Eycom wrote:

We can sugar coat KOAs until the cows come home. Bottom line is, it's a FRANCHISE that projects a universal image of quality and standards in amenities not offered by many campgrounds.

I had the displeasure of camping at the KOA on Grand Island, NY several years ago. For $48/night, I got a site that was tight for a truck camper. My little slide-out butted up against my neighbor's slide, so forget the awning. There was no carpet on the miniature golf course, paddle boats were literally swamped, the pond was full of scum and half of the games in the game room were down. While I don't need or even use those amenities, I'm sure there were many young campers and parents who were unhappy with the disrepair. Although the staff was courteous, I won't return due to the lack of value for me.

That's been my experience with 80% of the KOAs I've visited over the years. What the corporate/franchise image projects simply doesn't translate into a standardization in the quality of services rendered. In consideration of the higher fees they charge compared to other campgrounds, they just haven't delivered, either a perceived or real value for ME. At least with a Burger King, be it a corporate store or a franchisee, one store may be cleaner than others, but all the 'whoppers' and fries taste the same. I know, going in, exactly what to expect and how much.

Not so with KOA. I can have as good or better luck in receiving value simply by making a selection from Trailer Life for less money for a campsite. This coming from a camper who will boondock first, government campground second, and Passport America park third. Now, that's value... free to 1/2 price camping...LOL.

joanne0012 wrote:

OK, I'm going to play the "Devil's Advocate" here. You told the KOA staff that your kid was sick and had to stay in bed, yet you asked for only a one-hour extension of the checkout time. Was he going to recover during that hour? As noted above, the KOA staff hear excuses and requests all the time, and yours wasn't especially plausible.

"I will give you 15 minutes after 11:00, and after that you will have to pay an extra $10.00 to stay any longer only until one". This is an offer (albeit crudely put) to let you stay two hours past the regular checkout time, for their stated rate of $10. This is the campground's posted policy. If the staff let you stay an extra hour for free, then they have to let everybody stay an extra hour for free.