Chase
For Walnut Hills Campground and RV Park: I recently spent 3 nights at the Staunton / Walnut Hills KOA in Virginia with a group of friends and wanted to share my experience. The campground and facilities are clean and well kept. The surrounding area and the city of Staunton are absolutely gorgeous. I had such a great time that I was already planning my next trip to the campground next year (we take a guy's trip every Spring and have for the past 15 years).
Let me preface this account by saying that this is a family run facility. The parents and their daughters all work there. One daughter is the Manager; the mother is the Head of Housekeeping?. The father serves in some capacity as well. The additional staff is courteous and very friendly.
My experience turned from great to awful on the way home from our trip. We cleaned the cabin, did the dishes, swept etc. and then checked out at the office.
On the ride home, I receive a voice mail and an email from the manager Erika (the daughter) stating that it looks like we may have accidentally packed away two of their blankets on our way out?. I immediately called her back and assured her that we did not have her blankets and this must be some mistake.
I explained that when we arrived, we noticed that neither bunk bed had blankets on them, but we didn't think to say anything all but one of us brought our own bedding (sleeping bags and pillows) so no one felt the need to ask for blankets that we didn't need.. She said she would check with the Head of Housekeeping (her mother) and get back to me.
So now it is basically my word against her Mothers. I'll bet you'll never guess whom she believed? She called back and stated that the blankets were there when we checked in and that we would be charged to replace them ($45).
I immediately pulled my vehicle over immediately and shot a time stamped video of me unpacking my whole entire vehicle, bag by bag to prove that I didn't steal their blankets.
We exchanged numerous emails involving my friends and I trying to reason with them, but in the end, they charged me $45 for two blankets that I didn't take (they were never in the cabin). I explained that I understood with the business that they are in, they have to protect themselves from people stealing their items, but this wasn't one of those times. They wouldn't hear my side at all. CASE CLOSED.
Wouldn't it stand to reason that if I had the blankets, I would send them back and avoid being charged I was given an out to do so?
What is more likely, that a group of 40 something year old men stole two blankets, deny it and then vehemently tries to defend themselves or that someone made a mistake at their job (the mother)?
I am now stuck trying to reverse the charge on my Visa card. I have spent WAAAY more of my own time on this than the $45 is worth to me. I should just move on, but it is the principle of the matter.
The most frustrating aspect of the whole situation is how absolutely unreasonable this family is. They are the judge and jury, meanwhile their customer has no recourse (KOA Corporate has a policy to stay out of these disputes as a lot of these campgrounds are franchised). They are willing to jeopardize a mutually beneficial relationship over two blankets which I don't and never did have. They may own a business, but their customer service is very lacking. I also want to clarify that I don't feel that this is done intentionally on their part. I genuinely believe they think I took the blankets, which is their right, but common sense would dictate that I wouldn't be wasting all the time and effort to defend myself if I did indeed take them.
PLEASE BE FOREWARNED, if my experience hasn't dissuaded you from staying there, please take video and pictures of your cabin the minute you get there. Do a physical inventory of blankets, towels etc. and provide this to them. I don't want anyone to allow them to do this again.
Posted May 19, 2014 by Chase from Ohio. This is the subjective opinion of a traveler and not of AllStays LLC.
