Community Forums

MaxKare · 06-05-2001, 05:33 AM

I am considering the purchase of a campground membership (resale) using Campground Membership Outlet. Has anyone had experiences or purchased a campgroung membership using them ? One of my main questions is: will I be treated differently by the campground if I purchase a resell vs. buying directly from the campground ?

MaxKare · 06-05-2001, 05:33 AM

I am considering the purchase of a campground membership (resale) using Campground Membership Outlet. Has anyone had experiences or purchased a campgroung membership using them ? One of my main questions is: will I be treated differently by the campground if I purchase a resell vs. buying directly from the campground ?

Firefighter Mickey · 06-05-2001, 11:31 AM

Well, I'll share what little I've learned in my research and recent purchase (we just purchased thru Camp Resorts and I got the flyers from Camground Membership Outlet who seems to offer similar deals).

Basically, you are buying a membership that is pretty much like a membership in a health club. These memberships are usually transferable (hence the resale market), but may have limits. I see no indication that you would be treated any different than the original member, but you would need to check the specific membership you are looking at purchasing.

The membership we purchased was a "charter" membership (I presume this means we're the first owners), and limits the membership to a total of 3 transfers. The main reason we went with Camp Resorts over any other were the things included in the price. With our purchase we got the first year membership to RPI, Passport America and as part of the agreement, a warrenty that if our home resort ever discontinues its affiliation with RPI that our membership will be replaced at another resort that is affiliated with RPI. Hard to say if we'll ever have to exercise this agreement, or if we do whether the company will be in business, but they've been in business for some time now and appeared to have a clean bill of health from the BBB. Campground Membership Outlet may offer similar deals, but I didn't check them out as much.

Unless you are actually planning on staying frequently at a specific resort, there's usually no need to purchase a membership right from the resort - I think the industry average for a new membership right from the resort is something like $4,000. For lots of people (most?) the reason to purchase the membership is to gain access to Resort Parks International or Coast to Coast, so that you can stay at any of the affilliated resorts around the country. If this is your reasoning as well, pick a resort which is not in the area that you will usually visit, since, for example, with RPI you cannot stay at another RPI resort within 125 miles of your home resort.

In fact, one of the reasons that these memberships via Camp Resorts is inexpensive and dues are low is because the home resort figures that you will be unlikely to ever stay at the resort.

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kerfcutter · 06-05-2001, 02:48 PM

I have seen these outlets in advertisements and have wondered about how they work. Is this used membership that you buy an actual membership at the park. That is, the park has the contract in the end. The outlet is just a medium to sell your membership?

I currently own a membership in a resort park. We have the right to sell our membership at anytime. Once sold, the campground will charge you 5% of sale as a transfer of membership fee. Once this is done, you are issued a membership card like everyone else has. Other than the office knowing this, the rest of the hired help or members would never know that you bought a used membership unless you told them. We present our card upon entering the park and they simply take down your member number and you procede on. There would be no mistreatment of a member under these conditions. Do you have a special colored card to indicate you have bought through this agency? Does the agency issue you a different type of card? I don't know these answers, but I would suspect they don't. So I really don't think there is a worry in that regard.

I always thought these agency's were just a way of an individual being able to appeal to a broader market other than his hometown newspaper.

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MaxKare · 06-05-2001, 02:55 PM

Thanks for your input. My situation may be a little different in that I want to buy into a membership park about an hour away from my home. The park I would like to buy a membership is a very nice large resort that has RV hookups, cabins, three lakes, horseback riding, etc in the North Ga. mountains. They also offer RV storage, and I can call a couple days ahead of a vist and they will set up my RV. Because of work schedules, etc. I will not be able to travel with the RV often, so this would be for weekend getaways. Thats why I am looking for a park close to my Atlanta home.

oceancamper · 06-10-2001, 04:03 PM

Can anyone post a web site or phone number for these resale companies. Looking for an Outdoor World membership.

BarneyS · 06-10-2001, 04:21 PM

Campground Membership Outlet: 1-800-272-0401.
We purchased a membership through them and have been very pleased with the result. They took care of everything in a timely manner and the cost was very reasonable. There are others also, listed in the back of Trailer Life Magazine.
Barney

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Campsalot · 04-20-2005, 01:05 PM

Our experience is that paying a membership fee is a waste of money. Now if you are going to use the member six to eight months out of the year. Then you might get your monies worth, however there is a caveat. As far as I know they all have a "time-in" and "time-out" rule.
Ours, for example, if we stay in a membership campground for three or more nights, then we must stay out of member ship parks for seven days. They also have a limit of days you can stay at one park, and you have to get out. So if you do the math there is really no way you're going to get the bang for the buck.
Yes most have very nice parks and yes most are located in good locations. But as in our case I was really stupid for signing up.
The five year fee, $5000.00, plus $390.00 annual dues for the Parent Park System and another $79.00 per year for the association organization adds up to a lot of camp fees. If that is not enough we have to pay $1.00 per night for electric at the Parent Parks and $6.00 a night for the associated parks. That is some REALLY Expensive camping.

Beabop · 04-27-2005, 05:46 PM

Campground Memberships in Clermont FL is an honest operation. They will not sell a membership that does not have a walk away clause. You must be careful of memberships that are lifetime and must be sold to get out from under paying dues. We bought our used TT. Naco membership in 1998. Many times people who are giving up traveling will give a membership away. We were just given one in a park near Orlando and our friends just gave an Alliance Thousand Trails/Naco one away.