Who is responsible for discounts?

[westernrvparkow]

Is it the obligation of the business or the customer to determine whether or not that customer is eligible for a discount? We honor discounts for Good Sam members, seniors and active military. That information is clearly posted on our website and at that registration counter. Should the park question each guest as to whether or not they are eligible for one of those discounts or is the onus on the customer to tell us they are Good Sam members, over 55, or are actively serving in the military?
If you feel it is the park's responsibility, does that obligation extend to further investigating the customer's planned itinerary and pointing out they could save money by either staying longer, thus qualifying for a weekly discount, or arriving earlier or later in the year thus getting the shoulder season rate?
It is my opinion that the customer is responsible for their reservation details. Any thoughts, pro or con?

[Beverley_Ken]

Yes, the campers responsibility to ask. You have done your part by advertising what discounts are available. Maybe add a a laminated paper at the check in desk titled 'Do you qualify for any of the discounts'. .... .... .... Discounts are applied only at time of check-in.
You would probably ask as a courtesy, but your new employee, with a line of campers waiting to check in may forget. Onus on the customer.
Showing regular rates. No doubt your computer/cash register would show regular rate - minus GS or? Discount.
Yes a sheet or chart showing the regular rates, but how complicated would it. E to read. Basic site, deluxe, premium, ++. Then water and electric or Full Hook-up, Full Hook-up plus 50 amp. And then days of the week, I'm sure most places, regular rates are more on Friday and Saturday nights. And then holiday long weekends.

Ken

[jfkmk]

I think if you advertise it on your website and at check in that you take certain discounts, you’re covered. It is a nice courtesy to remind customers of the discounts, but you’re already “telling” them with the sign and website.

What is a little annoying is a store that takes discounts but doesn’t tell anyone. We bought something in a store in Gettysburg PA. We found out after the transaction that they gave a discount for AAA, but there was no sign stating such. The clerk told us “everyone around here accepts AAA” like we’re supposed to know.

[doxiemom11]

I agree that if the campgrounds makes a point to ask about any discount, they would earn my trust and I'd probably stay again. The other situation - bad feelings, leads to disgruntled customers. You are in the customer service business. That being said, I usually ask if I don't know, but there could be times that I have so much on my mind, or ask other questions and forget to ask that. I am only human.

[mich800]

bpounds wrote:

SDcampowneroperator wrote:
The reason we ask to see the card is to verify expiry and that names match. Cant have someone borrow uncles card. That has happened.

That's your privilege. Apparently that extra few bucks is very important to your business model. The guy down the street must be less profit constrained.

I guess I appreciate the hotels that cheerfully want to help me save a very few bucks, instead of looking for any reason to get out of the discount.

I'm sure there are folks who go around just saying they are XXX members. If your bottom line is so thin that you feel you have to weed those out, then I guess you'll need to card everyone. It's the only way to be sure.

Your business model suggests just lower the price to the discounted level for everyone. What's the point if everyone qualifies? It is easy to spot those that never had to run a business to feed their family.

[opnspaces]

Campers responsibility to ask. But it definitely is nice when the person at the counter asks as a courtesy.

[wa8yxm]

In most of the businesses I deal with they post (not always that obvious) the discounts and I have to ask for them.. Best example Is Bi-Lo and their parent.. I have a card (Southern Grocers) now the cashier WILL ask if I have the loyalty card but it is very rare for the store to make the added 5% due to age that well known (I'm old enough to qualify for the added 5% on Wed's) I've passed that on to many customers.... And asked about it in other places (Sorry no)

AARP publishes a list.. but if you don't ask, you don't get

I've never had Denny's ask to see my AARP card.. Or any other restaurant that gives discounts.

Camping world will USUALLY ask about your GS card.. But that's kind of like Bi-Lo askind about my Southern Grocery card.

[westernrvparkow]

bpounds wrote:

SDcampowneroperator wrote:
The reason we ask to see the card is to verify expiry and that names match. Cant have someone borrow uncles card. That has happened.

That's your privilege. Apparently that extra few bucks is very important to your business model. The guy down the street must be less profit constrained.

I guess I appreciate the hotels that cheerfully want to help me save a very few bucks, instead of looking for any reason to get out of the discount.

I'm sure there are folks who go around just saying they are XXX members. If your bottom line is so thin that you feel you have to weed those out, then I guess you'll need to card everyone. It's the only way to be sure.

We see verifying eligibility for a discount as being responsible to the guests who qualify. Good Sam members paid for their membership so why should someone who didn't pay get the benefit? We offer an active duty discount in respect for those who are serving in the military, it would be disrespectful to those service members to offer it to someone who wasn't in the service. Or, to quote the old American Express commercial: "Membership has it's privileges."

[Walaby]

It's my responsibility to ask. I've forgotten at times, to ask if someone gives a military discount at a business or xx discount at a campground. There's been times when someone told me, even an hour later "hey, did you get your xx discount?" It would have NEVER crossed my mind to go back and ask for it after the fact. My response has been.. nope, completely slipped my mind.

It's nice when I get it, but it's also not a deal breaker for me either way. I don't make my mind up on where I stay, or where I eat, based on the discount I could qualify for. If I get it at a restaurant, I also add it back in before I figure tip.

I don't take offense one bit if people ask for proof. Im retired military, and here in my town many of the restaurants offer 10% off for active and retired military, first responders etc.. Some ask, and I show, others don't, and Im fine either way.

Bottom line - I don't expect it.. it's nice when it's avaiable and I take advantage of it, but it is not a key piece of data that influences my decision.

Mike

[STBRetired]

Western or SD,
Does Good Sam compensate or reward a campground somehow based upon how many GS discounts they give out? The reason I ask is there is a campground we overnight at whenever we go to the Carolinas that always gives me the GS discount. They have never asked me if I'm a member of GS and have never asked to see my card. It just appears on the bill. They have given the discount to a friend of mine that is not and never has been a GS member when he stayed there on his way to Florida this winter. Was wondering why they would do that.

[bpounds]

SDcampowneroperator wrote:
The reason we ask to see the card is to verify expiry and that names match. Cant have someone borrow uncles card. That has happened.

That's your privilege. Apparently that extra few bucks is very important to your business model. The guy down the street must be less profit constrained.

I guess I appreciate the hotels that cheerfully want to help me save a very few bucks, instead of looking for any reason to get out of the discount.

I'm sure there are folks who go around just saying they are XXX members. If your bottom line is so thin that you feel you have to weed those out, then I guess you'll need to card everyone. It's the only way to be sure.

[Merrykalia]

I think it the RESPONSIBILITY of the camper checking in to ask for any discounts that apply to them, as long as it's posted in a prominent location. I think that any place that ASKS if you qualify is just going the extra mile for a customer and I would recommend them widely.

There are lots of things that happen in the "public service" arena that I think is just stupid. Yes, I said STUPID! When you have to stamp "NOT A FLOTATION DEVICE" on plastic bags, it might be better to let the survival of the fittest do it's work.

OK, I'm done, but if a campground asked me if I qualified for any of their discounts, I would be tickled, even if I didn't get one.

[SDcampowneroper]

The reason we ask to see the card is to verify expiry and that names match. Cant have someone borrow uncles card. That has happened.

[pasusan]

bpounds wrote:
I don't expect the establishment to quiz me about memberships, or discounts that might apply. I appreciate any clerk that makes an effort to help me save money, but I don't expect that. I will sometimes ask if they honor this or that. All they can say is no.

My experience is more with hotels than RV parks, since I rarely use an RV park, but I expect the experience to be very similar.

If I ask if they have a AAA discount, and they do, I will admit that I resent being asked to see my card. And in fact, I am almost never asked to actually show proof of AAA/AARP/GS, or any other. I can probably count on one hand the number of times that my word on the matter hasn't been satisfactory. It's not that they don't have the right to ask, it's just that 99 other places did not ask, and this one place thinks I am lying about it, which makes them a less enjoyable establishment than those other 99. Not a deal breaker by any stretch, just that it tells me something about the place.

Really? If I'm a member and expect a discount I *want* to prove it. I don't want non-members to say they are and get my discount. The establishment doesn't know me or anyone else and therefore one's "word" doesn't mean anything.

As for the OP's question: I agree with most others that it's the customer's responsibility to request applicable discounts.

[Bumpyroad]

That information is clearly posted on our website and at that registration counter

that sez it all.
bumpy

[westernrvparkow]

DrewE wrote:
It's the customers responsibility to request applicable discounts. It can be nice to remind them if there's reason to believe they would be eligible, but that's not a requirement on the merchant, just a nice neighborly thing to do.

Possibly one exception I'd suggest would be for the campground to automatically apply a lower total rate for a longer stay than actually requested/used. For instance, if staying six nights at $50 a night and the weekly rate is $275, it seems to me the campground maybe ought to, as a matter of course, use the weekly rate for the six days, possibly without even asking. But even then it is in no way unethical or scummy to charge the posted, agreed-upon rate for the length of the stay.

(Similarly, I think it would be nice if mail order and online merchants that offer free shipping on orders over $x would automatically bump an order up to $x if doing so results in a lower total cost than the actual order plus non-free shipping...or at least offer the option of buying nothing at $.01 per unit, rather than forcing one to add random, not-really-wanted low priced items to bring the total up to the free shipping threshhold.)

That is how they sell those random, not really wanted, low priced items. Probably some legal issues with just raising the price of an order above the advertised price.