Changes To Review Submittals

Altho we have been RVers since 1992, we just started full-timing on June 1, 2008. We find this site extremely helpful, and wish I had known about it sooner.

Since you know that some parks and/or park employees are posting, I can only assume that you have a way of checking on the origin of any post. So why not just delete these posts rather than "punish" the rest of the users? This is done on another site that we frequent, and while a few folks might see if before it gets deleted, the majority probably won't. Another thing that could be done to alert the rest of us of the owner/employee posts, is to identify it as such so that we would know it was biased.

We love this site, and deferring a recent post because of the misuse of a few, doesn't seem conducive to your purpose of the latest user reviews.

 

I have sent in at least 2 reports. They take a while to type and whenever I do send them in, it says that I need 2 more. After all of this, I just do not post any reviews any more. Sorry, but I agree with the above...the few that are "bad" posts can be removed. Also, if you look at a parks reviews and there is only 1 posted, it "may" not have as much meaning as a park with MANY reviews. If the trend is very good, then that has more meaning and a few posts by the staff can not turn a bad park into a good one.

 

QUOTE(Webmaster @ Jul 4 2006, 09:18 AM) [snapback]4533[/snapback]

We have found it necessary to add some more security to the website when it comes to approving reviews. All members will now have to submit a minimum of three (3) different campgrounds before any of their reviews will be posted on the website. If you have not seen a recent review you submitted posted on the website that is because it is in a holding queue until the five review quota has been met and then they will automatically transfer to the approval queue and will then be posted. Any member that has already posted five or more will see no change. Sorry we have to do this but some campground owner's/employees think they don't have to follow the rules of this website and continue to try to post great reviews about their campground. The "great" campgrounds will never have to do that as they will always receive positive reviews from their customers. We have caught several and will continue to do so to try to keep this website as it was intended.


I want you to know something that happened to me. I went to Carlsbad, NM and stayed at this one park and when morning came I was not going to stay there one day more. I looked around at some of the other parks and the one I wanted was full that day but a spot would open in a few days, so I stayed in the next best one until then. I have found my favorite park in Carlsbad and I will continue to give it good reviews, if they are full I will stay at second best but a few I will never visit again. I reviewed many parks in the same town in a short time period. There are some parks that a worth the hassle of moving to and there are some parks that are worth the hassle to leave. I am not able to travel like I used to because of my MS but I do go to Carlsbad to see my daughter every six months or so. Most of my reviews will be limited to a few parks.

 

Thank you for all your hard work. I do understand the issue at hand and why you feel the need to require 3 reviews prior to publishing. However, perhaps by vetting your reviewers when they register you might be better able to weed out the undesirables. Having said that, we typically check the Trailer Life Directory and then check whatever online reviews are available. So far, we've been lucky in our choices. We're full-timers and on the road most of the year. I would estimate we boondock about 70% of the time and stay in campgrounds the other 30%, so this site and others like it are very helpful to us. Again, thanks for this great service.

 

Thank you for being so vigilent in regards to the posting of reviews. I was delighted to find your site. We are fairly new to motorhoming and we depend on these reviews. We have been disappointed a few times after finding an rv park with spaces that were too tight and not well landscaped and manicured and a staff that was coldly indifferent. We thank you, again.

 

Okay, now I am confused. I reviewed 2 campgrounds last month and a third today. What is with the 5?? I understood the rule said that after 3 reviews they would be posted. What am I missing????

 

QUOTE(kjh @ Aug 11 2008, 11:57 AM) [snapback]12701[/snapback]

Okay, now I am confused. I reviewed 2 campgrounds last month and a third today. What is with the 5?? I understood the rule said that after 3 reviews they would be posted. What am I missing????



It was changed back to three awhile ago. As soon as you get your "Required three" in, all three will appear after they are "approved" by the hard working admins.

JJ

 

QUOTE(DXSMac @ Aug 11 2008, 03:20 PM) [snapback]12703[/snapback]

It was changed back to three awhile ago. As soon as you get your "Required three" in, all three will appear after they are "approved" by the hard working admins.

JJ


Thank you for answering/clarifying this. I just posted on the general forum thread--and wondered why 5 was the limit--and not 3. Glad to see it IS 3...which is much more reasonable (and do-able!)

 

QUOTE(pjtjmn @ Jul 17 2006, 04:39 PM) [snapback]4599[/snapback]

Just a thought..

Five different locations? Wow, I just started camping, and I thought we were doing a lot of different locations this year at 4!!! With all the good reviews in "pending" status, we will be missing out on valuable information..

I understand why you want to do this, but maybe there is another way to keep this honest??
The new way actually gives the dishonest folks incentive to not only try to pump up their place, but hurt others..

For example, if I were a dishonest CG owner, I could always give my own place glowing reviews and poor-to-middling reviews to nearby places...

I was wondering why my review from two weeks ago didn't post!

Maybe we could brainstorm a bit to think of another solution?

 

Hello, As both a rv park owner and a rv owner. I get both sides. We would never post a review of our own park and would want to make sure that no one else would do that as well. However it would be nice if there was a way to be able to rebut a review that wasn't truthful or to explain why we did what we did. We try to be honest and above board with all of our guests and they usually are with us as well. But sometimes people forget that we are trying to run a business, and we can't do that if we can't make a profit. Also guests forget that we only make our money in 3 months time and we have to maintain and pay for labor, utilities, and maintenance all year. So sometimes that is a factor in our policies. We cheerfully give discounts for Good Sam, AARP, Active Military and FMCA when cards are presented at the time of check in. That is what we are told to do by the different people that we are supposed to give discounts to. Our other problem is cancellations. We ask for one nights deposit in advance. We had to do that because when we didn't ask for a deposit, people never bothered to let us know if they were coming or not so we were holding a site for someone who had no intentions in coming and staying with us. We also will give the deposit less 20% if a guest gives us at least 10 days notice in advance. If it is less notice then that it is our discretion and if the cancellation is a valid reason, car problems, sick person or something like that we will usually give at least 1/2 back anyway. If it is because the guest doesn't like the weather forecast or doesn't show up then they lose the deposit. Does that sound fair? Please let me know what you think.

 

mch2464,

Yes, your policies sound fair to me, except for one thing. Now this is just my opinion, but I think 10 days notice to get a refund of the deposit is a little too much time. I think 24 or 48 hours notice should be plenty of time in order to receive a full refund possibly minus a fee.

Your 20% cancellation fee does not sound out of line. Most of the ones I've encountered have been a flat fee of around $10. I am guessing your 20% would be about this same amount. I think the hard part would be trying to determine if there was a legitimate reason for the cancellation. I think most people are honest and would not cancel unless they really had to. Unfortunately there are some pretty good liars out there.

I'm sure there is a lot more to taking and holding and refunding reservations than I understand. From my perspective I would hope there would be no cancellation fee at all, but I can understand the need for one. Thanks for giving a little insight into the cg owner's side.

 

MCH2464,

You will find this true in all walks of life. People are people and will tell you one thing and them do as they please. We had a lot of rental homes at one time, a lot like an RV park. People would call and ask to see a house in five mins. We drive out and no one would show up, we call people and find out they were looking at TV. Other people told wife and I they worked at someplace for ten years now. We call and find out person was fired years ago due to poor working habits. You will never get people to do the right thing if you have a open policy on refunds. I see no problem with your policy. We also had policies that were in place and everyone had a copy of the rules so if you break the rules you pay up. This will never change!

We had an air bag problem long time ago and had to call parks and tell them what happen. It was no problem at all and we returned back home for repair work.

 

Oh.

I do not normally camp, but I have thought about getting into it.

But I have had a recent terrible experience at Campfire Lodgings in Asheville, NC--one that has put me off camping forever--and thought I should let others know about it, since my experience was very similar to others' (I ran into the incredibly angry manager and she ruined my stay). But, since I have no interest in ever running into that kind of mistreatment again, it looks as if I will never meet the posting requirement that would have allowed me a voice.

So long.

 

Why do campers think they deserve some break, or that RV park owners aren't businesses? I think a cancellation fee is ABSOLUTELY appropriate. There is practically NO hotel in north america that doesn't require a credit card to book a reservation and requires "cancel by 6PM or one nights fee is due against that credit card".

Cancellations not only cost park owners money, they prevent other campers from finding sites. It seems a perfectly business-like and win-win practice that improves the "status quo" for all of us if all park owners would follow the hotel standard practice of cancel by or pay for the 1st night.

 

Hello Prytania...pls remember you have a voice on this forum regardless of the number of campgrounds/RV parks you have reviewed. B) Welcome aboard mate!

 

A couple of years ago I paid in advance for two sites in Michigan and than we could not make it and I notified them two weeks prior and they kept our money and said that was what they do. And yet they told me when I made the reservation they did not keep the deposits.

 

I am a new member and tried to post my first review without reading this forum - it must be in the hold queue. In the instructions, it refers to 3 reviews and then 5 reviews - which is it?

 

It used to be 5, but the webmaster changed it to 3.

 

Hello, I am a bit curious now that I found this forum and read the part where one is required to Post three or four Reviews before their first post will be posted.

I am a full timer who travels often but I don't think I have to comment on every c/g I visit.

I enjoy reading posts of c/g's that are less than desirable but most of the time I look between the lines for where the person is coming from.

As a full timer I have encountered many a turkey rver while on the other hand I honestly believe there are more lovely folks out here than the turkeys who complain about everything.

I don't want to read about a campers 'bad' time at a c/g when they are the problem.

Now where does this leave me today? Are you still requiring us to post three or four post befor the first post will be posted?

Respectfully, Hwytracker

 

The site map for Lake Leon is incorrect. The review posted has the correct information but the map that comes up when you check the site places it near Dickinson down on the gulf. it is up in East Texas and no where near the site map :blink: