Be careful when you review Rayford Crossing

[JSPERRELLA]

We are posting this to warn fellow travelers what may happen if they give a review for specific issues to Rayford Crossing or other campgrounds.

We just got a surprising email from Rayford Crossing and spoke to Gwen, the owner. We have had our 3 year standing reservation for the winter canceled less than two months before our arrival. The reason being we wrote an honest review March 2015 and wrote candidly about the facility. We warned future users that you should stay near your rig on mowing days to protect it. We also put a warning that they use plug in scents that can set off problems for those with asthma or COPD.

Our MH received thousands of dollars of damage at the Park while we were gone for two days. We thought it happened between the time we had gotten home and when we came back from our Vet, but did not really know. We reported the instance the night we found the damage by calling the after-hours number for Rayford Crossing, but did not receive a response. At that time we thought the damage had occurred that night and left that message. Later after talking to neighbors, the insurance adjuster and the estimator from Milstead, the consensus was that it was their lawn mowing service that had caused the damage as none of our neighbors were aware of any equipment running around the night of the discovery. We contacted their lawn service; they would not let us see their equipment but sent a representative. He denied, denied, denied. The next week, when they came with different lawn mowing equipment, they ran into another MH a Newell with the owner in it and again denied, denied, denied. About the only comment we received from Gwen after the second collision was that they have never had a problem with their mowing service. Rayford had a video of when we arrived, showing our passenger side was not damaged.

We had looked forward to staying at Rayford even with the issues. But the Owners lack of customer service, a month and a half before our arrival, has denied us meeting with the friends we have made at Rayford Crossing over the years. Additionally we will miss going to the Chili cook-off at Halloween with our Tiffin friends that will be attending.

[JohnBoyToo]

Stunning as the time we stayed there the grass was 2 foot high (where there was grass )
I was very disappointed in that park... and said so on a few rv review sites...
it was tight, hard to find, lots of traffic, expensive, but other than that...

I not skeered, cuz I don't want to go back !

[HHg]

Originally Posted by JohnBoyToo

Stunning as the time we stayed there the grass was 2 foot high (where there was grass )
I was very disappointed in that park... and said so on a few rv review sites...
it was tight, hard to find, lots of traffic, expensive, but other than that...

I not skeered, cuz I don't want to go back !

Are you sure you're talking about the same RV park ? We've stayed at Rayford many, many times, over the last 7-8 years. We've never seen grass two feet tall....and I can't recall seeing many bare spots as they typically have very lush green grass everywhere. The camp sites are nice and large and they have great amenities. They are way back in the middle of a pine tree forest.....absolutely NO traffic noise at all. You are dead wrong in you're review. We just left there last week. It's one of the very few 10/10/10 parks in the state !!

Horace Green

[Pirate]

Where was the review written? campgroundreviews.com or on their own site or what?

[DebbieMH]

We've stayed there as well .. once. It doesn't live up to the hype if you ask me. It was ok, but I actually like Northlake RV resort better.

[JSPERRELLA]

Originally Posted by Pirate

Where was the review written? campgroundreviews.com or on their own site or what?

RvParkreviews March 2015.

[jbrv]

"We have had our 3 year standing reservation for the winter canceled less than two months before our arrival. The reason being we wrote an honest review March 2015 and wrote candidly about the facility."

This confuses me. Why would you want to keep a reservation at a place that was so bad it prompted you to write them a bad review? And from the owners perspective why would they want you there again and give a chance to write more bad reviews?

I suppose the owner could take the tact of having you stay again and trying to impress for a new good review but really if i was the owner I would not risk it.

Looking at the link you supplied it seems they are getting some pretty good reviews from others so why risk more bad ones.

[Fred1609]

Well...Its an honest review. What did the owners expect you would say? They wouldn't fix the problem created by their Gardner/lawn service. I guess its their right but I would have all my friends/family cancel their reservations AND ask them toexplain to the operators why they cancelled. Feel bullied a bit?

[JSPERRELLA]

Originally Posted by jbrv

"We have had our 3 year standing reservation for the winter canceled less than two months before our arrival. The reason being we wrote an honest review March 2015 and wrote candidly about the facility."

This confuses me. Why would you want to keep a reservation at a place that was so bad it prompted you to write them a bad review? And from the owners perspective why would they want you there again and give a chance to write more bad reviews?

I suppose the owner could take the tact of having you stay again and trying to impress for a new good review but really if i was the owner I would not risk it.

Looking at the link you supplied it seems they are getting some pretty good reviews from others so why risk more bad ones.

It is the most convenient and if you look at previous reviews we gave them good reviews. If your MH was damaged by a campground's maintenance and they denied it, would you give a good review? Our review was to make fellow rvers aware that the park is very nice but be careful on mowing day and that asthmatics needed to be careful.

[gacamp]

I would help if someone would put what state this or any other campground is in. I know we can look it up but should we have to? Mini-rant over.

Campground reviews remind me of tire reviews, one person, best thing since slice bread; next person would not let their worst enemy have that tire.

[wstrace3]

I hope you all cancel any reservations you may have.. It's tough to get a spot especially on holidays.. ha ha.. We love Rayford and their staff..

Ok... with that out of the way and on a more serious note.

I agree with the OP on being upset if my rig was damaged. I haven't had to deal with this but who is ultimately responsible ?? I would think it's the lawn service and they have insurance for instances like this. I would file a claim with my insurance and provide them with the name of the lawn service and let them come to a resolution. Correct me if i'm wrong but I don't think it's the campgrounds fault.. Or am I being naïve ????

[wstrace3]

Originally Posted by gacamp

I would help if someone would put what state this or any other campground is in. I know we can look it up but should we have to? Mini-rant over.

Campground reviews remind me of tire reviews, one person, best thing since slice bread; next person would not let their worst enemy have that tire.

Spring, TX (north of Houston)

[JohnBoyToo]

Originally Posted by HHg

Are you sure you're talking about the same RV park ? We've stayed at Rayford many, many times, over the last 7-8 years. We've never seen grass two feet tall....and I can't recall seeing many bare spots as they typically have very lush green grass everywhere. The camp sites are nice and large and they have great amenities. They are way back in the middle of a pine tree forest.....absolutely NO traffic noise at all. You are dead wrong in you're review. We just left there last week. It's one of the very few 10/10/10 parks in the state !!

Horace Green

Well Horace, that's your experience and we have ours and personally have no vested interest in the place, so not defending it nor am I dead wrong because it's an opinion!
(but will give you that maybe there was a little hyperbole in the 2' tall grass comment )

My rating of 1/1/1 and yours of 10/10/10 just goes to prove that it's all relative to what you are used to
and the old adage
One man's trash is another man's treasure

how many Rayford Crossings ARE there?

[HHg]

Originally Posted by JohnBoyToo

Well Horace, that's your experience and we have ours and personally have no vested interest in the place, so not defending it nor am I dead wrong because it's an opinion!
(but will give you that maybe there was a little hyperbole in the 2' tall grass comment )

My rating of 1/1/1 and yours of 10/10/10 just goes to prove that it's all relative to what you are used to
and the old adage
One man's trash is another man's treasure

how many Rayford Crossings ARE there?

John Boy....the 10/10/10 was not my rating, but the rating Rayford Village earned through Good Sam. They are consistently rated one of the highest parks on every RV Rating website out there. As far as what I'm accustomed too.....you do not have a clue. Read some of my previous posts. I much prefer exclusive Class A only resorts.....you won't catch me in COE parks or State or National Parks. I prefer that my down time be spent away from the trailer trash that stays in those parks in their travel trailers and 5th wheels being pulled by a mosquito killing Dodge diesel. I have no problem paying $200 a night for a nice private park. (Mod edit)