By Nanci Dixon
Making a reservation? Double-check the campground address! We had been traveling all day in heavy winds and my husband was tired.
We finally found a campground close by, called them and set up a reservation for the night. I asked the address again and, although it didn’t seem quite right, I said “Thank you” and hung up.
Wrong campground address, no refunds!
I immediately put the address in the GPS and quickly realized it was not a suburb of our city, but a whole other city! A city half the state away!
I called them back right away just to learn that there was a no-refund policy. So, not only was I not going to get a refund, but we were still out of a place to stay that night.
Wrong campground address, no refunds, and no manager!
When I asked to speak to a manager, I found out that the reservation desk was a call center in another country. I contacted the park directly and found that a manager was not available and that the no-refund policy was indeed the official policy.
I continued to mention that it was an unfortunate mistake, the campground had the same name as the one I wanted to book. When I told them I called back within a few minutes of the booking, I was told, “Nope, once the credit card goes through, no refunds.”
Lesson learned
I would have accepted my mistake with a certain amount of chagrin, but I wanted to at least talk to someone in charge. When I found an email address at the bottom of the booking, I sent the information, my contact info, and added that I was a writer with RVtravel.com. I also mentioned that I would be writing an article on their ironclad refund policy.
Lo and behold, a refund was quickly made to my credit card with an apology about training new people in the call center. Lessons learned: Don’t give up, and double-check campground addresses!
Editor’s note: This goes for other things, too. I once booked a rental car for Charleston, West Virginia, instead of Charleston, South Carolina. All they had left at the rental counter for me was a large pickup truck, and I had to pay the last-minute difference. It was an expensive mistake!
Related:
##RVT1161
If paid with a credit card you can also file a complaint with the financial institution.
Traveled extensively for business flying in and out of Rochester MINNESOTA. I always thoroughly checked my tickets closely after American Express did the booking because they liked to put in Rochester NEW YORK!
My hubby did something similar. In our stick and bricks, the garage doors needed adjusting. He googled the company that installed them and called to make an appointment. The problem was that he called Topeka, Kansas instead of Topeka, Indiana. After some confusion, the lady in Topeka, Kansas realized we were outside of their service area. LOL. Both locations had the exact same name.
Yup, last summer, booked campsite in Idaho and couldn’t get GPS to latch onto the address. Turns out campsite was in California. Found out I wasn’t the only one this had happened to when I called CA and explained situation. Got full refund. Have gotten very serious about checking physical address of campsites now.
I have to wonder… Would you have still received a refund had you not mentioned you are a writer for RVtravel.com?
Hi Nanci, I had a similar experience with a “call center” reservation. I’m glad to hear your experience ended well.
Thank you, Nanci! 🙂 Sorry about the error. 🙁 Congratulations on your even-handed, relentless effort to gain a refund. Nice variation on the “iron fist in a velvet glove” with your casual mention of writing an RV Travel article describing your experience. 🙂 Well played against a revenue maximizing (?) company policy! 🙂
Have a great week, safe travels, and thanks again! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this experience…just another thing to watch for. Is there an application for honorary RV Travel writers? I’d like to apply.
Hi, Sandi. Here’s a link to our Help Wanted page: https://www.rvtravel.com/help-wanted-2024/ Thanks! Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
A cancelation fee is appropriate… you used their time.