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What software are RV parks using to keep track of things?

RVG65
Explorer
Explorer
Is it from the 1990's?

As I move from a weekend RV'er to staying out weeks at a time, I'm discovering that so many RV parks hardly have a clue as to when I arrived, or when I left, when they check their computers. This has happened at many parks across the Southwest. In one case, I was billed for a month, by a park I stayed at one night! When I called, they admitted that they really didn't see me around the park, but their computer automatically sent me a bill. What!?

If the above was an isolated incident, I'd figure it was a fluke. Nope! Similar things have happened to me over the last few years.

These days, I go to the office to check out, and ask for a statement showing my arrival and departure dates and times. I'm not treated very well, at times, when I do so, even though I'm very polite and friendly. I no longer trust the, "We'll email you a statement," line.

Also, I don't get how slips are assigned. I get to a fairly empty park, and I get my slip. A half-hour later, another RV pulls in, right next to me. There are, literally, dozens of empty slips all over the park! Is this just another weakness of some old RV program used by the majority of the parks, out there?
13 REPLIES 13

joefaison
Explorer
Explorer
By RoverPass
Using a handwritten calendar or clunky software to track reservations at your RV park or campground? The RoverPass Reservation Management System is built to help you save time and money with cloud-based reservation management software.

magicbus
Explorer
Explorer
Pretty strange. In all my years if traveling in never saw anything but a check-in date and a check-out date.

Dave
Current: 2018 Winnebago Era A
Previous: Selene 49 Trawler
Previous: Country Coach Allure 36

Vette_Racer
Explorer
Explorer
You need to think of your stay in nights, not days. If you are there for 6 nights then you leave on the seventh day, if you look at it as 6 days, leaving the seventh then you are wrong. Have to look at it as NIGHTS paid for.
KE5NCP
2016 Ram CC Dually, 2011 HitchHiker 349 RSB DA, 2018 Wrangler unlimited Rubicon

RVG65
Explorer
Explorer
I've never seen a reservation where the last date listed is the last night you are staying. I've traveled for decades, as we all have, and the last date listed is always the date you move out.

ksbowman
Explorer II
Explorer II
We stayed at a place in Florida that was booked for a week. The last day was shown and we understood it as a thru that night. The park meant you had to be out by 11;00 am that day. Had a knock on the door about noon and a motorhome said we were in their spot. I said no we still had one night. Went to the office and they said our time was up. After a lengthy discussion we ended up moving for one more night in a different spot. Even after reading the reservations we still felt we had the original spot for 24 more hours but we moved anyway as we were leaving the next day and the motorhome had 2 weeks there.

magicbus
Explorer
Explorer
We pretty much travel exclusively off-season and therefore encounter a lot of empty parks. Because of this campers are often placed more or less in the same areas and I always figured it was to make maintenance and cleaning much easier for a limited staff. Less bathrooms, trash and traveling around to different parts of the park to service emptied sites.

Dave
Current: 2018 Winnebago Era A
Previous: Selene 49 Trawler
Previous: Country Coach Allure 36

CFerguson
Explorer
Explorer
We've always asked for a general idea of what sites are available for our intended length of stay and have always had the CG employee be as friendly and helpful as s/he could be. We try to give them an idea of what we prefer and are conscious of how busy they are. Being nice to folks, especially in service positions, almost always pays off.
And we have never had a problem later changing sites if there is a problem with the one we originally got. Again, go when they arent busy and be nice.

azdryheat
Explorer
Explorer
My former son-in-law built a small RV park and learned there are many software packages out there for sale. He picked one that lets the camper pick the spot. That's the kind of software I like. Our go-to park in San Diego is Chula Vista. For years you were at the mercy of whoever was working the desk at check-in. Not what you'd expect for a $100 a night park. They have new owners now and have gone to the pick-your-space software, which is absolutely terrific.
2013 Chevy 3500HD CC dually
2014 Voltage 3600 toy hauler
2019 RZR 1000XP TRE

valhalla360
Nomad
Nomad
A lot of campgrounds are seasonal and top notch potential employees usually have the option of full time year round work elsewhere. There are exceptions but that makes it hard for campgrounds to capture and keep high quality employees.

Also, they often have little or no experience actually camping, so they may put you in an unsuitable site because they don't know any different.

Net result is they tend to be less proactive in thinking ahead about what the customer needs. If the last site was 86, odds are they issue 87 as the next site without a second thought.

Usually unless it's a month or more, you pay up front (even longer stays, it's only rarely where they ask you to pay at the end), so not really an issue if they don't remember when you came in. Especially with the Rona, everyone is going credit card to avoid physical contact, so I can always pull up the bill for the last campground to document when we left there.

If the campground is mostly empty and you want to be away from everyone else, ask nicely if they have any sites that are more isolated. No guarantee but at least you put the idea in their head.
Tammy & Mike
Ford F250 V10
2021 Gray Wolf
Gemini Catamaran 34'
Full Time spliting time between boat and RV

Lynnmor
Explorer
Explorer
gbopp wrote:
RVG65 wrote:
Also, I don't get how slips are assigned. I get to a fairly empty park, and I get my slip. A half-hour later, another RV pulls in, right next to me. There are, literally, dozens of empty slips all over the park!

If you are told to pick your site because the park is empty and one other RV shows up, it will park next to you.
It never fails.


It's the herd mentality and it also gives another opportunity for sarcastic remarks if you even mention it.

wing_zealot
Explorer
Explorer
You should have paid for 3 sites if you didn't want someone next to you.

gbopp
Explorer
Explorer
RVG65 wrote:
Also, I don't get how slips are assigned. I get to a fairly empty park, and I get my slip. A half-hour later, another RV pulls in, right next to me. There are, literally, dozens of empty slips all over the park!

If you are told to pick your site because the park is empty and one other RV shows up, it will park next to you.
It never fails.

Old-Biscuit
Explorer
Explorer
These CGs not having you pay upfront??

During our FT Travels we always paid upfront --- be it one night, 3 nights, 1 week, 2 weeks, monthly (which typically was a metered site so we HAD to have electric meter final read.

Computer data is only as good as data entered.....junk in/junk out
Is it time for your medication or mine?


2007 DODGE 3500 QC SRW 5.9L CTD In-Bed 'quiet gen'
2007 HitchHiker II 32.5 UKTG 2000W Xantex Inverter
US NAVY------USS Decatur DDG31