Someone said they would not buy anything that didn't have a fixed cost.
I guess you never bought a car, or truck, motorhome, or trailer? They have sugested prices, but are negotiable. In addition there are many levels of cars you can buy. In my Dodge Ram, you can get one for a little over 10k sripped down, or pay over 50K for CTD, and Laramie package with all the fixins!
Brian
I am glad this is working out for you. My point in stating I don't like things that don't have fixed costs is that there are literally hundreds, according to TT themselves, of combinations of different types of memberships over the years and they all have different little quirks about them. It is like comparing apples to oranges and good luck finding two apples. If I am buying a car, at least I can comparison shop. I can compare the options very easily. Hell, if I go to the TT website there is absolutely NO information as to what memberships they are currently offer. That makes it impossible to figure out what to buy.
Even if you click on the more information area they want to send you to a seminar so that they can pressure you into making a decision right there so you have no way to "shop around". This also excludes you from buying a resale for a certain time period when you go to a seminar.
Their whole business practice is shady. I don't like it when businesses hide their prices and make their product difficult to figure out what your getting. If I had to buy groceries this way I would certainly find another place to shop.
I am not against the product as there are certainly people it benefits, like you, but many people are not able to use the memberships they purchase and that is why there is a huge resale market.
Dave
Everett, WA
2000 Itasca Suncruiser 35U, F53 Triton V-10
Firestone air bags with Quad control air gauge
Pressure Pro
Banks Exhaust
I still stick my my auto purchase analogy. Look I will not defend the time share type of tactics. Notice I did not purchase that way. But what I did do, was research here and on other forums to find out what I was going to look for.
I decided I had 4 issues that where important to me:
1. Platinum so I could stay 21 days straight without moving.
2. I wanted to be able to go directly to another campground without being out of the system for 7 days.
3. There are some plans that allow unlimited nights for $549.00 per year and others that allow 50 nights, with a $2-$5 a night charge after that. Those would cost $1200 per year to use unlimited. I wanted the unlimited for the $549.00 per year.
4. I wanted the TT/Naco/Leisure Time National membership.
So see for me, it was exactly like buying a car. I found the options I wanted and negotiated a price I was willing to pay. In fact I found two other memberships for the same price for two of my friends who plan to travel with us when we retire. So see I actually found 3 apples per your analogy, But............ It did take some effort on my part.
I agree with you about the Time Share tactics. Not for me!!! I also agree that for many if not most people it is a bad deal. Frankly, that is the only way it can be a good deal for me. A lot of people need to pay $12k for my type membership, and a lot of people need to pay their membership fee and not use it very often to keep the company solvent. Kind of like meberships in Gyms. If everyone came at once, and used the gyms after they purchased the membership, we would wait in line for hours to use the equipment..
Hope this clarifies my thoughts....
God Bless,
Brian
livingaboard wrote:
huntram wrote:
Someone said they would not buy anything that didn't have a fixed cost.
I guess you never bought a car, or truck, motorhome, or trailer? They have sugested prices, but are negotiable. In addition there are many levels of cars you can buy. In my Dodge Ram, you can get one for a little over 10k sripped down, or pay over 50K for CTD, and Laramie package with all the fixins!
Brian
I am glad this is working out for you. My point in stating I don't like things that don't have fixed costs is that there are literally hundreds, according to TT themselves, of combinations of different types of memberships over the years and they all have different little quirks about them. It is like comparing apples to oranges and good luck finding two apples. If I am buying a car, at least I can comparison shop. I can compare the options very easily. Hell, if I go to the TT website there is absolutely NO information as to what memberships they are currently offer. That makes it impossible to figure out what to buy.
Even if you click on the more information area they want to send you to a seminar so that they can pressure you into making a decision right there so you have no way to "shop around". This also excludes you from buying a resale for a certain time period when you go to a seminar.
Their whole business practice is shady. I don't like it when businesses hide their prices and make their product difficult to figure out what your getting. If I had to buy groceries this way I would certainly find another place to shop.
I am not against the product as there are certainly people it benefits, like you, but many people are not able to use the memberships they purchase and that is why there is a huge resale market.
Brian
2004.5 Dodge Ram Quad Cab 4-door CTD, Quadzilla ZXT, S&B intake, Aero Turbine 4040L muffler with 5" SS exhaust tip, HP Laramie Package, 4X4 Graphite 2 tone, 4.10 Auto, Nasta Nerf bars, Arma Coating bedliner.
CKNSLS wrote: So if you are buying one with one transfer left - why would anybody buy a membership they couldn't get out of? I could only think that if your a retired couple and pass away, then of course there would be no recourse for Thousand Trails. I don't know legally if they could sue the estate for anything or not?
But it seems on this BB I have read of an instance where this has happened......
yes, there have been reports here where they billed the heirs/estate for the fees.
And the "facts" should be spelled out for TT and for all of the other outfits out there that are asked about here, such as Coast to Coast. and yes, somebody previously posted about the 100 mile limit or some such for a home park. Since somebody here posting did not know about it, that is exactly the type of thing that is NEEDED to be posted in one of these threads.
bumpy
Bumpy.. C2C has NO long term contract.. In fact, if you don't pay your annual dues, THEY WILL DROP YOU, PERIOD.. They will send you a reminder, but you do not have to continue your annual dues, if you so choose..
I think you are confusing C2C and a Home Park that someone belongs too.. Totally different contracts.. Each Home Park has their own separate contract they sign with a buyer..
Since there are several hundred different Home Parks, no one will really know what is in each one of them..
TT also has different contracts, and one need to understand them, just like ANY contract you sign..
That is why we say, to read/understand what is in them..
The 125 mile rule does NOT refer to TT, but does to C2C..
I think the only way TT would bill an heir/estate for annual dues, is they probably didn't know the person died.. NO heir/estate would pay such a bill.. A lawyer would have a field day with this one... OR a letter letting them know about your death would probably work too..
If you still owe money on your original contract, making payments, then it is possible they would want that fullfilled, just like making payments on a RV or car...
Would your payment to your RV, Home, Car stop if you died?? I think banks holding the contract would still want their money.. Your heirs would still need to fullfill the contract..
Phil, this is exactly why I think somebody should put together a fact sheet for TT, C2c,etc. and give the basic groundrules.
Or if somebody just puts together a good list I will copy it and paste it into any future threads. that will save a lot of folks having to go thru this drill every other week.
bumpy
* This post was
edited 09/25/08 11:20am by Bumpyroad *
Hi bumpy.. It is a good idea of a fact sheet, but there are just too many variables/options in Campground Memberships to cover them on this thread..
I think huntram said it best.. If one wants to look into purchasing a Membership, they need to first figure out if one would work for them and what options they are looking for..
There are several different types of Affiliate systems and several hundred different Parks in those systems.. example, TT-thousand trails, C2C-coast to coast, RPI-resort parks international, ROD-resort of distinction, AOR-adventure outdoor resorts, etc..
Most of those systems have more than one different plan, example C2C has a classic and deluxe plan.. Also included in those plans are good neighbor parks, ELS-Encore parks, best parks in america..
The deluxe plan waves the 125 mile rule, and allows longer stays in the deluxe parks.. There are other perks too..
The individual parks in each system have their own rules/regulations/contracts.. There are some that have sister parks where you buy into a park and can use the other parks just like your home park.. The annual dues covers them too...
Many of the parks belong to several different affiliate systems.. You can join one or several, or none at all, your choice...
Each park sets its own annual dues, has their own rules about how often you can visit the home park. Some allow 2 weeks in, 1 week out, some will allow you to buy your week out time and stay as long as you like..
Some parks have the 3 time limit you can sell a membership, some have no limit on how many times a membership can be sold..
You cannot sell a C2C, RPI, ROD membership.. Each time someone buys a home park membership that is affilitated with the above, the new member just joins the one that they prefer.. there is no long term contract with those affiliates..
This is just a small fraction of the facts one needs to know before buying a Campground Membership, and that's Why most of us say to really do your homework before joining one..
Attending a Sales Presentation is one way to start, but go into one with the ability to just say NO to any high pressure.. A few parks have high pressure, but not all of them do..
Picking a Home Park is very important to some, less to others.. You can get a new membership for less than a $100 with locked in dues under $100.. You can also spend thousands for a membership with high annual dues..
A lot of the more expensive home parks will have someone that is selling theirs for a lot less than they paid for it, so "RESALES" work for a lot of us..
Buying a resale can have some restrictions over buying a new membership, but most don't... The transfer fees can be high, some are very reasonable..
Like I've said many times, Campground Membership are not for everyone, but for us, they have worked out very well..
This post is far from perfect, I am no expert on memberships, but just maybe, a start to understanding what Campground Memberships are about..
At the present time, we are just members of our Home Park, have dropped our affiliate membership, but can pick one up again when/if we decide to..
When we were fulltimers, they helped us keep our park fees very reasonable, and used them about 1/2 the time in out travels.. We still enjoy going to our home park and have no plans to sell it anytime soon...
phil crouch wrote: Hi bumpy.. It is a good idea of a fact sheet, but there are just too many variables/options in Campground Memberships to cover them on this thread..
I think huntram said it best.. If one wants to look into purchasing a Membership, they need to first figure out if one would work for them and what options they are looking for..
There are several different types of Affiliate systems and several hundred different Parks in those systems.. example, TT-thousand trails, C2C-coast to coast, RPI-resort parks international, ROD-resort of distinction, AOR-adventure outdoor resorts, etc..
Most of those systems have more than one different plan, example C2C has a classic and deluxe plan.. Also included in those plans are good neighbor parks, ELS-Encore parks, best parks in america..
The deluxe plan waves the 125 mile rule, and allows longer stays in the deluxe parks.. There are other perks too..
The individual parks in each system have their own rules/regulations/contracts.. There are some that have sister parks where you buy into a park and can use the other parks just like your home park.. The annual dues covers them too...
Many of the parks belong to several different affiliate systems.. You can join one or several, or none at all, your choice...
Each park sets its own annual dues, has their own rules about how often you can visit the home park. Some allow 2 weeks in, 1 week out, some will allow you to buy your week out time and stay as long as you like..
Some parks have the 3 time limit you can sell a membership, some have no limit on how many times a membership can be sold..
You cannot sell a C2C, RPI, ROD membership.. Each time someone buys a home park membership that is affilitated with the above, the new member just joins the one that they prefer.. there is no long term contract with those affiliates..
This is just a small fraction of the facts one needs to know before buying a Campground Membership, and that's Why most of us say to really do your homework before joining one..
Attending a Sales Presentation is one way to start, but go into one with the ability to just say NO to any high pressure.. A few parks have high pressure, but not all of them do..
Picking a Home Park is very important to some, less to others.. You can get a new membership for less than a $100 with locked in dues under $100.. You can also spend thousands for a membership with high annual dues..
A lot of the more expensive home parks will have someone that is selling theirs for a lot less than they paid for it, so "RESALES" work for a lot of us..
Buying a resale can have some restrictions over buying a new membership, but most don't... The transfer fees can be high, some are very reasonable..
Like I've said many times, Campground Membership are not for everyone, but for us, they have worked out very well..
This post is far from perfect, I am no expert on memberships, but just maybe, a start to understanding what Campground Memberships are about..
At the present time, we are just members of our Home Park, have dropped our affiliate membership, but can pick one up again when/if we decide to..
When we were fulltimers, they helped us keep our park fees very reasonable, and used them about 1/2 the time in out travels.. We still enjoy going to our home park and have no plans to sell it anytime soon...
thanks,
I'm going to cut and paste your post as a good place to start when these issues get raised in the future.
bumpy
Campnfuls wrote: If you were a fulltimer then even $12,000.00 would be a bargain. Camping year round, \you would make that up in just 3-years. Without a membership of some kind, you can figure on paying conservatively $350.00 to $400.00 a month to stay at private campgrounds and without the gated security that TT offers. I camp out at TT 12 months out of the year and pay $459.00 per year to do it. And yes I broke even in less than 3 years compared to what I was paying to travel cross country without the membership. So, TT membership does work for some of us.
My cousin just renewed his TT membership and was given 3 free memberships he offered one to me BUT I would have to pay the $500 dues. Since I don't go full timing like my cousin and others I passed.
but My cousin enjoyes his very much.
Hi everybody,
I've posted a couple of times......learning more and more from all of you.
Taking advice I'm pursuing the resale route. I found a broker with a TT platinum nationwide, NACO and LT contract. It was priced at around $3500 + transfer
I have the membership number and I called TT. I didn't find the rep really all that helpful IE: only answering the specific questions I asked and did not elaborate at all. Would you please suggest appropriate questions to ask TT ?
I did find that the contract has a 3 yr minimum requirement for payment of dues, that have a cost of living increase provision. The age 62 freeze in dues is only for the original buyer and is then dropped. The contract can be sold or transferred in less than 3 yrs.
Also being from New England, I found that there are very few parks on the east coast. I also noted that some states only had one park so the park to park value might be difficult to take advantage of. Untill gas prices go down a bit, I don't see us going all the way to the west coast where there are more parks.
Apparently there is Outdoor World which is a separate membership of maybe $2000 and has 15 east coast parks but the dues are $500/yr which is very similiar to TT with 59 parks.
So for us to get the parks that we'd have a chance to use boiled down to 24 or less from TT and 15 or less for Outdoor World. ~$4300 (including transfer) for TT and another $2500 (including transfer) for OW.
Because our new pensions are what they are, our plan is to pay the up front fees once and then count on free camping. But the extra $500 in dues for less that 15 parks makes it tough.
The TT contract included the ability to add RPI for ~$70. I'm not that familiar with RPI except I think the camping fees are $10/night and there are limits to usage.
I hope this gives enough information so someone will be able to give me a few suggestions.
Thank in advance,
Tim fm CT
Tim, As a former East Coast TT member, I can help you. We sold our TT membership after 3 years (at a loss)because there were not enough TT parks open year round in our area (southern NJ). We purchased an Outdoor World used membership for about $1,000 on ebay a few years ago. We love O.W. and have been to all of the parks in Pa, NJ, Va and Mass. Outdoor World would work much better for you, their Cape Cod and Sturbridge, Mass parks are beautiful as well as Moody Beach, Maine. The resale broker I used on ebay was "kamp19" Private message me with any other questions...
ernestfortier wrote: Sure surprised me. Last I heard the price was about $7500.00. Guess they are going up like gasoline. I got the invite also but I didn't feel like listening to the 90 minute presentation again.
People can do like we did, buy a resale membership on eBay for less than $1500 including the transfer fee. We paid $1200, and it cost us $450 a year for dues. Dues will vary depending on when the original owner bought the membership.
Bob & Nadine 1984 Allegro 23 feet, always at home!
Living Life With a "Golden Age Passport"
and Thousand Trails VIP Membership, Priceless!.
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