June 9, 2007
This is a blog page I created quite some time ago and had neglected it. I have now decided this format would be easier to maintain than the website I created at geocities. I have noticed that I have had over 200 visitors, I wonder what they thought??? Probably - weird person!!!
I had quite an experience today that I feel like sharing. Alan & I are workamping in Illinois. This weekend was quite busy at the campground. We had a family who was camping in a tent. Now our check-out time is 12:00 Noon and check-in time is 1PM.
Well this family, I'll call them #17 did not pack up their tent and belongings at Noon. They were to leave today and we had another family coming in at 1PM for that campsite. We nicely told them that they needed to be preparing for leaving since this campsite would be occupied by another family quite soon. They replied they didn't know they had to leave at 12:00 Noon. I want to mention here that in BIG RED LETTERS on their campground map that the check-out time is 12:00 Noon besides we tell them that at check-in. Okay, now they start to prepare to leave - it takes them TWO HOURS!! We now place this arriving family on another site. The wife comes to the office at 2PM and states they are checking out. We retrieve their gate card and to be cordial we do not charge them $6.00 for late departure. Now when somebody checks out, we don't follow them out. Well about 1/2 hour late, my boss asked me, "Why is the family from #17 swimming in the pool? Didn't you check them out?" Okay, I think she is kidding me and I laugh - "No, they aren't". Well, guess what, they were!!!! So I go out to this family and I ask to speak to the father. He and his family come over to the side of the pool to talk to me. I said to him, "you have checked out, you need to leave the campground". He says, "why, we got off the campsite so the other family could camp." I then said real gently and slow - when your time is over at the campsite, that means you leave the campground. (can you believe this??? When you check out of a hotel - don't you leave???)
He then said, "Can I rent the pool?" (WHAT PLANET DID THIS MAN COME FROM??? DO YOU RENT THE POOL AT THE HILTON AFTER YOU CHECK-OUT????) I again say gently and slow - your time is over at the campsite which means also for the campground. The people who are camping here now get to have a turn at the campground and all its amenities. I really need to have you leave the pool and leave the campground. He then says, "You are saying I need to be on a campsite to be able to use the pool now." (I'm thinking, this man has got to be pulling my leg - I'm drawing a diagram for him with my arms, showing how you leave a campsite and then you leave the campground - that's what CHECK-OUT is!) I said yes sir, you are no longer a guest at this campground, you have checked out. Well now I think he has the idea, he actually gets out of the pool and so does the rest of the family. It was another half hour before he got organized of changing clothes and stuff before the left.
I was just amazed how this family thought what they were doing was okay. According to this man's philosophy, if you buy a ticket at the multi-theater and you finish one movie, you can go sit at another spot and watch another movie. Or maybe, at the ice cream shop, when you finish your ice cream cone, just ask for another without paying for it. I think you can see how frustrated I was, he was pleasant through this whole situation as I believe I was too. It was his logic that was just boggling my mind!!!
Well, that's my story. I'll write more as the days go. If you want to return just use this address: kaysandy-family-friends-fun.joeuser.com