ComplaintsforHoliday Acres Campgrounds, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  09/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  4/15/2022 Paid seasonal fee for a Waterfront campsite. Season April 15th October 15th. $3350.5/1/ 2022 Informed Holiday Acres the first week of May that we were going to sell our camper. 7/20/2022 Sold Camper 7/28/2022 (approximately) Campground moved people into our site. My husband called the office and asked for a partial refund. He was told that we forfeited it. The office didnt say why. The rules say that you forfeit if you break a rule or fees arent paid. We never broke a rule in the 36 years that we camped there. Finally, their lawyer said we didnt tell the office that we were selling our camper. WHICH IS NOT TRUE. We want the last half of the fee that we paid. Around $1583. The owner of the campground died around 10 years ago. Lawyer and accountant run it now. **** in the office is manager I think.

  Customer response

  10/04/2022

  I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint.  I sent my first email to Holiday Acres on August 1st. I heard back from **** in the office.  
  I thought that I had uploaded all my canceled checks and all our correspondence with ****, the accountant, and the lawyer in my bbb claim.  But I dont see it.  Well, **** said that we forfeited our site or money.  We wouldnt do that. 
  We havent heard anything from them since the lawyer told us that we broke a rule by not telling the office that we were going to sell our camper.  (Not true). 
  This is why we contacted the BBB.
  This is so stressful. 
  Thank you,
  **************
  
  TIMELINE
  May 1, 2022 (approximately) ************************** that we were going to sell our camper.  **** in the office sent several prospective buyers to look at our camper.
  On 7/20/22 Sold our camper and went home.  We still are paid for the site up until October 15th.
  7/28/2022 (approximately) Campground moved people into our site. 
  My husband called the office and asked for a partial refund for the remainder of the season.  We paid for April 15th - October 15th,2022.
  He was told that we forfeited it.  **** from the office didnt say why.  The rules say that you forfeit if you break a rule or fees arent paid.  We never broke a rule in the 36 years that we camped there. 
  Finally, the lawyer for them said we didnt tell the office that we were selling our camper, WHICH IS NOT TRUE.  We want the last half of the fee that we paid. 
  $1583. 
  

   

   

  Business response

  10/18/2022

  To Whom it may concern,

   

                  Our season starts April 15^th and that is when half the site fees are due and the remaining fees are due June 1^st.

   

                  I was on ********** around the beginning of the season when I saw that a trailer located at Holiday Acres was for sale. When I went into the office and spoke with my co-worker ******** she was able to find out that the trailer for sale belonged to ******* and ************************

   

                  I called ******* to refresh his memory on the rule that states you cant sell or transfer your trailer without speaking with the office. And that he cant sell the trailer and plot of leased land. The trailer would have to be removed. He stated that he knew that.

   

                  Several buyers looked at the trailer and passed on buying it. The man who purchased the trailer from Mr. ***** *************** also purchased the deck (which was fully assembled). Once ******* had the money in hand from the purchase he and wife were leaving. He even stopped in the office to say goodbye to ********. Stated the purchaser would be coming to get the trailer and deck.

   

                  The man who purchased the trailer and deck was not able to get the trailer and deck out for 2-3 weeks. Every time the purchaser came to clean out the trailer an employee would have to ****** him to the trailer and stay with him (for safety reasons).  Once the trailer and deck were gone we then had to clean the site as it was not cleaned.

   

                  ****** sent a email August 1^st Ive enclosed her email and my response to her.

   

                  Please see attached as it is our rules and regulations. I have included the highlighted sections that would pertain to the situation.

   

  TRASH REMOVAL:  You are responsible for bringing your bagged, personal trash to one of the two available dumpsters. Dumpsters are located behind the office and behind the parking lot at the seasonal entrance.  Only bagged, personal trash is allowed in the dumpsters.  Appliances, televisions, tires, furniture, etc., is your responsibility to remove from the campground and dispose of properly.  Violators who are caught dumping anything other than bagged trash will pay a fine of $75.00 per offense.

   

  TRAILERS:  If you are thinking of buying a new trailer, selling your current one, or moving to a new site you need to come through office first. Anytime you leave us your trailer goes with you or all costs will be delivered to your address. The camp site is not to be included in the sale of any trailer. If trailer owner wishes the allow/rent trailer to anyone, it must be done off the campground property. No subleasing of trailer is allowed on campground property.

   

  SEASONAL CAMPERS:  All fees are due the 1^st of the designated month (ie:  September 1, April 1, June 1) and must be paid no later than the 15^th of the designated month. If you will be arriving for the season after April 15, please call the office to make your April payment. This applies to all with no exceptions. Failure to pay will result in your camper being removed from the site and your site will be made available to other campers. A deposit of $500 for the following season must be paid no later than Sept. 15 with no exceptions. The deposit is a storage fee and will be applied to your seasonal fee upon your return but is otherwise NON-REFUNDABLE.  Failure to pay the deposit by Sept. 15 will result in your camper being removed from the site and your site will be made available to other campers to rent for the following season.

   

  Thank You,

  Holiday Acres

   

  If you have any questions feel free to call our office **************

   

  Customer response

  10/23/2022

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

   We drove up on May 1st to open our camper for the season.    We were there from May 1st May 8th.  During this week, ******************* went into the *********** and informed *** that we were going to sell our camper.  Too old for the drive from ************ to ************ on top of keeping up the camper and our house. My husband is 80 years old, and Im 73.
  Incidentally,we just found out that **** (who works in the office) fired *******  Is that a coincidence?
  We didnt put the camper on ********** until May 21st.  The ad didnt mention the exact location for privacy.  Only people that are familiar with the campground would know by looking at the map on **********.
  First, **** never called ****!  We know all about the rules.  In addition, why would we think that we could sell the site? 
  The trailer would have to be removed.  We know that!  The problem is that **** thinks that he can rent our site to someone else before our paid season is expired (Oct 15th).  We should have been able to come up there with a tent if we wanted to.  WE NEVER BROKE ANY RULES. 
  **** sent people to look at our camper.  So, I guess he knew.  He knew before ******** told him or **********.  Just another fabrication.
  We told the man who purchased the camper that he could have the deck.  I dont know why thats important.  Whats wrong with saying goodbye to ********?   In addition, what is wrong with stating that the buyer is going to come to get the camper and deck?  IT IS STILL OUR SITE UNTIL OCTOBER 15th. 
  I've been wondering why **** is so desperate for the people to move into our site and so fast.  We left right around the halfway point of the season.  So, **** would get money for the last half of our site from the new campers.  They came from a non-water site according to **** onto a waterfront site which cost more. So, they would have to pay the difference.  
  So basically,we paid him, and then the new people paid him.  After all the trouble he's going through to keep our money I know he's not going to let them move in for free.  What is that called?  
  
  
  We just spoke with the buyer of our camper on the phone. He said that he was able to get everything out in 6 days.  We left on July 21st, and he pulled the camper out of the campground on Wednesday, July 27th.  He stopped at his in-laws to get the camper ready to travel to **.  He sent ** pictures of the camper in his campground on August 2nd.   
  2 3 weeks is a lie.  6 DAYS. The buyer didnt have to clean out the trailer.  What are you talking about ****?  Everything was spotless!  We didnt leave one thing on the site.  We worked hard to make sure everything was perfect.  We have a picture of the site when the buyer left. Id like to know what was left on the site besides the pipe that **** said we could leave for the next campers.
  It's one thing to keep our money.  But to say our site was dirty is a lie and everybody knows it.  During the 36 years that we camped there, the only thing on our site was a picnic table a grill a little flower garden and a few chairs, and a tiny shed.
  Mark wouldn't know what our site looked like anyway because he never drove through the campground. He was never in the camp office after 10:00 a.m. he came one time when a tree fell and almost smashed our camper; thats about it.
   Also, ***************** the buyer the whole time when he was working on moving the deck and camper. 
  Joels text:
   I wish I would have taken some but if you look at the picture of the truck hooked up to the camper that's your site. You can see the sewer pipe in the background.You can see there are no cinder blocks. If you zoom in, you can see the pipe and the dirt. The lumps in the dirt are the rocks that are embedded in the ground, which were put there by nature. There were no leaves or anything because it was the middle of the summer. The only thing left on the site were those flower plants you see in the picture, the picnic table which was theirs,and the sewer pipe.
  
  
  Regards,

  ******

   

   

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩