1000 Trails Membership?

[user 13531]

So, I'm a rookie to this long term camping membership rv park scenario. Here's my recent interaction with 1000 Trails in Menifee, CA...

First, let me state that I am ethical to a fault... I've owned and operated my building inspection business for 31 years and compare all my personal business dealings to how I operate my own business. In other words, I treat my customers as I would want to be treated...

Enter 1000 Trails.... I visit the park with interest in a full time annual space rental. I'm told by staff that I don't need a membership for one of the 12 month full time lease spaces. I'm further told the rate is $3695.00 per year including water, sewer and electric.. 

I preview a couple of available spaces and want to secure a lease.. Oh, but the lease manager is on vacation and won't be back for a week. Fine, I'll come back in a week....

I set up my appointment with the leasing manager and meet with her yesterday. I'm told they had a rate increase since I visited the park. The new rate is $4195.00... Fine, let's do it! Next I'm told I will absolutely need a 1000 Trails membership which is another $445.00... Next I'm told there is a $100.00 one time documentation fee... As you can see, I'm fast approaching $5000.00 for the lease. Wait, it gets better...

As I'm signing a lease and membership agreement that is larger than escrow instructions on my last home purchase, I notice something about "210 Days"... I ask what is this particular document? She replies, this shows you understand you can only occupy the space for 7 months or 210 days... I'm thinking, wait a minute, this is a 12 month lease! She advises, yes your rv can stay here for 12 months but you can't. I would need to move my rv to another month to month rental space at $750.00 per month for the remaining 5 months.

That my RTR friends was the "Deal Breaker"... I stopped payment on the membership, tore up the lease agreement and left 1000 Trails as quickly and safely as possible.....

Anyone had a similar experience?

 

[Wabbit]

Thanks for posting your experience, I will keep it in mind if I am ever looking into yearly campgrounds.

 

[SoulRaven]

No, but faced with that, I would have done exactly what you did! Glad you posted that others may be forewarned to be very careful. So many get really excited about doing something and forget to read. The new thing I am finding is that with a contract, they only want to go over what "applies" to you. In a contract, everything in there applies to YOU! If it isn't in writing, it has no value either.

 

[Almost There]

Anyone had a similar experience?

I don't think you'll find very many here who have even looked at things like 1000 Trails.

Aside from the cost, most of us are more disbursed camping oriented where the distance from our neighbors (other that at the RTR... ) is measured in 1/4 miles as opposed to feet. Many of us pride ourselves on how low our cost of accommodations is.

That $5,000 for 210 days camping is more than I'll spend in at least a couple of years, hopefully more like a decade. I broke down and paid a $1,000. for a years worth of campsite last summer because I had a choice of free with no internet or pay with 4 bars of LTE...the LTE won... I stayed 6 months and am using the site as a storage area for my cargo trailer over the winter.

 

[rvpopeye]

1000T has more deals than you can shake a stick at.
Glad you found the gotcha on that one before it was too late !

I know lots of people that have found "used" leases for sale from people that wanted out at very reasonable cost.

Any of these membership park deals are only a good deal if you get to use it a LOT.

 

[user 13531]

I don't think you'll find very many here who have even looked at things like 1000 Trails.

Aside from the cost, most of us are more disbursed camping oriented where the distance from our neighbors (other that at the RTR... ) is measured in 1/4 miles as opposed to feet. Many of us pride ourselves on how low our cost of accommodations is.

That $5,000 for 210 days camping is more than I'll spend in at least a couple of years, hopefully more like a decade. I broke down and paid a $1,000. for a years worth of campsite last summer because I had a choice of free with no internet or pay with 4 bars of LTE...the LTE won... I stayed 6 months and am using the site as a storage area for my cargo trailer over the winter.

Good points for sure. I'm thinking the cost thing is relative though... I'm coming out of a $2000 per month apartment in Dana Point, so renting a $500 per month home base space for my new full time RV living adventure is "Cheap RV Living" and does seem like disbursed camping compared to my apartment complex

 

[Thirsty Boots Nomad]

It's all a matter of personal circumstances and preferences --- I'm not a fan of 1000T for a number of reasons, the one you found included, I know a couple rv'ers that rave about how wonderful their membership is there and that they spend their "time away" in 10 day vacations when they visit/stay with family/friends or in a local low-cost motel. For some, it makes sense; ... for my circumstances, not so much.

 

[TrainChaser]

When I saw the title of this thread, something popped up in my memory, but I can't bring it back. It was from someone that I was talking to some years ago (who had been members), and all I can dredge up is that it was firmly negative.

 

[Cammalu]

Although I haven't used it yet I received a years membership to thousand trails when I recently purchased an rv. It allows me free camping for 60 days during that year and any extra days are $3 per day. There might be a catch but I haven't used it so don't know. I do intend to try it though. I bought my small used Class C at PPL motorhomes in Texas. I won't be buying a membership at the end of the year no matter what though


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[LizKS]

I just ran across Thousand Trails recently and am considering leasing an annual site. Yes, they do have the stipulation that the RV can remain on the site but the owner can only use the RV for 210 days. They were up front about that with me. 
The manager has told me that the annual lease is different from a Thousand Trails membership like a Zone Pass or upgraded membership. Even the people doing check-ins didn't have information on how much the upgraded memberships cost to allow park-to-park camping.
Because of my situation where I usually camp on a month to month basis in my RV as a full-timer and need to stay close to work, I was not looking for the Thousand Trails type of membership. I don't own a 1/2 ton pickup to pull my rig around but usually like to stay in a place for six months to a year. 
They have quoted me $3100 if I pay cash up front for the 210 day occupied annual lease. This fits within my budget and fits within the local rates for RV sites - $325 where I am staying now about 20 miles east of the Pacific ocean but $450 to $500 for places closer to where this TT campground is located right along the Pacific Coast Highway.
It also fits my needs to stay in the place for 7 months through the winter and then move. 
I think I will try it and see if they add on more costs or fees like you describe after I have the $3100 in hand. 
If I had a different RV or a truck I would consider buying a used membership or a new upgraded park-to-park membership and stay 21 days then move for 7 days to another TT campground in the Pacific Northwest then come back for 21 days for work. I think I could manage to fit my work schedule around this. But I don't want to take on more debt because my Jeep Patriot is paid for and so is my RV. 
If anyone has done the lease before, I would be interested in more information on their experience. I guess by the time June rolls around, I will know whether or not I am a Thousand Trails kind of girl and maybe do a membership or Zone pass then. But, like I said, I would have to either buy a Class C or Class A or buy a truck. I don't want to have to rely on or pay other people to move my camper around every three weeks. I do like the idea of having all my rent paid up front until June.

 

[Thirsty Boots Nomad]

... I guess by the time June rolls around, I will know whether or not I am a Thousand Trails kind of girl and maybe do a membership or Zone pass then. 

Maybe or maybe not; ... not terribly familiar with many 1000 Trails campgrounds myself, but from talk around the campfires I guess the quality/amenities/etc. can vary greatly from campground to campground.  If, by June, you're leaning toward doing a membership/zone pass would probably be a good idea to see if you could get some type of "trial" passes/coupons to check out a few other locations for peace of mind --- may be more freely given because they know you're acquainted with the system and are considering doing a membership, etc. (???)

 

[user 15857]

My one year TT zone pass just expired, wanted to see if staying at their campgrounds was worth it. While talking to the manager during one visit she explained the annual lease and about the 210 day stay limit. You should have been told about that upfront. But then she added that they are allowed only 35 annual leases and they have a waiting list of 40 people right now at their campground. She added that usually only one spot opens up each year so it would likely be 40 years before I could get an annual lease! I guess it's popular with alot of folks. I didn't renew my zone pass because that isn't really the type of camping we wanted to do, prefer a more 'rustic' camping style.

 

[HumbleBeginnings]

DealBreaker... you're from Dana Point and almost got stuck in an RV park in Menifee for a year? I'd say you dodged a bullet on that one! CA has some beautiful remote places, but I've never considered Menifee to be one of them.

 

[user 13531]

Hey Aaron;

You are correct, Dana Point was a very cool sleepy little harbor town but all that has changed. The entire city is under massive development both residential and commercial. Traffic and construction related activities are just crazy. The harbor is getting ready to begin a $200M renovation with an estimated 10 year build out.

It was time to go.

No camping options in or around Dana Point... Doheny State Park is up to $60 per night. I found an all dirt RV park in Ortega Canyon for $850 per month. Orange Park Acres in Anaheim was $1200 per month. I bought my rig and parked it in Hemet near the Temecula Wine Country. My total nut out here runs about $650 per month including water, sewer, propane, electric and cable tv...

Down side is..... I'm in Hemet!

 

[highdesertranger]

ha, I lived in Orange Park when the space was 140 a month. highdesertranger

 

[Goshawk]

Old discussion on TT but similar planning issues now for this Florida snow bird life. Limited parks, with limited sites availability, only at certain times. It’s a TIME SHARE condo racket deal on steroids.

Yes you can get a $575 first year platinum deal plus extra parks for $200. It’s just that you can then go to make reservations and find nothing available. Is that worth it ? That’s $16 a day for 50 days. But if you can’t find a reservation you kind of are screwed.

Personally am still looking at the deal and restrictions and additions to the plan (extra zones) possible.


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[Beetle]

Check out the youtube TT review with Bob W and Kim Tanzer. Then check out the written review by rvlove. I'm going to try it for a year by contacting the broker rvlove used.

 

[bigbasin]

I saw the end of year deals with 1000 Trails and did some digging. They refuse SUVs etc and CamperVan conversions to park for the night. Only formal Class A,B and C allowed