This billboard sign is located on Hwy 95 at Ave 7E, just outside of Yuma, AZ.Our day started pretty routinely in Tucson, AZ, and ended anything but routine in Yuma, AZ. When we finished our laundry, and pulled out of Lazy Days RV Park, it was late morning. After a Wally World Stop on the outskirts of Tucson, and a fuel & propane stop at the Flying J in Eloy, we were on the road to Yuma, where the plan is to hang out for a few days before we attend the Gypsy Journal RV Rally at the fairgrounds.
Our specific destination was the Yuma Lakes RV Resort, a part of the Colorado River Adventures membership network (CRA), located off Hwy 95, a few miles northeast of Yuma. Somewhere in our travels, we had collected a brochure (see below) that offered free camping, and a $100 gift certificate to WalMart, simply for listening to their sales pitch. Even though the brochure states that the phone numbers for the different resorts is for information, and directions only, I called several weeks ago to try and confirm that this offer was legitimate. When the recording ended, I left a message regarding the brochure & our call back number. No surprise, the call was never returned.
Flash forward to a little after 5pm yesterday, when we pulled into Yuma Lakes, and stopped at the gate house. Within a few minutes, a gentleman pulled up in his golf cart, and we exchanged pleasantries. It went downhill from there! When I showed him the brochure with no expiration date, he said they weren't honoring that anymore. What? How can you put out a very attractive offer with no disclaimers like "limited time only", and then say "sorry, that's not good any more".
OK, now I'm pissed off, and if you're on the receiving end, that's not a good thing! I then asked the guy "what about the big billboard sign out on the highway, offering full hookup RV camping for $10 per night? He said "we're not honoring that anymore either, and I've been telling them for weeks, to have that sign taken down". He further stated that "we get 2 or 3 rigs a week pulling in because of that sign, and we have to turn them away".
Our specific destination was the Yuma Lakes RV Resort, a part of the Colorado River Adventures membership network (CRA), located off Hwy 95, a few miles northeast of Yuma. Somewhere in our travels, we had collected a brochure (see below) that offered free camping, and a $100 gift certificate to WalMart, simply for listening to their sales pitch. Even though the brochure states that the phone numbers for the different resorts is for information, and directions only, I called several weeks ago to try and confirm that this offer was legitimate. When the recording ended, I left a message regarding the brochure & our call back number. No surprise, the call was never returned.
Flash forward to a little after 5pm yesterday, when we pulled into Yuma Lakes, and stopped at the gate house. Within a few minutes, a gentleman pulled up in his golf cart, and we exchanged pleasantries. It went downhill from there! When I showed him the brochure with no expiration date, he said they weren't honoring that anymore. What? How can you put out a very attractive offer with no disclaimers like "limited time only", and then say "sorry, that's not good any more".
OK, now I'm pissed off, and if you're on the receiving end, that's not a good thing! I then asked the guy "what about the big billboard sign out on the highway, offering full hookup RV camping for $10 per night? He said "we're not honoring that anymore either, and I've been telling them for weeks, to have that sign taken down". He further stated that "we get 2 or 3 rigs a week pulling in because of that sign, and we have to turn them away".
As this conversation is getting more heated by the second, Patty, sensing that perhaps something ugly is developing, came quickly out of the motor home. She caught the tail end of the confrontation, where I demanded to see the manager. Of course, he wasn't available, with some sort of excuse that he had to take his wife to a medical appointment. Seeing no way forward, other than perhaps to just refuse to move the motor home away from blocking part of the resort entrance, which I considered, I decided to retreat from this battle, and concentrate on winning the war.
We've all probably had some experience with the classic bait & switch tactics of less than honorable businesses, but this is beyond that. In this case, there isn't even a switch, it's all bait. When the owners or management of a business decide to pursue a promotional, or marketing strategy, it's paramount that they understand the unintended consequences of not ending that promotion in a responsible manner. Like perhaps taking down the sign if you're not honoring what it advertises, or at least recognizing that without limitations, these brochures can be out there for a very long time. OK, where do we go from here. I suspect that most people would just say "oh well", and head on down the road. Well, I'm not most people when it comes to crap like this. There will be more to this story, and if nothing else, I WILL get the satisfaction of knowing that someone will have to answer some questions, if not to me, then possibly to a county or state official with a little more horsepower. This kind of bull$*@#, is simply not acceptable. There are business statutes that prohibit blatant cases of false advertising. It deserves someone to take it to the next level, and I'm that person. The phrase "I'm your worst nightmare" is more than appropriate, and my parting words to the guy in the golf cart was, "you haven't heard the end of this"!
Stay tuned.............................
The only disclaimers in the fine print are RV owner couples only, good health between 30 & 75, no group tours, and must be US citizen with 2 forms of ID. No expiration date, and no reservations "JUST COME IN!"
Go get 'em Dan!!! I'm with you all the way!!! Nothing I hate more than false advertising and in this case, it's certainly blatant!!!
ReplyDeleteisabel marant hisae boot(dsf2012.4.11)
ReplyDeleteJeezes ... just chill and travel on ... things are always going to come up and that doesn't mean we have to act as though the sun rises and sets on our command ... Spread a bit of cheer and humility & make this planet a "Kinder Place " Please ....
ReplyDeleteWe joined CRA 12 years ago, buying from a private seller for $900, They charged us an $100 transfer fee and told us our membership was non transferable and we could not re-sell it and would have to simply turn it in when we quit it. Not a problem with us. We used the heck out of it for 6 years, then bought a house in Az. and rarely use it anymore. WE went to 0ne of their "Upgrate" presentations for the $100 incentive and when we refused to buy the $7k upgrade, we were told that we could never turn our membership in and would be forced to pay the $500 per year membership fee, (which could go up 10% per year) for life. When I told them that was not in our original contract, she pulled out our Contract and they had actually changed in in Red Ink, after we had signed it. I told her that was totally illegal and she told me that they were owned by 5 attorneys and my only way out was to buy the new upgrade which wold allow me to sell it and lock in my current annual fees.
ReplyDeleteI like their parks and the volunteers who run them, but the owners sales staff, are ruthless cut throats who intimidate and threaten.
the volunteer you talked to at the gate was simply operating as instructed.
Sorry, the transfer fee was $1100 not $100.
ReplyDeleteSorry, the transfer fee was $1100 not $100.
ReplyDeleteWe joined CRA 12 years ago, buying from a private seller for $900, They charged us an $100 transfer fee and told us our membership was non transferable and we could not re-sell it and would have to simply turn it in when we quit it. Not a problem with us. We used the heck out of it for 6 years, then bought a house in Az. and rarely use it anymore. WE went to 0ne of their "Upgrate" presentations for the $100 incentive and when we refused to buy the $7k upgrade, we were told that we could never turn our membership in and would be forced to pay the $500 per year membership fee, (which could go up 10% per year) for life. When I told them that was not in our original contract, she pulled out our Contract and they had actually changed in in Red Ink, after we had signed it. I told her that was totally illegal and she told me that they were owned by 5 attorneys and my only way out was to buy the new upgrade which wold allow me to sell it and lock in my current annual fees.
ReplyDeleteI like their parks and the volunteers who run them, but the owners sales staff, are ruthless cut throats who intimidate and threaten.
the volunteer you talked to at the gate was simply operating as instructed.