their loss. I'll keep my $50 and spend it elsewhere. And I'll remember those campgrounds and NEVER stay there.

No doubt the management / owners of these businesses are shaking in their boots and have advised their accountants to make preparations for closing down these businesses, all because "Mr I'm Special" has publicly declared he will in future "NEVER stay there". :S

Rules only exist in society because too many insist on ignorant behaviour, otherwise in a perfect world where everyone exercises a little common sense we wouldn't have to have any. 😉 There's nothing wrong with your original request, heck many of us have probably asked the same question at one time or another, the problem is your ignorant reaction when you didn't get the answer you wanted. :R Camping may be an activity for all of us who participate in it but it's a business for those owning / operating them and every well run business that expects to remain in business over the long term operates under a set of well defined rules. Don't like those rules? - then move on, no one is forcing you stay, but whining about it isn't going to get you anywhere. 😞

My question is....why would the moderator allow this to stay posted? This is a rude comment and certainly not the way I read the OP. Rules exist in society, not business. Business is a negotiation. If you own a business and fail to be flexible, you will fail. I agree with the OP, they could have worked with the dude. If NO ONE is in the site and you want to arrive early, what is the big deal. Part of the negotiation could have been a monetary adjustment to the site price to allow for early check in if the site is empty. If it is filled, who cares. Even if it is, check out is at 11 A.M. most places, so it would be empty for cleaning between 11 and 3 anyway.

How many of us have asked for late check out? I have. The Gunnison KOA was so friendly. I asked if someone needed my site as I was waiting for a site up the road. She checked, said no one coming and I could stay until 1:00. Nice people. I gave them $20 for being to nice to my family. Negotiation.

It's been my experience that most retail businesses ( which RV parks certainly are) do not negotiate as a general rule. You don't negotiate the price of your cart of groceries. You don't negotiate the hours a restaurant is open. Most of the time you decide whether or not the price and the terms of service fit your needs and then you either make the purchase or not. You don't get mad about it. You don't post rants that the Burger Doodle closes at midnight, doesn't have lamb chops on the menu and won't serve breakfast after 11 AM. and then follow it up with an unsubstantiated slam that everyone thinks the Burger Doodle is "trashy". You just either find another place to eat or find a way to make do with their menu and hours.

[dubdub07]

SoundGuy wrote:

solismaris wrote:
I only wanted them to let me come at 11:00 instead of their 3:00 checkin time.

Oh well; their loss. I'll keep my $50 and spend it elsewhere. And I'll remember those campgrounds and NEVER stay there.

No doubt the management / owners of these businesses are shaking in their boots and have advised their accountants to make preparations for closing down these businesses, all because "Mr I'm Special" has publicly declared he will in future "NEVER stay there". :S

Rules only exist in society because too many insist on ignorant behaviour, otherwise in a perfect world where everyone exercises a little common sense we wouldn't have to have any. 😉 There's nothing wrong with your original request, heck many of us have probably asked the same question at one time or another, the problem is your ignorant reaction when you didn't get the answer you wanted. :R Camping may be an activity for all of us who participate in it but it's a business for those owning / operating them and every well run business that expects to remain in business over the long term operates under a set of well defined rules. Don't like those rules? - then move on, no one is forcing you stay, but whining about it isn't going to get you anywhere. 😞

My question is....why would the moderator allow this to stay posted? This is a rude comment and certainly not the way I read the OP. Rules exist in society, not business. Business is a negotiation. If you own a business and fail to be flexible, you will fail. I agree with the OP, they could have worked with the dude. If NO ONE is in the site and you want to arrive early, what is the big deal. Part of the negotiation could have been a monetary adjustment to the site price to allow for early check in if the site is empty. If it is filled, who cares. Even if it is, check out is at 11 A.M. most places, so it would be empty for cleaning between 11 and 3 anyway.

How many of us have asked for late check out? I have. The Gunnison KOA was so friendly. I asked if someone needed my site as I was waiting for a site up the road. She checked, said no one coming and I could stay until 1:00. Nice people. I gave them $20 for being to nice to my family. Negotiation.

[mike-s]

This thread reminds me of this other one, where the poster complains of sites being reserved but with people not in them the next morning when he left. As far as he knew, they simply wanted to ensure they could arrive and occupy the sites before the normal check-in time, and were willing to pay for that luxury.

Then in this thread, the OP is complaining that he can't get in before check-in time without paying for it. :R

You can't win when dealing with people who don't understand the rules and think it's all about them.

[Walaby]

I get wanting to check in early, if possible. But, even before I started on the trip, I would have made sure I had secured an early check in if possible, or, more likely I would have gotten there a day early and relaxed before the wedding.

This is obviously more about not being accommodated than it is about being too much money. Has nothing to do with using utilities or not.

Im with the majority here.

Mike

[mileshuff]

The majority of RV resorts we stay at have no problem with early check in. As long as the spot is open in the morning we can check in. No extra fee.

Our last visit was to Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, AZ. I called prior to ask since we'd arrive in the morning. They said check out was 11am, check in was technically noon but if the spot was available when we arrived we can pull right in. We pulled in at 10am.

[Lantley]

CavemanCharlie wrote:

solismaris wrote:
So I was considering booking an overnight stay near my sister's wedding reception which is in the afternoon. So I wouldn't have to drive so far afterwards. I called two places. They both had room. I explained that I only needed an overnight place to sleep and would not use any of their facilities; could I please checkin early so I can make the reception?

Both said no and I asked them to be flexible but they would not budge. I only wanted them to let me come at 11:00 instead of their 3:00 checkin time.

Oh well; their loss. I'll keep my $50 and spend it elsewhere. And I'll remember those campgrounds and NEVER stay there.

Look around some more. There are probably more then 2 places. You may have to stay a little further away but, still a lot closer then driving back home. Check for state parks, county parks, or other public campgrounds.

AT some point isn't it about the convenience. Sure there is always a cheaper place but if it's 30 minutes farther are you really saving anything?
If the OP is not willing to pay for 2 days, which is what is really required to arrive in time for the wedding. Than the OP simply is not willing to follow through on the idea to use the RV for the wedding.

[CavemanCharlie]

solismaris wrote:
So I was considering booking an overnight stay near my sister's wedding reception which is in the afternoon. So I wouldn't have to drive so far afterwards. I called two places. They both had room. I explained that I only needed an overnight place to sleep and would not use any of their facilities; could I please checkin early so I can make the reception?

Both said no and I asked them to be flexible but they would not budge. I only wanted them to let me come at 11:00 instead of their 3:00 checkin time.

Oh well; their loss. I'll keep my $50 and spend it elsewhere. And I'll remember those campgrounds and NEVER stay there.

Look around some more. There are probably more then 2 places. You may have to stay a little further away but, still a lot closer then driving back home. Check for state parks, county parks, or other public campgrounds.

[westernrvparkow]

solismaris wrote:
Wow; I never expected this to generate so much discussion!
Yes it was more of a rant than anything else. I still stand behind my claim that they should be flexible IF it happens the site is open early (not asking them to hold it open for early checkin).

You all have good points and I thank you for the responses.

After further consideration I've decided to drive home after. My wife will be the designated driver - her choice! Not only for the price and inflexibility but because the reviews universally say this place is a dump!

Thanks again all!

Funny, the "dump" was going to be just fine until they wouldn't let you in early. Heck, you actually were so upset the "dump" wouldn't acquiesce to your request for an extended stay, you felt the need to post your rant.

[SoundGuy]

solismaris wrote:
Wow; I never expected this to generate so much discussion!
Yes it was more of a rant than anything else.

No kidding. :R And perhaps by now you realize what a dumb rant it was. :S

[solismaris]

Wow; I never expected this to generate so much discussion!
Yes it was more of a rant than anything else. I still stand behind my claim that they should be flexible IF it happens the site is open early (not asking them to hold it open for early checkin).

You all have good points and I thank you for the responses.

After further consideration I've decided to drive home after. My wife will be the designated driver - her choice! Not only for the price and inflexibility but because the reviews universally say this place is a dump!

Thanks again all!

[westernrvparkow]

mockturtle wrote:

Of course not, you've rented that site for a specific period of time

That was my point. From 3:00 PM to 11:00 am is eight hours. From 11:00 AM to 7:00 AM is also eight hours. You're not using any more resources. :R

Correcting for your time error, you might be right, both use the same "resources". But they are not the same in any way. If check out time is 11AM and check in is 3PM, the guy who arrives at 11AM is going to possibly interfere with the cleaning of the sites schedule. He might want to use the showers and restrooms, yet they are closed during this period. Site maintenance is conducted during the hours the sites are supposed to be unoccupied. What if the guy in his site wants a 20 minute late check out? Should he be shoved out at 11 and not get his twenty minutes of grace because someone else wants 4 hours of grace time?

And I will let you in on a little understood fact. A couple of hours of utilities at a site cost the park next to nothing. This isn't about any additional costs in water or power. It's 100% about managing the sites for the benefit of all the guests.