Trying to do the right thing can cost you
It’s been a tradition for me for many years to take the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend and go camping. My husband works a regular weekday-type job, so with this day off, it gives us a chance to go camping somewhere for a long weekend. January’s weather can be testy, but at least it’s not broilingly (is that a word?) hot.
This year, our planned camping trip fell through for a variety of reasons. We had reservations to camp at a Florida state park. I called ReserveAmerica the day we were supposed to arrive. I figured if I canceled my reservation, the campsite could be given to someone else — that’s all I was trying to do.
But the reservations agent told me she recommended against canceling because not only would I pay for the campsite that night (that’s ReserveAmerica’s policy if you cancel the day of), but I’d also get a $10 cancellation fee.
So I said, all right, how about if I cancel tomorrow night’s reservation? I had two nights.
The reservation agent said she couldn’t do that and again recommended against canceling.
So here I was, trying to do the right thing by putting my campsite back into the system for another camper — only to be told I’d be socked with additional fees.
Penalized for trying to do the right thing.
Just wanted folks to be aware.
If you need to cancel a reservation, try to do it as soon as possible to avoid having to pay for a campsite you won’t be using.
