Another reason I don't use KOA

A good friend is up in the northeast part of the country and picked up an ad for the KOA in Bar Harbor, MA. The following is an except from the ad.
What is wrong with this picture when the biggest campground company in the nation is willing to give Canadian citizens a bigger discount than it is willing to offer to ACTIVE DUTY U. S. Military personnel?

"A warm welcome and special offer for our Canadian guests.
Stay with us this Spring or Autumn and save 20% off your entire stay on any type of site...tent, hookup RV sites, kamping lodges or kabins. This special valid from May 4 through June 22 and September 4 through October 13, 2007. We appreciate your business!

Military "Thank you" Discount of 15% off We wish to honor all active U.S. military personnel with a 15% discount. This discount is good on any site type from now through October 15th. Just print out this offer to present at check-in and show us your active Military ID. Thank you for your dedication and service! Valid Dates: 5/1/2007 to 10/15/2007"

Why would anyone want to use a KOA? They are notriously noisy due to being close to highways and extremely overpriced for what is offered.

Is this not akin to asking you if you want to press TWO for English when calling an American company?

I agree that it does look bad, but upon further reading, it is not as bad as it seems.

The dates that the Canadians are offered the 20% rebates are considerably "off season" for US travelers. We have vacationed in Bar Harbor and everything seems to be reduced until July 1st. The military discount is through the whole vacation season, including the prime time - summer, so it really is the better deal.

Could have been written better to make that clear. Wonder why they didn't just offer the 20% off to everyone, including Americans, for the shoulder season periods?

Hey, OldChief,

KOA Bar Harbor is in ME not MA and guess what? Its real close to Canada. So what?s the problem with giving them a slight break just before and right after the northern camping season. A 15% discount during the tourist season is hard to find when you?re that far north. For those of you that are occasional users you should be aware that they are a nation wide campground provider and are franchised. Like just about all large franchises you will find some bad apples in the lot. Since going full-time in 03 we have used KOAs nation wide from Maine to California and Florida to Minnesota. You can drop in to any one of their campgrounds and get a catalog and join their network. Network members get a 10% discount and after 12 uses you get a gold card (15% discount). You will find a real junky KOA in Savannah, GA. A spacious one in Fayetteville, NC. An expansive one with to many rules in Myrtle Beach, SC. A really nice long term KOA is in Starke, FL and they have low monthly rates. A FHU 50 amp site for the night in Baker, CA is always a welcome sight. Just about all KOAs offer tent sites, cabins, and an RV section. They almost always have a store and are close to a major highway and that makes them very appealing to the overnight rver. When we?re on the move and can?t get to a Military or Good Sam campground we seek out a KOA.

FastEagle

FastEagle -- do KOA ever turn you away if they are full, or do they have overflow?? My biggist complaint about any CG is that if they are full, they just kick you down the road, and when you're tired, it's not as safe to continue.

I know, I know, planning, planning, planning -- but we don't always plan and sometimes even when we do, it doesn't always work out. So, it would be good to know that KOA has overflow, even for occasional usse only ... M44

Considering that we all are looking for the most value for the least money...as in staying at military famcamps....why would anyone want to pay the exorbitant prices that KOA charges? They are a 40 year old campground concept that now only exists because of marketing strategies - some of which have been mentioned as quotes in this thread. They could give a 25% discount to US card holders and military members and still be ripping them off.

Using a KOA is a personal preference and should be respected. Let's just be glad that we don't own one of their campgrounds.