Hmmm, in Tennessee if you're making a reservation on Reserve America, for a Tennessee site, we have to prepay at the time of reservation or no reservation. Other states don't? Now if that's the case, I can see that WOULD be a problem...
Crowe wrote: Couple of ways to get the site you want;
Make the reservation earlier which will require paying for an extra day or two. We have a special weekend that we attend and we have to place a reservation to arrive on Wednesday or Thursday in order to get the site. If you try to reserve it for arriving Friday, you will find it full.
Make the reservation for a one or two week block in order to get the weekend you want. When it comes close to the actual weekend, cancel your reservation and make a new one for just the weekend. There is a risk involved in this because I believe you have to wait until the next day to make another reservation. However you won't have all the other RVers competing because everyone thinks there aren't any sites available.
Again, this is why people can't get spots that WANT them and why we see the complaints that there are unused spots as well. It's a self-made problem.
After speaking with him he mentioned that he and his "friends" reserve as many beach-front sites as they become available. He bragged that on any summer weekend he or his "friends" hold as many as 85% of all the prime spots. If they will not be using the sites, they offer them to extended family and "friends" in various RV, church, sports, and social groups that or their kids they associate with.
This is despicable, greedy and very unfair. I don't understand why so many think the rules don't apply to them. If everyone played the game FAIRLY then everyone would have the same shot at getting spots.
I feel that you are making an unfair assessment lumping all the above practices together. If I want to make a reservation for a given weekend but need to reserve it starting Wednesday to insure that I get a site, I'm paying for 4 nights instead of two. How is that unfair in any way? Everyone is on an equal footing. Now if I knew an employee that was able to hold a site for me, THAT would be unfair!
As for making a reservation, canceling it, and then making a new reservation, it is completely fair. It is entirely legal, the reservation service knows it is being done and has no complaints about it. The reservation service gets paid twice if it is canceled and remade.
As for a group holding 85% of the sites on a regular basis; If they are paying for the sites then who is really harmed? Isn't the point of the reservation service to sell sites? Even though legal, it does appear to be unethical.
ON EDIT: Ohio state parks require payment in full when the reservation is made. It would seem to work better than requiring only a deposit.
* This post was
edited 05/06/09 06:56am by beemerphile1 *
Tim (in NE Ohio)
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Vans wrote: Because of exactly this type of behavior mentioned above, change is coming. At least to the State Parks in Oregon. Was reading about it in the paper a couple weeks ago.
Pretty soon, we are all going to have to pay in full at the time of the reservation. It is a start to fix this problem at least.
I hope the Texas SP system does the same. My friend and I were talking about this a few weeks ago when we were at one of the Parks. We've each seen a huge increase in the lack of available sites, only to find that if we call on Thursday or Friday of the intended visit weekend, we can get spots due to cancellations. The Texas SP only charges first night fees upon reserving, and refunds all but $5.00 if cancelled before 48 hours of arrival. I know it seems odd that folks would spend $5 to hold sites, but with the economy and folks wanting to get the RV out, but not go to far, it seems like that's what's been happening.
I would love to see Texas SP go to pay in full on reserving.
Joe
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djevans wrote: Hmmm, in Tennessee if you're making a reservation on Reserve America, for a Tennessee site, we have to prepay at the time of reservation or no reservation. Other states don't? Now if that's the case, I can see that WOULD be a problem...
We always buddy up to the ranger in every campground we go to. Mainy to be friendly, but it never hurts when you want a spot in a specific campground to give the person a call and chat them up. They might help you out. As far as blocking out a bunch of primo sites and then keeping them in the secret society so to speak is TACKY. Getting a system worked out for YOUR OWN site is one thing, but to block out 80%, that is WRONG.
I simply didn't know that any state using Reserve America allowed reservations without payment in full. That procedure pretty much assures problems. The $5.00 someone mentioned? That is in insignificant number and I can see why someone would buy up "tie up" all sorts of sites. We do have a $10.00 "change fee" here, and that certainly wouldn't discourage most people from making a reservation change. I don't really think that particular fee was intended to do that anyway. I'd say that fee is really meant to cover administrative costs anyway. If it's meant as a penalty, it's a pretty small "penalty fee."
There's really no option to using Reserve America. (unless you might know someone which shouldn't happen, but in reality probably does) But the reservation systems in some of the best campgrounds in my opinion, (certainly in Tennessee) are run by Reserve America. So we just have to deal with them what ever it takes for now.
curveballer98 wrote: Reserve America is probably in Mexico or India just like half our other companies. I called Bank of America and I don't think i've gotten anyone in this country yet.
People priced themselves out of the market. You can't expect cheap and then have a company pay a call center person 15 dollars an hour. It doesn't work. So to keep the customer from screaming about higher rates they move the company to where people are willing to work for less. BTW, in Mexico the pay for bilingual call center agents is between 1000 and 1200 dollars a month. Pretty good for this economy.
If I want to make a reservation for a given weekend but need to reserve it starting Wednesday to insure that I get a site, I'm paying for 4 nights instead of two. How is that unfair in any way? Everyone is on an equal footing.
Except you are not using a site for those two nights that someone else might need/want.
As for a group holding 85% of the sites on a regular basis; If they are paying for the sites then who is really harmed?
Who's harmed? Everybody. Prevents you, me and anybody else who might want a site from getting it. The sites wind up going to the same people over and over and over again. Picture yourself in line to get an ice cream. Your favorite flavor is chocolate chip. Joe is waiting in front of you but when he hits the counter Shirley, Pete, Paula, Mary, Rebecca, Steve, John and Bobby dive in line with him. They eat up all the chocolate chip ice cream. You've got two choices: eat another flavor (go to another campground) or not eat ice cream at all (stay home). Maybe not the best example but I'm sure you understand my point.
As for making a reservation, canceling it, and then making a new reservation, it is completely fair. It is entirely legal, the reservation service knows it is being done and has no complaints about it. The reservation service gets paid twice if it is canceled and remade.
Again, even though you run the risk of losing the spot, you are preventing others from getting sites they may want. Although they've probably chosen somewhere else by that point they are being deprived of where they want to be for no reason other than greed.
You seem, well a bit testy about this subject, so at least let me throw this in there from at least our home.
We might from time to time pre-pay the extra couple of nights we are not staying. Maybe some aren't saying it, maybe some don't do the following either, but we do.
Some of us buy ahead, knowing we are going to change our reservation to free up the extra days later. Why would we pay for the 2 to 4 days at $30 something dollars day when all we have to do is call them and change our reservations for $10.00? That's what I was referring to earlier in this thread. I mean, $120.00 or $10.00 for reservation change. We pay the $10.00 and ALWAYS free up any un-used days. At least at our house, we give them back to the pool after we are able to get the days we need. I really suspect many do. (except those in MA that are buying them in mass for their families, to resell, or whatever they do with them) Here, again, we have to prepay in full.
One more note, at least from us: We are making that reservation nearly 6 months ahead. We keep those sites tied up for at most, 2 weeks. They then are back on the market for 5 and 1/2 months, plenty of time to sell them again. I don't know what others are doing, but I still view that as "fair." You could do the same too. At the moment my wife can make the reservation, she hits the enter button. Just the way she's always done it. 'kinda like a bidding auction on Ebay in the last 30 seconds in a way, except you don't have to worry about being outbid. On RA you just have to have your timing correct.
I hope that doesn't bother you, because thousands (likely many more) do this and they (RA) know it. They've thought it out pretty carefully in most states. Your's and apparently Texas must be an anomaly. I'm not wild about RA, but I know for a fact it can be much worse.
Crowe wrote: If I want to make a reservation for a given weekend but need to reserve it starting Wednesday to insure that I get a site, I'm paying for 4 nights instead of two. How is that unfair in any way? Everyone is on an equal footing.
Except you are not using a site for those two nights that someone else might need/want.
As for a group holding 85% of the sites on a regular basis; If they are paying for the sites then who is really harmed?
Who's harmed? Everybody...
As for making a reservation, canceling it, and then making a new reservation, it is completely fair. It is entirely legal, the reservation service knows it is being done and has no complaints about it. The reservation service gets paid twice if it is canceled and remade.
...you are preventing others from getting sites they may want. Although they've probably chosen somewhere else by that point they are being deprived of where they want to be for no reason other than greed.
I don't agree with you at all. If I pay for four nights in order to get the two nights I want, how in the world is that greed? Maybe you don't understand the whole purpose of the reservation system, it is to sell sites and make money for the state and the reservation service. The system is what the system is, I didn't design it and I didn't vote for it. Just because some of us have figured out how to work within the system, it upsets you. The OP asked for advice on how to work the system, that is what I responded to. If you don't like the system, change it rather than criticize people that understand it and work within it's guidelines.
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On RA you just have to have your timing correct.
