By Chuck Woodbury
EDITOR
This is a story about pissing off the wrong person or in this case RVing family. Please excuse the language, but I wanted to make a point.
As I reported three weeks ago, Jason Epperson and his wife, Abby, who travel full-time with three young boys, were evicted from a Colorado RV park late last month for allegedly violating a park rule that prohibited the delivery of mail or packages.
The Montrose – San Juan RV Resort in Montrose, Colorado, claimed if it allowed guests to receive mail, it would somehow place the park in a landlord-tenant relationship, which could make it a challenge to evict guests later if necessary.
We checked with the state of Colorado and campground industry insiders about this, as well as with our friend Don Humes at America’s Mailbox, an authority on domicile issues for RVers, and none could point us to any regulation that stated if a Colorado RV park accepted mail for a short-term guest that would, by itself, establish a landlord-tenant relationship. Humes noted that while he is not specifically familiar with Colorado law, in general, “domicile” is established by the address on a person’s driver license, where they are registered to vote or where they do their banking.
Speaking from experience, I can tell you that in three out of the last four years traveling around the country with my RV, I almost never encountered a park that did not allow me to receive mail there.
Jason had ordered a computer late at night at the Montrose park after his own died, to be delivered the next day. He was unaware he was violating any rule. He operates an online business; a computer is essential. When FedEx tried to deliver it, the park turned the driver away. The driver promptly called Jason, who walked off the property to claim the computer, then brought it back to the RV.
Then he, Abby and the boys headed off for a day of sightseeing at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. When they returned, Jason was surprised to find an email from park manager Tom Vail, instructing the family to leave, citing the mail delivery rule.
Much happened afterwards including some heated discussion, but nothing that should have even remotely warranted an eviction. Jason and Abby were so incredulous at what had happened they streamed a live video on Facebook as they packed up and left. Watch it here.
Manager Tom Vail had earlier called the Montrose County Sheriff’s Department, which dispatched several officers, who talked with the parties involved. No charges were ever pressed, none even suggested.
And, the fact is, the “no mail” rule, as stated in the park’s literature, which you see below, states it applies to long-term residents. Jason and Abby were staying five days. And so, the rule did not apply to them. I would have reacted the same as Jason and Abby, stunned being evicted for violating a rule that didn’t even apply. Most parks, I suggest, would offer a reminder to a guest, not simply evict them. In my decades of RVing, I have never heard of such harsh treatment.
What the park manager Tom Vail did not consider when treating the couple so harshly, was that they have a large following on their website RVmiles.com, plus a popular weekly podcast and YouTube channel. In this age of social media, any business must be very careful who they mess with, or risk a huge backlash.
Before the current incident with Jason and Abby, the park had 75 one-star reviews on Yelp, many mentioning unreasonable treatment from Vail.
So why did Jason and Abby even stay, given the many bad reviews? When researching the place, the couple had noticed a reference to “Under New Management.” They reasoned the negative reviews were no longer relevant.
The couple’s video went viral on YouTube, quickly reaching 157,000 views. Viewers left nasty comments directed at the park, angry voice mails, and began posting reviews on Yelp, campground rating websites, and apps, all one star. The park phone rang constantly with often hateful messages.
Such negative reviews would surely result in a significant loss of business in the future. The park retained a PR firm to do damage control.
Alan Warren, the host of the The RV Show USA social media and syndicated radio program was approached with the offer of an eyewitness testimony, a park resident named Al, who Warren then interviewed on this show. He later publicized the interview on his many Facebook groups. He never talked to Jason and Abby. Warren justified his long interview with “eyewitness” Al because, he noted, “there are two sides to every story.”
Unfortunately Al’s testimony was full of holes and irrelevant rants. He made statements he could not possibly have witnessed. He said, for example, that the sheriff’s office had escorted the Epperson family to the county line when leaving the park. “They not only escorted them out of the park, they escorted them out of the county,” he told Warren.
That does not happen in America, the last I looked. Actually, the family drove seven miles to another RV park.
Al ranted about the children running around the campground (which even if true was not relevant to the reasons for the eviction) and that Jason and the neighbor the couple was traveling with (who used the F-word once talking with Vail) were “hunters” and were therefore likely armed. Did he feel threatened? Jason told me neither men hunt nor do they carry firearms.
Al, whose last name Warren did not mention, claimed that Jason and Abby’s neighbor, Robert Armstead, had grabbed Tom Vail’s arm in anger and had “spit on him.” The sheriff’s report makes no mention of that. Jason denies it, too.
Our staff writer Russ De Maris spent many hours making phone calls and doing research to get the facts straight for this story. His calls to manager Vail and the property owner, Barber RVP, a Colorado limited liability corporation, were not returned.
I am convinced that Jason and Abby should never have been evicted from the campground. They did nothing wrong. I spoke with Alan Warren three times including once before he posted the video publicly, pleading with him to not do it. It was, I thought, incomplete, biased and unfair to Jason and Abby. I gave him Jason’s phone number but he did not call. Alan removed the video a day or two ago after more than week on his channels.
Here’s a follow-up video Jason and Abby recorded, explaining in nine minutes what happened after their first video. Its message is directed to Warren, although they do not mention him or his business by name.
The sheriff’s report of the incident is below.
The incident report
From the Montrose County Sheriff’s Department
From Jason and Abby: We have redacted our friend’s name for his privacy, and one swear word in case it gets flagged by YouTube: *****
On 07/29/2020, at approximately 1607 hours, WestCo Dispatch Center informed me of a disturbance, at 22045 Highway 550, in the County of Montrose, Colorado. Dispatch advised, an irate male party was being verbally aggressive at that location. Deputies responded to that address, where we contacted Tommy Vail (DOB: 09/06/1951).
Tommy stated, he is the owner of the RV Resort at this address, and he had a party violate the resort’s policy on receiving mail at the resort. Tommy stated, Jason Epperson (DOB: XX/XX/XXXX) attempted to have mail sent to him at the resort, which is expressly forbidden in the reservation agreement Jason signed prior to his arrival at the resort. Tommy said the office refused the package, but Jason received it outside the gates anyway despite the policy violation.
Tommy stated, when he informed Jason of the violation, another party who is travelling with Jason, later identified as XXXXXX XXXXXXXX (DOB: XX/XX/XXXX) became irate and began yelling at Tommy. Tommy stated XXXXXX used swear words, and there were small children around during the confrontation, which Tommy stated he will not tolerate at his resort.
Tommy stated he wanted both XXXXXX and Jason’s parties to leave the resort due to the policy violation and subsequent disturbance that was created. I then contacted Jason, who told a very similar story to what Tommy had stated. Jason told me, he frequently stays in RV Parks, and in the past there has never been an issue with receiving mail at one. Jason stated he understands he should have read the park policies more thoroughly, but said the section which prohibits mail being sent to guests is in the section titled “Long-term visitors” and Jason was only planning to stay for a few days, so he did not read that part.
When the delivery driver called him, Jason went out to get his package and did not think anything more of it. Jason stated he expected the park to be nicer about the violation and give them a warning or have a discussion about it, rather than just sending an e-mail and then asking them to leave. Jason said XXXXXX took offense to the way the complaint was handled, and when he vocalized this to resort employees, he used one swear word.
Jason said the response from the park was disproportionate to the offense, and he felt the whole situation was ridiculous. Jason asked what would happen if he refused to leave, and told me the RV he stays in is his “domicile” so he cannot be made to leave unless he is legally evicted.
I advised Jason, as he was a guest of the resort and had simply made a reservation, he could not be considered a tenant or resident at the address. As the owner, Tommy, was stating he wanted Jason and his traveling companions off the property, if he refused Jason could be cited for trespassing. Jason stated he disagreed with this, but stated they would leave because he did not want further problems.
Deputies spoke with XXXXXX, who advised them, Jason ordered a Macbook, to be delivered to the RV resort. When it arrived, the office refused the delivery, stating it was against policy. At this point, the delivery driver contacted Jason by phone and arranged to meet with him outside the gates to deliver his package. The resort owner found out about the delivery and sent Jason an e-mail stating he was in violation of resort rules, and advising him he needed to leave. XXXXXX heard about the email and became agitated, because he did not feel the response from Tommy was fair and felt Jason should be allowed to remain in the resort despite his violation.
XXXXXX stated he confronted Tommy, and said “this is fXXXing ridiculous” and at that point Tommy contacted law enforcement. Deputies asked if any threats were made, and XXXXXX stated no. Deputies asked if it was physical, and XXXXXX again said no.
Deputies informed both parties they were being asked to leave, and they stated the process of packing their campers was likely to take several hours. XXXXXX expressed to me that he did not want deputies present around his children, who he stated are home schooled and would be affected by law enforcement being near them. I advised XXXXXX, the park owner had given deputies permission to be on the premises and as long as we were performing duties related to our job, our presence could not be avoided.
Deputies remained on scene until XXXXXX and Jason’s parties had left the resort. As they left, Tommy advised deputies XXXXXX was recording out his window and yelling profanities at resort staff. Deputies then cleared the call without further incident.
BOND AMOUNT: n/a SUPPLEMENT(S): n/a Victim Notification Form? n/a Victim Rights Pamphlet? n/a /s/ Deputy S. Belcher Post# B3088-2486 CASE STATUS: Cleared non-criminal
My wife and I had an experience with landlord/tenant law. We invited a friend of our daughter who was living in her car in February in PA and temperatures were freezing, into our home for a couple weeks. She paid no rent, but was considered a tenant because she received mail at our address. It took at least 6 months and two court appearances to finally get her out of our home. The second court appearance required us to hire an attorney, which cost us a fair amount of money. Police were called several times, but they could not do anything and said we had to go to court to evict her. Be careful who you try to help by inviting them into your home!
Mark K:
Your situation applies in most states, regardless if you have a contract with that person or not.
My Mother had a similar situation in Wisconsin and ended up being sued by a person she called “A Friend”! Fortunately, the court sided with my Mother and her “Friend” was ORDERED to get out! But, she also pilfered several items from my Mother’s house on her way out too.
So, you have to be careful!
You really can’t trust anyone anymore can you. I know I don’t.
We’re not getting enough facts to decide this case. But the alleged victims obviously did not have tenency in the RV Park otherwise the Sheriff would not have been able to evict them.
And it seems like the natural reaction to anger probably backfired and contributed to the park manager’s unwillingness to exercise leniency. Some friend swearing and (allegedly) spitting does not help one’s case to Management wanting you to stay. The Golden Rule applies to both sides. I would be careful about taking sides to this without full information to avoid online libel laws, especially if economic damage is done to the park or manager.
For the record, I have no personal knowledge of the case and no affiliation with any of the parties so don’t call me a shill for the reputation repair company. If I have any bias, it is only against celebrity You Tubers who think they can do anything they want and get away with it because they are famous, including disrespect park Management.
The email sent and received before talking to Tom said you have to leave TODAY. No come talk to us, read the rules, etc. Just get out. They tried to talk sense to him but he wouldn’t listen. The friend said under his breath “This is Fing ridiculous” Didn’t curse at Tom didn’t spit on him.
Police report doesn’t support what you are saying. It wasn’t said under his breath. He admitted he cursed at Tom. “Jason said XXXXXX took offense to the way the complaint was handled, and when he vocalized this to resort employees, he used one swear word.”
And Jason said he was told in email he had to leave the following day. After he and his friend escalated everything and the police were called, then they were told to leave that day. They escalated it. Get your facts straight.
https://youtu.be/odJi_MDHj3o watch and learn what Tom is.. it will scare you on video.
This.
You are way off topic with this comment because this relates to lodging and not Landlord Tenants rights. Try to stay on topic and add relevant comments.
I am very disappointed in Alan Warren, the host of the The RV Show USA for not vetting his guest story to see if what was said had occurred. It appears to be easy enough to do just by reading the police report.
Unfortunately Alan was not a true journalist that verified the so called witness. Hmm, reminds me of our so called National journalist.
Again very disappointed in Alan, which for me calls into question his true character.
I’m glad that you recognized the flaws in the report that Warren used, several of which I had pointed out as well. When a “witness” starts making statements about things which he could not have observed it casts doubt on the whole testimony.
Thanks Chuck:
I am sure glad you did this follow up and report on this very nasty and ridiculous incident!
It should never have happened and I would hope that the Owner (s) of the park would be quick to remove this manager and get someone with a little more, (NO A LOT MORE) common sense in place.
They probably need to rewrite their SILLY Rules too!
I have said it before, Camping should be and is a Fun Adventure. However, when you treat people in this manner, then it is no longer fun, and you feel like you are in a concentration camp.
I wish all the best to Jason at RV Miles and his Family and hope they NEVER have to experience anything like this again!
By the way Chuck: I guess this RV Park in Colorado is NOT one of those Overcrowded ones you talk about and probably won’t be in the Future, LOL!
Take Care,
JT
I hope people will not only boycott the campground but also Alan Warrens show.
To Chuck and all his staff, This is why I only read and follow your websites. Because I know that you do your best to report only true and honest news and opinions. I also believe that if you ever did screw up and report something erroneous you would correct it immediately because that’s the type of people you are. You represent the good about RVing. Thanks for supplying the whole story on this. I think karma may come back to them on this one.
Happy Camping.
Once “….the no mail rule”, didn’t apply, I would have demanded a refund and an apology! Case Closed.
Unbelievable, I’m working at a campground in Grand Tetons Nat. Park for the summer. We allow campers to receive packages at the campground through FedEx and UPS, USPS does not deliver to the campground. If the campground in CO keeps this policy, they should clearly state what constitutes a “long term camper”.
Truly an over reaction by the campground staff. Also an example of those who don’t practice any faith or they would have treated thy neighbor as they would be treated themselves.
Simply pathetic is only words that describe this. What has become of common sense and leadership? The manager should have simply told the man to step across the line, accept his computer and go about his business. An explanation as to why the park does not allow such behavior could have resulted in nothing ever being known about this debacle Now a lot of time and effort in damage control, not to mention all of he dime store lawyers getting involved. Common sense and leadership is sorely lacking in many park s.
It’s always a good idea to ask permission to have a delivery made at an rv Park regardless of how long you are staying. There may be rules you overlooked. This was an unfair incident to be sure, and possibly could have been avoided. But shame on the park owner for not being more considerate.
Exactly! A10 second conversation. Also, since Jason left the property to retrieve the package, there was actually no violation of the rules. It should have ended there.
Do you know what happened between Tom and Jason prior to the delivery issue?
I would agree with this as well. As a full-timer we often recieve packages delivered to a park. I ALWAYS ask permission – even if it says in the rules that they will accept packages, I will still ask beforehand. Never hurts to ask…
This past winter I did exactly that for a repair item for our toilet. One campground said they were not able to and another was gracious enough to hold the item for us. Like you said a simple phone call in our case solved a lot of problems.
We RVers have to remember one thing….. we are not the owners we are in fact “guests” and a common courtesy is to always ask beforehand about receiving packages. Most offices don’t have the space for 10, 20 or 100 campers receiving packages and some that do enforce a size limit. Most Fed Ex and UPS have outside businesses that accept deliveries on your behalf. I had a camera sent to me in Moab, UT that way.
You’re absolutely right. But…to be evicted without warning or discussion? Come on Johnny……really.
The management team at this campground will have learned the hard way
But
Reading rvtravel for many years , there are always articles on lack of camping sites and the evicted claimed to have chosen to go even if the reviews were bad !
So , will it really affect their bottom line ?
We , may want it to !
But, if there are sooo many new campers that have so little campgrounds to visit , i think that they will still go because of lack of space
So , i disagree with the big money loss for the campground but they will have to explain this mess for a long time …
The social justice warriors of the internet are not always right in their emotionaly disturbed views !
Anyway , this is my view , let’s see if it is blocked because of harsh content or whatever can be dreamed up …
Happy camping to all during these plandemic times !
I see no problem with your contrarian point of view and did not percieve it overly harsh. In fact I agree with you on one thing- Social media often inflames an idea, event, etc. without proper context or vetting. I was sceptical of the initial reporting on this incident, people makes claims all the time on social media that turn out to be either not true or at best only half the story. However, as I followed this particular story, too many circumstances started to line up. I guess my point is, don’t jump to comclusion when reading something on social media, do our own research to learn the true story.
I had considered signing up for the RV Show USA but this incident just made me realize that it isn’t a place that investigates thoroughly, before putting its foot in its mouth! Anyone that interviews someone and doesn’t interview the “other” party, is being highly motivated by the business that is doing “Damage Control”. That motivation, more often than not, is “monetary”! Chuck, I sincerely hope that you will not plug the RV Show USA on this site any more. It is your site and I know you can do as you wish but I hope you give, plugging his show, a second thought!
As far as the RV Park goes, they are a joke and I hope they go under and get bought out!
This park is definitely off my list of places to stay. And yes their abuse of power will continue until someone sues them slam out of it. Which I hope is sooner than later. As for the PR journalist, it is and has been for 4 years that real journalism is dead. The sky is falling crowd has taken it over completely.
I have sent Chuck 3 videos of Tom interacting with me and my wife at this RV park. Tom was threatening and lowing about rules in all 3 videos. Last one we have is Tom telling us after hunting season starts that we can’t walk on the county roads outside the park or we would be harased and arrested! Also he came to our trailer to complain about our gas cans being to close to the power pole and that ” we created a bomb” . And the creepy part is our front door is away from the road so he had to walk the length of our 40 RV to knock on our door.., the knock came just after like 20 secs after we just finished having sex. So Tom was standing outside our RV listening for us to finish so he could knock on our door…. Super creepy normal people would have left and came back later. I sent all 3 videos to rvtravel. Ohh and the DNR investigators will be talking to me on Monday about the threats to us about walking on public roads during hunting season. You have to be 150 yards away from roads
Can you post a link to the 3 video’s so we can see them for ourselves?
I tried but the post was not allowed. I made a post and it disappeared. I have contacted RV travel about why they won’t let me post these 3 videos which will make your skin crawl of you we them
Instead of trying to post them on RV Travel, you could post them on another site like YouTube or Vimeo and share links to them on RV Travel.
Tried to post the YouTube link here they were deleted.
What’s the name of your channel? We can search Youtube for it, and find the video from there.
N/M I found it right here.
Well, after seeing the video at the link below, he’s clearly a control freak who doesn’t know what the heck he’s talking about and doesn’t like to be challenged. Since you’re former law enforcement, you know what to do about stalker behavior, and I would delete my previous comment to you above but apparently, we cannot delete a comment once posted. Maybe he wanted to control where your wife walks so he can watch her better. Who knows? Good luck with this jerk.
Was also disappointed with the RV Show USA he should of investigated the story before he put that bag of hot wind on without checking his story Rv Show USA Is off my You Tube list Thank You rvtravel.com for putting the whole story out there
I have also unsubscribed to Alan Warren’s RVUSA YouTube as I felt he was not being a journalist as he indicated but was, as a fellow resort owner, giving a very biased slant.
If you want your business to thrive you must provide good customer service! The most logical thing to do is verbally warn Jason not to accept packages again. What could be simpler than that? Any business owner would want Jason to return and tell his friends about the campground. I am boycotting Pep Boys and Dish Network for bad customer service I received and I will boycott this campground too because of someone else’s negative experiences.
I am still siding with the park manager and in part because I despise the “high powered” social media bullies like this guy and his family. The part about law enforcement scaring their kids is priceless. They clearly violated the rule and the manager had discretion in evicting them and choose to do so. I would not take responsibility for mail/package delivery so as to eliminate any chance of liability when packages are lost or damaged nor would I want to pay my staff to serve as someone else’s mailroom. To quote Shakespeare “Thou doth protest too much”. Something is rotten in Denmark.
You obviously did not read this article so you are excused for making a stupid comment.
You got it, Doug. Even in the original video posting you get Jason’s disdain for the police. Then all his viewers went on a cancel crusade…they did this for more views. Look at how they titled the vids.
I can understand why an owner wouldn’t want to accept packages (it’s a pain in the butt, not because of trumped up legal issues). And the guy not checking first before having the package delivered was a mistake. For one thing, I always check to make sure I have the address right. I could see the park owner rejecting the package. But the rest of it? Ive seen some rule happy and power hungry RV park owners, but this one takes the cake. Thanks for doing the investigation and letting us know.
The Park Owner did not refuse the package!! It was Tom and Kay Vail the managers who are not qualified to manage an RV park, they continue to lie to the absentee owner and investors about the real reason the park sits 90% vacant. It is because of there behavior lack of upkeep. They give anyone who writes a positive review FREE propane…. and the owner can’t figure out why his expenses are so high?!$
A previous work camper of Montrose-San Juan RV Resort
By the way Tom Vail also forbids ‘his’ work campers to socialize as a group unless he is there to manage the conversation!!
Something is missing from this entire story. The motive to evict was just an excuse that management used, to get rid of a family that they no longer wanted in the park, for reasons not revealed. The excuse they used was so bizarre, unfounded and just hard to make sense of. Someone should press the manager….”Come on man, give us the real reason you wanted that family out” because the reason used was just unbelievable. Something else happened.
Probably if the friend of the guest had not used aggression with the F word the problem could have been talked out. Once aggression is shown I don’t blame the Park owner for calling in the law .. people get shot all the time in the u.s. Also, wth the friend of the guest using profanity, maybe the children were using it in the play?
They had already been told to leave BEFORE they had the discussion in which the friend dropped an F-bomb as they walked away, after the discussion proved fruitless, and Tom Vail refused to relent on his demand that they leave. Vail already had his mind made up, before any face to face encounter with Mr. Epperson and his friend. Walking away, muttering, “This is f-ing ridiculous” can hardly be termed as aggression, unless one is a delicate little flower.
Were you there? If not, your comment is just useless drivel!
i will never take my business to this camp ground. the “violation” was so minor, it’s ridiculous the way management handled this case.
As someone who grew up on the Texas coast I have listened and watched Allen Warren’s fishing and outdoor shows for years when they were on the air. Allen Warren IS NOT a journalist he is a radio/television host and now a video/podcast host. In today’s world it seems a lot of people get “labeled” as a journalist when in fact most are not. Just as (in my opinion) bloggers and You Tubers are not media. But throw the word “social” in front of the word media and now they are referred to and called/labeled “media”. Read the rules and ask questions to clarify any vagueness in the verbiage and write down any clarifications. I always try to get “the rules” of a campground as most are on their websites BEFORE making a reservation or call and ask the to email them to me.
Still a ridiculous reason to evict the family from the park. The park did NOT take the package from the Fed-Ex Driver. That should have been the end of it for the park!
Continued…..error said my comment was too long (please consider showing the character limit)…… And if I don’t like the rules well I just and have moved on down the road. The problem arises when some of these “hired managers” start developing the mindset that the park “belongs” to them when in fact their “decisions and actions” can and usually will affect the bottom line of the actual owner as it probably will or has in this case. You don’t hire a PR Firm because you have a stellar reputation. Just the opposite.
Well Tom is not afraid to go off the RV park grounds to threaten and harassing guests who are going for a walk off the RV park grounds. He talks like he has control of the sheriff but after I called and explained and showed the sheriff the video of Tom they said he couldn’t arrest me and they wouldn’t for walking on the public road during hunting season.
The “rule” was listed under the “Long term rental portion” of the rules. I do not consider 6 days to be “long term,” do you?
It’s irrelevant. It’s a private park and Tom (who sounds unhinged) can do whatever he wants. They decided to confront and argue, so it escalated quickly.
It’s obvious that the park manager is a control-freak. He gets his jollies by “catching” someone violating the rules, and then he gets to go on a power rant and order people around. You get this kind of jerk on HOA’s as well. They’re the ones that prowl the neighborhood looking for infractions because they are a big zero in their personal lives.
Problem is he will harass if you dont break a rule.. if you turn in his friends of 8 years for breaking rules and his friends wife came and verbally assaulted me and my wife but that was OK by Tom because they are his friends.
Ever since my hometown, Oshkosh WI, implemented the Relay and the SeeClickFix apps, complaints from busybodies have exploded.
This is the part that has me really questioning is what and how are they homeschooling their children and how after reading this part:
“Deputies informed both parties they were being asked to leave, and they stated the process of packing their campers was likely to take several hours. XXXXXX expressed to me that he did not want deputies present around his children, who he stated are home schooled and would be affected by law enforcement being near them.”
This is the part that worries me the most.
That statement bothered me as well.
I agree. My opinion of these people did a 180 when when it was mentioned that they teach their kids to be fearful of Law Enforcement. What kind of person does that?
I have followed this couple’s podcast since day one. They seem to be really great at balancing social media and family life. Unlike most “family” bloggers they pretty much try to keep their kids protected and I think one or more of their children are unique. I recall a time when I was stopped for speeding with my 2 and 6 year old in the car. They cried hysterically for no reason. They had never had any traumatic experiences with officers, the officer who stopped me was courteous, I was courteous I do not know why my kids behaved like this. I think if our family had gone through something like this I too would have asked the officer to back away also. Kids get scared of people with guns and I’m sure Jason and Abby have explained this all to their children Incidentally we have been full timing for years and never heard of not being able to get mail. We stayed at both state parks and private campground through out Colorado.
If you were a kid and you saw your parents threatened by an angry, irrational man, then the Sheriff showed up and started talking to your parents, you’d be scared to death they might be arrested.
I’m an ex-prosecutor, completely support law enforcement. I also have three kids and 100% agree with what these parents said about not having the officer near their children. Thanks solely to the park owner’s actions their kids probably were terrified. I saw this several times when I was a DA; children of innocent people beside themselves that their parents might be taken away. Have a heart, people.
The officer here did what he was supposed to do – showed up, interviewed the parties, realized this was a totally baseless report.
This owner, and his park, sound way too rude, creepy and unprofessional to stay in business. Hope they don’t.
^^ THIS!
Search my name on this comment section.. watch the videos I have posted of Tom…. and you will see everything you said and worse with this man. He followed my wife off property the day after threatening us. He ran like a scared “cat” when he saw I was driving out to check on my wife. That is the man Tom is a bully who loves to threaten and harass people.
Ohh and I am a X MP then after a Senior Officer for the Dept of Justice. Tom is a ticking time bomb before he snaps and hurts someon.
The deputies sat in their vehicle on another street. They could see the RV site but weren’t standing there supervising. The parents could have used it as a teaching moment introducing the kids to LEOs and showing them that they aren’t bad and don’t “kill black kids going home from school.”
We full-timed in our RV for 4 years, receiving mail at RV parks all over the country, including Alaska. Our daughter sent us our mail once a month. It never occurred to us to even ask if it was okay to receive mail and the hundreds of parks we stayed at were all fine with it. And, yes, even had a laptop delivered when mine died while on the road. I cannot see where Jason and Abby were in the wrong because their laptop was not delivered to them at the park – it was turned away. They had to leave the park to receive it. So no violation committed.
Unpopular opinion
Although the eviction may be extreme, you are basically saying you can violate a private business rules because a blogger can ruin your buisness ? Then why have park rules!
So what if it were a different rule that was violated? Loose dogs? Noise after 11? Small children unattended in pool? It’s fine…. i am a blogger! Don’t piss me off!
Maybe he should have talked to the manager and explained his situation and found out what his options were? But you are saying rules don’t matter. Nice 👌
Thats why we can’t have nice things, some always feels entitled
Wait till I can get these videos posted for all to see… you will have a different way of thinking after. This man Tom threatens and harasses anyone who doesn’t kiss his butt. We have not broke any rules in this park. We turned in our neighbors for having dogs off leash which is against the rules and after that we were warned by 2 of the workers that left that they were close friends to Tom. After that the wife of the couple came to our house and verbally assaulted me and my wife. Which in my video tom said didn’t happen unless we have video.. which we have tons of now. So getting a package off site is a eviction.. but having 2 dogs off leash and a verbal assault on another resident inst?
Why are you staying there?
Read up farther. We are on a set income and have 2 more weeks left on our monthly rent. We are slowly getting our RV set up for boondocking but still not ready for that yet. And this place is known for keeping your left over rent as a tip i guess so I have to stay. We have got Toms actions on record with the .local sheriff and sent all 3 videos to him. So they know what is going on.
Now you’re getting down to the real atmosphere in that Park.
A first violation of a park rule warrants a visit, phone call or email to define misunderstood rules/policies and an agreement to comply in the future not an eviction. This is over reaction to the nth degree and from the info given, not the first time. Can we say “control issue”?
Heck, the manager could have even had them sign something saying the attempted/refused delivery incident occured, that it was explained this is not allowed and if a repeat occurence happened, they may be subject to eviction. This of course, allows ignoring the fact that this part of the rule seems to apply to “long-term”, as their own rules are written.
I stayed in a state park in California once where a camper got thrown out with a police escort after they accidentally dribbled grey water out of their tank. Not black, grey. Rules are rules…seems harsh, but the owner gets to enforce as they see fit. Jason and his buddy yelling and cursing is what got the cops called.
Agree with rules. Disagree with eviction before warning. Wasn’t refusing the package sufficient punishment? Bless the delivery man!
No one is saying rules don’t matter.
The rule applied to LONG TERM residents, not short term visitors. If the visitor’s friend hadn’t got aggressive with the F word probably nothing further would have happened.
You missed the point, made at least 100 times, that the “rule” applied to long term residents?
Like you’re missing the yelling and cursing during Jason and his buddy’s confrontation with Tom. Both sides were in the wrong.
Agree.
Just happened now…. My wife went for her morning walk which she does by herself… Tom came out after she was walking and watched her till I drove out in my car then he drove off into town. Tom is a creeper be warned.
Sorry this walk was off the RV site… Tom left the park to watch my wife on her walk…..
This is stalker behavior and she could be in danger. She is likely not the only camper he has stalked. Please file a police report immediately to establish the behavior. They likely will do nothing unless the behavior continues, which is why you must have an initial report on file. Then document further behavior with photos and videos. I would highly recommend that you do not leave her alone again. If it continues, call the police again, and find out what your options are for pressing charges. If it does not continue, at least there is a report on file, which will help the next woman he stalks. You can also contact the campground owner and let them know what is going on. This guy should be fired. I understand if you don’t want to do this until after you leave. Good luck!
I did call the local sheriff dept when he confronted us on the public road off the RV property threatening us with “harassment” and arrest if we walked down a public road during hunting season.. have that video no posted must watch to see how Tom is. No one has been able to get in contact with the owners.. ohh and they are trying to sell this place right now… lol wow.
Yes we worry my wife had to live with people like Tom when we were both in the military. When she texted me this morning that he came out after she left and was watching her I drove out a once with FT Hood firmly in my head.
William and Kathleen Barber
8575 E Tanglewood Rd
Franktown CO 80116
Owners per state business records.
Why are you listing their personal info and why aren’t the moderators catching this? You doing this to invite someone to go see them?
Know the rules, follow the rules, simple as that. If you want an exception to a rule, explain your situation and ask for it. If you are told no, respect that decision. If you break the rule anyway, expect there to be consequences. When you face the consequences, don’t expect profanity and confrontation to help your cause. This applies in many situations not just campgrounds. I don’t think the “no mail” rule is justified, but it’s their campground and you are a guest subject to their rules. Next time I am in the area, I will be a guest at this campground and will respect my host and their rules. I’m not some entitled social media influencer who thinks the rules don’t apply to me.
Please remember this package was delivered off site and no rule was broken not even the one that doesn’t apply.
Does not justify Jason and his buddy seeking Tom out to confront him, yell at him and use profanity. So, let’s assign blame to both sides, where it belongs.
Do you mean the rule in writing that state’s long term? Because that rule did not apply to short term. If they meant short term they should have spelled it out as they did with long term.
Me and my wife would love to leave but we have 2 more weeks of rent left and being both disabled vets on a fixed income we cant give that money up. And most parks are full but this one.. wonder why… Next month we are gone but now I fear for my wives safety because now he is following her off the RV site to watch her.
How many wives do you have? (Just joking.) Just don’t let your wife go alone until you leave.
I won’t. My wife is used to the woman hate some military have. And once everyone See’s my videos you will see his hate for woman.
The removed the reference to us, so our comment is no longer relevant.
Mr Arlington if you send me a email address I will be more then willing to send you links to my 3 videos of Tom and his threats and harassment he even does it off the RV park grounds.
We are not here to judge but merely to make sure our voice is properly reflected since the newsletter reached out to us and mentioned us yet failed to mention what we shared with them. Had they not mentioned our name, we would not have commented since guest relations are between the park management and the guest.
So your Assoc is ok with owners you represent acting in this manor? No rebuke for threats on customers?
This was a disagreement between park manager and guest, nothing more. Even if the manager was in the wrong (and he apparently was) it still doesn’t warrant the vindictive reaction of these You Tube “celebrities”. Why not just move on? Why not take up the matter with the park owners if you feel so strongly about it? These people are using their celebrity in an attempt to destroy someones’ reputation and business all because of the actions of a single employee. Their motive is not to share their unfortunate experience but to exact revenge.
You cant reach the park owners…. I have 3 videos of Tom well now 4 after this morning he left the RV grounds after my wife started her walk off grounds to sit and watch her till I drove my car out to her. So please show me how I can get my videos of Tom to the owners they will cringe when they watch them.
When a park guest is treated in this horrible way they should be warning the world to never stay at this
campground.
you are right that’s the reason for reviews
Maybe we just don’t want others to have the same experience. And celebrities is quite a stretch.
No, Jason, you are now responsible for the cancel culture descending on this park. Just own it. You wanted the attention and you got it.
The RV Park person involved said he was the owner, not an employee.
He may be a part of the corporation that owns the park now. He was an owner in the past but had financial problems, didn’t pay state licenses, etc and it is now owned by
William and Kathleen Barber
8575 E Tanglewood Rd
Franktown CO 80116
At least according to state business records.
I’m glad they made the video and warn any other RVers going to that park the rules about long term guests, and not mentioned short term guests, accepting packages. So they don’t make the same conclusion that short term guests can. And then they would be out any money for days after they get evicted. Which in and of itself should be illegal. Keeping money for a service paid for, but not rendered.
Completely agree, Bart.
If I am not mistaken, from the original story. The Park management also refused to refund the payment made for the additional days that they had reserved. Since this appears to be a recurring theme at this park. I would guess that it is a way of increasing profits.
Unfortunately they did it to someone with a following and it has backfired.
The point that most are missing is he did not receive a package at the RV park. He went out the gate and received it.
The campground owner should have no problem with that since it did not happen on his property
Allen’s video with the alleged “witness” Al is still up on YouTube. I just watched it. It’s disgusting that he would put such a slant on an incident where the actual facts are easily discoverable. The term “fake news” is a well-used phrase these days, but pretty apropos to this hit-piece. I’ll never believe anything he says again.
i am in sympathy with the couple and believe they were mistreated. but in all fairness the sherrif’s dept report referenced in your reporting and in their rebuttal video is just a transcript of the report created by the couple and is allegedly verbatim minus the personal details. is it? a pdf of the *actual* report would put this matter to rest. an interview with Allen to learn what he now thinks would also be worthwhile.
This couple should be ashamed! They are internet bullies. If I owned the resort I would file a law suite against them. They knew the rules and accepted by signing the registration. The owners are trying to protect their investment. This bully should have picked up the computer at the locate parcel office. Total disregard for these campsite owners rights!
Curious about something Regi. Did you even bother to read the story behind this or the excerpt from the agreement? Didn’t think so.
I agree. It’s one thing to share your opinions, but these two intentionally left out parts of the story, Jason and his buddy confronted Tom, yelled and used profanity but never told the audience any of that…or the ridiculous comments to the police. They were also at fault. Tom sounds like a jerk, but they absolutely used this situation to build their following.
Too bad this otherwise beautiful and pristine spot has been stained by these unfortunate occurrences.:)
The RV Park was totally wrong about the delivery event; but so was the guest using the ‘F’ word .. that word is deeply repugnant, and often signals physical action to follow. The RV park was right to ask for police involvement at that point. Perhaps the RV Park had reason to want that particular guest off the property even before the delivery event?
Agree.
Yours is a profoundly racist and hateful comment Barry. You really should feel great shame.
Partly right .. but the no delivery rule did apply to long term residents. I don’t blame the Park owner calling for police once the F word was used .. physical altercation often follows.
And Jason took another man with him to confront Tom. This whole thing is an example of shared escalation.
I suspect anti-Semitism .. I did a name search which suggests Jewish origins for Epperson .. probably original Epperstein Epstein etc .. however .. the friend accompanying the couple should never have used the F word .. physical action often follows that word in a confrontation, so I don’t blame the Park one bit for calling law enforcement at that point. I certainly would not use that park though, it’s obvious the owner is a greedy tyrant, breaking his own rules applying to deliveries, not giving a refund on time not used, for instance.
Pathetic assumption
Go on a different witch hunt. You are nothing but pitiful
Yeah, ok. What a dumb response.
So as I read it, all the followup pretty much corroborates the original story. One thing that I don’t agree with so much, is your comment Tom should not have done this to these people, the Epperson’s, because of who they are, their You Tube following, (but I get your use of that kind of phrase). Only from my point of view, they shouldn’t do something like this to anyone. Even a couple who has no family at all and no social media contacts. As others have said, a warning would have been more than sufficient, since there was actually not a delivery made on campground property. Great follow through on getting to the facts. I think it is a big tell that neither Tom, nor the Property Owners have bothered to respond. It is amazing that the Property Owners haven’t replaced Tom by now.
Because Tom said he owned the park.
However, he does not actually own the park.
When people such as rvtravel’s Chuck and Jason and Abby make their living off of blogging and providing information to the public it is really their duty to report such egregious behavior. I remember Trip advisor getting some very bad publicity for failing to publish bad reviews that including things like assault by employees. I say thank you to those out there in the RV blogging and information world for keeping us safe and for doing a bit of investigation journalism.
Maybe a technicality – and obviously too late – but the couple never actually received their package within the park – they took delivery outside the park. So how did that violate the “rule”? In any case their treatment was extreme and really uncalled for. At the very most the camp manager should have sent them an email reminding them of his rules – but to kick them out? Totally unfair.
This discussion of the merits of the situation and others on the you tube post are very appropriate and should be discussed. What is not appropriate and somewhat dishonest is people posting “reviews” to different sites to show their displeasure of the situation. A review is supposed to be “personal” knowledge so others can be informed from personal experiences of others. Using fake reviews to influence is dishonest use of the review platform and can be used to both enhance or degrade unfairly. We should discuss in the proper forums but not post “reviews” of something we did not actually do or receive.
This.
First off, we are new to Rving, however we have logged over 1,000 miles in 45 days having stayed at 5 different locations in FL. We’re loving it!
Secondly, I was a residential real estate appraiser for over 27 years in NJ Jersey & PA. We also own and manage residential properties in PA & FL. I feel that I am knowledgeable about Landlord/Tenant laws in both states, and have been to court for evictions; trespass violations and possessions. Laws vary in different states. If you want something to be done, not done or prohibited, PUT IT IN WRITING. Our lease boiler plates have been written by attorneys in both PA and FL since there are different rules, regulations and laws. We follow them to the letter and do not say or do anything not in the lease. If something needs to be added, we send notification in writing 30 days prior to enforcement (that is one section of the lease).
That being said, they did not violate the rules since they received a delivery, OFF SITE! CONT’D Below.
This park manager sounds like some of the cops we are seeing on the news who take the position that “I am the police and you do what I tell you to do or you are dead” and then they shoot the unarmed person several times. Good to know NOT to stop in Montrose CO.
CONT’D from below.
All the Epperson’s did was to share their experience with others on Social Media.
Social Media is a powerful tool, and used incorrectly, can be dangerous and harmful. One should never try to hide behind it, nor state “embellished facts” to make you look like the victim.
I have only seen the two videos from Epperson’s.
It makes no difference what their religion or beliefs, race, ethnic background or nationality are. I find comments that start with that can only be inflammatory and hurtful. Would the commenter below state that information by saying that they are Methodists or Catholics? Probably not.
It just shows that one should be careful in what they say or do because you never know who or what the person on the receiving end is.
Happy RVing and be safe! Wear a mask so YOU don’t give me Covid-19!
After reading the article I can see issues on both sides. What is disturbing is the fact that you have a family that is using their YouTube status to show the country how not to be good campers. Their reaction to the RV park management is out of line based on what is promoted as good camper conduct. With their status and experience they should have been able to influence a better outcome.
They also mistreated the cops who were trying to do their jobs. Both sides were wrong.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/5DaZkvdjKCxh6swc6
https://youtu.be/odJi_MDHj3o
Top link is the 2 videos when he lost it at our trailer… and also we were not dressed because we are adults and were having sex and creeper Tom had to be outside listening for us to finish because we might have had 20 secs of time before he knocked. To give a picture our rear is by the road and so he had to have walked from the road past our car then 40′ of RV to get to that door. No way he did it in 20 secs because he walks with a limp like a lot of vets do.
Second video he came back later to tell us 8 dogs were moving in across from us in the cabins. They are fire dogs so well trained and we didn’t care. But he was trying to get us to move anywhere in the park.. just not next to his buddies who live next to us.
the last video was taken as we were coming back from our walk and he was sitting waiting for us on the outside of the gates…. We have researched and in CO you cannot hunt within 150 yards of any county road. So he was trying to intimidate us.
I couldn’t even WATCH that entire first video. I felt my blood pressure going up in the first two or three minutes. OMG, what a man on a power trip!!! And that, “ma’am, I’m going to talk to your husband now.” The owners need to get rid of this guy, that is for sure.
please share these videos as much as possible. My wife is a Vet just like me and she had to deal with woman haters like this when we were both active duty and after. I make no money and I am not a blogger. I just need for this to become a internet sensation in hopes that will make the owners fire Tom because one day he will hurt someone and if he is not in charge of this place he wont have that power he craves and the ability to harass and threaten people.
Sharing on my Facebook page. We’ll see if it sticks or if FB will delete it in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5…
This all happened in a 48 hour period. Tom is unhinged and is willing to lie if needed to try and intimidate people. He flashed his conceal carry the first time I met him… which is illegal but any conceal carry person knows this from day one they teach it. So again intimidation on day one while doing a illegal act that can cause you to lose your conceal carry.
I agree this guy is looking for negative interaction, the best course would be to not engage so much. Just say thank you, we are taking care of it, thank you again, close the door. He is obviously on a power trip, don’t feed into it.
We also were denied a package delivery at the Fairgrounds In Golden, CO, so maybe this is a Colorado thing.
Please note Tom (or Tommy) and his wife Kay Vail are NOT the Park owner. The owner is Bill Barber along with a handful of investors. As a previous Work Camper of this RV Park (who were among 3 other work camper couples who left due to harsh treatment and unpaid hours) I believe Tom Vail to be an unstable individual who rules this RV Park as if it were a conversation camp. Carries a weapon on his hip and claims to have an arsenal on property suffers from PTSD and is a ticking time bomb.
Instead of wasting money on a PR firm the owner(s) need to evict Tom and Kay Vail, hire a professional RV management company, a staff of seasoned RV work campers, clean up the park, plant grass, re-open the mouse infested social barn, replace pool liner, repair jacuzzi, rename and rebrand!!
once I can get my videos some exposure (and no I am not a blogger just a regular person) you all can see just how insane Tom is. Now he is following my wife outside the RV park!
Can you record his stalking? The police who make frequent visits to this park on bogus emergency calls would finally have a valid reason to go visit this guy. He’s stalking; that’s illegal!
Thank you guys for standing up to him! We were the couple on the other side of Al that Al defamed and lied about. Supposedly I am the “retired attorney” LOL But that is what you get for listening to RV park “gossip” you get professions wrong. I am actually a human trafficking investigator.
Thanks. I worked for the DOJ and like you had to deal with horrible people. And Tom reminds me of every crime boss I saw back then. He now has 2 other men watching my wife and they made a show this morning new video I haven’t posted yet. In it the new young worker gave my wife a death stare as she had to walk by Tom on his cart the young death stare on his cart and the husband of another worker with a rifle in a case. They made sure to be in her path for getting back to our class a. Standard criminal intimidating. Wish we could talk.
I am sorry but I have no empathy for the Epperson’s……….camp ground owners make a big investment and take a risk. Campers spend hundred of thousands of dollars on their Rvs and then expect cheap rates and camp ground owners to cowtow to them. If the Epperson’s are such experienced high faluting campers and read the campground policy they probably could have waited until morning and explained their situation to the camp ground owner who probably would have been considerate…………but instead they did their thing then trashed the campground owner………..sad state of affairs………now I won’t even log onto the Epperson’s adventures……..don’t care
With that attitude, I doubt that the Eppersons care if you log on or not. On top of everything you are wrong: The rule about receiving mail only applied to long-term campers; the Eppersons were booked for five days. Mr. Epperson did read the rules and ignored that section because it applied only to long termers. Tommy Vail should have read his own set of rules.
exactly.
Uh that’s exactly what we tried to do. We’re not above anyone else. I tried to go apologize. They weren’t having it. If they want to kick people out for putting a rug on their grass, it’s their right, but it’s my right to tell people about it.
I’m sorry, but Alan should have never interviewed Al on his show before checking out his story. All he did was introduce slander and more drama into the situation. A real news media (yes, they do exist) would have taken notes and checked out the story first before allowing him to use his show for a slander piece on Jason and his friends. But since Alan didn’t contact Jason, it would seem to me that he wasn’t really interested in both sides of the story, either, just clicks. This is profoundly disappointing. But of course, RV News only pretends to be news media, and fortunately, Jason has a much bigger social media voice. Truth won out in this situation. It remains to be seen if the campground’s owner does the right thing and replace staff.
I was just curious as I had a post that was a response to another person. No bad language, nothing really negative in that at all. I think I referenced they could have been told to sign an acknowledgement of written warning, and I re-emphasized how the rule was not actually broken (delivery was made off the campground property) and the fact that as they had the rules written, it really only applied to LONG TERM CAMPERS. Anyway, I would like to know why that was deleted?
I don’t know, John. Some comments have been put automatically into the Pending file by our filtering system when they reached a certain number of “down” votes. So I just looked in the Pending file and the Trash file and don’t see your “missing” comment in there. Maybe the person’s comment you were responding to was deleted by one of our moderators and responses to that comment were also deleted. I’m not sure. I haven’t done much deleting today because I’m more lenient that other moderators. Sorry. —Diane at RVtravel.com
Why cant I post links to my 3 videos of Tom being Tom?
I (eventually) “approved” what was being held in Pending after our strict filters put them in there. I don’t know if someone else will delete them — other moderators aren’t as lenient as I am. —Diane at RVtravel.com
Thanks
You’re welcome, Rvafterlife. Take care, and stay healthy. 🙂 —Diane at RVtravel.com
It’s back now. It was a reponse to a post by Joe White. I actually made that response before I put my own post a short time later.
Vail will either act with a bit more discretion hereafter……..Or he is an idiot. Pray he learned a lesson so his future guests will have a more pleasant visit, ALL the way around.
He didnt look at the videos I post of the last 48 hours of our life with Tom.
Where can we see this?
Search my name you will now see the links in this comment section.
Did the campground change their name. Do not see it in the Good Sam book.
Thanks for the follow up. Seems two ****** have been exposed. Alan Warren and the park manager. Hopefully the owners are smart enough to evict him.
I am sure the evicted will someday laugh about how stupid, unethical people can somehow get a job beyond cesspool manager in a town with no people!
nice job!
(Sorry, Howard. No name-calling. —Diane at RVtravel.com)
So, it isn’t permitted for me to say that owner is a Jackarse?
Just clarifying.
With all of those bad reviews and now a reputation for treating guests badly, I’d guess that this RV resort will either have a new manager or see the business go down the drain. The one thing that the entire hospitality industry cannot tolerate is a hot headed, unreasonable and dictatorial manager and Tommy Vail seems to fit that description to a tee. He could have contacted the family and explained the rules and let it go. Once they understood the rules, the Eppersons could have chosen to follow them or leave the park if they thought the rules were unreasonable. No one would have been embarrassed or inconvenienced and Tommy Vail would not have seriously damaged the reputation of his park and his own dignity.
Has anyone grasped the fact Tommy Vail is the owner of the campground? He isn’t “hired help”. It sounds like Jason is self entitled and feels the rules don’t have to apply to him. That he didn’t feel the need to read what he was signing speaks volumes. Maybe eviction was harsh, but this is what you deal with with privately owned facilities. Their property, their rules.
I didn’t sign anything. And Vail is certainly not the owner. Rules apply to me. I missed the rule because it wasn’t categorized under something I should read. Why would I send a package to a campground I knew would reject it?
What is surprising here is that P L Packer has apparently viewed and/or read selective snippets, or is unable to assimilate facts from fiction and assumptions. “It sounds like … ” is a statement of personal opinion – and in this case is not only baseless, it is without merit at all. There is no entitlement here, and there is no attempt to skirt or circumvent rules. The central rule to the reason for eviction did not apply to short term campers – or at least was not presented to short term campers as a rule.
I agree that owners have the absolute right to make up their own rules, and apply them as they see fit. However, indiscriminate rule making, or citing rules that don’t apply; harsh treatment of customers, and lack of hospitality will result in a backlash that may or may not be deserved.
That’s the reality, and fair or not, perception that an rv park is unfair and inhospitable will be a very hard moniker to shed. Their property, their rules? Their reputation!
This type of situation is only one of many, many reasons I find boondocking to be far superior to RV parks.
How do you get mail or packages at a boondocking place?
General Delivery to the nearest Post Office.
Great followup article. It does raise some interesting questions however. What options are there for an RVer to receive packages in a campground or RV park? Especially if the park doesn’t allow deliveries to it’s office or a campsite. What if your RV breaks down and requires a part before it can be safely moved? And that part has to be ordered on-line and delivered? Might be an interesting issue for an article in your newsletter.
One option is to call or visit the local Post Office and inquire about General Delivery. Transportation to and from the PO may be a challenge, but much easier to overcome.
FedEx and UPS cannot make deliveries to USPS General Delivery and those are the only shippers some companies use.
Look into the use of having an item(s) delivered to a UPS store. You will find that they allow you to use their physical street address for delivieres that prohibit the use of a P.O. box. The UPS store I use once in awhile charges a fee of $5.00 for a one time delivery to their store.
IMO, both parties are at fault; the management for being a jerk and the camper for being naive and uninformed. Using a package pick-up location is the best advice. UPS charges $5, Amazon partners with retailers for pick-ups, possibly FedEx and USPS. Most campers would think it’a non-issue to get a package at a park but it’s ALWAYS smart to ask the office first. If it’s against park “rules” a short-term camper could ask for an exception or ask why that policy is in place so they’d better understand that it’s not personal. There’re quirky laws regarding domiciles which may or may not be interpreted and applied correctly by a park. If a camper asks the office 1st, they’d know whether to arrange picking up their package elsewhere. I’m not a full-time RVer but I’ve read much online and travel enough to know not to make assumptions, especially about small Ma and Pa parks. That whole disaster of an outcome could have been avoided if both parties had been smarter about it in the first place.
Agree. 100%. I’ve stayed at numerous parks in different states and many have rules about no mail or packages. You should always ask.
And all these people posting 1 star reviews when they weren’t there, never stayed there are ridiculous. Owners sound like jerks, but now people are calling them and harassing them online…just can’t support those tactics.
That is no longer true. Check with your local Post Office. Ours accepted packages from both UPS and FedEX.
UPS certainly does. They deliver to the Post Office and pay the Post Office a fee for handling the final delivery. I have had numerous UPS packages delivered to General Delivery addresses when I am on the road.
I believe Amazon also offers delivery pick up points. I do agree however if the no delivery rule is in the “long term residents” section of the rules I would assume it didn’t apply if I was staying only a few days.
Travelling we have our mail sent to general delivery. They hold it 30 days. I have never encountered a park yet that refused remail
Q1 What options are there for an RVer to receive packages in a campground or RV park?
Well, there has to be a post office relatively near as the RV Park Management receives mail for personal and official business. Others responses have already given their suggestions.
Q2.What if your RV breaks down and requires a part before it can be safely moved?
There are heavy duty wreckers that you can call to tow your RV out of the park if it can not be safely moved. If you RV is in a location that prohibits a larger wrecker, then it becomes a recovery and expect to pay 5x more.
Q3. And that part has to be ordered on-line and delivered?
If it is a part that compromises the safe move of your RV, then I venture to say you have neither the infrastructure, tools, equipment or the skills to attempt a repair. Furthermore, “what if” the campsite has a policy of no vehicle maintenance allowed on site? I bet 99 percent of improved hosted sites have a no maintenance/repair policy.
This story is a very unfortunate one for the family and the kind that RV park should have avoided at all costs but there’s always the stupid manager. I used to work in the hospitality industry for a hotel that taught me how to deal with problems with minimal repercussions. In most cases there is a way to deal with the worst problems. This situation was over a piece of mail. The managers who don’t make it in any industry typically are little self- appointed tyrants who for one reason or another find power humiliating someone. That seems to be the case with that manager. Those types usually leave a trail of bitterness and anger wherever they go. That RV park’s loss of revenue will hurt them far beyond this event because of him. But I say it was well deserved considering the facts and their prior negative reviews. And all over a piece of mail. Occasionally justice is served well and that is a satisfying thing.
Get a good lawyer and sue the park big time. I believe the package as from Amazon? Big deal. What’s the matter with getting something you needed? One little package???
Get a real good lawyer!
People always saying, sue! Have any idea how much it costs…and sue for what? In reality, they could be sued by the park owner for destroying his business given that the police report supports the owner’s story. The owner is a jerk, but the you tubers were also at fault.
Jason should have known better. The one rule that is repeated over and over again on the Youtube channels of full timers is, “always check with office before having anything delivered or forwarded”. You would be surprised how many disallows it. However, I do agree that the management reaction was totally overboard. He was P Oed because someone got around the rule.
When I tried to talk with the receptionist about the incident at Montrose San Juan RV Resort, she hung up on me. Maybe consciousness of guilt???
Instead of consciousness of guilt, how about being tired of answering phone calls just to be drawn into a pointless conversation?
How many phone calls from this guy’s social media base “probably” turning into harassment and personal attacks? Consciousness of guilt, HA!
And why would you call her? Not really your business, now is it? You weren’t there, and the police report supports what the owner said happened. They were confrontational, they used cuss words…Jason even got pissy with the cops by saying they had to stay away from his kids. Give me a break. Everybody wanting to get in on the cancel culture b.s. SMDH.
good to know I will never stay there
IMO, both parties are at fault; the management for being a jerk and the camper for being naive and uninformed. Using a package pick-up location is the best advice. UPS charges $5, Amazon partners with retailers for pick-ups, possibly FedEx and USPS. Most campers would think it’s non-issue to get a package at a park but it’s ALWAYS smart to ask the office first. If it’s against park “rules” a short-term camper could ask for an exception or ask why that policy is in place so they’d better understand that it’s not personal. There’re quirky “domicile” laws which may or may not be interpreted and applied correctly by a park. If a camper asks the office 1st, they’d know whether to arrange picking up their package elsewhere. I’m not a full-time RVer but I’ve read much online and travel enough to know not to make assumptions, especially about small Ma and Pa parks. That whole disaster of an outcome could have been avoided if both parties had been smarter about it in the first place.
You’re the second comment I’ve read where you failed to read the story. There was no policy violation as it was clearly in the documentation that it applied only to “long term” campers and other long term guests. 5 days does not constitute long term. The resort owner blew it, period. The resort manager needs to go fishing for the rest of his life. The guy seems to just have a nasty disposition and shouldn’t be in the hospitality business.
I’m just not a fan of grandstanding. Yes, campground rules can be questionable, but something just doesn’t pass the smell test.
Totally. I agree. I’m not putting anyone down here but I question how would it not occur to a camper who is social-media active on the subject of RV’g to ask the office first about getting mail or package delivered on park property? Particularly with something that he stated was so important to his work, and I would also presume expensive. Even if it weren’t about the park’s policy, personally, I would want to assure that I received my item in an expedient and secure manner, not through a campground office. Just saying, that’s what would make sense to me.
As a co- manager of a park, rules are rules. You always accommodate your guests. Word of mouth is great testament to future guests. Getting mail is why we stay at certain campgrounds ourselves. Issues with dog off leash, not picking up after your dog, fights, bad behavior are reasons to warn a person, then ask them to leave. Full timers anticipate receiving mail at campgrounds/resorts. Sounds like management needs to retire. I feel bad for the family of five.
Been on the road 14 years. Manage/work for pay in the summer
As for the author apologizing and warning the readers of a cussword to emphasize a point, that is the point in using a swear word, to emphasize a point.
All I can say is just WOW. That is so sad and there is so much hate out there. But on the bright side there are so many good people out there willing to put themselves out to help. You just have to be open to it. Right now with the Pandemic in full swing probably into next year, it makes things rough for everyone. Stay safe and follow the rules to protect others and yourself and yes even sometimes bite your tongue before speaking. I have to sometimes remind myself that there are other people who have it worse than me an need help.