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Old 07-01-2009, 04:35 PM   #1
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I just called the private campground, where we have paid reservations for this weekend, to find out if we could arrive a little sooner than their normal check-in time. When asked what campsite we had reserved they said it was impossible because a long term tenant was in the space and they've been there a while. My reply was that we made the reservations in February and that our Reservation Confirmation letter clearly stated the correct site. We even added an extra day to the reservation in May and was never told of the conflict. They wanted to place us in another campground but I'm at wits' end. It's really hard to get my wife interested in camping but she was very content with staying in the same site as we did last year. I was really looking forward to this weekend and our first outing with the new trailer. Getting another campsite for this holiday weekend will obviously be impossible. We're relatively new to camping and this has never happened to us before. Anyone have any suggestion on what to do?
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Old 07-01-2009, 04:40 PM   #2
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Another campground or campsite? I would say go and enjoy the stay. Once your there and unwind the campsite wont seem all that important.
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Old 07-01-2009, 04:46 PM   #3
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Steve, is it possible to speak directly with the person that took your reservation? Are there initials w/the confirmation sheet? If it's not too far away from home, perhaps drive up to the campground with trailer in tow and "work out" an alternative campsite at same location with the front desk. There's a mis communication somewhere (as you know already) and I'm betting it's with the last person you spoke to on the phone.

All is not lost.....
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Old 07-01-2009, 04:53 PM   #4
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stand your ground and get the site you payed for

Just remember Steve

"Happy wife , Happy life"
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Old 07-01-2009, 05:20 PM   #5
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I get the sense that Phil has a good grasp of my situation. Believe it or not the thought crossed my mind to tell my wife that I have to work this weekend rather than tell her the truth. She's faced that situation many times before and easily recovers with other stuff to do. The thought of being stuck in a potentially unpleasant campsite under already tenuous circumstances (wife is not necessarily enthused about camping in the first place) is not something I care to contemplate. I got me a real hot potato here.
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Old 07-01-2009, 05:21 PM   #6
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I would first try to get the site you paid for, and if they just won't accommodate that, try to make sure they give you a site just as good. If all else fails and they give you a lesser alternate site, take it and enjoy it. No sense letting it get the best of you if you can't do anything about it.

It does really suck though that they double booked anyway. I have seen before, where long term people had to move for someone who had previously booked the site .
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Old 07-01-2009, 05:29 PM   #7
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Steve, is it possible to speak directly with the person that took your reservation? Are there initials w/the confirmation sheet? If it's not too far away from home, perhaps drive up to the campground with trailer in tow and "work out" an alternative campsite at same location with the front desk. There's a mis communication somewhere (as you know already) and I'm betting it's with the last person you spoke to on the phone.

All is not lost.....
There is no indication on the Reservation Confirmation of the person that took the reservation. I intend to call the manager tomorrow morning when he gets in but I don't know what good it'll do because the site is occupied by a long term tenant. It might make me feel better though just to get it off my chest and to make him squirm a little as I'm about to do tonight. Man, I really hate this. I was looking forward to this weekend for months. Grrrrrrr.....
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Old 07-01-2009, 05:38 PM   #8
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Geez Steve I had no idea you were in such a pickle......
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Old 07-01-2009, 06:22 PM   #9
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Hi Steve

Does the campground where you are going have a website with a site map? The site map might help by choosing a space. I would phone the park, ask what sites are still available in their campgrounds, and have the map up on the computer when you talk to them. When they give you a site - you can see where it is. You might be able to find something better than you had before.

Jim and I have been camping for years - we've had some great sites, several OK sites, and two really awful sites.. It happens - but the winners way outshine the two that we had situations with.

I know this is not the perfect solution... and it is totally wrong what they did. However, you might end up with a great site, perfect weather and a fun time, instead of staying at home.

We'll try to make her camping experience at Lake Casitas in October - a fun one for her.. I think she will like the space you have reserved...


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Old 07-01-2009, 06:31 PM   #10
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... I intend to call the manager tomorrow morning when he gets in but I don't know what good it'll do because the site is occupied by a long term tenant. It might make me feel better though just to get it off my chest and to make him squirm a little as I'm about to do tonight. ....
Given your situation, I'm with Phil on this. I would speak to the manager and, very nicely, explain the problem with your reservation. And explain why a different campground/site will not work and that that is the reason you made your reservation as far back as February. I would not make the assumption that just because someone else is in the site, your reservation is worthless. If they are able to move you to a different location, they can just as easily move the person now in "your" site. Apparently they accepted your prepayment for the site. After all, what good is a reservation if it doesn't hold the site for you?

Also, I would not "make him squirm a little" because if you are forced to cancel, you would want a full refund from the manager.

Good Luck.
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Old 07-01-2009, 06:40 PM   #11
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Quote:
I just called the private campground, where we have paid reservations for this weekend, to find out if we could arrive a little sooner than their normal check-in time. When asked what campsite we had reserved they said it was impossible because a long term tenant was in the space and they've been there a while. My reply was that we made the reservations in February and that our Reservation Confirmation letter clearly stated the correct site. We even added an extra day to the reservation in May and was never told of the conflict. They wanted to place us in another campground but I'm at wits' end. It's really hard to get my wife interested in camping but she was very content with staying in the same site as we did last year. I was really looking forward to this weekend and our first outing with the new trailer. Getting another campsite for this holiday weekend will obviously be impossible. We're relatively new to camping and this has never happened to us before. Anyone have any suggestion on what to do?
Hi, Steve,
Same thing happened to us this spring. Months before, we had reserved the same space we had occupied in the spring of 2008. A few days before we were to pull out of our drive, I called the camp and asked for an e-mail to carry with us, for the reserved space. Big mess, not only had they rented our space, but they had us booked in for the next month! I got it pretty well straightened out and when we got there, we had now been placed in a space away from the other Eggs. The next day, another Egg relocated because they had been put between two big Stickies and really could not see anything. They ended up moving right next to us and to make a long story short, we were a perfect match and really enjoyed the 2009 Meet better than the previous year's. I guess the moral of the story is just to go with an open mind and this year might be even better than last. Good luck and have a great time! Vi & John
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Old 07-01-2009, 08:38 PM   #12
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Well, I've calmed down a little now. I'll call the manager tomorrow morning. Hopefully he can come up with a solution.

Oh, BTW, the name of the campground is Ma-Tar-Awa, located just East of Alpine, CA, for those that are interested.
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Old 07-01-2009, 10:21 PM   #13
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keep us posted Steve..

btw we are also heading out for the 4th..

we will be at Brazos Bend Texas State Park, we are having a mini fiberglass RV rally there
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Old 07-02-2009, 05:32 AM   #14
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What if you hadnt called and drove 100s of miles ??? With that said I will offer no advice... Cause I dont want you people knowing what a Nut job I am ... But I can assure you something would give...

I cant help myself........




Steve you got bumped because someone else wanted that spot and was going to stay longer and pay more money... I doubt this was an accident ..thats just a easy excuse to bump you ... 1st I would tell the manager if he starts making excuses..... that the campground HOST will need to have their stuff moved before I arrived or my site will need to be open when I arrive ... their choice....But I'm on my way and 1 of those 2 spots better be vacant at my time of check in PERIOD...and hang up immediately... after that they know things are going to be a BIG problem when I arrive.... 9 out 10 chance your spot or the host will be vacant when you arrive.. or less than 10X the fee for my refund would not be acceptable on a holiday weekend ... a plain refund and a apology would not be acceptable in the least... thats what they want you to do, just take a refund and go away. they made more money doing this , if neither of these works I have 3 teens and a wife with me..You take care of them that does it every time
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Old 07-02-2009, 09:42 AM   #15
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Having worked at a Private Campground for a while I kinda understand how this 'mistake' can be made. It sounds like someone came for a short stay and decided to stay on. Our campground bent over back-wards, sideways, and we stood on our heads if that's what the customer/camper wanted us to do.

I once had to recut firewood for an older couple because they thought what I had delivered them 2 hours eariler was too big and they wanted the 1/4 logs smaller. So I had to drive the tractor over, reload the front loader, take it over to the log splitter and cut the pieces smaller, take the pile back to the site and redump the pile, because that's what this customer wanted. Now the other 97 campsites didn't complain, but we tried very hard to make everyone happy, but some people we just couldn't no matter how hard we tried.

I guess I figure that going somewhere, relaxing, watching the world go by on a small piece of borrowed land is what camping is all about. Everything else is just gravy. Have I had a "bad" campsite before? Yup, Disney World with the bus stop right behind our campsite and people walking thru our site to the bus stop instead of using the sidewalk. Did it get old? Yup. But it didn't ruin my camping weekend as there was more to my weekend than just that.

I'm just saying, I'm sure the campground will do what they can to accommodate you and attempt to make things right. Yet, trees are trees, dirt is dirt, and a campfire no matter where is always nice. It's all about getting outside, enjoying being together, maybe having a good meal not normally had at home. Maybe playing a card game together, having a laugh or several. If only 1 specific spot in a campground will make or break your camping experience with your wife, Um...maybe there's another form of traveling and having fun that would be better suited. Camping isn't about being rigid and firm, it's about going with the flow of the creek or stream and letting your cares float away with the breeze.

Good Luck.
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Old 07-02-2009, 12:13 PM   #16
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Some good common sense in that post Carolyn.
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Old 07-02-2009, 02:09 PM   #17
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We got bumped once at a campground that we go to when we work in San Francisco in Pacifica. The campground went out of their way to find us a spot that we would like. Upgraded us to a site with a great view of the ocean. Do make them squirm and at least give you a gift cert for dinner or something for moving. Remind them that there are many of us waiting to hear how they treat you. 10,000 alone on this site will know if they do you right or not. Let us know.
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Old 07-02-2009, 05:06 PM   #18
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My two cents worth. I am fairly new to camping. When we bought the first fiberglass, my son thought I was losing my mind, "Mom and camping?" I never camped when he was growing up and rarely did things like fishing. The bugs bit me too much, and I dislike bug repellent. Plus there are other things I like to do.

I am a glamper. I like my amenities: electricity, water, wi-fi, places to visit, and quiet in the night time.

On Memorial Day Weekend, we tried a new campground. Nice camping spot for us at first. Then the holiday crowd arrived. Noisy, crowded, some who were obnoxious, and one who lit his campfire close enough to our propane tank that we feared fire. His wife was another reluctant camper and pouted in the car most of the time. I did not enjoy the camping weekend either, except for the times we left the campground, golfing, exploring, and antiquing.

Might I suggest that you consider this option. Find another very good spot and take a camping trip on a less busy weekend. Make the campground make it right for you too.

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Old 07-02-2009, 05:47 PM   #19
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Hmmmmm, welllllllllllllllllllllllll from an old resort owner the only thing I can say is, I am sorry they have done this to you. Unfortunately things happen, and not knowing if they did this on purpose or by mistake I really can't suggest anything other than to tell you to keep on them to give you the best site in the place. It's their mistake not yours so they need to accomodate you. We worked hard to not have those type of things occur. Personally I hate when campgrounds do this. It really doesn't take that much more work to make sure it doesn't. I for one never moved someone who requested a site. EVER! Now of course I moved sites of guest who hadn't arrived and who didn't know what site they were going to be in to start with. Because sometimes you have to rearange camper nights to get the most of a season or to accomadate another guest so that you don't have guest in place moving daily (another thing that some campgrounds do that makes me crazy!). But never did I put a guest with a reservation out of a site they requested. I can't tell you how many times someone would come in off the road with no reservations and request a site they saw empty. I would tell them, that I had a guest arriving today, tomorrow etc. They would tell me, they don't know what site they are in, so they won't know you moved them................... My answer always was, if a guest took the time to make a reservation they got my best sites even if they didn't request a particular site and I certainly wasn't going to move them just cause someone pulled in off the road for the night or a few days with out a reservation. Probably made a few people mad, I didn't give a Blip! I of course tried to make the most of my season, but never at the expense of a guest. When we had cancellations if a site was better than what I had a guest in, I would move them to the better site. I was known for putting small little trailers in my premium sites right next to the big million dollar busses. For us it was about the guest having the best experiance they could have. Now I have worked at a campground that does exactly oppisite of how I tried to run our business. But it's their business and if the don't care what type of experiance their guest have I guess it's their bussiness and the guest need to stop going there. Again, Sorry your going thru this, but hopefully the campground with come thru and take care of you. And hopefully it will be an even better site than you wanted to start with. Best of Luck! Robin
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Old 07-02-2009, 07:57 PM   #20
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There has been a lot said on speculation here. Steve was going to talk to the owner/manager today, and I am very curious to hear what he had to say.
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