1000 Trails

[2006F350]

Pay attention to the contract. you will probably see the little word "perpetuity" which essentially means, we got you, your children, their children, and their children's children by the (fill in the blank). The only people that benefit is the big wigs that own the membership franchise. There is no "legal" way to break the contract unless as mentioned, you find some other sucker that doesn't know what "perpetuity" means. They can jack up the yearly fees, impose additional restrictions, etc., and there is not a damn thing you can do about it except grin and bear it. Do I sound bitter .... you betcha. Got "suckered" in on Camp Coast to Coast. Sounded good on the front, but my limited membership only allowed me to use my home resort pool and facilities .... wasn't even supposed to camp there, and could not camp in any of the other CCC resorts either. Finally found a sucker to take it off my hands.

Granted, they have their positives, but it's that little "p" word that makes it to where I will NEVER get a resort membership again and  make sure that anyone I can inform knows what that "p" word signifies. I'll take their freebies, but usually, that doesn't end up working either as when asked to fill out the preliminary paperwork (which also has a field for my SSN), which I refuse to give. They respond that it is needed if I should happen to "win" something (ya, like a free pass for them to dig in my wallet), to which I respond, "If I win, then I will give my SSN, but not before". We usually get 'uninvited' at that point.

In short -- READ THE FINE PRINT .... IT WILL BITE YOU EVERY TIME.

Larry

 

[edjunior]

Ed,

What connection does RCI have with the military. Retired AF here and I've never heard of RCI.

Do you use the military FamCamps?

Alaskans,

I believe he is referring to the Armed Forces Vacation Club  AFVClubhttp://www.afvclub.com/.

It is a deal between the DoD and RCI where they have access to uppity resorts for a very low cost.  Very good deal.  He used the heck out of it.  It has its limitations, but if you're free and open to where you want to go, it can be a super good deal.  Available to all DoD (active duty and retired) and affiliated personnel.  Check out the website.

 

[Jim Logan]

      My dues were frosen when I turned 60 and they will never be more then they are today, Both of my kids have a family cards that cost only 26.00 a year. But like they have said if you don't use it , it's a wast of your money.

 

[Alaskansnowbirds]

Alaskans,

I believe he is referring to the Armed Forces Vacation Club  AFVClubhttp://www.afvclub.com/.

It is a deal between the DoD and RCI where they have access to uppity resorts for a very low cost.  Very good deal.  He used the heck out of it.  It has its limitations, but if you're free and open to where you want to go, it can be a super good deal.  Available to all DoD (active duty and retired) and affiliated personnel.  Check out the website.

Thanks for the info. I hadn't heard of the AFVC. Will have to spend some time on that web site. Looks very interesting.

 

[GEJim]

Since I started this post, I guess I will try to answer some of the questions.
After visiting TT in Texas we decided to join. Cost up front is around $5000, dues are $399 a year. For that cost you get free stays at any TT resorts (75 total resorts), $8 a night at any RPI resort (200-300 resorts), and 50% off any Enjoy America resorts (300-400). Between the three that encompasses most camping areas in the US and Canada plus a few in Mexico. Plus you get Preferred Access condos at reduced cost. This is very much like RCI. They are available all over the world.
After comparing the atlas to the camping sites available we covered every place we plan to travel.
Is it a good deal, don't know. Ask me in a year or two. Right now it was to good to pass up.

 

[John From Detroit]

I paid/pay a bit less than you did, however I got some discounts for it being my 2nd membership (The first is elsewhere) and the total of the two together is right close to what you paid.

As I said, I spent 28 days in the CG at Las Vegas,  You can find parking there for under 20 bucks a night but not much of it,  Most of the parking is 30 to Well, I've paid over sixty for a night's parking for the rig. 

20 times 28 = 560.  when I subtract 560 from 399 (your dues) I get.. .  SAVINGS (161 in savings) IF I don't use any other park this year, I already have savings.  IF I visit any other TT park, the savings go UP UP UP

 

[BernieD]

20 times 28 = 560.  when I subtract 560 from 399 (your dues) I get.. .  SAVINGS (161 in savings) IF I don't use any other park this year, I already have savings.  IF I visit any other TT park, the savings go UP UP UP

John

Hmmm, lets see. $5000 initiation fee divided by $161 savings means it will take 31 years to get UP UP UP to your investment. But $5,000 left in a 5% savings account will grow to over $22,000 in 31 years or pay you $250 a year, more than your annual savings and you still have your $5,000.

 

[Ron]

You have my sympathy.

 

[Wendy]

Or to look at it a different way:

Assume that you will use the membership for 20 years (could be more, could be less depending on your age but 20 years is a reasonable length of time and may even be longer than most folks would use it). $5000 divided by 20 years is $250 per year. Add that to your $399 annual dues and you have a total annual cost of $649. Divide that by an average of $20/night (and I think most of us actually average less than that) and you need to use a FREE membership campground (there are 75 of those) 33 nights in order to break even. If you're going to use those 75 campgrounds for more than 33 nights a year for 20 years, it MAY be a good deal.

And, of course, none of this considers that those annual dues are payable FOREVER by you and your heirs. Or takes into account the $$ you could be making by sticking that $5000 in a CD. Or that the value of the membership is NEVER going to go up but is, almost certainly, going to go down.

But if it works for you, as it apparently does for John, congratulations.

Wendy

 

[John From Detroit]

John

Hmmm, lets see. $5000 initiation fee divided by $161 savings means it will take 31 years to get UP UP UP to your investment. But $5,000 left in a 5% savings account will grow to over $22,000 in 31 years or pay you $250 a year, more than your annual savings and you still have your $5,000.

Good math Bernie however the flaw in it is I did not post the price I paid, and I only posted savings based on use of ONE PARK, I have also stayed at other TT parks (This adds to the savings) and paid considerable less than 5,000 since that price includes a lot of things I did not get from TT like Camp Coast 2 Coast membership and RPI membership and the like.

And should I stay again at the Oasis park, if I don't mind a back in site instead of a pull through ( save over fifty dollars a night with RPI (Which I get via another lower cost membership) and I stay at other coast 2 coast parks for a few dollars a night. 

The long and short of it is pay back will be less than five years... That is for me, based on my current life style

Now when I go full time , that pay back gets a lot faster