10 Most Common Complaints Against RV Parks
If you’ve been camping long enough, you’ve probably already come across your fair share of less-than-awesome RV parks. If you’re newer, maybe you’ve been lucky enough to avoid them so far.
Either way, it can be helpful to know what kinds of things campers complain most about when reviewing RV parks. What are the things that are most annoying in a campground, and what kinds of things should you be keeping an eye out for when booking campsites? Are there ways around these issues, or are you stuck with them until you move on to the next park?
Below is a list of the top 10 most common complaints against RV parks, as well as solutions to some of the issues that will make you more comfortable, even if the park you’re staying in isn’t your favorite.
1. Not enough space
One of the things we hear the most complaints about is the amount of space in an RV park. Tight roads that are difficult to navigate are bad enough, but tiny sites that have you nearly touching your neighbor’s rig are even more irritating.
While there isn’t a whole lot you can do about these issues, we do have a couple of suggestions. The first is to make sure your toad is unhitched when you arrive. This will make navigating tight roads much easier. And when it comes to tight sites, consider backing further into your site if possible, moving your RV back from the lineup and giving yourself some space.
However, the best solution is to look specifically for campgrounds with large sites and skip those that have you inches away from your neighbor(s). Reading campground reviews beforehand will give you a better idea of how large the roads and campsites are and if they are nicely spaced out or not.
2. Bad attitudes from staff and owners
This is another complaint we hear on a regular basis. Obviously, nobody wants to stay long in a place where the staff treats them poorly, especially if they feel discriminated against for their age or the age of their rig. Poor communication is another huge issue, as is a lack of apparent care from the staff.
The first way to solve this problem is simply to avoid it by calling the campground ahead of time, asking questions, and gauging how helpful the staff is. If you still run into issues, we recommend killing the rude attitude with kindness and going to higher-ups with your complaints whenever possible.
3. Bad electric hookups
Unfortunately, pedestals are not always wired correctly in RV parks. This is a problem that could actually damage your rig or even cause harm to yourself or someone else.
Most parks are happy to move you to another site if you find the electricity is acting up on your site, so we recommend checking the hookup and protecting against surges with a surge protector with a built-in polarity tester like this one.
4. Gross water
Nobody wants gross water in their RV water system. Unfortunately, campground water isn’t always the best. An inline filter such as this one can solve this problem quickly and easily. If you plan to drink the water from the tap in RV parks, we also recommend a Berkey water filtering system to further clean your water.
5. Dirty bathhouses and common areas
Gross bathhouses are not exactly pleasant to use. Neither are dirty activity centers, pools, or lounges, for that matter. While some RV parks are great at keeping up the cleanliness of these common areas, others are severely lacking.
Our first suggestion is always to ask the staff if they are aware of the mess. Especially if it is one isolated mess, they may be completely unaware and happy to clean it up. If this doesn’t solve the problem, you might just opt to shower in your own RV and avoid common areas as much as possible until you move on.
6. Neighbor problems
Bad neighbors are never fun. Pets that bark constantly or poop in your site, loud parties that go late into the night, and gross messes that go uncleared for days are all reasons to complain.
The first option for solving this problem is to nicely ask the neighbors to quiet their dogs, clean their mess, or turn down the volume. In many cases, they will be apologetic and happy to fix the problem.
If this doesn’t work, the next step is to approach staff. In most cases, RV parks will have rules about these things that should be enforced, so complaining to the staff might be effective. Otherwise, you could choose to ask for another site in order to put distances between yourself and the annoying neighbor.
7. Unlevel sites
Parking an RV on unlevel ground can make things a lot more difficult, and we hear a lot of complaints about sites that don’t offer a flat parking surface. This is an understandable complaint, but is also an avoidable problem in many cases.
Since a lot of campgrounds have some very unlevel sites, we recommend calling ahead and asking to be placed in the most level site possible. If you are sent out to pick your own site, ask which ones are most level. It’s also a good idea to always carry leveling blocks for those times when a perfectly flat surface simply isn’t available.
8. Mud, sand, and dirt
Mud, sand, and dirt are also complained about often in campground reviews. Honestly, these are kind of silly complaints. After all, you’re camping—some dirt is to be expected.
We do find that putting an outdoor rug down to catch the dirt and sand before we walk into the rig is helpful for keeping RV floors clean. We also remove our shoes before going inside, something that helps tremendously in keeping what belongs outside out of our tiny home-on-wheels.
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9. Bug issues
Bugs are another common complaint against RV parks. Again, you’re camping, and bugs are to be expected. Of course, some campgrounds do have more than others, and we do understand that an excessive number of bugs can be bothersome. This is especially true when it comes to ants invading your RV, or mosquitos that just won’t quit biting.
To remedy this issue, we recommend always carrying bug spray and citronella candles. If ants are a problem, make sure all food is put away, and try sprinkling diatomaceous earth around your RV.
10. Feeling unsafe
The final complaint on our list is feeling unsafe. We rarely come across this issue, as most of the RVing community is nothing but friendly and helpful. That said, if we do ever feel unsafe, we leave, and you should too.
After all, your RV has wheels, meaning you can move it anywhere you like, and even if you aren’t truly in any danger, you’ll sleep better in a place where you feel safe. Be sure to check sites like RV LIFE Campgrounds before you go to learn more about the park and what other RVers are saying about the area you’ll be visiting.
Been to a campground lately? Don’t forget to leave a review! Reviews help other RVers like yourself, and they help the campground. Leave a campground review today!
wifi. I don’t know what it would take to truly accomodate demand if every site was streaming on 4 devices. I once stayed at a park that somehow controlled the quality of your internet for each site – you could upgrade to silver, gold, etc, from the basic free. for a daily fee.
I’can’t recall how it was done – maybe a special password. It would be VERY nice if upgraded service was available to those willing to pay.
I pass by many RV Parks that look horrible and crowded. That, plus hauling around a lumbering beast of a vehicle everywhere seems to offset the appeal of having an RV in a nice spot.
You made the right decision. The attitude of most RV park managers/owners are beyond disrespectful to people who spend good money to be there. In particular, I will avoid all Wilder campgrounds from here on. Nine pages of restrictive rules that apply to some but not others (and more rules added every year/on the fly), kickbacks to real estate agent, as part of lease renewal forcing tenants to pay for things they are not responsible for, cold pool, obsession over parking. I could go on and on. It’s been going downhill since the father passed. Never again.
These are great tips to remember as an RV park owner. Too many times things are taken for granted. We make sure to have good hook ups although our park is small. But it is also in a very safe neighborhood that is very peaceful and quiet. Thanks for the article. https://www.cypresscovervpark.com