We won an RV resort membership - are they any good?

[myredracer]

We went to an RV show in Feb. and recently found out we won a lifetime membership to an RV resort in Washington. It's worth $2,000. My first reaction is that I am skeptical. Supposedly 1 in every 50 people who enter the draw get a free membership. It just sounds too good to be true.

We've heard of these sorts of places but know nothing about them. This one has an annual due of $295. They have a bunch of affiliates around the US that you can stay in for $10/night. That's about all we know so far and haven't dug into the fine print and restrictions yet. I think there is a max. number of days that you can stay at the home site.

Anyone familiar with these places? What are the pros and cons? Sounds intriguing. They're on the upscale side with manicured grass, numerous amenities, etc. Am guessing it would cut down on riff-raff neighbors (ones that roll in late at night and out real early, are noisy as heck, barking dog(s), excessive thumping/banging, yelling, etc., etc). I like the idea of having affiliates so you can always (I hope) get a spot at one of them.

There's got to be some cons? Maybe they are like a lifetime fitness gym membership where they are next to impossible to get out of? Maybe there's hidden fees somewhere? Maybe they get overbooked sometimes?

[TURBS]

Imo steer clear but again thats jmo

[crocus]

Are you saying that you won a membership, but still have to pay an annual fee and for camping?
Doesn't sound like much of a prize to me!

[Herk7769]

There may be a thread in the Archive section but we have not had this come up recently. So lets "have at it again."

RV resort memberships are a real good deal IF (ALL are required):

1) You camp A LOT (minimum 30 days a year)

2) You LOVE the "home" park you have your membership at and spend at LEAST 15 days a year camping there. EVERY YEAR FOREVER

3) 300 bucks a year, MINIMUM as it can go up, FOREVER whether you camp there or not.

4) Only have a 30 Amp camper. There is a surcharge at almost all campgrounds in the resort chain for 50 amp service.

5) 10 bucks a night at "associated" campgrounds PLUS fees. (Bend over)

6) "Associated" Resorts have waiting lists for "non home" campers. (Good luck getting in).

7) Adding another "Home" resort can cost thousands; with additional maintenance fees.

We got a "FREE" membership with our camper purchase for TWO home parks (limited to east of the Mississippi). It was "Worth Thousands"
We LOVE to camp at Gettysburg and there was a resort there and we LOVE camping in Florida and there was a resort there.

To make the "maintenance fee" ALONE pay, would would have to camp at both our home parks for over 30 days a year. We would have no time left for traveling and seeing the National Parks we wanted to see.

We are not "full timers" (yet) so after examining all the facts, (that are like pulling TEETH from their triple cursed "sales people" to get, we threw our "FREE membership worth thousands of dollars," away.

TANSTAAFL - Hit the "Trail"

[Triguy]

What is the resort name? Maybe some on FRF can share their experiences with it.

I would also Google the resort. I don't know enough about that side of the industry except what pops up on the Trailer sites I frequent. From what I see, there are lots of RV Resorts with bad reviews and some are called scams. Make sure yours is not one of them.

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by crocus

Are you saying that you won a membership, but still have to pay an annual fee and for camping?
Doesn't sound like much of a prize to me!

Agree. If 100 people "won" that same prize, that is $29,500 per year for that RV resort. Don't sign any paperwork until you fully check it out.

[Herk7769]

See the "repeating number" in my post and the comment following TANSTAAFL at the end of the post for your clues to mine.

[myredracer]

The name of the resort is KM Resorts. The campground in Birch Bay, Wa. is called Beachwood.

Link: Beachwood Resort | KM Resorts of America The website is definitely very thin on details and info.

Getting more skeptical all the time.....

[VTX Al]

Originally Posted by myredracer

We went to an RV show in Feb. and recently found out we won a lifetime membership to an RV resort in Washington. It's worth $2,000. My first reaction is that I am skeptical. Supposedly 1 in every 50 people who enter the draw get a free membership. It just sounds too good to be true.

We've heard of these sorts of places but know nothing about them. This one has an annual due of $295. They have a bunch of affiliates around the US that you can stay in for $10/night. That's about all we know so far and haven't dug into the fine print and restrictions yet. I think there is a max. number of days that you can stay at the home site.

Anyone familiar with these places? What are the pros and cons? Sounds intriguing. They're on the upscale side with manicured grass, numerous amenities, etc. Am guessing it would cut down on riff-raff neighbors (ones that roll in late at night and out real early, are noisy as heck, barking dog(s), excessive thumping/banging, yelling, etc., etc). I like the idea of having affiliates so you can always (I hope) get a spot at one of them.

There's got to be some cons? Maybe they are like a lifetime fitness gym membership where they are next to impossible to get out of? Maybe there's hidden fees somewhere? Maybe they get overbooked sometimes?

We have also "won" that "free" membership at Beachwood, I think 3 times now, the last one being at the same show that you "won" yours. A couple of years ago we actually took the mandatory tour (the one you have to take to "win" your free membership, and the one where you find out what it is actually going to cost you). We listened to their pitch,took the tour, collected our $50.00 Camping World voucher, and politely declined to enroll. The park itself is not bad and the program itself would be OK if you are the type to use it - we weren't !! Did not want to limit ourselves to resort "camping" in specific locations, which is the only way that it made financial sense to us.

If you are looking for an excuse for a day trip to Washington and don't mind a fairly high pressure sales pitch, by all means, go for it. Just don't expect something for nothing.

...VTX-Al

[DDC]

I've had one since 1993, I am number one on their membership list and my maintenance fee's are a small fraction of what they charge now and my contract says they can't be changed, gave them quite a scare when we brought the contract to them when they wanted to up the fee's, I think we have had our money's worth from it but if I were looking today I think passport America and maybe good-sam is all I would be buying into.
Give some thought to the size of the park membership, they hope and pray that every member does not want to come in at the same time, it's like the airlines selling 1000 tickets for a plane with 350 seats.

[rockwood06]

Originally Posted by myredracer

The name of the resort is KM Resorts. The campground in Birch Bay, Wa. is called Beachwood.

Link: Beachwood Resort | KM Resorts of America The website is definitely very thin on details and info.

Getting more skeptical all the time.....

Go on line and check them out and I am sure you will find a forum on there site.

We are a member of Thousand Trails and have been for about ten years there are pro's and con's with all of them. The memberships are always changing to bring in new customers. When we join the memberships where set up for long term, now some of them have a lower price per year but your membership is restricted for a shorter time frame.

Most camping families are a lot younger and money is some times an issue with long term memberships, so they have lowered the price and changthe terms.

There are a lot of members that are older and have past on and as there spots are vacant there are no new young families coming in because of the cost of living so they are trying new ways to attract families.....I am sorry for being forward about this, but this is how some busniess work, they need to fill the spots.

Just be careful and investigate before you sign on the dotted line and by the way, you started out on the right foot by asking members here on this forum.

[kamp k]

Herk's detailed points are valid and make a ton of sense. Of course nothing is free, but having said that, there are some cost benefits to having one of these memberships, 1) if you camp alot, and 2) if you will camp at your home park FREQUENTLY.

Case in point, we have a membership at a "home resort park" that we camp at anywhere from 28-34 nights per year. It's 2 miles from the beach at we use it primarily in the summer. The yearly dues cost us $635 @ 28 niights per year minimum = $22.67 per night, which is cheaper than the one night fee at any of the state parks in my state that we frequent.

In addition, we also are Coast to Coast members due to our home park affiliation. With C2C, we can camp at other "member parks/resorts" for anywhere from $10-$20 per night, depending on the choice of campground. For example, we have already booked a week this summer at a Myrtle Beach "member" park for $11 per night ($10 rate & $1 per night for electricity surcharge), and we have also booked a week at Hatteras for $10 per night. Holidays are usually restricted, but we always go to our homepark for all major summer holidays anyway. Of course, C2C costs $84.95 per year, and you have to buy points and there are restrictions on the number of times per year you can stay at another member park per year(only twice per year), and you can only make reservations 60 days in advance, which means it could be hard to get a reservation sometimes, but if you plan accordingly, and use the system to your benefit, you can save $$ on a per night basis.

Again, it's only advantageous if you camp ALOT and use your homepark. We've used this method the past three years, and I keep maticulous records of what we spend per year for each and every trip. In 2010, our 56 nights averaged $29.07 per night, in 2011, 52 nights avergage $18.93 (did not need to buy points that year), and in 2012, we have 72 nights planned at $29.37 per night, if we make all 72 days lol. 2012 would have been cheaper, but our homepark charged all members an assessment fee this year to make some upgrades to the park (pavement, add new pads to some sites, etc). Of course, an unexpected assessment fee is also a drawback, but we will still be under $30 per night this year, even with the extra fee. These prices still include our normal trips to State Parks, which we still love, but our State Parks increased their prices this year and are over $30 per night with tax, and many in VA charge $5 per night for a pet fee as well, and almost none of of our State Parks have sewer hook ups, say 2 or 3 of all our State Parks.

I guess it also depends on how and where you camp. If you do a lot of boondocking, COE, etc type parks, then there would be no benefit to having a membership somewhere, but if you have kids and like campgrounds with a lot of activities, kids events, etc, then a membership could make some sense, if you'll use it.

As far as your lifetime membership being worth $2000, I can guarantee you nobody pays for a membership there (as least they shouldn't). These camprgrounds/resorts make their money off the yearly dues, and when the economy took a dive, people were giving these memberships away to get out from having to pay their yearly dues. That't how we got ours, visited the park a few times as C2C members, then decided we liked it so much, we wanted to buy. Found many people wanting to get rid of their membership with the bad economy. The folks we bought from wanted to "sell" us their membership, and we were like, "look, we know you don't want to pay your yearly dues anymore, so we are willing to take it off your hands, but we're not paying you for it." His response, "Where do you want me to mail the deed?"

I wouldn't recommend homeparks and member affiliations to most folks, but like I said, if you use it enough, and use it wisely, you can save some money on your yearly camping fees, at least that's been our experience.

[Terier]

There's not much I can add that hasn't already been mentioned. My brother & s-i-l had a membership that they used regularly. For them it was worth the investment. When my s-i-l went to sell it I wasn't interested based on my style of camping but more so, my modest budget.

Find out if there's a limit of how may times the membership exchanges ownership. My s-i-l membership could only be sold 3 times (new owner was the second owner).

[Mountainmanbob]

Originally Posted by myredracer

#1-we won a lifetime membership to an RV resort in Washington.

#2-It's worth $2,000.

#3-This one has an annual due of $295.

#4-They have a bunch of affiliates around the US that you can stay in for $10/night.

#5-haven't dug into the fine print and restrictions yet.

#6-Maybe there's hidden fees somewhere? Maybe they get overbooked sometimes?

regarding #1 above
usually you or we are not the only winners
there are probably many many

#2 above
so they say

#3 above
are we sure that's all
how many days use do we get for that ??

#4 above
do your homework here
a lot can be said
some of these sales people
are not the cream of the crop

#5 above
there should be plenty
enough to confuse the average person

#6 above
just a couple of the
bad THINGS can can be waiting
right behind your
lucky door

Mountainman

[bean]

Originally Posted by kamp k

These camprgrounds/resorts make their money off the yearly dues, and when the economy took a dive, people were giving these memberships away to get out from having to pay their yearly dues.

Hang on, you mean to say you cannot just stop paying the yearly dues if you don't want to use it anymore ???

If that is the case, I wouldn't touch one with the 40 foot pole.

Bean

[Mountainmanbob]

I think these companies get a
DMV RV List
at least two or three times a year
we get these free campground offers
3 to 5 day stay for free
BUT
one must promise to attend their
sales promotion meeting
man -- talk about high pressure sales
these guys try to get one to believe that
they are a fool if they do not buy today
and the good old line

"This Deal Is Only Good For This Moment"

"Hope That My Boss Don't Find Out"
"What A Deal I Gave You"

and after the sales of the day
the sales people all get together
for one big laugh

Mountainman

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by bean

Hang on, you mean to say you cannot just stop paying the yearly dues if you don't want to use it anymore ???

If that is the case, I wouldn't touch one with the 40 foot pole.

Bean

You signed a contract; remember?

[cyclepuck]

We just bought a new tt and received a bunch of free camping with it. one of the places gave us 3 weeks but had to listen to hour long sales pitch to get it but also received a $50 camping world card. They are nice and there is a lot to do but it is always packed. We go camping to relax not stress because of over crowding. Another advantage is we can go to any of the 5 home sites anytime for free. So we were thinking about till they said $6995 for a membership but if we bought today it's only $5995 plus $295 annual dues. Ahh no thanks. And on top of that they have a bunch of crazy strict rules that they ticket you for and if you get three tickets in a year they boot you with no refund. So make sure you get all the fine details before saying yes.

[prof_fate]

Originally Posted by bean

Hang on, you mean to say you cannot just stop paying the yearly dues if you don't want to use it anymore ???

If that is the case, I wouldn't touch one with the 40 foot pole.

Bean

Yep. If you don't pay you don't get any use of anything and they'll hit up your credit report too.

We bit and bought in..$5400 for 10 years use (not a lifetime deal - that's $3000 more anytime in the 10 years) and $300/year maintenace fee, AOR/ROD/AON membership is an additioanl $150-200 year and there's a condo something you can add as well. They can also hit us with assesments anytime they want...that small print you need to read.

Is it worth it? As others have said if you camp a lot, yes. A spot at a regular campground near our home resort is $3000/year! We've got it for $840. If we opt for the $200/year we can stay free at some of the affiliated resorts (instead of $10/nite). This is optional but it's cheap and lets you go to other resorts - we do use this feature and it's great. You can visit a give resort twice in a year for up to 2 weeks, excluding holidays (only your home resort is open for holidays to you).

We don't camp enough to really make this make sense...this year we may be able to do 18 days so that's $46/nite. But then at our home resort and the other two we've stayed at ALL the activities have been free - mini golf, pools, tennis, etc - and when you've got kids this is a substantial savings. Our home resort also has an 'adult lodge' with 50" plasma tv, books, games, pool table and nobody under 18 is allowed in. The one in ohio we stayed at has an indoor pool, sauna's, etc.

Most are gated and only members get in - does that mean a 'higher class' of neihbors? Can't say for sure, but you get a lot less 'transients' and things seem better kept/cleaner than public campgrounds.

Where it makes great sense is when you retire - go full time and after you've paid off your initial buy in you can live for $300/year plus gasoline. Can't beat that no matter how you do it.

[Herk7769]

prof_fate,

Excellent argument with regards to the benefits of the club plan.
We will most likely "re-attack" the entire issue if we ever sell the house and go "full time."