I totally agree with your post. This brings to mind a reverse experience I would like to share. We wanted a camp spot as close to Louisville as we could get for the rally. The only one we could get into was a KOA in Crittenden, KY. We usually shy away from KOA's. I went to Campground Reviews and all the reviews were unfavorable. But, we really had no choice (we don't do Wal Mart). So we went there to find one of the nicest parks we have ever stayed at. It turned out there are new owners and all the reviews were from the previous owners. We will definitely go back when in KY. You just never know what you'll find.
Right on...Lake Lure with an attitude. Even our guests arrived at our rig with a open mouth from the entry encounter. Be aware, " no refunds" once paid, and the rules and no,no's reads like a NY lease. A #2 Woodall, if any at all, would be generous.
I agree with you that there are some campgrounds out there that enjoy a very favorable rating that is hard to understand.. But for the most part the guides do provide a reasonable insight to what you might expect with the exception to that all important attitude issue. The ratings after all are just a persons opinion although they are supposed to follow a standard when making assessments.. We found it instructive to read the rating standards when we stayed at a park that was very low rated but is one that we will return to in a heartbeat.. One other thought along the same line is the time line in which the park was highly rated.. We stayed in a park that had the highest ratings in Woodall's and a 10 from RVparkreviews.. I just posted a review for the park which should visible by tomorrow... I could see how the park could get a high rating using the standards that Woodall's and trailerlife uses but its not a park we will use again...sites too narrow to extend awning.. trees badly in need of trimming.. mostly seasonals, road ways obstructed by vehicles, and a 10 by 15 foot dog area... but roads all paved sites level. plenty of shade... all the necessary facilities.. so it gets a high rating.. In case your wondering the campground is Fountain Creek RV Park in Colorado Springs....
Face it, guys and gals. The rating publications (Woodalls and Trailer Life) are bought and paid for by campground owners. We just completed a six month trip--the first six months was a disaster because we relied on these publications. We stopped halfway through and reconfigured our trip, staying at only Outdoor Resorts and similar places. Then we discovered RV Park Reviews. What a Godsend. I just hope this site stays up and running, doesn't start selling ads, and keeps on telling it like it is. In the meantime, the strongest message we can send these other parks is that, advertise all you like in Woodalls and Trailer Life, we ain't staying there unless you get good marks on RV Park Reviews!
Wow, wish I had found this site earlier. We just had our worst experience ever with an RV Resort Called Rancho Sedona in Sedona, Arizona. I know now not to read or purchase Woodall's or Trailerlife. RanchoSedona advertises this little slice of paradise and even has a picture on its website. But. that isn't what you see when you get there. If you like camping in the Wal-mart parking lot (with some shade trees) then this is the place for you. we even made reservations one month ahead of time (had a confirmation number and guaranteed to our credit card). When we arrived, they had given our space to a monthly renter and tried to place us literally 10 feet from their public bathroom. They did not bother to call us before we began our trip but you can bet they would have charged us 1 nights rent if we had canceled inside 24 hours. The worse part was the owner flat out didn't care. She said if you don't like the space, you can leave. I am headed to Small Claims Court over these jerks in hopes of teaching them a lesson.
The other end of the stick in regards to the directories,is that they're not all there. It is downright upsetting sometimes, to go to the directory ,pick out what you think is a good campground out of the one to three listed and then when you get there,find several in the area that are better.... :angry: The other thing that upsets me is when a park is listed with a certain price and you get there and find it's more by a long shot.For example; The KOA in billings was listed at around$35 for the night.When I made my reservations,the man on the phone said that they would take the first nite stay for the deposit.The next day it showed up on my credit card as $50. I called and asked what the difference was and was told that that was the charge for high season.Neither the KOA directory, Woodalls or TL said anything about high season. I cancelled and stayed at the KOA in Hardin for $20....
Sandi, Hope you do take them to small claims. If more campers did it might help. I considered taking Huck A Bees in Gatlinburg, but the owners wised up and fired the manager. If you were not a year rounder she could care less about you.
You're right! I've read lots of reviews for various campgrounds at this website now. Some people you can tell are just whining, but others have legitimate complaints. Small Claims Court is a simple process and the only problem is if you are camping a long way from home, you have to return to that area to attend the court proceedings. It will be worth it to me. If a business makes an Oral Contract with you, much less a Written Contract, they have to abide by it. If they don't, make them pay! I think the owner of this place was one step above "trailer trash" that lucked into a prime piece of real estate. But she is obviously lacking in business sense, customer relationship skills, Common Sense, but most of all SOCIAL SKILLS. I learned my lesson though, any mobile home park that advertises itself as a 'Recreational" RV park is simply looking to generate additional cash flow. They have no interest in repeat business or customer satisfaction.....they're simply interested in taking your money and providing a space to park your camper. In other words, if you're truly someone who enjoys RV'ing or camping, steer clear of these type of facilities.
We dumped our Woodall's book years ago! We talked to Woodall people at Tampa RV show couple years ago over bad information. This was all new to them. We found a number of sites that had high rating were the pits. I would not ask a dog to sleep at some of the parks. Use this board, web sites, and ask people, someone on the internet has been to most parks. We all travel around the USA and pick up good information for future use.
I am planning a camping trip this summer. After reading the reviews for a couple of parks in different states, I will rely on this web site for ALL of my planning. As long as they don't start advertising camp grounds. Although I would find it funny if they started advertising for Walmar. LOL I do admire the webmaster for not giving into the temptations of advertisers and keeping this forum open for us to use. I always say that whatever your in the market for, the best salesperson is someone that already owns one or has experience with it. They have nothing to gain or lose and are usually honest.
Mr. Ohio-Jayco: I would suggest that you use Trailer Life and Woodalls to obtain some details on specific campgrounds but, when deciding on whether or not you want to stay at a particular location, ignore these publications which are, at best, bought and paid for by campgrounds, and, at worst, outright misleading. The only site we use to make a decision on whether or not to stay at a place is this one. If it doesn't have several positive recommendations on this site, we pass it by!
Beastdriver, Can you buy Woodall and Trailer life at Walmart or do you have to buy them off of their web sites? I went to Walmart today and picked up one of their maps, but I didn't see those periodicles. Me and the Mrs are heading to Panama City FL tomorrow for a couple of days. We are staying at ST. Andrews, I checked out ratings and they seemed pretty good. This web site is paying off already. Thanks..
Ohio-Jayco: No, you don't have to buy them off their websites. Most camping stores, both large and small, carry these guides. As well, many campgrounds also carry them. Good luck!
I found a great use for both books in question. On my most recent trip I did not have enough orange plastic leveling blocks and the two books are just about equal thickness and by putting one under each front wheel I was finally level. Thank you Wodalls and Trailer Life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the info Beastdriver and Kimo, I bought a new map at walmart and I will hold off on the buying the other books. I think the web is the best source as far as finding out info on a town or campground. It may be bias but I won't go to a campground that doesn't have a web site. I also bought some of those bright orange leveling blocks, they won't fall apart in the rain like those books.
Keep in mind that a person with a bad experience is driven to "make it known" to all who will listen and post a review about a bad experience. People who have a quality experience tend to expect it and usually have to remember and make a point of writing a good review. Reviews are subjective as are the rating numbers given in the big directories. We usually look at the things that are important to us and when we arrive check out the campground. If we don't like it, we move on. We've found that the TL directory is more accurate and so we go with that if we have no other sources. We never rely on any one medium.
You bring up some good points Mr. Camper. When you have a good experience it's hard to list everything, but when you have a bad one it seems to flow out freely. I look at the year and dates a person visited a CG very closly though. It seems CG's switch owners quite frequently. It seems as if the only thing the review books are good for are to find out specifics of the CG. I agree with looking at different reviews or sources.
Just thought I would chime in. We don't accept ads from campgrounds and have no plans to ever do so. We have been approved for google ads for a while, and I'll probably add them one day. They won't influence any campground reviews. I really want the google ads to show entertainment, attractions, and resturants for cities they are associated with and exclude any google campground ads. Until I work this out, I'm reluctunt to add them.
