Community Forums

greggholmes · 05-28-2018, 11:49 AM

My wife and I recently had an unpleasant experience at our local KOA Campground. This is the letter that I sent to KOA corporate 3 days ago and have not received a response.

"I would like to let you know of our horrible experience at Burlington/Anacortes KOA.Unfortunately we arrived late on friday night, Which we called ahead and explained we were running late. Everything was fine until i got to the bridge that crosses the stream which was only about 12-13 feet wide. I was driving a ford F350 duelly towing a 32 foot travel trailer, which was in my reservation. So i stopped and walked the bridge before going over as there was very little room to spare on either side, I wanted to know what was on the other side. I head back to the truck and here comes a park employee flying down the road in his little golf cart all miffed that i walked the bridge. once across with little room to spare i accidentally parked on the wrong side of the sign, park personnel miffed again. So as i try to move over to the next spot employee tries to direct me as if i have no clue on how to back such a small trailer. I tow 200 foot trailers for a living. I get into the spot and set up and everything is ok.
I am leaving the trailer there with my wife and going to a primitive camping spot with my club a few miles down the road.
So i head out in the truck for my clubs camp, Mind you I took the Big Ford F350 with me. Saturday i get a text from my wife that she arraigned to pay for LATE CHECK OUT. So check out time was 3:00 pm, cool i don't have to rush breaking camp to get back to the trailer. Come Sunday morning everything is different. apperently another camper was wandering around the park using the water faucet at the spot next to my wife. my wife was afraid to be out of the trailer while she was there alone. The park manager comes swooping in and accuses her that I stayed there at the trailer park without paying.(my truck was gone all weekend) and that I was the one wandering around. Therefore we were causing problems in the park. (MY TRUCK WAS GONE ALL WEEKEND!!). Now they wouldn't let us do the late check out because the spot was already rented out and they were all booked up. they wouldn't even allow her to pay for an extra day because, Ge this "next weekend is a Canadian holiday and they were booked up"???????. Do to the lousy Cell reception my wife had a hard time contacting me. I was in a partial cellular dead zone so i had a hard time receiving messages .About noon I finally get enough reception to recieve the numerous texts on how I need to get back there before they tow my trailer out of the park at my expense and they are going to call the police to have my wife removed by force if we dont get out.
These are the texts from the Koa Recieved Sunday at 10:46

"Hi this is a text message from Burlington KOA. There has been a request for late check out however, your site is not available for late check out. Please remove your trailer by noon. If you have any further question please call 3607245511. Thank you.

If you do not respond by noon we will call the police."

They really showed their hospitality to their guests. their true colors really showed.

Attached are pictures of the over crowded park that couldn't accommodate 1 late checkout"
I don't know why the pictures are upside down

2inclassof56 · 05-28-2018, 12:00 PM

We stopped using KOA Parks years ago, many with bad attitude, shoddy maintenance and ALWAYS way over priced!!!!

hohenwald48 · 05-28-2018, 12:06 PM

I would think that if your wife arranged for and paid for late check out (you said 3:00pm) then the park would have no grounds to force you out. I assume you got a receipt for payment of the $10/hour late checkout fee. If that's the case I probably would have stayed put until at least 2:59 just to be ornery.

I don't know when you took your pictures but most campgrounds are pretty empty for a few hours between check out time and check in time.

Sorry you had a bad experience but sometimes those things just happen.

Chadrock · 05-28-2018, 12:21 PM

Agree with the Fitgeralds that KOAs are pricey but we still stay there as you usually know what you're getting.

Our favorite is the Mackinaw City KOA in Northern Michigan. The previous owners were great people and we went there often enough to get to know them. They end up selling the park and the new owners are just as awesome. They are updating some of the park. NEVER have had a poor experience there.

Just sorry the Holmes had a bad one.

Old-Biscuit · 05-28-2018, 01:17 PM

U.S. Interstate Highway System uses a 12-foot standard for lane width so the bridge wasn't too narrow

Parked on wrong side of sign......utility hook ups are good indictor of which side should be used

I do not use KOA's but sounds like YOU were a bit stressed upon arrival and had a negative interaction with staff person who probably had a preconceived idea about you after having seen your 'bridge inspection'

Preconceived perceptions are two way street.

It would be interesting to hear the KOA staff interpretation of the 'situation'

Wundertaker · 05-28-2018, 01:48 PM

I look at KOA's as being more like DOA!

Years, and I mean years ago, KOA was a pretty top notch park...one of the best...not so anymore. Wouldn't stay there now on a bet..

The buildings/grounds haven't been updated or in most cases painted since 1968. They are run down, dirty, in need of maintenance and repair, etc.

How do I know this? 2 or 3 times a year I will drive through a different KOA to just see if anything's changed... Umm...Nope...no changes...

Of course, your decision as to where to stay.

sdennislee · 05-28-2018, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old-Biscuit

U.S. Interstate Highway System uses a 12-foot standard for lane width so the bridge wasn't too narrow

I didn't understand a 12' wide bridge being narrow either, should have left something close to 18" per side for clearance.

sdennislee · 05-28-2018, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wundertaker

I look at KOA's as being more like DOA!

Years, and I mean years ago, KOA was a pretty top notch park...one of the best...not so anymore. Wouldn't stay there now on a bet..

The buildings/grounds haven't been updated or in most cases painted since 1968. They are run down, dirty, in need of maintenance and repair, etc.

How do I know this? 2 or 3 times a year I will drive through a different KOA to just see if anything's changed... Umm...Nope...no changes...

Of course, your decision as to where to stay.

I'm not a KOA fan boy by any means but I do find nice ones in my travels, spent a month at the one in Savannah (Richmond Hill, GA). Everything there was well maintained. There is also one up near Toledo, Ohio that was quite nice, had homemade ice cream in the store.

I Wouldn't paint KOA with such a broad brush, I'm sure like any chain there are good and bad stores. I stay at a lot of Holiday Inns for business travel and there are some I will never go back to and others I look forward to seeing again.

twogypsies · 05-28-2018, 02:23 PM

The issue is not that the bridge was wide enough; the issue was that the park employee was miffed that you walked across the bridge. Big deal.

I'm not sure what you meant about parking on the wrong side of the sign. Sometimes park utilities are laid out strangely if two RVs will be close together or coming in from opposite directions; but again, why couldn't the employee just calmly explain. You did move afterall.

Then the park accuses you of staying free in another RV? Why would they do that?

Finally, your wife 'arranged' for a late check-out and then the park decided 'no, we changed our mind' well then...... that's kind of nasty.

Good luck dealing with them! This is why we love boondocking.

Teamfoxy · 05-28-2018, 02:31 PM

I agree with "Old Biscuit" that the bridge was not too narrow at 12-13 feet. Unless you are running around with an escort and wide load signs, your rig can't be more than 8'6" wide.
We stay at KOA's quite often for over night stops. While some are better than others, I have never stayed at one that wasn't clean and the staff was anything but helpful and courteous. It takes two to tango! It sounds to me like both you and the employee were having a bad day.
Prices vary with location. I find that KOA's are competitive with other campgrounds in the area in which we are staying. We have paid under $30 in some spots and over $100 in resort areas. I have no complaints about KOA

beaverfever · 05-28-2018, 02:33 PM

sorry for your troubles but i would really like to know about the 200 feet trailers you pull.

RRR · 05-28-2018, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beaverfever

sorry for your troubles but i would really like to know about the 200 feet trailers you pull.

Likely a blade trailer for hauling wind turban blades. IIRC they stretch to about that length.

fpresto · 05-28-2018, 03:05 PM

Some of what you are saying just doesn't make sense. You pull 200 ft. trailers ??? yet are concerned about a 12 ft. wide bridge? Your wife was afraid to come out of the trailer? Did you just leave her inside all weekend? If she was afraid to leave the trailer how did she arrange for a late check out? I think that you should rewrite this so it makes sense?

SarahW · 05-28-2018, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fpresto

Some of what you are saying just doesn't make sense. You pull 200 ft. trailers ??? yet are concerned about a 12 ft. wide bridge? Your wife was afraid to come out of the trailer? Did you just leave her inside all weekend? If she was afraid to leave the trailer how did she arrange for a late check out? I think that you should rewrite this so it makes sense?

I had no trouble understanding his post. His wife was afraid to exit the trailer on Sunday while some stranger was wandering around the campsites. She had arranged for late checkout on Saturday.

I don't see a problem with "walking the bridge" since he said he arrived late. If it was dark I'd want to check out the clearance, too. Better safe than sorry.

OP--sorry you had a bad experience.