Hi everyone

I own a park and regularly try to keep up with reviews done on my campground. I have a peeve that I am hoping you will allow me to vent.

I totally understand the importance of reviews and use them a lot myself when I travel (always taking them with a grain of salt as I realize that people may not think like me). Here is my complaint - you come to my park and stay a few days and then leave, end of story as far as I am concerned. Then I come on here and find a negative review about some things that I had no idea were concerns. If you have complaints, please stop and tell me on the way out - at least you have made me aware. If I receive an email from a camper who has a complaint - I will immediately respond to it - either telling you how I plan to rectify it or explaining why it is what it is. But I will respond! Please give me the opportunity to fix the situation rather then just leaving then posting a negative review that might impact on my business down the road.

When I see a negative review here I do work on the things that are wrong, but have no way of getting that message out there.

Thank you for allowing me to verbalize this.

Campergal,
I think you are completely right.My husband and I always give feedback first to the campground and then leave reviews if nothing is responded to or fixed. We always say that you can not fix what you do not know about.I believe it unfair to leave bad reviews of a place until you have tryed to get a problem solved first.Good luck and I hope all the good reviews over rides the bad.
On another note if you have constant bad reviews then there is something wrong at the campground.So it is always good for us, campers to read reviews before traveling.We have to put our trust in the campground for our saftey and that of our families, we need to know if anything is amiss where we are paying to stay.

I quit doing this after being snapped at several times by the campground employer/owner. I had a situation recently in Berlin, OH (Amish country). I mentioned a valid complaint and the owner was very nasty about it. We rarely give bad reviews, but give average reviews if it is an average campground. Good employee attitude goes a long way with me. What really gets a poor review is when the campground owner just flat out lies about something. (Like good WiFi reception or level sites.) We consider ourselves very easy to please, but don't lie to me. We also take the price into our expectations of amenities. If we are paying $20, we don't expect a pool and hot tub. We might give the campground a 8 if everything is clean and neat and the employees are friendly and helpful. I it is all relative to us. We also hate to be nickled and dimed to death by extra little charges. Good Luck with you park and we hope to meet you someday.

I fully understand the CG owners point of view. But you are selling a product, maybe you should be proactive and ensure that when I arrive at your park, I am getting everything in tip top shape. If you advertise WIFI does it work for all sites that pay and expect it? Are your level sites really level and what about filling some of the pot holes that have accumulated during the season. How about strict enforcement of the pet policies! There is nothing better than to pull into a site and have to step and dodge dog poop.

Maybe this will help with your reviews.

Thank you all for your input - I understand why one would be hesitant to approach if you're going to get snapped at for sure. Bob and Nancy, I totally agree that I am selling a product - we have a "family campground" as opposed to an RV Park, and I truly believe there is a difference. We promote our park as that and in doing so I hope that someone coming in looking for an "RV Resort" will realize they are not going to get pads, 50 amp etc here. I have actually suggested to some to go to the park down the road when they tell me they really don't like having kids around etc as we get so many here on the weekend. I would much prefer to see a tourist have a good experience in this area even if it's not a my park and have then go home talking about the area in a positive way. Oh, and dog poop....give me an answer to that problem and I will be indebted to you forever! We are constantly going after people asking if they would please pick up after their dog. Trust me, I hate stepping in that just as much as you do! That's why I don't own a dog!

Again, thanks for the input....I just felt I had to say something as it was really bothering me!

Trish

campergal, I must admit that your post struck a chord with me since I have left negative reviews and never mentioned the problems to the campground owners/employees. mea culpa I think this is something that I will have to change. Lindsay did have a good point though, that pointing out a problem or a concern does not always get met with, shall we say, enthusiasm but now that you have pointed this out to me, I can't use that as an excuse. Thanks for bringing up the subject. Now I have yet another area in my life that needs improvement!

I have been dumped on at a lot of parks as I ask owners if he could look into my problem. Most told me it was my problem not the parks. I ask about the Wi-Fi in a KOA and was told it is your laptop not our equipment. Said his system was working, show me how (your laptop) is working and he walked off, end of problem. Worked in next park. KOA as a rule has problems with Wi-Fi.

Berlin, OH (Amish country) and same park as Lindsay. Wi-Fi again and two ladies in office dumped hot oil on me. Told me it was working and all over the park, go away. Owner later said it would only work around 50 feet from office and that was it. Other problems come up and ladies in office did same thing again. Nice park with poor staff.

Only a couple owners were OK with input, most do not wish to hear it. If I were a park owner I would love to have feed back as well. Like you said, cannot fix a problem you do not know about.

I appreciate the attitude of let me know and I will fix it, but that still does not change the review, in many cases. If the sites were small or not clean, the pool was green, the grass needed cutting, then that is the way it is. If you take all the negative complaints and throw out the manager/worker attitude issues and reservation issues, they all are things that can easily be seen by workers at the park. The OP seems like one of the good ones, trying their best to make things better but a review is a review, not a suggestion box. Many (most?) cg managers are not easily accessible, We have stayed at several parks for a month or more and never seen a manager. The opposite side were a couple of cgs where the manager/owner actually knocked on the door and said hello, anything I can do to make your stay better?

campergal - Welcome to the fairly new World of on line reviews by users. There is a radical change in the way consumers buy things and services. I used to view Woodalls and TL big books as the bibles of RV park knowledge. I still read those, but 95% of the time back up their information with user reviews on this site. I do the same thing when I buy clothes from LL Bean and software for my computer. I use owner feedback as a key to my buying decision.

This is a recent change. I usually write a review when we stay at a park. I try to be objective, but my own likes and dislikes figure into the reviews I write. I have found that it is very rare that the reviews on this site are not more informative and more accurate than the big books.

So what should you do to make sure you get great reviews? Be a great RV Park. If you get a negative review act on it and the negative review will get buried soon.

This is the best advice....if it really was a problem and not just an opinion, fix it, and it will soon be buried. I have written both good and critical reviews of campgrounds, but usually a critical one is where the staff and management didn't respond or care. If a campground is not to our liking, I try to simply say why, for example, "too many golf carts driven by young children without supervision". This was a recent complaint I had with a campground, but when I addressed it with the owner, she said, "well, its a right of passage when you're a kid camping".....but their rules stated no carts driven by under 16 unlicensed drivers. So I wrote that review so other campers bothered by the golf cart craze would know it was probably going to happen. I have nothing against golf carts in general, it's the music blaring from them that annoys me and I don't believe children should be using them unsupervised. But it was the only negative thing I said.....I said many good things about that park.

It's all subjective. I read ALL the reviews on a campground before making a decision. I have found RVPARKREVIEWS to be one of the most accurate sites out there for rating campgrounds. If I see a one in a sea of 8's and 10's.....I'm still going there. If I see nothing but 1's and 3's...I won't. If I see a 10 in a sea of 2's....I figure its a friend of the park

Thanks again...will take all you've said and remember it. I am a cg owner who takes pride in having people leave happy and 95% of the time that's what happens. We have a huge seasonal wait list and are constantly filled on weekends so I **know** we do things right most of the time. I guess it's just when something doesn't go right and I don't have a chance to fix it it ticks me off.

Case in point....a camper left yesterday upset because they couldn't get on wifi....our wifi is unique only because of the way the company has it set up - our cg is situated that I can't offer blanket free wifi because we have so many seasonals and they would use it to the point where it would be too slow for anyone else. Therefore I give you specific instructions on how to get online and I can track if you are able to access the WiFi. This customer left saying ours was the "most confusing he has ever seen and he couldn't access it all". He definitely was not happy and if he's the type to post a review, that's what he will remember and the review will be negative. The thing is - he WAS on line as my staff told me later they saw his address online (they had checked to make sure he got online) and we have literally hundreds of other people who use the WiFi the same way all the time.

Anyway, I guess what I have to do is hope that most folks can read through a review and see it for what it really is. This site is a very good site and again, thanks for letting me vent my "little frustration" lol. I know deep down I have a nice park and I'm the type of owner who will stop by your campfire in the evening to chat with you for a bit - it's how we've made many wonderful friends!

I am still hoping WiFi will become a thing of the past as the nation becomes a giant 4 G network. Everybody will handle their own from cell towers. I will be thrilled and I know all campground owners will be thrilled also.

As long as you're not venting hot air. With temps over 100, we've got way too much of it already. LOL


I think most of us who would read a single bad review among several positive ones would not give it much weight. One thing that does catch my attention and carry weight is when I read that a reviewer had a favorable opinion of the campground staff. I figure staff attitudes come down from the owner and are an indication of how well the CG is run.



In all the years that I have been RVing, never once have I been approached by a campground rep, much less the owner, asking for an opinion on how they were doing. I also have found that it generally doesn’t do a lot of good to voice a concern to an employee of a campground. 95% of those don’t have the same attitude about being successful in the business as you might.

This reminds me of the old saying - “You can’t please everyone all of the time” – so 95% seems to be pretty good. That’s an A grade in anyone’s book. It’s always good to strive for perfection, but if that is a true figure, then I’d say you have done your campground homework. Perhaps if that other 5% is so frustrating, you could consider implementing a customer survey form. Just about everyone likes to give opinions. That’s what I am now doing.

When I write a review I am very careful about separating personal feelings from campground facts. For example, are my fellow campers the cause of my bad feelings or is it something about the park itself.

I've read plenty of reviews complaining about highway noise nearby, people walking through "my site", a train went through in the middle of the night ruining someone's sleep, etc. All things out of a campground owner's control yet appeared in RV Park Reviews.

I'll comment on the condition of the facilities, the staff, and was the campground truly as nice as it appeared in their advertising.

If I see a trend of negative reviews I will not waste my time visiting that campground. If a campground owner doesn't care to fix problems reported over the course of a year then they certainly don't want my money.

A negative review here and there won't keep us away, however. I understand that some people want to be treated like royalty and feel pretty special in their own world. Nothing will make them happy. You can usually see through that type of review. They look for the cheapest campground they can find then complain about its lack of 5-star amenities.

I find RV Park Review very helpful as long as I read between the lines.

I like to know about highway noise or trains, I'd rather drive 5 miles out of my way and have a good night's sleep than be kept awake by tractor trailers passing by every 45 seconds. I noticed that many reviewers do not take noise into consideration, for example a few campgrounds that I know are within 100 yards of interstate 95 and very few reviews mention the noise, but for my wife and me that is an important consideration.

Nice way to organize it, if I may provide my opinion, I would suggest you to print some flyers in which it is printed your address and if you think it is reasonable , itemize the items to which you would be mostly concerned, plus a free field at the bottom.
Do not expect that many people would add the return address to you but, at least, you will know what's wrong or, at least, what it is not acceptable by a specific camper.
Furthermore, it appears that you are business minded and if I were you I would publish on this forum , the objections received, your interpretation and what Corse of action you are taken if you do consider the complaint sound.
In my opinion it would be a good promotion for your place and we, RV CAMPERS, see a way to interact with the camp owners.
I am sure that, if you start this interaction, many other RV CAMP will follow.
Regards and your is a good idea

Lindsay - Don't hold your breath for Nationwide 4G. We live in a 4G area. I can drive 30 minutes and have no Gs. I would guess 20% of San Diego County is no G, maybe more. That is why I am having my Motosat Internet dish fixed this week.

Ambient noise in an RV park is one of my top criteria. I do not like a lot of noise. I do not agree that it is not the parks fault. They chose to locate the park where it is didn't they. So please everyone keep or start putting in noise ratings. I do.

I like to know if there is good wi-fi. I can't count how many times I've asked when making reservations if there is good wi-fi. Of course, the answer is always: yes. I ask again when I get there. Answer is always: yes. Try to get on and find out from the camper next door that you can only get it in the laundry, or 10 feet from the office, or nobody's been able to get on for 3 days. Just tell me the truth. Last month, I went up to office after trying to get on all day and was told "there's no problem with the wi-fi...it must be your computer." Another person came in right behind me with the same problem. The woman at the desk turned to another employee and said "all these people have been coming in today and complaining about the wi-fi." It seems to me when "all these people" complain about the wi-fi, it just might occur to the park that the problem just might be theirs?

It is frustrating, I know the feeling but, it appended to me too, we are asking a wrong question, therefore, we cannot challenge the park owner or manager for a poor service, according to words above you asked if there is a good HIFI but you didn’t question if it can be received as far as where you got the unit.
I have been through the same problem and they shut me up with the above answer since when I went as far as the recreation center , the reception was very good.
Sorry but we have to rephrase the question before complaining, however and for your info,, there is on the market a special buster that extend the reception up to a 1000 feet, I believe the cost is about $ 80.

The same thing could have been said about the 3 G network a few years ago. 4 G is coming and soon, you won;t be able to buy a 3 G phone anymore. Technology improves at an amazing place and I sure look forward to the upcoming demise of WiFi. New cable modems have WiFi routers built in. I was at a friends house the other day and she said she didn't have WiFi, but was using the laptop in the bedroom. I looked at the modem and it had an antenna. I use my Android for tethering on 3 G. It is noticeably slower than most WiFi, but acceptable. I see 4 G as an one stop shopping for all our out internet needs.

All and good - if you stick to the interstates. Once you get on the little highways, anything goes. My old Motorola Droid could get 3G and 1X - my new Samsung Droid gets 3G and 4G, but will not connect to 1X. Traveling back from the in-laws Saturday I couldn't get any updates on the foot ball games - frustrating to leave their house with the score 16-13 in the other team's favor, then several hours later getting the final score where your team won 43-19.

Slightly off topic, but it made me giggle. Stayed in a CG off I-95 in NC, just one night as a stopover. Great little CG, and it's about 1/4 to 1/8 mile off 95. My father in law and I were sitting outside the rig around 9:30 PM and we both nearly fell asleep between the white noise and hypnotic passing of the traffic on the highway! As bizarre as it sounds, I consider that a positive - it was the most relaxing evening I'd had in months!
I would mention this in a review, but would not count off for it. It wasn't blaringly loud highway noise by any stretch.

I think you were referring to bars of reception. I was referring to the type of phone network. Most are 3 G now, but the new smart phones are mainly 4 G. It relates to speed of data transfer not reception as seen on the screen as bars. A phone either comes as 3G or 4 G.

I think some customers will not hesitate to point out problems, and others may say nothing, but may not return. If I owned a park I would encourage additional feedback with a comment card and drop box perhaps.

I was very impressed by the park I just left. It was family owned, and the owner walked, and biked between sites every evening greeting campers and asking if everything was satisfactory. When people checked in he asked a few questions to match the best site with each camper. I mentioned I wanted one fairly secluded and with little noise. He showed me several sites before I selected one. The next day when he walked by he remembered, and asked if the site was quiet enough (which it was). I know this is very unusual customer service, but when I read reviews about campers being packed together in almost empty parks because they are assigned in numerical order, offices closed during "rush hour" etc. it really makes me appreciate those that care about their guests beyond their money.

A lot we write in reviews is fact to help other campers, not always something we would complain about. For example I might mention in a review that there was only one shower, but certainly wouldn't give the office staff an earful about it. However if there was no hot water I would mention it, as it might alert them to a problem with the hot water heater, a problem they might not be aware of. If I got a rude response it would influence where I stayed next time, but not keep me from trying to point out future problems elsewhere, in a constructive manner.

Don't be suprized. Our sticks and bricks home backs to a major road with steady traffic until midnight. There have been many an evening we decided to sit out on our deck to talk, and ended up falling asleep due to the lull of the traffic noise.

On the topic of 3G/4G vs wifi...I use my data plan when traveling throughout my home country but once I cross the border I must turn off my data as it would cost a fortune. Wifi is the only way we can remain connected to friends and pay bills. I would be happy to use my own data plan and not have to rely on cg wifi connections but it is not practical yet. I don't mind paying a small fee for wifi but at $5 - $10/day it really adds up over a 2-3month period.

Had to chuckle about stories on highway noise. We have been staying in our Airstream close to 2 intersecting major highways while working in Houston. Concreteroads instead of asphalt, grooved for water runoff. A neighbor told us she thinks of the noise as the ocean. We took it a step farther and think of it as rushing glacier runoff. Definitely helps when sitting outside in 100+ Texas summer temps.

I sleep with ear buds hooked up to my XM radio and that cuts out all exterior noises including the snoring from my wife. Don't leave home without them.

He, he, he, if she reads your message, you are going to sleep in the garage for a long time !

Notwithstanding the people who enjoy the white noise of a freeway, I find it difficult to complain about highway noise when reviewing a campground. I can always tell when they are close to the interstate and just assume there is going to be noise. I do appreciate it when the campground puts up some kind of break but the trees grow very slowly and it can take a long time to be effective. Still, it is nice when the campground takes the long view and you see a line of 15 itty bitty 10' saplings planted in a row between the campground and the highway! As an example, our subdivision put in a line of ornamental pear trees (not as a sound barrier, just because we could) about 10 years ago and now they are about 25' tall and beautiful, especially in the spring.

I believe you Meter, you sound romantic and women love romantic people , I am a bloody materialistic person and persistent noise makes me in a bad mood, even my wife insist that I am a bear ! Notwithstanding my unsociable personality, we found a place to spend our winters, I wouldn’t mention the name because it is not fair for the other campsites but it is in Florida, north of Tampa and in the middle of the swamp BUT, the place is very relaxing since we are located 5 or 6 miles away from the main roads and the place is self contained, namely, we got trailer side ending on the river which get access to the main river which get access to the golf of Mexico, therefore, if you are a fisherman like me, you may keep your boat anchored just beside your RV.
We got a lake, in the middle of the place with ducks birds and yes, a couple of alligators but they are well civilized, they even spare a couple of persons that would deserve to be bitten , we have a hot SPA all winter and a good swimming pool, both are heated and we use them all winter too , we have a nice recreation room and I feel proud of it since it is just like some thing created by myself ; well, let me explain, two or three years ago we had a very lousy recreation room and the management didn’t consider to renew it until the end of the season, no one put down the deposit for the following year.. They did it immediately and we have been friends ever since he.he,.he.
The place is some what noisy during the week-end because it will be time for some children but , during the week is perfect, I got Joe blow on one site that pretend to convince me to have caught the bigger fish, I know he is lying but since it is an old guy I pretend to believe what he says, I am only 73 and I have to learn how to respect the old people because, in the future I might get old too and I want people to recognize my talent.
Ho I forgot some little negative part of the place, one, I don’t understand where they are getting so many little dogs, you have to believe me , I saw some of them so ugly that could fit in the pocked of my shirt and some of them so ugly that could be recruited for a Frankenstein’s movie but, they love them, they think they are the best dogs in the great America and because we are living in a free country, they have to be accepted. The second thing negative are the no-sim flies (I hope that it is spelled like this), if you are not from the area, they are 1/5 size of a good Canadian mosquitoes but notwithstanding they are so small, they byte like bulldogs.
OK, I know that I took too much of your time but, I wanted to prove you that there is other things that makes you happy beside trucks squealing breaks and cars Honking to each others…
(I am afraid to sign it and then be recognized. He,he,he)

I am also a campground owner with a similar attitude as campergirl. The one other issue that she didn't address is "You can't take everyting they say as 100% true." I just read a review about my campground that said their price was with a Good Sam discount. Unfortunately I am not allowed to honor Good Sam's because of my franchise agreement. It concerns me that I can't, as an owner, reply to this review and say "Thank you for the complimentary review, however I do not honor Good Sam's." or reply and say "Thanks for bringing this to my attention, on such and such a day, we repaired that problem. Hope to see you again." Thanks to all the wonderful campers that are out there. We really appreciate your help in keeping our parks nice and ready for the next camper that follows you!

You bring up a very good point, there is no ability for the campground owner to rebut a review. I think, on the face of it, this would be a good feature to add. The negative aspect of it would be that there could be a significant amount of rancor involved in that back and forth. If this type of feature was added, allowing the campground owner to respond to a review, I think that it would have to be even more closely monitored before a post was allowed. What say you, fellow forum members?

In my humble opinion allowing rebuttal is a horrible idea. One of the reasons this forum is one of the few review forums that work is the moderators do a great job of policing the owners and friends of owners rebuttal reviews that ruined many of the hotel and travel review sites. While it may be frustrating as an owner to see what you percieve as an untruth I think you will find the participants tend to be self policing. This is not an owner's forum. It is a user's forum. Owners have several ways to combat a bad review, including asking subsequent guests to post their positive experiences, advertising targeted to an audience that cares about a corrected item (OUR WIFI NOW WORKS FOR 100 MILES), direct mail to past guests (snail or email), etc. Other than not going again or telling a few friends consumers have very few ways to express their opinion to large audiences. I learned the hard way that running a business requires a thick skin and a tongue with scars from biting it too often. But I also learned that the truth will prevail - a wrong review will be corrected and you'll be vindicated.

first of all, I am not a camp ground owner, nor a campground manager nor.. Etc.. I am an RVer. like the majorities of the people on this forum and I don't understand WHY a campground owner or manager should not challenge a report/review if demeaning and discrediting without a basis for it.
There is nothing wrong in trying to defend yourself against improper accusations, as a matter of fact, it would be a two ways communications between camp owners and this forum and I would consider healthy an intelligent exchange of opinions.
I have always been against the reports opinionated and that’s why, in the past, I have suggested to modify the report’s format to identify only facts like 1)quote the size of your site 2) is paved or dirt ground, 3) was it served with power, sewage, water, yes, not and condition of unit.. etc.. and at the end of the form a free field for your general opinion.
If you are interested in that location, question the forum and I am sure that there is always some one who’s been there and can give you his personal opinion without being involved to a personal grouch with the place.
That should be more practical for a potential client to understand where is going and what facility are available.
Statements like , the owner was impolite or the neighbor too noisy or too dirty or ??? are statements some what personal and most of the time do not reflect the actual status unless you describe the issue and let the reader decide whether the guy or girl were impolite or you are a pain in the neck. (respectfully quoted).
I quote this as an example, I am not a saint and I like to see some piece of skin specially if it belong to a your woman but there is limit when you live in a community, two years ago, at two or three sides away from where I was, a group of young and not too young people had a very, very wild party, so wild that some girls decided to catch the moon, around the camp with no shirt or .. etc…, I personally didn’t complain (I am not a devoted catholic and if god decided to give you skin he might intended to show it around) but, being in a public place and some people didn’t like it, the following morning, all party had been kicked out of the premises.
What would you expect a campground’s report from someone of these people that have been unceremoniously kicked out and if this is the case, don’t you think that the camp owner should have the right to justify his actions ?
One other issue which I cannot criticize is the moderator’s review of the complaint, how can he/she decide to make a proper judgment of whether to publish or not a report ? Yes, I believe that there are certain reports obvious and easy to PA without a second thought but others….
Having said the above, I thing it is the camp owner right to comment about improper review and RVers. Interest in acquiring certain facts.

You are sooo right. I stayed in a campground in Mississippi and the trains sounded like they were coming through the camper. It was actually scary. Of course they had to blare on the horn the whole time to make sure everyone was awake. Stayed at a campground in Petersburg VA right off 95. There was truck stop at the exit. Need I say more? No sleep that night either.

I stay at a park each spring and fall for a month or so at a time. Recent reviews on the park have included statements such as "the network stations on the cable TV are from California, what's with that?" and "there was a white van shuttling people around we were not told about". The owner was aware of the reviews, and would have responded if it was possible. The cable comes out of California, because the only cable television available is a park owned private system that gets it's programming from Directv, they don't have the option of any local stations, because there are none. As for the van, apparently during the reviewer's stay, there was a group of 5 families in various rigs and accomodations, one of which was a family staying in a cabin who had a 12 passenger van. They picked up various family members to go on various outings. It was not a campground service. This information is not combative, but would answer the questions raised by the reviewers and give those checking out the reviews more information, instead of leaving them with only questions. Maybe a compromise would be to allow a park response to reviews limited like twitter to only a short response like 150 characters or two sentences. Also it could be highly screened by the forum moderators to only allow corrections of facts, not allowing it to degenerate into a he said/she said battle. The park might be allowed to respond a complaint about narrow sites, by responding "our sites are 30 feet wide" but not allowed to say "our sites are not narrow, that is just the rantings of a deranged poster." Personally, I think the value of the site might be enhanced. A park that took the time to respond to a review might be an indication they actually care about their business and image.

Thank you.