Recently had a bad vacation experience. Reserved 12 days at Encore's Pioneer Village in Fort Myers in early Jan. for Feb.12-24. We also prepaid. This was all done by phone through Encore central reservations. We drove 1400 miles from Toronto. When we arrived we were told that they had overbooked and had no sites. They claimed that Encore just keeps taking reservations and has no idea when park is full. This is hard to believe. They also offered no compensation because as they put it "you do have your RV to sleep in." I'm sure that everyone knows how difficult it is to find a place in Florida in Feb. After calling over 20 parks we found a spot in Lakeland, but we spent 5 days of our vacation moving from day to day until we found it. We have stayed in Encore parks before with no problems, but when you have a problem you really find out a lot about an organization. In this case Encore and Pioneer rate a big fat 0.
We are staying at an Encore park in Punta Gorda. There are many here that are not renewing their reservations after many years of staying here. They have 1 and 1/2 maintenance men for a park of 200 spaces. The grass has only been cut once since Oct. If you complain they tell you to get the morrow and cut it yourself. They still have not replace the club house or fixed the WIFI . All this for $700+ a,month . Their main project in this area is selling park models. Encore is now owned by Equity Lifestyle Properties and their way of doing business in this area has changed greatly. We will not stay here again. :angry:
I would like to add that Encore parks are now the pits of the RV campground system. Lot of good places here in FL went over to Encore and now we see the down turn in service, billing problems, new people ever week, dumps over running, equipment broken down and not fixed, grass in need of work, roads with holes, trash around sites, and etc. Good place to stay away from.
We just recently stayed at an Encore Park in Kissimmee (Tropical Palms). We were told by a couple of the employees there that the Kissimmee area Encore Parks were recently bought out and that the new owner is over-booking by a mininum of 10 percent daily. We witnessed this first hand when we checked in as there were two families with reservations but the park was at capacity. When we arrived, although, we had reservations for over three weeks in advance, and I was told when I made the reservations they had plenty of openings, there were only three sites left to choose from (you are escorted through the park to choose the campsite of your choice). Unfortunately, we noticed also that maintenance was slacking as what used to be the normal for this park. In the past, the staff has been friendly and accommodating; however, on this visit, we found this was not the case. We have been staying at Tropical Palms for many years due to its proximity to Old Town and the car show. However, we will not be staying there any longer.
I've just joined this forum, but Ijust have to chime in here and agree wholeheartedly that Encore is a disaster. I stayed on a yearly basis at the one in Lutz/Land o'lakes, Fla. and found they had 4 managers come in within 9 month time period. Only one was educated, friendly, and efficient and they nipped that in the bud within a month or so. There is a dreadful lack of courtesy and efficiency as no one seems to know how to run the computer program that lists residents and payments and registrations. Things were constantly being fouled up with my reservation and payments, as each manager changed something, until the next one came in to change it back again. Nothing is really solid except their really irritable attitudes. After I had been there a few months, I found that my generator in my new coach was dissasembled (my dog had barked and scared them off the policeman told me) and I had to have it fixed at a Tampa Onan shop. There is little security there, even though they claim a fellow sits up all night, somehow things get gone and strangers come to dump in the dumpsters late at night. They refuse to hear any complaints or suggestions and are downright rude. I surely didn't expect to find this type of treatment of residents, and moved finally to another park. No matter where I travel now in my work (I'm an editor and LLC) I will never stay in an Encore park again. Ever. I'd rather live at the Flying J than park one night at Encore.
Thank you for the input. We visited a few Encores looking for a site for the winter. This helped us eliminate one.
We had an odd experience with Encore. I emailed them recently for availability for January through March next year at the Royal Coachman, Nokomis. I received what I thought was a good rate for the three months, though with a rather heavy deposit requirement. I phoned to confirm that the rate was correct and was told that it was and that this was a "special". My husband and I talked it over and agreed to go ahead immediately with our reservation. He called and spoke with a third person, who said the rate was actually $1340 per month - way more than we had been quoted, twice, so we didn't proceed. It seemed strange that two people gave us the same very good rate, but when we actually wanted to book there was apparently no such thing as a "special rate". We were puzzled over what possible advantage Encore could gain from this sort of misleading beheaviour. Had we been quoted $1340 per month from the outset, we would probably have gone ahead and booked, even though the rate is a little higher than we had hoped. We are still hoping to find a good, dog friendly, site in the Venice area if anyone has any suggestions.
Sue, We have been to Royal Coachman one time, first and last. I would think very hard before taken a site in that place. Sites are in pine trees, no sun, pine sap on everything, very small sites, very hard to back into, no pavement in RV sites, roads in RV side are one lane and very small, sites out of level, etc. Keep looking!
Interesting subject and fortunately I was never involved in this kind of scam. In reading several entries I noted that people had made a reservation , had paid the deposit and once arrived there was no the space as contracted. QUESTION = Considering the above correct as quoted , wouldn’t be the park Owner liable for this breach of contract and pursuable by law ? The fact that the park owner wants a deposit in order to cover himself for a possible no show, this should be a usable tool by the camper if not provided with what was agreed upon in the first place. I would appreciate the forum opinion on this specific subject
What a shame. We were very impressed with our stay at Encore in Crystal River FL two years ago. Mgmt was great. I was actually thinking of watching for their campgrounds in future travels but always do my homework/research on here before any lengthy stays jmo on edit just noticed original dates on posts...wonder if Encore has gotten the message yet? Guess we just have to stay up on reading reviews of specific campgrounds.
Galli: Some years ago, I was thinking about filing a lawsuit over a misrepresented product and contacted a lawyer. What he told me still sticks with me to this day: He said. "You can sue anybody. You can sue the Pope if you want to. But winning and collecting once you do is an entirely different thing." Over the years, I have seen people get bogged down in the morass we call a court system, spending time, effort, and money. Unless you happen to be a lawyer, or unless you are talking about some REAL money, trying to recoup some redress from scumbag campground owners who don't honor confirmed reservations is like washing your feet with your socks on. It may feel good, but you don't accomplish anything. This site, in my opinion, offers the best redress for situations like this. If enough of us write up places like this, they will go out of business!
QUOTE(Beastdriver @ Oct 31 2006, 10:55 AM) [snapback]5388[/snapback] Galli: Some years ago, I was thinking about filing a lawsuit over a misrepresented product and contacted a lawyer. What he told me still sticks with me to this day: He said. "You can sue anybody. You can sue the Pope if you want to. But winning and collecting once you do is an entirely different thing." Over the years, I have seen people get bogged down in the morass we call a court system, spending time, effort, and money. Unless you happen to be a lawyer, or unless you are talking about some REAL money, trying to recoup some redress from scumbag campground owners who don't honor confirmed reservations is like washing your feet with your socks on. It may feel good, but you don't accomplish anything. This site, in my opinion, offers the best redress for situations like this. If enough of us write up places like this, they will go out of business! Hi Beastdriver and thanks for your acknowledgment, I know that what you said is true and difficult to accomplish, however, if it is almost impossible to hurt them by law, we might hurt them in the money. B) We are a group of…(numbers)….. members and this affiliation is spread out all over north-America, therefore, a list of camps that failed to honor (i.e. reservation not been respected, camp ruling not being respected, equipment in disarray, internet or HiFi, promoted but nonexistent or non functional…etc..) would be the tools used by an RVer to decide whether or not the place is suitable for his/hers needs, furthermore, this would also be lots of pressure for the resort to clean their act if they wish to remain in business. I know that some one of us would say that’s a duplication of the camp evaluation but I disagree with it since if I have to decide for a camp site in a given place, before taking any action, I would verify whether this camp is identified in a non recommended list and if that is the case, I would certainly avoid to deal with it. Bread for the thought.
I would absolutely not recommend staying at any Encore park. These parks are owned by ELS Corp., a group that purchases campgrounds and proceeds to neglect them. I own a park model in Bradenton. Our rent has increased 22 1/2 % in two years! The park has a major security problem with constant golf cart thefts, car break ins, camper equipment stolen, cars stolen and driven out of the park and damaged etc. etc. The park is unkempt, bad roads that flood and have major pot holes, grass not cut for months which causes an increase in pesky no-see-ums. Residents and seasonal campers at this park have tried for several years to get Encore to do something about security at this park, and to date Encore has ignored them completely. The answer to ANY inquiry/request for repairs, maintenance, or security for this park from management is " It's not in this year's budget!!)Encores only interest once they purchase a park is to sell their "Park Models". The sales pitch is GREAT, lots of promises, but don't be misled! Once committed, you can expect nothing from this company! There are many privately owned and well managed RV parks in Florida. Do yourself a favor and find one that isn't part of the ELS, Encore Family!
QUOTE(RVRetirees @ Jul 20 2007, 01:56 PM) [snapback]7748[/snapback] I would absolutely not recommend staying at any Encore park. These parks are owned by ELS Corp., a group that purchases campgrounds and proceeds to neglect them. I own a park model in Bradenton. Our rent has increased 22 1/2 % in two years! The park has a major security problem with constant golf cart thefts, car break ins, camper equipment stolen, cars stolen and driven out of the park and damaged etc. etc. The park is unkempt, bad roads that flood and have major pot holes, grass not cut for months which causes an increase in pesky no-see-ums. Residents and seasonal campers at this park have tried for several years to get Encore to do something about security at this park, and to date Encore has ignored them completely. The answer to ANY inquiry/request for repairs, maintenance, or security for this park from management is " It's not in this year's budget!!)Encores only interest once they purchase a park is to sell their "Park Models". The sales pitch is GREAT, lots of promises, but don't be misled! Once committed, you can expect nothing from this company! There are many privately owned and well managed RV parks in Florida. Do yourself a favor and find one that isn't part of the ELS, Encore Family! ************* I cannot comment on Encore in Bradenton, however, I have visited several times the Encore RV Camp in Crystal River, Florida and it appears quite well kept and organized; I was there for 3 months, last Winter with my RV and honestly I cannot share you point of view for this one. Most likely it depends of the park management and if I were you, I would send my concern to Encore's head office outlining the problems that you encountered and in doing so, I would also suggest them to copy their reply to this forum for a common evaluation of this issue (of course, if the moderator will allow it) Good luck
Getting in contact with anyone of authority at ELS/Encore is impossible! They have no email address for upper management. The phone #'s listed are to the parks directly, not anyone who can solve a problem. The problems in our park (Bradenton) are not unique, they are common problems at all of the ELS/Encore parks , just look at the postings on this site. This is a corporation that purchases privately owned parks, ups the rents, and never spends a dime to maintain or improve the park. They are the "slum landlords" of RV parks! Several months ago Encore sent a couple of their upper-management personnel to inspect the park in Bradenton. After this inspection, the residents were told that the roads would be repaved. Last week the maintenance men at the park began AGAIN to fill in the holes haphazardly, using cheap materials that will again wash out when it rains. When the manager was asked what happened to the commitment to repave the roads properly, her response was "the money was not approved!" This park is nearly 100% maintained by resident volunteers; they pick up the garbage daily, sort the mail, organize and run all events, mow their own grass, trim their own trees, etc etc,and because of the constant break ins and thefts even organized resident night patrols last winter season. Now the resident volunteers are looking at a way to repair the security gate that was dismantled several years ago (when Encore purchased the park!) . Encore /ELS doesn't want a security gate because they want the public to be able to drive in unchecked to see /purchase their Park Models! Security for the residents (mostly seniors) is not even a consideration. Anyone can drive into this park, day or night, without checking into the office.
QUOTE(RVRetirees @ Jul 24 2007, 09:14 AM) [snapback]7777[/snapback] Getting in contact with anyone of authority at ELS/Encore is impossible! They have no email address for upper management. The phone #'s listed are to the parks directly, not anyone who can solve a problem. The problems in our park (Bradenton) are not unique, they are common problems at all of the ELS/Encore parks , just look at the postings on this site. This is a corporation that purchases privately owned parks, ups the rents, and never spends a dime to maintain or improve the park. They are the "slum landlords" of RV parks! Several months ago Encore sent a couple of their upper-management personnel to inspect the park in Bradenton. After this inspection, the residents were told that the roads would be repaved. Last week the maintenance men at the park began AGAIN to fill in the holes haphazardly, using cheap materials that will again wash out when it rains. When the manager was asked what happened to the commitment to repave the roads properly, her response was "the money was not approved!" This park is nearly 100% maintained by resident volunteers; they pick up the garbage daily, sort the mail, organize and run all events, mow their own grass, trim their own trees, etc etc,and because of the constant break ins and thefts even organized resident night patrols last winter season. Now the resident volunteers are looking at a way to repair the security gate that was dismantled several years ago (when Encore purchased the park!) . Encore /ELS doesn't want a security gate because they want the public to be able to drive in unchecked to see /purchase their Park Models! Security for the residents (mostly seniors) is not even a consideration. Anyone can drive into this park, day or night, without checking into the office. RVRetirees = I don't doubt your words, I can only vouch for what I saw in Crystal River and honestly, there I could see nothing wrong. The inside roads were clean, the whirl pool and swimming pool were properly maintained, the people at the reseption, not particularly jovial but very professional, it would be dishonest for my part to provide a negative input. If I may advance a suggestion, bear the situation for the time being and look for other resorts in the area. I don't wish to mention names because it was not really negative, however, in the previous winters I spent my time at an other campsite in the area and during last period, they became sloppy, the maintenance was getting loose and in final, they tried to asses additional charges for every one who had the side closed to the water; naturally I refused to pay and the following year I booked my winter to Encore.
I believe everything I read here. I was in an Encore resort in February 2011 near Ft.Myers for a week in February. I paid for a week as a walk in...the sum of $280 for one week. We decided to stay an extra week, so I booked online, and I got a special price of $168 for another week. When the office found out about my booking they were pissed. They at first said it was an error but later begrudgingly said I got a bargain. They told me to book all future weeks through the office. I didn't like the way I read their attitude, so we moved out to another park that charged $500 monthly. Encore parks like to charge the big rates.
QUOTE(spendbigbucks @ Mar 10 2011, 09:25 PM) [snapback]25610[/snapback] I believe everything I read here. I was in an Encore resort in February 2011 near Ft.Myers for a week in February. I paid for a week as a walk in...the sum of $280 for one week. We decided to stay an extra week, so I booked online, and I got a special price of $168 for another week. When the office found out about my booking they were pissed. They at first said it was an error but later begrudgingly said I got a bargain. They told me to book all future weeks through the office. I didn't like the way I read their attitude, so we moved out to another park that charged $500 monthly. Encore parks like to charge the big rates. I cannot vouch for Encore's in Ft. Mayer because I have never been there, notwithstanding that, I feel each Encore's campsite behaves somewhat independently, they might follow the company's policy but each camp has a certain latitude in dealing with the residents. I can say without reservation that, here in Crystal River, the Encore management is quite helpful, the place is clean, the swimming pool and SPA are operational and with warm water and the office is quite friendly and efficient. Please consider my words as a personal opinion and you might not have the same feeling.
We are Thousand Trails Platinum owners and are very discouraged by Encore's business practices. Without any official pre-notification to their Platinum members, an affilitation with ROD was dissolved eliminating a key component of our contract: Free camping in over 100 ROD membership parks. The only reason I found out about it was through the TTN Facebook site. What does Encore have to say about this? The official word on their website and through member services is that they will give us an upgrade to RPI. We are already a member of RPI Preferred so they offered us a 6 month extension on our dues (valued at approximately $75). Big deal, we paid $4000 for the Platinum upgrade. Our contract says that if an affilitation is broken, they will replace it with something "comparable or better." I've written an e-mail and received no response. I spoke to a TTN branch manager who said this is a "legal issue" at "corporate" which is a "1.5 billion dollar company" and they don't communicate what is going on to the branches. He just passed buck to his boss but said I will have to jump through "many gatekeepers" before I could reach somebody who could address this concern. What does ROD have to say about this? The "official word" is that it was a "mutual agreement." However, unofficially, ROD park managers have given us reasons why ROD no longer wants to support this affiliation. They are: 1.) TTN did not include ALL of their parks into the reciprocal agreement. 2.) TTN is now offering "zone passes" which allows non-members to access the TTN parks and violates ROD's by-laws. It sounds like Encore has disregarded their contractual agreements to TTN Platinum members. Follow "TTN dropping ROD" on Facebook for more information on this subject.
