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Old 07-12-2018, 01:34 PM   #1
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Good Sams Club Campsites

Being new to the RV world, I would like to know if the Good Sams Club Campsites are what there cracked up to be. We have plans to hit some State Parks but would also like the discount at GSC campgrounds.

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Old 07-12-2018, 01:36 PM   #2
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A couple of years back, we made a trip out through the NW US. I used the Good Sam ratings to find campgrounds, and we were pretty happy with them all. I found that we had a little better discount with our AAA than the Good Sam, but teh campground ratings were helpful and I felt pretty accurate.
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Old 07-12-2018, 01:45 PM   #3
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If you're looking for ratings try: RV Park Reviews - Trusted Reviews of Campgrounds & RV Parks
Its like Yelp for campgrounds. I've used it for the past 5 years or so to find campgrounds.

(No affiliation with them, just a happy user; Thorforums here is affiliated with them, however.)
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Old 07-12-2018, 02:18 PM   #4
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I find Good Sam campground ratings to be accurate. Just because a campground belongs to the Good Sam group does not insure it a great campground. Buy the directory and note the rating or log on to the website and check the ratings.
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Old 07-12-2018, 02:19 PM   #5
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Good Sam does an annual inspection of their associated/affiliated campgrounds and the ratings are fairly accurate. We are workamping at a GoodSam park now and I know the owners are very conscientious of their excellent GoodSam rating and keeping it that way.
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Old 07-12-2018, 02:35 PM   #6
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We've got reservations for one in Narvon, PA for this October... we'll be sure to report on how it all works out!
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Old 07-13-2018, 01:12 PM   #7
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When in doubt, read the reviews.
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Old 07-13-2018, 01:18 PM   #8
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I'm not sure if I trust reviews...

Aren't there folks who get paid to post great reviews: even though they have no idea of what the product or accommodation is really like?
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Old 07-13-2018, 01:21 PM   #9
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I'm sure there are, I try to get a concenus. Either way, it's pretty much a crapshoot. Lol.
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Old 07-13-2018, 01:25 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Denman View Post
I'm not sure if I trust reviews...

Aren't there folks who get paid to post great reviews: even though they have no idea of what the product or accommodation is really like?
Good Sams, and Woodalls use paid reviewers--all the reviews are paid. Paid by you when you purchase the book.

RV Park Reviews are, like Yelp, whomever logs in and decides to post a review. Are some of them paid? Perhaps, but I haven't really been to a campground that "looks nice enough to have spare $$ to pay a reviewer" if you get what I mean LOL. I guess the only way they could "pay" a reviewer would be to give a night or weekend for free for a good review (have never seen nor heard of such a thing, however).

Now the real question: Would I post a review (positive or otherwise) if a campground approached me and said "hey we'll give you a free night if you post a good review here..."? I probably wouldn't as I generally turn down free stuff (nothing is "free")*.

* The most "free" stuff I take advantage of is "free" EV charging; but even with that I try to limit it because it won't be "free" forever (and I've noticed people abusing it which only hastens the end of "free").
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Old 07-13-2018, 01:32 PM   #11
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I've got a good story for you about Yelp...

The Missus and I were once looking for a pizzeria in a nearby Town...
I googled the name, and saw the usual stuff pop up...
See their menu
Yelp reviews
A website for them

and a whole bunch of other nearby pizzerias!
For fun: I started reading the Yelp reviews for them...
I came across the exact same wording; in the reviews for each of them!

I think that I smell a rat: far more than I smell a coincidence!
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Old 07-13-2018, 01:53 PM   #12
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I always go to RV Park reviews and just like anything you have to take it with a grain of salt. Somebody might be having a bad day or something.
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Old 07-13-2018, 01:57 PM   #13
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Common sense and cross-referencing reviews will give you a pretty accurate picture. I've found most Good Sam CG's nice and as reported. I also use the app "Park Advisor" as a comparison. Seems it's a bit less biased on vendors and shows more options and people post reviews. Good Sam tends to "lead" you to the paid vendors along your route and totally eliminate other great places and campgrounds.
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Old 07-16-2018, 06:00 PM   #14
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Another one for using RV Park Reviews. I also use FreeCampsites.net as the number of free places offered by small towns is incredible. Another resource is called The Next Exit, but it only covers the interstate system.
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Old 09-22-2018, 07:24 PM   #15
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some are good, but many are not so much. KOA has better sites. They seem to take more pride in their camp grounds and keep them up as well as enforcing rules.
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Old 09-25-2018, 01:37 AM   #16
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some are good, but many are not so much. KOA has better sites. They seem to take more pride in their camp grounds and keep them up as well as enforcing rules.
You know what KOA stands for don't ya? Keep on adding.
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Old 09-25-2018, 01:53 AM   #17
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For the last 4 years we have been vagabonds 8-9 months each year logging 60k+ miles. We have gotten stung a couple of times in absolutely clunker campgrounds because I simply didn't do my homework and made a last minute reservation. Most times, I am obsessive about campground and route research. Cross referencing is the best way using multiple sources. Ours include RV Park Reviews, Good Sams, Allstays, Trip Advisor, Google, etc. IMO RV Park Reviews is the most accurate when there is a fairly large sampling of reviews (at least 20). I know for a fact that not all the reviewers there are paid - we've submitted multiple reviews. I believe that if we don't contribute to the reviews, the good and bad rv spots won't be clear - so take the time and contribute. Thank you.
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Old 09-25-2018, 12:01 PM   #18
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Quote:
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some are good, but many are not so much. KOA has better sites. They seem to take more pride in their camp grounds and keep them up as well as enforcing rules.
We just heard that KOA's cancellation policies can vary wildly from one campground to the next. This is something that you should ask about, before making a reservation.
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Old 09-25-2018, 12:16 PM   #19
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Bob - when we travel with our grandkids, we often stay at KOA. Consistently lots of stuff for them do - generally in a cornfield. To keep a more standardized cost and policy, I use the KOA website. PS: Rare for us to stay at a KOA without some of the grands and so far by using the points, we pay for our annual membership by using accumulated points.
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Old 09-25-2018, 12:26 PM   #20
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Take reviews as a guide but not fact. The dealership I bought from had a 5 star review...written by one of the Sales Managers and thanked for such a great review by a Sales Manager at a different store. They think this will offset a few of the 1 star reviews they get. Do the research...google view the grounds...read the reviews from different sources. For the most part Good Sam member campground are on the up and up. I've found the "ParkAdvisor" app to be an excellent source and the reviews seem more accurate than most. Plus, it's not bias driven by preferred vendor/service locations as many other sources are. The Good Sam locator website is very biased and doesn't include a ton of great locations and fuel stops. Multiple sources are the answer.
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