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Old 11-29-2012, 02:35 PM   #1
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Cancellation Policies of RV Parks

Is it common for RV Parks to charge the whole week to your credit card and then keep ALL your money if you cancel a reservation? We had to cancel 7 days ahead of going to an RV Park in San Antonio and thought that maybe they would charge something for canceling and refund most of the money. They won't do it ... nothing is stated about the policy of 21 days notice on the conformation they sent ... the policy was a little difficult to find but I did find it on the website.

The question is: Is this common with RV parks throughout the country? This is not something I have encountered with any Hotels/Motels I have ever stayed in.

Thanks for any and all replies.

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Old 11-29-2012, 02:42 PM   #2
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Hi, I'm interested in what other forum members will say about this situation. I personally haven't ever canceled a reservation at a camp ground. Actually, we very seldom make reservations, we just arrive and pay. Sometimes we will call ahead for camping in the same day and we do have to make reservations for forum Rallies.
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Old 11-29-2012, 02:44 PM   #3
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That is total crap!

What does the policy state?

FWIW I understand confirmation emails containing a cancellation policy after they charge your card as being non binding as being bailment after the fact. I would immediately report this to your card issuer and demand a refund. Just because you cancelled, does not entitle them to all your money.

If I recall correctly, I have never been charged anything unless I cancelled the day of; even then it was trivial.

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Old 11-29-2012, 02:48 PM   #4
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We usually only stay 2-3 nights in any one place and have certainly encountered the situation where they charge us the base rate for the entire time we reserved.

I don't like it but there isn't much to be done about it.
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Old 11-29-2012, 02:50 PM   #5
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If I remember correctly, I was charged for the first night of the reservation and refunded the rest.
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Old 11-29-2012, 04:06 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DFlores View Post
If I remember correctly, I was charged for the first night of the reservation and refunded the rest.
x2

If the cancellation policy wasn't clearly stated on the confirmation letter/email (I can't remember one that wasn't), I'd take it up with your credit card company. That's way out of line.
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Old 11-29-2012, 04:18 PM   #7
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Which RV Park? I'm heading through TX and plan to stop in San Antonio and would rather avoid that kind of hospitality.
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Old 11-29-2012, 04:43 PM   #8
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So far, every place I've made reservations has been at a state park or Corps of Engineers campground. Those all make their cancellation policies very plain, and seem entirely fair.

If making a reservation online, I think I'd find out their cancellation policy before even making the reservation.

Though I sympathize with your plight, I also thank you for the reminder to check on cancellation policies.
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Old 11-29-2012, 04:55 PM   #9
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Old 11-29-2012, 05:13 PM   #10
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The parks in Canada fall into one of two levels: Provincial and Federal. Before we acquired Henri, we spent weeks in Ontario parks every summer, wearing out tents. We only camped a very few times in Federal parks, so I'll stick to the Provincial fees.

They didn't have a policy before 1985; you could get a full refund the day of your arrival. But of course, people took advantage of this, so they tightened way out.

Now,it's a sliding scale of penalties from 10% to 50% as you can see in the chart below.

I think they had no choice to go with this kind of schedule. YMMV.
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Old 11-29-2012, 05:36 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DFlores View Post
If I remember correctly, I was charged for the first night of the reservation and refunded the rest.
There have only been about three times we have had to cancel and, based on my experience, and reading the cancellation policies of many campgrounds, I've found that being charged for the first night to be the norm.

The biggest disappointment, to date, wasn't a campground, but was the New Orleans Mardi Gras Rally. We couldn't make it because were snowed in by a huge blizzard, and couldn't get out of the driveway, or on any public road for a week, so we had no choice but to cancel. Only a small percentage of the fee was refunded. I totally understand that it was our fault because of the short notice, but I'll not let that happen again. When we asked about the policy, the best I could tell was that it was at the discretion of the event organizer. As a result of this, reading the refund policy (should there be one), before committing the cash, is essential.
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Old 11-29-2012, 05:48 PM   #12
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For Mississippi State Park if you cancel they charge 50% and give credit for the remainder, but no refund unless they close for a storm then a refund or 100% credit is given. I had that happen twice this summer.
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Old 11-29-2012, 06:47 PM   #13
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I would dispute it through the credit card company. Send them a copy of your confirmation. If there is no mention of a penalty for cancellation, you'll probably get all of your money back. Returns, refunds, complaints all are strikes against the RV park in the eyes of the credit card processor, and it can affect the rates that they pay. You could tell them that you are going to dispute the charge and they may cave - if they don't, dispute it. I've done that a number of times with success every time - that's the best reason to use a cc. Just state all of the facts and send supporting documentation.
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Old 11-29-2012, 06:51 PM   #14
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This is NOT common, in our experience.

I would dispute this with your credit card company, using your confirmation email which should have contained cancellation information.


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Old 11-29-2012, 06:52 PM   #15
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If I remember right the few times I have made reservations and you cancel you lost one night and the rest refunded or you only deposited one night for a week reservation . It was spelled out in the confirmation letter.

Never canceled so don't know if it would be a hassle to get a refund but I would open a dispute with the credit card company if there was a problem.
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Old 11-29-2012, 07:31 PM   #16
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That feels like a very harsh cancellation policy. The RV parks and state parks we have staye din have had very liberal cancellation policies. At AZ State Parks for instance, if you cancel as late as 24 hours prior to arriving the only thing you loose is the $5 reservation fee. If you are a no-show, they keep the reservation fee (which, by the way, is clearly stated up front to be non-refundable) plus the first night ... and refund the rest...and open the site to new reservations. I would think private parks are a little more aggressive about it, but not as unreasonable as your situation. I was just speaking with one private RV park in AZ and they require 7 days notice for a refund. I can live with that.
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Old 11-29-2012, 09:49 PM   #17
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Glitch in computer went unnoticed on my part, so accustomed to things going right didn't check my confirmation dates close enough. When we arrived no reservations, clerk checked and found I didn't show up the month before. Gave me a site but had to pay for it with a different cc, no refunds possible on no show, for the entire amount. Contested with cc and 3 months later got a full refund. I was using reserve america and the date I entered on first searches ended up on my reservation. If you use Ohio State parks or reserve america make sure your reservation date is exact.

I read their cancellation policy after charges appeared and no shows get charged for first day, rest of reservation is cancelled and a refund for the remained is supposed to be given.
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Old 11-29-2012, 10:20 PM   #18
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We have traveled over 80,000 miles in the past 5 years and have never encountered a policy like this. I would file a protest with the credit card company. I would also go to rvreviews.com and post a note about your experience on the particular RV park's page.
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Old 11-29-2012, 10:32 PM   #19
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Cancellation Policies

At our RV Park (in San Antonio) we charge a one night fee for cancellation within one month. If the cancellation is more than a month in advance we only charge a $10 processing fee. We prefer to charge the cancellation fee WHEN our guest cancels rather than charging the entire amount in advance, then refunding any difference. However some reservation software programs make this impossible. Our policy is clearly stated on the reservation phone call, online AND on our confirmation email.
As the others have stated: I suggest you document the confirmation letter without a clear policy and present it to your credit card company for refund.
Good luck to you
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Old 11-30-2012, 05:04 AM   #20
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Originally Posted by SilverRanger View Post
The biggest disappointment, to date, wasn't a campground, but was the New Orleans Mardi Gras Rally. We couldn't make it because were snowed in by a huge blizzard, and couldn't get out of the driveway, or on any public road for a week, so we had no choice but to cancel. Only a small percentage of the fee was refunded. I totally understand that it was our fault because of the short notice, but I'll not let that happen again. When we asked about the policy, the best I could tell was that it was at the discretion of the event organizer. As a result of this, reading the refund policy (should there be one), before committing the cash, is essential.
The WBCCI rally, or the Good Sam rally? I'm a member of the WBCCI Unit that hosts the rally (I joined last year, just before Mardi Gras), so if it was the WBCCI rally, I'll bring the issue up in our next meeting.

Can't guarantee it will be better for 2013 and beyond; the funds paid by attendees tend to already be committed in advance to bus transportation to the various parades, rental of the reviewing stands at the parades, rental of the rally space at the UNO Lakefront Arena, and so forth. It's hard to get money back from all of those people if reservations were made for 50 trailers and only 49 show up. It's a different situation than an individual camper reserving a single campsite at an RV park.

But at least I'll be able to see if the event organizers can be more forthcoming about the cancellation policy.
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