Montana Misery - Montana Owners Club

Bowie · 08-25-2004, 08:07 AM

After getting through the rock and sunroof ordeal, we were ready for a lovely Montana campground and some serious chilling out time. HA! We had booked ourselves in to the Butte MT KOA which had a reasonable rating so we felt relatively confident that we would end the day on an up beat. Wrong! Arrived to find the parking lot jammed with cars and trucks, parking the 5er nearly impossible. The office was also a BBQ chicken pick-up and the locals had obviously discovered a really good thing. When we could finally get someone to register us Bill reminded them that we had a very tall 5er needing 13 ft+ clearance and would like to be sure that tree branches would not be an issue. When we finally found our spot, the tree branches were lower than the front of the rig, never mind high enough to let us clear. The spot had someone else's sewer hose draped across it and had piles of dog #$%&. It was covered in unkempt grass and the picnic table was a disgrace. Back to the office to get another assignment. Dodging more locals with bags of chicken, Pat managed to get a second spot. Keep in mind here that there were 5 empty spots in the row we had first been assigned to--all big enough to fit. Did they put us there? Nope. How about a spot big enough to fit a 26 footer? The Montana would have been hanging out into the road after we had unhitched the truck. IF we could have gotten to it except that the road was blocked by all the trucks and vehicles of the other 5ers and TTs already in place who did not have room to park in their assigned slots. BACK to the office and we were getting mighty tired of hauling around the place. This time Bill went in to try again. Did they have any more room for us? Nope, despite tha fact that those other places were still empty--as well as dozens of others. So hopefully we will find that our credit card has not been charged for staying in this place. We never did get to try the chicken though at the rate it was going out the door these folks could give the Colonel a run for his money! We went on down the road a few miles to Rocker MT and stayed at the BAR LAZY H which was modest but accommodating and did have a nice view across the hiway to the mountains. And we took the two motorhomes who pulled in behind us down there too. It was a two beer night.

D and M On The Road · 08-25-2004, 08:24 AM

You have probably saved a few other MOC members some grief by posting your experience there. I'm sorry is turned out so bad but hopefully you can laugh at it now?...

Thanks for posting it.

CountryGuy · 08-25-2004, 08:25 AM

Bowie,

Have you considered contacting the KOA home offices about your treatment at this KOA?? Aren't they a franchise?? Does KOA really want their name on a campground that is run that way, by people who treated you that way?? Don't think so!

We rarely use KOA's except when we are really traveling hard, and need a place to sleep and not go far from the freeway, etc. I cannot remember being treated that way. They are not all peaceful and quiet (road noise or close to RR tracks), but the staff was very nice.

Too bad you missed the chicken tho!

prariepoodle · 08-25-2004, 08:47 AM

What a bummer sounds like they need to close the park and just do chicken sence they don't have time to take care of the RV's.

D and M On The Road · 08-25-2004, 09:02 AM

We contacted the main KOA offices about a year ago or so to let them know of our problems at a KOA camp. You know what their procedure is? They send the complaint on to the camp that you had troubles with and let them handle it.

Hahaha..... that'll really get the problem fixed!

toolmanroy · 08-25-2004, 09:51 AM

I have not met a KOA I liked yet. I am sure there are some good ones out there but I have not found one.

DrivesBGM · 08-25-2004, 11:02 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by D and M On The Road

We contacted the main KOA offices about a year ago or so to let them know of our problems at a KOA camp. You know what their procedure is? They send the complaint on to the camp that you had troubles with and let them handle it.

Hahaha..... that'll really get the problem fixed!

You're right that in itself probably didn't do much. But I believe that it is a strike against the offending KOA. Surely corporate KOA isn't going to hand too many of these complaints back to a CG without reevaluating the franchise.

Also, when we had problems with a KOA manager, we sent a letter to the membership office. We got two letters. One from corporate with a discount coupon for our next night in any KOA. And a letter from the manager of the KOA we reported.

After this experience, I wouldn't stay at the offending KOA again but I feel reasonably good about my KOA membership.

Craig

DHenry · 08-25-2004, 05:28 PM

The condition of this KOA sounds like the one I stayed in in Warrenton, OR. We did not have to go back to the office as you did, but the dog do-do was a bit much and the grass had not been cut for weeks. I as well will not stay at another KOA unless it is the very last resort I have to choose from and there is not a Wal-Mart within 45 minutes.

Northstar · 08-25-2004, 09:06 PM

Thanks for sharing. Sounds like the chicken is the only good thing about this camp ground. Happyrving.....

Montana_621 · 08-26-2004, 06:01 AM

That really stinks, I hate it when campgrounds do that! UGH! We have had that happen to us more than once. Sometimes I wonder what they don't understand about the fact that we have a 34 foot long, 13 foot high 5th wheel and that's not including the truck so please MAKE SURE we are going to be able to get around in your CG!

We should add that to the list of things you want in a campground, enough room to maneuver these big rigs!

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Bowie

After getting through the rock and sunroof ordeal, we were ready for a lovely Montana campground and some serious chilling out time. HA! We had booked ourselves in to the Butte MT KOA which had a reasonable rating so we felt relatively confident that we would end the day on an up beat. Wrong! Arrived to find the parking lot jammed with cars and trucks, parking the 5er nearly impossible. The office was also a BBQ chicken pick-up and the locals had obviously discovered a really good thing. When we could finally get someone to register us Bill reminded them that we had a very tall 5er needing 13 ft+ clearance and would like to be sure that tree branches would not be an issue. When we finally found our spot, the tree branches were lower than the front of the rig, never mind high enough to let us clear. The spot had someone else's sewer hose draped across it and had piles of dog #$%&. It was covered in unkempt grass and the picnic table was a disgrace. Back to the office to get another assignment. Dodging more locals with bags of chicken, Pat managed to get a second spot. Keep in mind here that there were 5 empty spots in the row we had first been assigned to--all big enough to fit. Did they put us there? Nope. How about a spot big enough to fit a 26 footer? The Montana would have been hanging out into the road after we had unhitched the truck. IF we could have gotten to it except that the road was blocked by all the trucks and vehicles of the other 5ers and TTs already in place who did not have room to park in their assigned slots. BACK to the office and we were getting mighty tired of hauling around the place. This time Bill went in to try again. Did they have any more room for us? Nope, despite tha fact that those other places were still empty--as well as dozens of others. So hopefully we will find that our credit card has not been charged for staying in this place. We never did get to try the chicken though at the rate it was going out the door these folks could give the Colonel a run for his money! We went on down the road a few miles to Rocker MT and stayed at the BAR LAZY H which was modest but accommodating and did have a nice view across the hiway to the mountains. And we took the two motorhomes who pulled in behind us down there too. It was a two beer night.

Montana_621 · 08-26-2004, 06:08 AM

We did the same thing when we stayed at the Whitefish KOA in Montana. We broke our trailer hitch parking in their steep sites and were very unhappy with the site and other things. We told KOA (not the CG) we were so up and they didn't do a thing about it. They could have give us back 1/2 the cost to fix the hitch but no......

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by D and M On The Road

We contacted the main KOA offices about a year ago or so to let them know of our problems at a KOA camp. You know what their procedure is? They send the complaint on to the camp that you had troubles with and let them handle it.

Hahaha..... that'll really get the problem fixed!

patodonn · 08-30-2004, 10:39 AM

Bll and Pat...CALL KOA HQ, THEN WRITE THEM!!!!

We just experienced the "flip side" of the Montana KOA coin. We are presently staying at the Billings KOA, the original KOA of them all. It is, far and above, the best KOA we've seen in over a year of "full timing". Immaculate sites and facilities, plenty of big enough sites for the largest 5'er, cable, phone hookups, free wi-fi, etc, etc. Gracious and very helpful staff. BBQ facility on the grounds, breakfast and dinner available at reasonable price there, and you can walk it home to your rig.

I mentioned the topic problem with them, and they are aware of the situation in Butte. KOA Hq (in Billings) is aware of it. There are legal problems in closing down such franchises, but it does happen, now and again. One problem is that KOA will give a free night or two to someone who complains, but that is only like giving an aspirin to make a headache go away for a while. It doesn't fix the underlying problem. If enough folks complain, then the real process of eradication begins, but it is slow. I also mentioned the
Butte situation in a note to a KOA Quality Assurance Team member who happened to be camped here last night. We'll see if anything good happens as a result.

We have stayed at several KOAs over the past 15 months. A very few were excellent, most sort of OK for a night or two, some !!eeeech!! (One memorable one in VA), but this one in Billings should be the model for them all.

Just wanted to make sure the folks here get the recognition they deserve, and aren't tarred by the same brush as those at the other end of the KOA spectrum.

Montana_2022 · 08-30-2004, 04:58 PM

So sorry to hear about your terrible experience with the Butte KOA. We just came back from a 2 week trip to Colorado and stayed at KOA's all the time. Only problem we had at 2 of them was the mosquitos. The one just south of Colorado Springs is extremely well kept and the employees were just great. Have stayed at KOA's in Montana also and the one at Mossula is beautiful. Will always choose a KOA over any other park. The State Parks we have stayed at are not designed for big rigs and we ended up poking a hole in the roof. Go ahead and try a KOA that someone can recommend. Don't give up just because a few of the many are not taken care of properly. Happy Camping. (WE are heading out again this weekend for a KOA near Rice Lake, Wisconsin that is an A+ also.)

Montana_1520 · 08-30-2004, 07:46 PM

OK, here's out KOA story: We have KOA membership and tried a couple of them--not much to say good about them. What we did find was that the KOAs (and private campgrounds) that are not part of membership or resort groups seem to need to take in people who live there full time/renters and those are not usually the trailers you want to park next to (if you know what we mean). It was so obvious to pull into such a campground...the trash is stacked up, there are cars that don't run parked everywhere, etc. We've marked KOAs off our list and will not renew our membership with them. If you want one to add to your "do not stop" list--the KOA listed as located in Bakersfield. Actually it is north of Bakersfield some 20-30 miles on Lerdo Hwy near the town of Shafter. Too many low-lifes for us.
#29 fans Chuck and Linda
Posey, CA
04 4670RL Big Sky
04 Chevy 3500 CC Dually 4WD Duramax/Allison

Montana_247 · 09-09-2004, 11:52 AM

That's not the only bad place in Montana. Whatever you do AVOID the Moose Crossing at Marion, MT. The water is contaminated with diesel. The management was very cordial after I complained about it. Let me stay for a week for $50 but the fact remains I had to shower in water that smelled of diesel. I smelled like a trucker all week long. Management swore they have their water tested regularly and nobody else complains. I find that hard to believe AND my in-laws that live there warned me about it. I was too bull headed to listen to them. The sad part is that there aren't any closer RV parks except one and it's not a lot better. I didn't drink the water and we were only there for sleeping so I lived through it. The wife wasn't very happy with me either but she too lived to tell about it.

Montana_621 · 09-13-2004, 03:53 AM

Water contaminated with diesel, now that's a new one. I would be reporting them to the state, that horrible!

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by KD7LAG

That's not the only bad place in Montana. Whatever you do AVOID the Moose Crossing at Marion, MT. The water is contaminated with diesel. The management was very cordial after I complained about it. Let me stay for a week for $50 but the fact remains I had to shower in water that smelled of diesel. I smelled like a trucker all week long. Management swore they have their water tested regularly and nobody else complains. I find that hard to believe AND my in-laws that live there warned me about it. I was too bull headed to listen to them. The sad part is that there aren't any closer RV parks except one and it's not a lot better. I didn't drink the water and we were only there for sleeping so I lived through it. The wife wasn't very happy with me either but she too lived to tell about it.

toolmanroy · 09-13-2004, 07:33 AM

Their charges alone would keep me away but certainly there are ways to run a park and divide full timers from overnighters and keep it from looking trashy. I note some parks where they have full timers they have storage units behind each site to keep the trash at a minimum. I also like to know in advance if I am going to be parked near a highway, railroad tracks, or in the open spaces with no trees. The photos on the web sites are not accurate.

Montana_31 · 09-14-2004, 01:54 AM

We have always thought that KOA's were over priced for what you get. The last one we stayed in, and I mean last one, was $32 for W/E hook-up.

w4nfr · 09-15-2004, 05:00 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Bowie

After getting through the rock and sunroof ordeal, we were ready for a lovely Montana campground and some serious chilling out time. HA! We had booked ourselves in to the Butte MT KOA which had a reasonable rating so we felt relatively confident that we would end the day on an up beat. Wrong! Arrived to find the parking lot jammed with cars and trucks, parking the 5er nearly impossible. The office was also a BBQ chicken pick-up and the locals had obviously discovered a really good thing. When we could finally get someone to register us Bill reminded them that we had a very tall 5er needing 13 ft+ clearance and would like to be sure that tree branches would not be an issue. When we finally found our spot, the tree branches were lower than the front of the rig, never mind high enough to let us clear. The spot had someone else's sewer hose draped across it and had piles of dog #$%&. It was covered in unkempt grass and the picnic table was a disgrace. Back to the office to get another assignment. Dodging more locals with bags of chicken, Pat managed to get a second spot. Keep in mind here that there were 5 empty spots in the row we had first been assigned to--all big enough to fit. Did they put us there? Nope. How about a spot big enough to fit a 26 footer? The Montana would have been hanging out into the road after we had unhitched the truck. IF we could have gotten to it except that the road was blocked by all the trucks and vehicles of the other 5ers and TTs already in place who did not have room to park in their assigned slots. BACK to the office and we were getting mighty tired of hauling around the place. This time Bill went in to try again. Did they have any more room for us? Nope, despite tha fact that those other places were still empty--as well as dozens of others. So hopefully we will find that our credit card has not been charged for staying in this place. We never did get to try the chicken though at the rate it was going out the door these folks could give the Colonel a run for his money! We went on down the road a few miles to Rocker MT and stayed at the BAR LAZY H which was modest but accommodating and did have a nice view across the hiway to the mountains. And we took the two motorhomes who pulled in behind us down there too. It was a two beer night.

w4nfr · 09-15-2004, 05:17 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Bowie

After getting through the rock and sunroof ordeal, we were ready for a lovely Montana campground and some serious chilling out time. HA! We had booked ourselves in to the Butte MT KOA which had a reasonable rating so we felt relatively confident that we would end the day on an up beat. Wrong! Arrived to find the parking lot jammed with cars and trucks, parking the 5er nearly impossible. The office was also a BBQ chicken pick-up and the locals had obviously discovered a really good thing. When we could finally get someone to register us Bill reminded them that we had a very tall 5er needing 13 ft+ clearance and would like to be sure that tree branches would not be an issue. When we finally found our spot, the tree branches were lower than the front of the rig, never mind high enough to let us clear. The spot had someone else's sewer hose draped across it and had piles of dog #$%&. It was covered in unkempt grass and the picnic table was a disgrace. Back to the office to get another assignment. Dodging more locals with bags of chicken, Pat managed to get a second spot. Keep in mind here that there were 5 empty spots in the row we had first been assigned to--all big enough to fit. Did they put us there? Nope. How about a spot big enough to fit a 26 footer? The Montana would have been hanging out into the road after we had unhitched the truck. IF we could have gotten to it except that the road was blocked by all the trucks and vehicles of the other 5ers and TTs already in place who did not have room to park in their assigned slots. BACK to the office and we were getting mighty tired of hauling around the place. This time Bill went in to try again. Did they have any more room for us? Nope, despite tha fact that those other places were still empty--as well as dozens of others. So hopefully we will find that our credit card has not been charged for staying in this place. We never did get to try the chicken though at the rate it was going out the door these folks could give the Colonel a run for his money! We went on down the road a few miles to Rocker MT and stayed at the BAR LAZY H which was modest but accommodating and did have a nice view across the hiway to the mountains. And we took the two motorhomes who pulled in behind us down there too. It was a two beer night.

We had a similar experience with the Butte Montana KOA and ended up staying at the bar Lazy H near Rocker MT. It is not fancy, but has very reasonable rates and new clean restrooms. There is WiFi half a mile down the road at the Flying J. I won't stay at KOA and will go out of the way to avoid them. They are way overpriced and don't give reasonable monthly rates for full-timers.

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