- Report: #1114227
Complaint Review: Thousand Trails/Naco/Outdoor World Campgrounds - Cincinnati Ohio
Reported By:
Campground Membership Owner -
Pensacola, Florida,
Submitted:
Updated:
-
Author Not Confirmed
Why?
Thousand Trails/Naco/Outdoor World Campgrounds
PO Box 644093 Cincinnati, 45264 Ohio, USA
Web:
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Thousand Trails/Naco/Outdoor World Campgrounds Misuses member funds, Violates commitment to members, Changed Campground against contract Cincinnati Ohio
I recently read another report from a campground member interestd in engaging in a Class Action Suit against Thousand Trails Campgrounds for failing to live up to its commitment to members who bought into it as owners, to remain a member only campground. I too believe they are engaging in illegal practices and scamming the members out of millions of dollars a year. Thousand Trails/Naco, Outdoor World and others are all owned/run by the same corporation and are part of what is called Equity Lifestyle Properties; all engage in the same sort of practices. They violate members rights without apology and they need to be stopped.
I have experienced the deterioration of the campgrounds in both the Thousand Trails/Naco System, and that of Outdoor World over the years; members pay high, ever increasing maintenance fees regardless of the level of their use of the parks, and the campgrounds are not well maintained. The campgrounds have been bled for income by one management company after another, then sold to another corporation that does the same thing. Now, in addition to these questionable practices, income is produced by renting to non-members and by allowing people to pay extra money to reserve the best spots for themselves or to receive unlimited use for a season with no further maintence fee, while other members can't find a spot to camp and these spots stay empty. The members were not consulted before these programs were initiated, and the income they produce does not go to tpark maintenance and upkeep to reduce the annual maintenance fee charged to members, but rather it goes into the pockets of management. These practices continue because members feel powerless to stop it.
Memberships when I first bought in were represented as "ownership" in a park; something that we paid ongoing maintenance because we owned a property and the corporation was taking care of it for us; a collective ownership concept. Today these parks are run as if the "managers" owned them and we simply pay higher and higher fees and get less and less for our money. Yet, in the case of Outdoor World for example, we are told we must either continue to pay, sell the membership and pay the park another fee to do the transaction, or be sued by them.
I concur with the complainant who wanted to initiate a Class Action Suit; I would be willing to join in such a suit.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Pateepi
Wrightsville,Pennsylvania,
USA
Private ownership
#2General Comment
Wed, March 23, 2016
Outdoor World was touted as Membership Only when sold to us. It has since opened up their sites to seasonal users to the extent that my family cannot book any cabins as they have been rented to the public. I refuse to pay any fees until this is rectified. Outdoor World was incorporated into Thousand Trails.
Joe
collegeville,Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
Willing to join a class action lawsuit
#3Consumer Comment
Wed, July 08, 2015
I too am extremely disappointed in thousand trails for opening up the campground to the public since I paid thousands of dollars for a membership and am currently paying dues every year. Please contact me if you know anything aboout a class action lawsuit against thousand trails at : (((email redacted)))
AnonAnon
Nowhere,New York,
Nonsense
#4General Comment
Wed, January 22, 2014
First of all, NONE of the parks in Thousand Trails were member only. They have always been open to the public. How do you think people got a membership? They came in as public to the park and signed up for a membership.
There is nothing in the contracts that say they are member only. People always try to say that but if they actually read their contract, they would see there is nothing in there that says it's member only.
If the parks are being run down, it's because member's don't pay their dues and go into default. Or refuse to pay because of pointless things like you listed. If you don't pay your dues, how are the parks going to benefit?
Not to mention, most of the parks are almost 40 years old. They aren't brand new so they aren't going to show like a newly constructed hotel.
And it doesn't matter if it's a member or someone who wants to come in for the night to see how the park is, they can BOTH cause damange and misuse the park.
Stop blaiming the public for the conditions of the parks. The public pays to camp just like members.
Also on the Annual sites, they pay a lot of money to have those sites, much more than the members who are just paying their yearly dues.
And also when you pay your dues, it doesn't go ony to the park that you use the most. It's spread out over 80 something parks. If you take a yearly due of $500, divide it by 80 that equals about $6.25 that is given to each park. When you break it down that way, you can see how much each park is actually getting.
As typical, you have someone ranting and raving and they don't even have the complete facts.
