Extra campground charges

[Tom N]

IMHO, nothing could be more fair than ALA CART campground fees. Who could ever object to that.

-Tom

[Ecker]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by GaryKD:
Hi Nell,
The extra charges for kids, of any age, is horrible. There is only one reason for it,,,,,greed . The charge is blatent and smacks the customer in the face. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I disagree and I have paid extra for grandkids for last two years. They use many of the variable services like heated water for showers, toilet supplies, etc.

[GaryKD]

ecker,
In your statement there is an assumption that extra people use CG facilities that should be amoritized into the nightly rate. As previously posted, CGs have fee based services and those that use them will pay an extra fee. However, those services where an extra fee is not charged need to be included in the nightly rate. These no fee services should have been correctly amoritized and average ongoing costs put into the nightly rate (electric, water, sewer, wear and tear, etc.). I can almost guarentee this has already been done. This is called an allocation. In your example, if a CG wanted to charge an extra fee for shower use, that is okay. Everyone who uses the showers has paid the extra fee. If showers are not a fee based service then the cost should be in the nightly rate on an average use basis. The same goes for the swimming pool, WIFI, sauna, and any other service the CG does not charge extra for.

None of our traveling party use the CG showers or toilet facilities. This is not a reason for me to say the extra per person charge is bad. The same is true for extra people who do use these services. They can not claim that makes the extra charge valid.

Before an investment is made, every business must make the determination of the payback, on going fixed costs and how the costs will be paid. At this time, a CG that makes arbitrary charges for extra people has lost sight of the fundamental business case they needed to justify the expense in the first place. Or they determined the big box guys can do it so it is the lazy (and unfair) way to generate additional revenue.

For me, it would be great if a CG charged and extra fee for everything. They could lower their nightly rate and add charges based on what the person want to use. My CG fees would go down. I accept the inclusion of CG services into the nightly rate, even if I do not use the service. I object to inclusion of the averaged costs if CG services and then also being charged an extra person fee. That is what is happenning today.

[rebelsbeach]

Jumping into this discussion in the middle is dangerous, but I'll try just the same...

Campgrounds should indeed charge different rates for different size families...
A large percentage of the time I travel alone and as such only use enough water and sewer for one. I NEVER use the bath houses, even when traveling with my children, as we prefer the comfort and guaranteed cleaniless my own rig provides us.

Using my own scenario, I should be able to pull up to the gate and be charged TWO DIFFERENT rates....A lesser rate when I am alone and using water and sewer for ONE person and then of course a higher rate for when I am using water and sewer for three persons...

Yes, as a land developer for some twenty-six years I do understand you do indeed have to crunch the numbers to make the scenario work,but you also need to be cognizant of pricing yourself out of the market as well.

[veercan]

I am from Saskatchewan Canada
Here some parks heve the rule that there are no more than 5 people allowed on a site.
Now some make you rent two sites...while others make you pay twice.
We have friends that have 5 kids.The campsite rents for about 30 a night with all the services. Last time they went they had to pay $60 a night.
now to me this is discrimination against large families.
Sometimes the larger familys can be th best behaved!!
There is also a rule here that nobody under 21 can rent a site.
My son and his wife(he just turned 23) could not rent a site for the first year of thier marriage.
Now if it is a family(never mind the size) they should only be charged the same price as others, if you ask me.
We have 6 kids between us and could never afford to camp much. I feel real bad for the larger families today!!

[hamguy]

My wife and I have camped for 772 nights over the last 3 1/2 years. Not once have we used the showers or bathroom facilities of any place we have stayed.

We are alone; no kids, no pets and therefore no added hassle. We have the lights off and are quiet by 10PM and don't normally leave at about 9AM. No horn honking and/or drunken parties at any time.

I pay what the parks asks and don't complain. If the rate is too high, I just say 'thank you' and leave.

I pay the same as the boozed up idiot with his obese, loud, obnoxious wife and 2 screaming kids (at 11PM) that parked next to me the other night.

Should I have gotten a break or should he have paid more? I don't know. That is the business of the park owner. I just wish the owner would have mentioned common courtesy when they checked in.

[UPS 34]

Hide them in the Trunk of your car. Just like we did years ago to get into the Drive IN.

[bill carle]

Well it sounds like the same old story. The decent folks, with or without children, animals, etc have to put up with all the extra fees, regulations etc because there are so many illiterate morons who don't care about anyone else but themselves, let their sorry offspring and or animals run around without supervision and or discipline. And it continuous to get worse because rarely does anyone say anything to these sorry characters. It starts in the home folks. We have substituded excuses for respect. Heaven help my kids or six grands if they ever embarrassed me anywhere. My size 12 would be planted where they sit. And for those who would cry brutality I say to you there is a big difference between taking responsiblity for being a parent and abuse.

[veercan]

Sad but it seams that some people just don't have manners, or so it would seam.
When my kids came with us i was so busy keeping them quiet, it almost consumed my trip.
I guess I figured that keeping things quiet and nice for other campers was my responcibility.
Is it just me or do more parents let their kids run wild and be rude...than in my generation??

[veercan]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Well it sounds like the same old story. The decent folks, with or without children, animals, etc have to put up with all the extra fees, regulations etc because there are so many illiterate morons who don't care about anyone else but themselves, let their sorry offspring and or animals run around without supervision and or discipline. And it continuous to get worse because rarely does anyone say anything to these sorry characters. It starts in the home folks. We have substituded excuses for respect. Heaven help my kids or six grands if they ever embarrassed me anywhere. My size 12 would be planted where they sit. And for those who would cry brutality I say to you there is a big difference between taking responsiblity for being a parent and abuse. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Well said!!

[veercan]

Now for the fee's
- I will pay for a coin operated shower...just have change at the office.(we have our own shower(propane heated).
- we use our own toilet or take our own toilet paper when we go(too many times people steal or throw the paper down the toilet.
- I will pay for wood or bring my own!
- We try and buy supplies locally( at the campground store, if price within reason)
- We keep our site clean, during our stay and when we leave.
- While we only have one kids at home(out of 6)And two grandkids we keep an eye on them, keep them out of others sites, and quiet.
- We keep our dog leashed, clean up after him, and havve a bark color on him.
- we keep the radio on low, or not at all
- We don't run generators or noisy stuff after 8 or before at least 9 am.
* I find it sad that they have to have security at some campgrounds at night.
Now I have to ask...where are the people who are raising the kids making messes or damaging stuff??Parents need to be held accountable!!
Now aren't these points considered a common courtacity(sp), because I think if more people did this we would all have happier camping!

[Paul Heuvelhorst]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by UPS 34:
Hide them in the Trunk of your car. Just like we did years ago to get into the Drive IN. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Now here's a good, HONEST, RESPONSIBLE solution! Why do you think the price of things keep going up when cheating of this nature is condoned?

[mamaloya]

Well, I am coming into this VERY late as I have been quite busy lately. As you can see by my sig, I have a big family. Here is my take on it.

I don't mind paying a small fee per kid if the fee is not already outrageous. I don't like that some limit the sites to 5 or 6. I do understand it though. I have also spoken to cg owners/managers when we exceed the limit and, after speaking with me, they will waive the limit for us. I have even had some waive the extra kid fees after meeting our kids. This tells me that it is not the use of services they are worried about. It is the quality and courteousness of the campers.

I think that they want to keep someone coming with their son and 5 of their friends and making a bunch of noise. Once they know they are all OURS and after meeting them and seeing they are well mannered, they relax A LOT! I think they also don't want 10-15 people staying on one site as they kind of junks up the cg.

At Fort Wilderness at Disney World they have a limit of 10 per site and only charge for each adult over 2. It is a nominal fee though. You should see how crowded some of those sites get. You can only have one camper, but unlimited number of tents. Just think about it. Luckily they also limit 1 vehicle per site as well. I have seen 2-3 families on one site there and they can get real loud and clog up the bath house for quite a while and they are rude when in there as well. Making themselves at home and all. I am glad that we now have our own camper with a bathroom. Now, FW has a huge staff that cleans the bath houses several times a day, so it is not a big deal there. They are also making a killing on the park tickets for those 10 people. CGs don't have those kind of resources or extra revenue generation.

Does it aggravate me to have to pay $5-10 more per night per kid? YES! I don't mind paying a few dollars more, but I do have a limit. I simply avoid places that charge more than I am comfortable with or talk with them and see if they will waive the fees.

As for cg behavior... We never leave a mess in the bath house. I tell my kids "someone has to clean it". If they are at the playground and being loud in the middle of the day, I don't correct them because it is a playground. Now if it is several decibels above comfort, I will tell them something. They are not allowed to run harey carey around the cg. They are not allowed in the camp store w/o me or in the pool w/o me. They are not allowed to walk into or through others campsites.

Well, I have rambled enough. Do I like the extra fees? NO. Do I understand? yes.

[veercan]

Sandra/mamaloya
***************************
Nice to see I am not the only one with a large family(6 , 1 still at home), that has taught their kids manners!!
Next year we plan ocamping with our grandchildren (maybe this year)?? All I know is we will lay down the rules long before we get there.
Sandra...I am so glad the campgrounds there worked withyou. Here the extra fees are at the private campgrounds or the government campgrounds(so no getting by them)
We have started parking at town campgrounds, half the price and really nice people!!
PS: I plan on writing the provincial paper and the government about the campsite pricing. I hope many others will do the same!!