Thousand Trails

[lsproul]

Hi Everybody;

We are new RV'rs and were considering checking out the Thousand Trails.
Does anybody belong to their group, or can entlighten us about their program. Is it a good deal? etc.

I thought it would be worth some free camping to check them out, so any early info would be helpful.

Larry & Esther Sproul
Mountaineer 297RKS
2003 Chev Duramax
Reese 16k Super Glide

[Imp]

Be careful if you find the program appealing. It is a good thing if the parks are in the area you are travelling in and if you are spending a lot of time camping. You can find memberships for sale for just transfer fees sometimes.. check the ads if you like the program. Don't let them high pressure salesmen/women get to you. And if you have to decide then...run don't walk. Do a lot of research before you decide.
Myrna

[Gypsy]

Hi Larry & Esther, and welcome to the Forum!

I would advise that you wait to find out more about Thousand Trails pre-owned memberships before attending one of their presentations. You can buy pre-owned for less than new, generally. And if you get hooked up with an aggressive salesperson you might end up buying a new membership and spending too much money. Look for ads in RV magazines and online sites. But be sure to find out ALL the details of the membership before you buy. There have been reported some 125 versions of their contract!

Some of the things to look for are:
- Can you go from park to park, or do you have to be out of the system for 7 days?
- Are all of the parks in the system included, especially NACO and LTR? Nationwide or only western or eastern?
- Is there a limit to the number of days/nights you can use per year? If, so, can you stay more nights, and at what price per night?
- Are the dues frozen?
- Can you sell the membership when you decide to?

Hope this helps, but I'm sure others will also have good advice.

[Glenn and Lorraine]

lsproul, heed the above advice. I personally believe the whole thing is a rip-off. I always ask myself the question, "If this Thousand Trails, and all the others like it, is such a great deal how come so many members are selling their memberships and at to terrific monetary lose no less?"

Just the other day I received another email offering me 4 nights and 3 days free at the Thousand Trails location of my choice. I have received that same email so many times in the past that I deleted it before I finished reading it.

All I can add is "Buyer Beware"

Now if you really want to save money I would strongly suggest joining Passport America. Passport America member parks will give a 50% discount on their nightly rates. Each park has it's own conditions/restrictions as to when and for how long the discount applies. These conditions can be found on either the Passport America website or in the Book you will get as a member. The cost to join is $44 per year but you can make that up the first week you are out camping. The second campground we stayed at after joining charged $40 per night, we stayed 4 nights at $20 per night. You do the math. Last spring we spent 6 nights at Elite Resorts near Ocala, Florida. The parks rate was $32.00 a night, we paid $16.00 dollars a night. That was a savings of $96.00.
If you do decide to join please reference the following number as it will get me a discount off of next years dues. # CW335639
Email me or send a Private Message if you would care for additional info.

[dbrill]

You are much better off finding one of the older memberships used. The new memberships have limits on the max number of nights (50 I think) before you start paying by the night as well as a 14 day in the system 7 day out clause. Find an older used one and you can get 365 nights a year included with a 14 day in one park limit (can move right to the next park). Plus you can find used ones for as little as about $1000 where new start at $11,000 and go up. The other big thing to watch for is the parks included. There are East Coast only, West Coast only, Northwest only, 1 park only, etc. etc. etc. memberships out there (they will cut just about any deal to make a sale) so make sure the parks meet your needs. My personal opinion based on the cost and annual dues is that if you aren't going to use it at least 40 to 60 nights a year for a long time (10+ years if you buy new) then save time and just flush your money down the toilet now.

Also if you go to the sales pitch they have a release you sign that you can't buy used for a time period (used to be a year).

[ken]

So far everyone has passed on good information. We do belong to Thousand Trails/NACO and use it quite a bit. We found ours in Florida and was a resales. There are several programs out there so do your homework. You want to look for a TT/NACO national membership that allows you to stay 14 days anywhere. We belong to TT and Outdoor World which allows us to stay down in Florida most of the winter for nothing. Yes we have to move every two weeks but we don't think that s a problem. All of the parks in both systems are within a 60 mile radius. Look in the back of the RV travel mags for advertisements of resales and you will save a lot of money. I wouldn't hold back not attending a free weekend at TT, just don't buy their program. If you want any more information, contact me at kv_taylor@hotmail.com

[drjjj]

We toured the facility near us (Medina Lake) about a year ago. It has the potential to be a nice place, but was pretty run down. We endured the sales pitch, and even went on an "off day" because of a promise of some "goodies" that never materialized. My feeling is they are trying to increase their cash flow position. Because they have been around awhile, others have told me you can do much better by trying to buy an existing members' membership.

[JimnJulie]

Good luck in your search. This spring we visited a TT near Wilmington, Ohio. The place was nice, the people were plesant and the salesmen weren't too pushy. I had looked online at memberships and the cost seemed to be around $8000. We endured the sales pitch, the price quoted was $12,999. Our salesman was "able" to knock off $3000. WOW what a great deal, BUT WAIT, we had to talk with his boss first. Just for doing so "the boss" was able to knock off another $2000. If my figures are right that seems to be pretty close to the $8000 everyone told me before going down there. The idea of it is great however, the campgrounds are not where we are planning on being. Oh well, we had a great fun free weekend. Good Luck

[lsproul]

Thanks, thats what i needed to know.

Larry

[ols1932]

Isproul, the advice given is good. We purchased a new membership in 2002 for $2995. a show price. We purchased it in North Carolina at Forest Lake TT. We didn't get ripped off as some may have been. We have unlimited dates, not 50 as some do. We get two weeks in, then have to be out a week and then we can go back to the same TT park or to any other TT park for 14 days. First year we stayed 87 nights. There are a lot of used memberships for sale for little of nothing, but be sure you check them out well because TT has so many plans out there that you have to know exactly what you're getting.

For us, TT has been great because we full time and we can go into a TT and not have to pay a cent. We do have a $425 annual maintenance fee which I don't think is too bad. We've only found a couple TT parks that weren't up to standards, like Indian Point in Gautier, MS. This park as since been sold to another entity. TT has recently come under new ownership and promises to get much better.

Orv

[Gpa_Dick]

As was mentioned before, do your home work. We did and purchased a resale for a little over the transfer fees. Look in Trailer Life Magazines and others like it for ads. I talked to a number of folks and they were selling because they were giving up on the RV lifestyle. They just couldn't handle the rigs anymore. Our membership allows for 2 weeks in and move straight to another park.

We live in the NorthWest where there are plenty of "Preserves" and haven't been happier. There are programs in the summer that involves the kids. They are really going the extra mile to do what it takes to keep and bring more members in. I don't think I have come across a grumpy employee.

Now not all parks are created equal. Some are on the rustic side - like state campgrounds - and others are like the RV parks. Each have a character of their own. I have seen complaints about how they don't keep the parks clean but I just haven't seen it. I have been a member for 2 years and go just about every month for 3 to 4 days.

It is first come first served and you hope to get a favorite spot. So, if you can't deal with that then certainly take that into consideration.

Just my thoughts. Good luck!

[NJ Hillbilly]

That was one of my complaints, the sites were not assigned. I wasn't too happy about rigs driving up and down the roads searching for an open site, especially in the dark and at nite. I prefer to know where I am going instead of cruising around, especially in the dark.

John

[deerrahn]

This is the first chance I have had to get onto the MOC in several weeks. I enjoy reading the different topics that come up. When I saw this one on Thousand Trails, I thought I should comment. I agree with all of the above replys. BEWARE. Personally we found them to be very high pressure sales pitch structures types. As bad or worse than a Used Care Sales Pitch. Check out some of the other camping programs. You will be $6,000 ahead. No matter how much they decide to come down in their price, in my opinion, you still lose. GOOD LUCK.

[WACOT]

Think of it this way, I had a friend who had a Thousand Trails membership he wanted to GIVE to me and I turned it down. They just do not have the reputation that I can live with. I have another friend who is with Passport America and another with Coast to Coast and both seem to like those. My opinion is that TT is way overpriced.

Here is something for you to think about. At Corp of engineer parks throughout the nation you can stay for half price if you get a GOLDEN ACCESS card, it can be acquired at a corp office at no cost. The only catch is you have to be disabled. GOLDEN AGE is available for those seniors who are not disabled, don't know the particulars on that one.

[ols1932]

We stay in TT parks over 60 nights/year and have only found two parks that were not up to the standards that we expected. Nevertheless, we find that as a whole our money has been well spent. We don't go out of our way to find the parks but those that are on our traveled way, we use. Sure, there are some that are under poor management but we've found that to be true in a lot of RV parks, especially the overpriced ones like KOA. We stayed in one KOS in Meridian, MS three years ago where the owner/manager was only interested in getting his $35/night with no amenities. The lots were extremely unlevel and the park was dirty. I fail to see how thise kinds of parks can stay in busintess, including those in the TT chain. I don't promote any park system but I'll surely let people know about the ones that we don't believe are worth the money.


Orv








Orv & Marge Schinke

2000 Montana 3555RL towed with '95 F-250 Diesel w/Banks Power Pack, TransCommand Module, Banks Exhaust Brake and Smart Lock Module, rear air bags, Trailer Saver Air Ride Hitch. Full-time, members of the Escapees RV Club. Summers in the midwest and winters in the southwest.

"Drive defensively. Be careful and be courteous."

[RVWheels]

Orv and Marge,
Rather than hi-jack the thread why don't you post the last paragraph in another thread? Feel free to drop a reference sentence here.

RVW

Please include your USERNAME and a valid and unblocked email address when contacting Moderators and Administrators.

RVWheels@montanaowners.com

[Gpa_Dick]

Years ago....I mean like in the '70s....we went to a Thousand Trails presentation at a "preserve". Talk about high pressure....Mary was almost in tears by the time we left. I don't know how many times we said "NO" before we finally got out of there.

About 3 years ago, we did this again - only because a friend said they were much different. And it was. The presenter presented the information and we said no thanks and that was it. We enjoyed the rest of our 3 day stay.

We later bought a membership through a resale office online. Where was your friend who was giving it away? We have never been happier. Summer weekends are full of things for the grandkids and adults alike to do.

On another forum site - before I new about MOC - a person said they went to the Chehalis Preserve and told everyone to stay away from it as it was not up to standards. We stayed away from it because of his recommendation only later to talk to another individual at Long Beach Preserve who said that was their favorite. And after going there I can see why.

Thousand Trails is not for everyone. You just need to check things out after collecting the information from others so you can go in there with information before hand.

-Dick


2006.5 Montana 3400RL
(Ma Bella 2 'cuz Mary is Ma Bella 1)

2002 Silverado 2500 LT CC SB 4x4 DMax/Allyson Prodigy Controller
Reese Signature Hitch

[ols1932]

quote:Originally posted by RVWheels

Orv and Marge,
Rather than hi-jack the thread why don't you post the last paragraph in another thread? Feel free to drop a reference sentence here.

RVW

Please include your USERNAME and a valid and unblocked email address when contacting Moderators and Administrators.

RVWheels@montanaowners.com

RV Wheels,
Thanks for the note. Have done just that. I appreciate your help.
Orv








Orv & Marge Schinke

2000 Montana 3555RL towed with '95 F-250 Diesel w/Banks Power Pack, TransCommand Module, Banks Exhaust Brake and Smart Lock Module, rear air bags, Trailer Saver Air Ride Hitch. Full-time, members of the Escapees RV Club. Summers in the midwest and winters in the southwest.

"Drive defensively. Be careful and be courteous."