I also like KOA. About 15 years ago, we bought a 13-year membership to a Resorts of Distinction campground in PA which qualified us to also join Coast to Coast and use Hopaway Holidays. Our campground had a sister campground in NY which we could use about the same as our home campground. We didn’t use the membership at the ROD campgrounds as much as we would have liked, but I loved the security and sometimes went tent camping solo. We used the Coast to Coast several times, getting a particularly good deal once near Disneyland and took the whole family. Loved Hopaway Holiday and got some super deals on it. These trips help offset the expense of the ROD membership. About 7-8 years in, we paid to extend the 13-year period to lifetime.
Around year 11, the owner of our home campground sold it but assured all the members that our memberships would be honored by the buyers. A couple months short of the 13 years, all members were informed by the new owners that the memberships would NOT be honored. Hit hardest were members who paid to have permanent sites for trailer-type homes and folks who had just signed on. Some people lost up to $20,000. In light of that, I’m thankful we lost only the upgrade money which was significant but not nearly what others did.
Of course, not signing onto another home campground and no longer belonging to ROD, that automatically wiped out being eligible for Coast and Hopaway which was also a real bummer.
Live and learn - the legalese of the contract was such that if the owner sold, new owners weren’t obligated in any way. So, the owner we contracted with basically got away with a whole lot of money.
If you sign on to such thing with a home campground, MAKE SURE your contract is done in a way that this won’t happen to you.
Yes! KOA’s arent the cheapest, but they don’t try to be something they’re not and you don’t have to sign onto some massive contract that you need a law degree to get out of. Worst case, the $40 you spend a year for the Rewards program isnt used, you just don’t renew.
Sorry to hear you had to deal with that. There’s a lot of reasons why i’m not yet ready to go seasonal anywhere yet, or sign into some large ownership group, your case is one of my reasons. That, and I love to explore and not be weighed down to one campground or chain of locations.
I also like KOA. About 15 years ago, we bought a 13-year membership to a Resorts of Distinction campground in PA which qualified us to also join Coast to Coast and use Hopaway Holidays. Our campground had a sister campground in NY which we could use about the same as our home campground. We didn’t use the membership at the ROD campgrounds as much as we would have liked, but I loved the security and sometimes went tent camping solo. We used the Coast to Coast several times, getting a particularly good deal once near Disneyland and took the whole family. Loved Hopaway Holiday and got some super deals on it. These trips help offset the expense of the ROD membership. About 7-8 years in, we paid to extend the 13-year period to lifetime.
Around year 11, the owner of our home campground sold it but assured all the members that our memberships would be honored by the buyers. A couple months short of the 13 years, all members were informed by the new owners that the memberships would NOT be honored. Hit hardest were members who paid to have permanent sites for trailer-type homes and folks who had just signed on. Some people lost up to $20,000. In light of that, I’m thankful we lost only the upgrade money which was significant but not nearly what others did.
Of course, not signing onto another home campground and no longer belonging to ROD, that automatically wiped out being eligible for Coast and Hopaway which was also a real bummer.
Live and learn - the legalese of the contract was such that if the owner sold, new owners weren’t obligated in any way. So, the owner we contracted with basically got away with a whole lot of money.
If you sign on to such thing with a home campground, MAKE SURE your contract is done in a way that this won’t happen to you.
Yes! KOA’s arent the cheapest, but they don’t try to be something they’re not and you don’t have to sign onto some massive contract that you need a law degree to get out of. Worst case, the $40 you spend a year for the Rewards program isnt used, you just don’t renew.
Sorry to hear you had to deal with that. There’s a lot of reasons why i’m not yet ready to go seasonal anywhere yet, or sign into some large ownership group, your case is one of my reasons. That, and I love to explore and not be weighed down to one campground or chain of locations.