Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Topic: Campground Memberships (General Discussion) (Read 1825 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #25 – October 28, 2012, 04:39:12 pm

I absolutely agree that there have been lots of scams perpetrated under the name of membership camping. I've been to sales presentations at Western Horizons and Colorado River Adventures and their memberships were as much as TT for a lot few parks...just didn't make sense to be so restricted for such a large investment.

We bought our TT membership from a resale company in Florida and it was a good deal except for one thing...the dues are subject to Florida sales tax every year and there's nothing I can do about it!

Other than that, it has more than paid for itself over the years, even with the upgrade we purchased. However, I am fully aware that if every member used the system as much as I do, it wouldn't work...they depend on people not using it much but paying yearly dues to sustain it. So for fulltimers who are on a tight budget but want hookups it's great. For vacationers it can be good if you live close to a park and want to store your RV onsite like a second home.

And for the record, transfer fees for TT are $750 unless you get a really old membership that has a lesser amount written into the contract. Also, memberships can be turned in to the company if you no longer want to use it or pay dues. I believe some membership organizations didn't allow that and forced people to pay dues or sell it, but not so with TT...

Tys

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #26 – October 28, 2012, 05:49:55 pm

Good topic, thanks to all who have posted. After our first whirlwind tour of the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Glacier NP's and then return to the house in MA, we too are looking at whether CG memberships would be worth it to us. From our trip log I just compiled all of our overnight camping costs from 1/1/2012 until we arrived in MA in early Aug. Being stationary in FL for 3 months helped contain costs. Looking at my data, it showed a total of 213 nights at average cost of $17.34/night. Of that only 9 nights were Wal-Mart stays but there were many other free sites (less than 25 hrs gen run time). Grand Canyon and Yellowstone (fishing bridge) were the cost leaders. We did not go out of our way/route to seek out good rates but carefully weighed our options by utilizing Escapees Day's End, Passport America, city/municipal/state/COE/BOR/Nat Parks and friends driveways etc. We did have a specific itinerary due to the reservations we had at the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone so that somewhat dictated our route and lengths of stays. Not sure where our 2013(and beyond) travels will take us and I guess we need to figure that out before think about committing to any memberships. At my current overnight rate I probably don't need a membership like TT or the likes of it. All of the "campground memberships" seem to be scam oriented and you really have to carefully READ AND UNDERSTAND the fine print.

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #27 – October 28, 2012, 09:29:05 pm

Quote from: Rick – October 28, 2012, 05:49:55 pm

All of the campground memberships" seem to be scam oriented and you really have to carefully READ AND UNDERSTAND the fine print.

I would agree with the exception of Passport America The original 50% Discount Camping Club - Passport America where the only thing would need to watch out for are the restrictions of the member campgrounds as they are all different. But it is good at any member campground and only cost $44 a year. And you can join when checking in to a member campground and it will apply during your stay. You go to PA's web page and look up a particular campground and you will find something like this: "Open year-round. PA is valid for 1 night. PA is not valid June, July, and October. Reservations are optional. Credit cards accepted. Pets welcome. *Plus 10% sales tax. $4.00 addl for sewer. Rates are for 2 people. $5 for each addl adult and $3 for each child." It will also tell the daily rate i.e. $30. and give the PA 50% discount of $15. Some PA parks let you only stay one day and others will allow up to 7 days. Most say no weekends, but not all. There are over 1800 campgrounds, with some dropping out regularly, and and new ones joining regularly.

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #28 – October 28, 2012, 11:22:20 pm

see what I mean about all these memberships--you have to be very carefull and watch the fine print. This to me sounds like a 'gotcha'. Each one of the answers has a "but" attached.
I will stick to my church lots etc etc and solar, and a few campgrounds for good luck.
John H

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #29 – October 28, 2012, 11:46:06 pm

The absolute most important item to watch for when signing contracts: If you decide to not continue your membership, can you just stop paying the annual fee?

With many contracts, if you cannot find a buyer, you must continue to pay the annual fee.

Sometimes nobody wants your contract, even if you give it to them, because the annual fee is forever.

We have hear of the contract arrears being enforced against the estate of the deceased.

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #30 – October 29, 2012, 12:14:04 am

I was wondering how long it would take before someone here would bring up these SCARE tactics.

Such as having to pay for something long after you die or that if no one wanted your membership that you had no recourse. For those of you contemplating buying one of these memberships, please don't let these scare tactics cloud your decision to purchase a membership. These folks are all wet. They themselves have NOT had such an experience and certainly if they had, my only question is why didn't you contact an attorney? Really now, are you trying to tell me that you are that stupid? I happen to have first hand knowledge that all you have to do is send your contract by certified mail/return receipt requested back to the headquarters of the company that furnished the contract and your dues will cease FOREVER on the date that they receive your contract. SIMPLE, definitely!!! Yes you are out the original cost of the membership, but let's face it...these people trying to sell their contracts on eBay aren't getting what they are asking for the majority of the time.

BTW, I personally did this with a Western Horizons contract and also a Coast to Coast contract and without an attorney getting involved. Before you freely go passing out rumors, check the validity of your statements. Both the Federal Trade Commission as well as the Supreme Court have documents and rulings that forbid such actions. Of course, if you let these threats control your life, I'm almost certain the high pressure tactics of some salesman will do all he can to convince you that even after you are dead and gone, they can collect from your estate. Stupid is as Stupid does!

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #31 – October 29, 2012, 11:33:21 am

Quote

Would I do solar again? NO WAY! It's just like buying a hybrid automobile today. When you add up the extra weight that those panels and batteries carry with them and the eventual cost of replacement solar panels as well as batteries and let's not forget you have to sunshine with a UV rating of at least 8 to do much good—well I just didn't want to be married to my solar system and have to change the position of those solar panels every 3-4 hours to maximize your generating power...I gave up on that idea. I'm not saying that it's a waste for anyone else. After all, each of us have our own wants & desires. Mine just happens to be that I want my creature comforts more often than I'm willing to do without.

FWIW. When we went from one RV to another our solar system traveled with us, never had to pay to replace any panels. If you leave your solar panels on your rig when you trade it in, all you are doing is giving the dealership an advantage when reselling without compensation. Our Kyrocera panels carry a 25 year warranty, try to find that long a warranty on any RV system, heck try to find ANY warranty for that period of time. As far as replacing batteries, you will be replacing batteries sooner or later solar or no. Maintenance of your batteries will determine the frequency of replacement. When we park in the boonies we orient the coach in the correct direction and leave it. You can have 100KW worth of panels on the roof, but without the batteries to store that power all you have are bragging rights no real benefits. If a solar system is properly sized, installed properly it is as trouble free as anything else that is man made, and will provide you with all the power you need to live comfortably. We have no need of a campground umbilical cord, we prefer the freedom of boondocking and the comfort that solar provides. As you say whatever works.

Roland

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #32 – October 29, 2012, 11:33:59 am

I bought a resale TT/NACO membership about 25 years ago and gave it up a few years later due to changes thay made, closing parks and restricting me to TT only (while my "home" park was NACO). Fortunately, my contract was one that could be cancelled without the need to sell it to someone. I cancelled it and stopped making payments, but this did not stop TT from sending my bills to collections for the next few years. Getting out was more trouble than the membership was worth.

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #33 – October 29, 2012, 11:38:05 am

John, in all fairness to Barrie's "Quote"We have hear of the contract arrears being enforced against the estate of the deceased."
I looked at it as info that was passed onto them in regards to the issue, and NOT one that he himself had experienced.
I do not see anything in my post that would necessitate the comment of "being all wet" and many previous forum answers had "provisions (or the like)" in them. These read to me that the people that had memberships actually experienced these issues!!
Barrie's comment may (or may not) be true, but I can attest the he is definitely not "ALL WET" and I have never met the man, but, by reading his very informative help since I have been a member, i would respect his information before I decided he needed "towelling down"
This discussion has served it's purpose in so much as one has to "read the information you are given, and also between the lines" before signing on the dotted line!
Regarding the "Hybrid" issue, I guess if one owned a horse and buggy to get around then a "new fangled automobile" would have been classed as a hybrid too in the early years??
With all respect to you.
John H

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #34 – October 29, 2012, 12:24:47 pm

This topic was posted as a "General Discussion" . Lets not loose site of our Forum Friendship !

Various points are brought up for discussion, consideration, and advice on decision making...( I'm sure glad the "Smite" button was removed

)

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #35 – October 29, 2012, 02:20:09 pm

Please accept my apology for anything I've said that may have offended anyone. I have met Barry and certainly the last thing I was trying to imply is that Barry is "all wet" in his various past posts about other subjects. Barry is by far one of the most knowledgeable people I've ever met and I myself have held him and his other half Cindy in high esteem. I definitely agree...READ BETWEEN THE LINES on any contract. Had that been all he said, I would never have posted anything to the contrary.

Laying out a scare statement that one has never personally experienced "hearsay" can easily be misinterpreted. After all if we go back and read the first few messages that started this thread, I think you will agree that no one was trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes. I know all of my postings should not have been misconstrued. I have nothing to gain by "selling" my membership. I don't pay dues (haven't since January 2011) and when the contract expires in July 2014, I will have paid nothing nor owe nothing when the expiration date arrives. I have kept it ONLY with the hope that I can someday use it to stay in a cabin or yurt. That hope is diminishing rapidly with each passing day. Why don't I just GIVE it away? I tried that along with thousands of dollars worth of RV parts & misc. supplies (half of which were brand new still in their sealed wrap from the mfg.) as an extra incentive for someone to purchase my coach. No one even blinked an eye. I figure that asking $300 for a contract that originally cost me close to $10K is about the same as giving it away. At this very moment, a friend (dating back to January 2007) whom I had the pleasure of meeting face-to-face for the 1st time earlier this month, took those spare parts with him to use as door prizes at FT rallies and distribute to a few special folks along his route home.

Unfortunately, there are many different ways that a person can take the statement Barry made and misconstrue its meaning. Obviously, I made a different choice than some of the others who have commented. It's probably best that I fall back into the woodwork for awhile, considering that I no longer own a FT. My memory and my health both seem to be going in the same direction.

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #36 – October 29, 2012, 02:58:21 pm

John,
A couple of days ago, I sent you an private email using the Forum option, and have not heard back. ( Within the last month or so, I have sent out emails or PM's to a half dozen members and recently had confirmed with one member(I had his private email address) that he had not received my message sent thru the Forum. )
Is anyone else having this problem; or just me?

I just tried again to send a private email to you John with the same message, that I have interest in your membership and would like to at least discuss it with you offline, or rather, off forum. As often, I get an error message and then, when I go back, the post disappears.... Other times the message never gets through apparently...........

Please email me at s.v.memoryrose@gmail.com
Thank you, ron

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #37 – October 29, 2012, 05:44:34 pm

Thanks John, Got the response from you stating 'you' received my message thru the forum and privately. ron

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #38 – October 29, 2012, 06:57:43 pm

Quote from: John Christman – October 26, 2012, 09:28:52 pm

k.
. If you are really interested, I have an unlimited campground membership that still has almost two years left on the original contract for Thousand Trails. It is eligible for another 10 year renewal at the full original price I paid. All you need to do is send me a check for $300 plus pay the $750 transfer fee and whatever the yearly dues are now. That will get you 50 nights/yr at extra NO CHARGE and any nights in excess of 50 will cost you $5 night. There are no other conditions unless you want to have guests or want to stay in one of their cabins or yurts. Some parks have 50amp service. Most all of them have 30amp and water only. There are a few parks in the system that provide full hookups. Only parks that offer 50A service may charge you $2-3 extra per night and some parks charge nothing extra for 50 amp. Send me a PM if this is something that interests you. The one concern that you should have before buying any USED membership is to know for sure that there is NOTHING owing on that membership or you will be caught with your pants down! (john@newgypsy.info)

It sounds like you have one of the old Alliance memberships that was upgraded to a Getaway membership 8 years ago. In that case, the ten year expiration date only applies to the free week a year stay in the Getaway cabins. So in 2 years this membership can be upgraded to include more years of cabin use, but can also be used for just camping without an additional investment. Also, I believe there are two dues options....one rate for 50 nights free and $5 a night thereafter, and another higher dues rate for unlimited free camping all year.(Read the original contract that was issued prior to the upgrade contract for these details.) For $300 plus the $750 transfer fee this is a great deal folks!

Tys

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #39 – October 30, 2012, 03:20:25 am

John,

I sent you a PM re your membership. Let me know if you received it.

Thanks,
Tim

Foretravel Owners' Forum For owners and Fans of Foretravel Motorcoaches September 13, 2025 ...

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #25 – October 28, 2012, 04:39:12 pm

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #26 – October 28, 2012, 05:49:55 pm

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #27 – October 28, 2012, 09:29:05 pm

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #28 – October 28, 2012, 11:22:20 pm

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #29 – October 28, 2012, 11:46:06 pm

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #30 – October 29, 2012, 12:14:04 am

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #31 – October 29, 2012, 11:33:21 am

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #32 – October 29, 2012, 11:33:59 am

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #33 – October 29, 2012, 11:38:05 am

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #34 – October 29, 2012, 12:24:47 pm

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #35 – October 29, 2012, 02:20:09 pm

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #36 – October 29, 2012, 02:58:21 pm

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #37 – October 29, 2012, 05:44:34 pm

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #38 – October 29, 2012, 06:57:43 pm

Re: Campground Memberships (General Discussion)

Reply #39 – October 30, 2012, 03:20:25 am

Affiliate Notice