RV Park - Refuse to accept mail / packages

[RetiredLEO]

Originally Posted by a1i50n

Saying someone needs to stay home/closer to the source of ANY medication when a viable (multi-billion dollar industry) system and personal plan is in place to ensure consistent availability and delivery of those medications is outrageous. This is not only unhelpful in the conversation, it is hurtful and demonstrates a lack of empathy and humanity.

My point is, there are multiple simple, viable solutions other than "just stay home".

Location, service, and amenities obviously play a role in picking a campground, weighing differently in importance to different people and I'm glad to have had the OP share their experience for us to consider (and that the meds eventually arrived safely!) & for responses that were positive and helpful suggestions that were shared.

X2

[daveobieone]

Originally Posted by RetiredLEO

X2

X3!

FYI, when we needed a part for our TT last year, and were camping at the KOA in Perryville MO, they gladly accepted the delivery, and held it for us at the desk. We DID ask them before ordering the part, they said they would accept it, and they did.

If you ask in advance, and they say they will accept it, and then they don't, that makes them liars who do not keep their word. Pretty despicable when it's something of such importance.

We don't do KOA very much anymore after last year in TN, when they wrote down our reservation on the wrong weekend on their calendar. When we arrived, they had nowhere to put us, and every other campground within 50 miles was full. This was after paying the advance deposit on-line.

Dave O.

[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by Flyn2High

That really sucks. I also receive a prescription delivery twice a month that needs to be kept refrigerated. One option is to go to the local FedEx depot and pick it up when the truck comes back. They will want to see your identification and make you sign for it.

You can also arrange to pick it up there with out it going out on the truck. When it arrives they will notify you.

Lou

We called about this option after the first delivery was "Permanently Rejected" by the KOA. This particular route is a long distance route and the driver would be going back to Bullhead City. The good thing is that Fedex did route the driver back to us, and he did arrive with our medicine. We had to bypass the KOA and accept the package at the entrance of the KoA.

Originally Posted by nuhddad

WE always make sure that the campground we are at will accept mail and or packages if we think we may have an important deliver. More & more are not accepting deliveries. May not feel right but always check I never rely on them accepting anything.

We also do the exact same thing... We call the park to confirm the address before we have the item shipped there - as we are confirming the address, we also ask if they will accept our packages. Often, this happens before we confirm our reservation for that RV park - The Kingman KOA confirmed that they will accept packages for us before we had it shipped and the SAME DAY that it was to arrive to remind them that it was coming.

Originally Posted by Horizons28

My medication that is sent by mail will get returned by the USPS because it can not be forwarded.

This is exactly why we have this medicine shipped Fedex, Overnight. They will ship it anywhere. We called the KOA in advance to verify they would accept it, they said they do. They accepted a package for us from TyreMidner the same week.

Originally Posted by WeRJuliian

You don't say what kind of medication it is, but I had a similar problem with the insurance company keeping me waiting for insulin, until the last possible moment.
I talked this over with my Dr, who cheerfully upped the dose listed on my prescription...so I now have some leeway st the end of the month.
We have tried, asked, and the insurance company is the problem.

Originally Posted by 75H

Hi SloPoke, glad you got the package! Not sure if the post was an alert on customer service, an inquiry as to what to do next, or curiosity about what other opinions are about the situation.

After reading the responses, I'd have to side best with Riverman. Additionally, if the delivery was for an irreplaceable item and I was tracking the package's hourly progress, I would have been waiting out front to either intercept the delivery truck or to claim it on delivery.

I do understand your complaint, however let me present another viewpoint. We have a relative that manages apartments. Of the numerous daily UPS/FedEx deliveries to the office, there are always several packages that are not picked up by residents.

What is a campground host supposed to do with a mostly transcient customer base and unclaimed deliveries? How should they handle someone trying to pick up a package in someone else's name? Should they photo copy & retain I.D.'s? What about deliveries after a customer has checked out?

Absent a clearly stated policy, I'd never order anything to a campground or hotel without calling first to confirm it is o.k. IMO, just seems like common courtesy, maybe you can see it their way also. Again, glad you finally got the medicine.

Simply, We asked if they accept these packages... They said they did. We then reserved our two week stay at this KOA because we could get our medicine and other items delivered there... We got one of the packages that was delivered to the KOA office the first week, the second one with the medicine they rejected - after we called the same morning about the package being delivered. If they decided to change the policy in the middle of our stay - they could have said to us when we called about the second pac kage.

Why did I post this in the first place???? so the many thousands of other RV'rs that travel for 2-12 months a year can get critical things they need along with their travels.

Originally Posted by spark of insanity

If you read their policies they do state that they do not accept packages or mail. Needed to ask before you encountered this problem. I am sorry to hear this happened but again you need to ask and you need to read the fine print. There might be a UPS store that has a mailbox you can rent and accept packages. Good luck. We do KOA all the time and it has been their long standing policy. Now some might but I don't know of any and we have done KOA for over 15 years. When I retire I plan to get a mail for rent because I do know KOA does not accept mail. Period. Good luck.

I call BS. Look at the pictures below- They take Mail, they take packages. Picutures of the the mail box they have with each space marked... and the packages from Amazon, UPS and Fedex waiting to be picked up.

[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by a1i50n

Saying someone needs to stay home/closer to the source of ANY medication when a viable (multi-billion dollar industry) system and personal plan is in place to ensure consistent availability and delivery of those medications is outrageous. This is not only unhelpful in the conversation, it is hurtful and demonstrates a lack of empathy and humanity.

Having a clear written and posted policy for mail/package service at a campground is a no-brainer and certainly isn't something so rare that it's not like it'd be a waste of time to put something together and post it. Claiming that is a liability they're not willing to accept is a poor excuse for them to not step up and take care of people in a way that they should out of responsibility of providing short- or long-term residence locations.

Unclaimed packages can easily be marked return to sender and sent back with the courier at a future stop at no expense to the campground after X number of days, which should be stated in their policies. Their policy could even absolve them of damage, loss, whatever and they could store the packages in an inexpensive locking metal shop cabinet that only campground employees have a key to if they don't have an otherwise secure location to put them. Build even $0.50 into the price of each site and it would pay for itself + staff having to sign for, sort, handle packages in a very short amount of time - or charge $5 for packages held for pick up, like some franchised UPS Stores do.

My point is, there are multiple simple, viable solutions other than "just stay home".

Location, service, and amenities obviously play a role in picking a campground, weighing differently in importance to different people and I'm glad to have had the OP share their experience for us to consider (and that the meds eventually arrived safely!) & for responses that were positive and helpful suggestions that were shared.

Thank you... you captured our situation perfectly!

We might go back to this KOA someday in the future, it will depend on many factors along with our needs to receive our medicine. Having a clearer understanding of a specific park's qualities, service and features should be as important to other JOF members as it is to us.

But we will NOT give up our travels in our Seneca and stay at home waiting for our medicine - NEVER! Instead, we will continue to ask about package acceptance and give appropriate feedback at those parks that do not keep their commitments to their customers.

[Click_here]

I work for FedEx and there are several places where you can ask them to redirect and hold your shipment. FedEx Office (Kinko's) stores, pharmacies and even some Walmarts will hold a package for you. There is a location in Kingman.

Just call 1 800 Go FedEx

[ChaosTheory]

I learned very early in my travels to add the "do you accept mail?" question, when making park/campground reservations. I've run into several that flat-out will not allow you to forward ANY mail to them and several who specifically state they will not allow you to receive medications through their office.

Unfortunately, they are not legally obligated to do so. We can speculate as to why that is, but medication could potentially be a huge liability, should it disappear or be stolen by an employee (this happens!). Many parks don't want to deal with it.

[twdenman]

Originally Posted by ALJO

Unfortunately it are the owners of this particular KOA campground and not KOA in general. Just find out if there's a way you can pick it up from FedEx with an explanation why you need it. For further bookings I would ask each campground if they accept packages. Good Luck!

It's too bad "KOA" can"t standardize THEIR campgrounds! I hate KOA campgrounds. I've had to stay in three of them because no other CG was available, and no Walmart nearby. They are over priced, usually rude staff, and few amenities for the high price to pay for camping. I'll choose to stay at a Walmart before staying at KOA.

THOSE KOA Staffers, could have made an exception to accept that medical delivery! They were just being pissy! Yes, the individuals should have double checked whether the CG accepted packages, but this situation was MEDICAL!

[tec]

Originally Posted by Horizons28

I am on the road 9 months each year. I have a mail box at my local UPS store for mail. I have the PO forward normal mail to the UPS store. I use the UPS address for stuff the PO will not forward, such as car registrations, medicines, credit cards, etc. I have Amazon and the like delivered to a convenient shipping address locally or to an Amazon pick-up site. While traveling I check to see where we will be and find out who can accept deliveries. My medication that is sent by mail will get returned by the USPS because it can not be forwarded. The UPS store accepts it and mails me a package when and where I tell them.

I always pre-check campgrounds for mail acceptance because many will not accept the liability of signing for a package for someone else. Try looking for FEDEX or UPS stores that will sign for stuff. Might also try any package shipping place near your campground. ALWAYS CHECK IN ADVANCE.

It’s not the Post office that determine if it’s forwarded or not, it’s the endorsement on the mail or package saying not to forward, otherwise if there is a good forward on file and it’s not junk mail it will be forwarded to what ever address that is on file.