Question about GB Cancellations and refunds

[LANShark42]

Wasn't sure where to post this. Hope this is ok...

Just had to cancel our reservations for an RV "Resort Park" on the Florida panhandle. We made the reservations about a month ago and had every intention of keeping them. We have friends who made reservations at the same CG for the same time. They are still going, but unfortunately our situation has changed and we have to cancel.

When I called to notify the CG of our cancellation, I was told there would be a $25 cancellation fee. Keep in mind, I'm making this cancellation 3 WEEKS in advance. This fee is not mentioned anywhere on the CG's website and was not mentioned during our initial conversation when I made the reservation. When I mentioned this to the lady taking my call, she said the policy is printed on the e-mail receipt I received. It occurs to me that this notice came to me AFTER we had finished our transaction. So at that time, I could do nothing to act on it. I know it's not much money, but it's the principle of the matter. When she asked if I wanted to reschedule, I told her no, that I would not be staying there after they take my $25 for nothing. I'm considering taking this us with the FL BBB. I would think they would want to treat their tourists (i.e their bread and butter) better.

Thoughts?

[BooBoo23]

Each campground makes their own rules for cancellations. Nearly all of them will charge for the first night and cancel the rest of any stay. A few will let you cancel up to 24 hours before. I just made reservations through Reserve America and found out I needed to be there a day earlier and asked to move the date. There is a $10 cancellation fee for any changes or cancellations for anything through Reserve America or Reservation.gov. I called them within minutes of the first reservation. I didn't want to pay a $10 cancellation fee for a campsite that costs $9 so I just reserved another night and leave a day earlier and just saved $1 of the cancellation.
Many campgrounds will let you reserve a different day/night and then will waive the cancellation fee.

[LANShark42]

It's not really about their policy itself. It just seems deceptive to not mantion the policy during the reservation call and to not have the policy on the Fees page of their Website.

[lbrjet]

If you would have asked they would have told you.


2010 F250 5.4L 3.73
2011 Flagstaff 831FKBSS
Equal-i-zer 4pt 12K

[Triguy]

Originally Posted by LANShark42

It's not really about their policy itself. It just seems deceptive to not mantion the policy during the reservation call and to not have the policy on the Fees page of their Website.

Maybe deceptive. Or, it could just be a small owner who doesn't know better.

You're the one who knows the place well so can best decide their intentions.

But, to your question about what to do? That's a personal thing. I'd let it go because hashing it out further is a hassle and the money is not significant YMMV.

If it was a significant $ amount, or I felt they were truly trying to run a scam, than I would simply report through my credit card and involve them. CC buyer protection varies by card so you need to check. Our card will investigate and then reimburse us directly if they find the company to be at fault.

[widogmom]

$25 is not a bad hit, IMHO. One year we paid in full in advance for a late-season trip; the weather turned very early, and we had an elderly, sick dog at the time...didn't want to put her through the discomfort. Called a week in advance and explained the situation; the campground wouldn't do anything, not even throw us a bone, and we'd been camping there every fall for years. Lost the whole weekend's camping fee. By contrast, one of our favorite campgrounds doesn't even take a deposit, and they are awesome about changing sites/rescheduling/crises/etc. So much variation from one business owner to another. I agree with those who've said let it go...not worth your stomach lining, and you probably won't get your money back.

[Oaklevel]

A $25 to $50 cancellation fee is common no deception it costs them for changes.......... Where we go we have to make summer reservations up to 18 months in advance. The fees are in place but yes things change but they have expenses too.


Two sides to everything. A campground we frequent did not require a deposit for a stay....... But they ended having to as too many sites were held open & the campers didn't feel they needed to show up or let them know that they could not make it..

[Lefty59]

LANShark42: I agree it seems like a shady business practice not to fully disclose the terms of the deal until after the customer buys the product (in this case a reservation). However, 'buyer beware' is a well known bit of advice for just this type of situation.

In a case like this, I'd have to ask myself if knowing of the cancellation fee beforehand would have changed my reservation plans. If not, after expressing my displeasure with the CG, I'd have to chalk it up to a learning experience and make a mental note for future reservations to always ask about any CG cancellation policies in advance.

We've already paid $36 in cancellation fees this year for two trips we had to forgo but at least the fee policy was clear at the time we made the reservations...not an after the reservation is made surprise as occurred in your case.