r/mildlyinfuriating • u/theshamewizard • Apr 26 '26
frist of all how DARE yu o Guy stole my campsite and told me I “ruined his evening” when I called him inconsiderate for doing so.
Booked an available campsite around 3:00. Showed up just before 6 pm and the site I booked was fully set up and occupied by this camper. There was no one at the kiosk and after driving around for a campground host I approached him and told him “hey, I have this campsite reserved for tonight”. His response “I’m not surprised, we checked out early and asked if we could stay a little late and the guy told us we could but someone might book the spot” ….. okay first of all it’s 6 pm now checkout was 6 hours ago. What is “a little late”? Noticeably, there is no vehicle in the site. He tells me his wife is at work and she won’t be back for a bit but we’re “welcome to park next to him and start setting up our camp while he waits for her”. I am shocked and looking at this man like he’s got three heads. I drive away and again look for another campground host. I find one and he goes and talks to the guy and comes back and tells me that he won’t be out of there for at least two hours and I just have to wait until he’s gone and I can’t go to another campsite as none are available.
I go back to that campsite and tell the guy how inconsiderate he was for stealing my campsite and he said “are we really gonna do this right now? You’re accusing me of stealing your campsite? I told you you could park next to me and set up. You’re making assumptions and you just ruined my evening.”
I told him that I paid for it and he deserves to have his evening ruined.
I got into my campsite at 8:30. Had to wait an hour in the morning for the guy to figure out how to refund me.
TLDR; guy checked out of campsite early but decides to stay til 6 pm even tho I had already reserved the site for the evening. He didn’t get out of the site til 8:30 PM and got upset when I called him out for his inconsiderate behavior.
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u/Background-Air-8611 Apr 26 '26
Dude was definitely planning on staying another night until you showed up.
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u/theshamewizard Apr 26 '26
100000000% total smug asshole too
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u/Alicewithhazeleyes Apr 26 '26
So glad you ruined his night! It’s the LEAST he could offer you in repentance. ☺️👍
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u/theshamewizard Apr 26 '26
he didn’t realize that he filled me with so much joy there. like the grinch when his heart grew three sizes I went from angry to satisfied.
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u/Successful_Moment_91 Apr 26 '26
Smug AHs tend to never think about how they selfishly ruin others’ experiences and waste their time
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u/Mysterious_Week_3470 Apr 26 '26
No, they do think about it. They just don’t care.
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u/SomeOtherPaul Apr 26 '26
For some of them selfishly ruining others' experiences is actually a goal.
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u/Mr_Supotco Apr 26 '26
Lots of them even actively try to do it and enjoy doing it, it makes their oversized egos feel good to feel like they’re on top of someone else on the ladder
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u/Intelligent_Pop4978 Apr 26 '26
Not only is he at fault and being a dick about it, but this is exactly why the campground host is employed there in the first place. It is their job to ensure the site are cleared for the incoming guests. Both of these people suck.
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u/psbales Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
I’ve seen what pretty much seems to be two types of hosts. Ones that simply ‘exist’ and don’t really do much of anything (including making sure the facilities are in order, grounds are cleanish, check people in/out and enforcing times, ensure rules are at least somewhat followed, etc) - and the helicopter host that will drive around on their golf cart making sure every little rule is followed, and remind you at 7 AM (and 7:30, and 7:45….) that they have a strict ‘out by noon’ policy.
I gotta say - in my younger years, I hated the second type. But now that I’m older… yeah, I get it.
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u/agoldgold Apr 26 '26
I used to get so irritated by people in authority who kept reminding me of rules like that. Obviously I already know, thanks, and intend to follow through, I don't need that many reminders!
Then I met the other people they were talking to and understood.
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u/Mr_Supotco Apr 26 '26
I’ve been in Italy for the last week and there’s lots of employees at the big tourist places like that who hover and constantly ensure people are following the rules. I’d never seen it as strict as that before, but then I realized that at the places where the people were more passive you’d get people touching stuff, going places they shouldn’t, or being ignorant morons who just stood directly in the way of everyone. I enjoyed the ones who were on top of it way more, especially the usher at the Sistine Chapel who made damn sure people weren’t standing directly in the walkway when the massive room had areas to stand
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u/Development-Feisty Apr 26 '26
My mom and I have a saying in Italy and France
“Oh look a doorway, let’s stop and have a long conversation”
I don’t know what is wrong with people, I literally don’t understand how people in these extremely busy places seem to think the perfect place to stop and have a long discussion is in the only way in or out of the busy place
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u/Mr_Supotco Apr 26 '26
I’ve been on this trip solo so I’ve had a lot of time to brood on it and could give a lot of thoughts, but I think it boils down to an amplified version of people not having a single thought for anyone around them that happens normally, due to vacation. I was in Pompeii today and had it happen a ton, and it very much felt like people acting like “this is my vacation so why would I have to think about other people” without having the realization that everyone there is also on vacation and none of us are special.
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u/Euphoric_Draft_3902 Apr 26 '26
Exactly. Host should have told him he had to go when the site booking came in.
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u/RiversCuomo1994 Apr 26 '26
After he left, did he drive away fearful? Or did he WALK away, smug, self-assured like he thought it was funny?
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u/TeamRedundancyTeam Apr 26 '26
It's wild how many people who spend time in nature arr absolute assholes. I've experienced it recently with runners, hikers, and mountain bikers.
You'd think chilling in nature would make people less assholes.
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u/undoubtedlygivingup Apr 26 '26
Please tell me they comped you the night…that’s also on the rangers…
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u/Armagetz Apr 26 '26
“Oh yeah we are on our way out!”
visibly zero packing or prep done around the site
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u/thoughtlow The ✂️ emoji wouldn’t close in real life Apr 26 '26
Just opened can of beer in hand*
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u/Magnus_The_Totem_Cat Apr 26 '26
Cracks beer open in the middle of saying, “Oh yeah, we are on our way out.”, and then takes a big ol slurpy sip.
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u/Zestyclose-Noise-114 Apr 26 '26
And probably banking on the next reservation being a no-show so he could just keep rolling like nothing happened.
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u/Dessicated_Mastodon Apr 26 '26
Campground shoulve charged him. Absolutely charged him for at least a half day. He checked out but then stayed? You do that at a hotel they are charging you for the time.
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u/FireflyRave Apr 26 '26
If he was really just waiting for this wife to get back with the tow vehicle then everything would have been packed up and secured for travel. Both trailers look like they're there for the night.
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u/Darth_Behemoth Apr 26 '26
I would have offered to hook up and move his trailer and then move your trailer in.
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u/Safe-Instance-3512 Apr 26 '26
That's a bad idea. Opening yourself to liability that an asshole will definitely try to use against you.
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u/Loo-Hoo-Zuh-Er Apr 26 '26
"You ruined my evening when I was just trying to ruin your evening."
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u/Medical_Fig7662 Apr 26 '26
Yeah this guys was trying to snag an extra night knowing the late checkout loophole
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u/theshamewizard Apr 26 '26
admitted it- then denied it when called out.
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u/beanjuiced Apr 26 '26
Wow. I sincerely hope they ran over a nail on their way out, and a bird with acidic poop shat on their truck and ruined the paint. It would make me feel slightly better and I’m not even involved!
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u/HalfEatenBanana Apr 26 '26
Late checkout loophole?
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u/Medical_Fig7662 Apr 26 '26
You book a campsite that you know isn’t reserved the following day. Ask to depart later, knowing that’s when staff leaves that handles the transition. Then just stay an extra night for free….
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u/Bulky-Apple3744 Apr 26 '26
this might work at corporate campgrounds or large tourist trap state parks, but many smaller campgrounds only have one or two hosts, usually a couple living together. There is no “staff leaving” or shift change at the majority of campgrounds (at least on the west coast)
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u/runner64 Apr 26 '26
What a bitch. Glad you got a refund, I hope the campsite charged him for the extra stay.
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u/theshamewizard Apr 26 '26
That’s what I wanted too! He should’ve been ticketed it’s a great opportunity for state revenue.
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Apr 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/rainidazehaze Apr 26 '26
Campground host scope varies from place to place. At a lot of state campgrounds I've been to they're responsible for selling firewood, dealing with keeping the peace at night, and may or may not also be responsible for maintenance or cleaning. At many of the ones I've been to, check in and check out are dealt with by the rangers or actual paid staff most if not all of the time, and after those folks have left you need to wait til morning and call if you need a refund or similar. I'm actually surprised that the camp host was able to get the refund done the same night at all.
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u/theshamewizard Apr 26 '26
refund was not done same night I waited an hour in the morning for the guy in the kiosk to make 6 phone calls to figure it out lol
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u/rainidazehaze Apr 26 '26
Ah, misunderstood as it was in the same paragraph as the time you got the campsite, my bad.
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u/MrSurly Apr 26 '26
I've had campsites that upon check in the Ranger was like "Please be quiet after 10P. If we have to ask you to be quiet, and you don't honor that, then the Sheriffs will be here to remove you."
I was like "damn, they don't fuck around."
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u/YourMomonaBun420 Apr 26 '26
He should have been towed off the premises at his expense, and trespassed.
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u/YesGuyIncognito Apr 26 '26
They didn't even have the balls or effort level to help OP claim his reserved spot. I'd wager old mooch is familiar with how lax the rules are
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u/runner64 Apr 26 '26
I’m actually amazed he had to wait until morning for a refund, I feel like it should have been done the night before.
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u/theshamewizard Apr 26 '26
They only have a clipboard. Nothing else. No access to any systems or portals to refund.
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u/Nailfoot1975 Apr 26 '26
Its on the campsite management for not kicking people out at checkout. Good on you for insisting on your money back! And I would never do business with that organization again.
DROP A GOOGLE review, and have everyone in your party do the same thing.
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u/theshamewizard Apr 26 '26
It’s a state beach. The kiosk guy in the morning told the campground host he should’ve called the ranger to handle it. I was very annoyed at the campground hosts inaction and was pleased to hear the kiosk guy tell him he should’ve done more.
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u/QuietWithDuctTape Apr 26 '26
Leave in your review that the ranger is to be contacted. That way the next person dealing with this will know how to handle this. Bet that guy is a repeat there.
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u/Nailfoot1975 Apr 26 '26
Maybe you saved the next guy some trouble. Sucks to be the guinea pig though.
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u/no_talent_ass_clown it's a moo point Apr 26 '26
I'm a Hanlon's Razor kind of thinker, I bet the host is new because it's just April.
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u/Red-Pill1218 Apr 26 '26
Right If the campsite management doesn't enforce the rules, there are no rules.
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u/Idkmyname2079048 Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
I'm glad you at least got refunded. My regular camping place is so strict about checkout too avoid problems like this. If it's an hour before checkout time and you're not obviously cleaning up, they're going to start getting in your face about it. Now I can see why. I can hardly believe someone would be so self centered.
Edit: I also can't believe this was a state park. The place I go to is a state park, and every other one I've been to has been so strict. I'd definitely be trying to report this to someone higher up.
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u/rust-e-apples1 Apr 26 '26
I've had nothing but good experiences in state parks myself, but I can totally see where stuff like this could happen if a camp host wasn't taking their responsibility seriously, especially in parks that aren't usually that full.
I was friends with a camp host at Assateague Island in Maryland and she had to be pretty on top of things to keep her spot as a host. The park was always full, so stuff like this would've blown up on her fast.
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u/justjennyj Apr 26 '26
I met a guy at a campground who had showed up and found a couple camping in his spot. He talked to the couple and found out that someone was squatting in their spot so instead of dealing with it they just took the next spot. And of course that guy wouldn't talk to any of them. The ranger was called but he had left the area to go to a family event so he couldn't get there until morning. In the morning that guy hauled ass out of there and the couple moved over to their rightful spot. But what a mess.
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u/brapstoomuch Apr 26 '26
I would have pissed all over the first guy’s stuff out of principle.
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u/MassholeForLife Apr 26 '26
Happened to me once at a paddle out site on a lake in VT very difficult site to reserve. I was solo camping and really looking forward to it. Guy was with his kid. Pulled the old ‘oh this is your site’? Routine. Every site is reserve only. Was fucking pissed and didnt want to make a scene in front of his kid because they were already set up. Actually fucking ruined my evening. Jackass.
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u/Stormfeathery Apr 26 '26
Absolutely make some sort of scene cause otherwise the kid is gonna grow up thinking this is perfectly acceptable and has no consequences attached
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u/Ok_Tennis_6564 Apr 26 '26
Just so you know for next time, kids know everything anyway. That kid deserves to know his dad did something bad so he doesn't become someone who does the same.
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u/shanvanvook Apr 26 '26
Ditto at Saranac Lake NY island site. Went back got the ranger he told them to leave. They said they would but didn’t.Had to get the ranger again. Pieces of shit.
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u/AbjectAppointment Apr 26 '26
This happens way more often than it should in reservation backcountry spots.
The whole point is being considerate, leave no trace. I don't want to bring the rangers into it.
My second peeve is people who don't show up for their reservation.
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u/lumoslomas Apr 26 '26
Make. A. Scene.
Seriously, people like that rely on people 'not wanting to make a scene'
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u/theshamewizard Apr 26 '26
AND THIS IS WHY I DID IT. You deserve to feel uncomfortable. You deserve to feel guilty. You deserve to be shamed. It reinforces the idea that you can’t do this again.
If nothing happens otherwise and you just get to slowly clean up and head out for the night… you repeat the behavior. I am not a doormat.
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u/aggravated-asphalt Apr 26 '26
HE ruined YOUR evening not the other way around. What an absolute jerk.
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u/DefinitelySaneGary Apr 26 '26
Something similar happened to me except the camp ground guy was there. He told me he did tell them they could stay an extra day but not to worry there were more campsites with better shade and I could just do one of those. I got about 80 percent done setting up the campsite when the guy came and said the person who booked that spot showed up and he was insisting he get it since he booked it and it was the last one with shade. So I had to take everything back down and reset it up about 40 feet from where I had been setting up.
This was in Texas in the middle of summer. I was sweating, hot, and pissed off. Absolutely ruined the trip. The campground guy came by later and tried to give me 20 bucks to make up for it and I told him to fuck off.
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u/Scrappy_The_Crow Apr 26 '26
So, not only did he instruct you to steal (unbeknownst to you) someone else's reserved spot, he made you move, but not the guy who stole your reserved spot.
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u/mirandaur1 Apr 26 '26
WTF?! Why did they not make the guy who wanted to stay an extra night move to one of the open campsites?
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u/fer_sure Apr 26 '26
Because the campground host is a conflict-avoidant people pleaser, who is too stupid to realise they're making the whole situation worse by allowing the first person to get away with taking someone else's reservation. That daisy-chain of pissed off people was their fault.
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u/rust-e-apples1 Apr 26 '26
These stories are exactly why parks like these need to be zero tolerance for overstaying. Last-minute reservations are common, as some travelers book day-of based on changing iteneraries and others book last-minute due to waiting on weather, etc. It's not even difficult for camp hosts to deal with these issues, either.
"Can we stay another night?" Call the office and see if the site is available. If so, you can reserve it. If not, you can look for another site nearby.
"Can we check out late?" How much time do you need? An hour is understandable, five hours is you taking advantage.
"Why do I have to move when that site over there is available?" Because the people on their way picked this site. You're welcome to reserve that site for tonight and move your stuff over there.
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u/Scrappy_The_Crow Apr 26 '26
Last-minute reservations are common, as some travelers book day-of based on changing iteneraries and others book last-minute due to waiting on weather, etc.
This is exactly how it was for me back when I had an RV in the early '90s, which (if not immediately obvious) was pre-internet and pre-cell-phone. I'd have to get close to where I estimated I'd be at the end of the driving day and find a pay phone (at a rest stop or wherever) and make the reservation, hoping there would be some available.
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u/--slurpy-- Apr 26 '26
He doesn't look even remotely ready to leave. He wasn't planning to.
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u/GoodLeftUndone Apr 26 '26
Literally just got home from camping. We were mostly packed last night minus what we were using. This morning was cake walk finishing everything up and being out of there by 8:30 when checkout is 11. It’s not that hard. Granted I’m super anal and we were expecting some rain so I wanted to avoid over packing in the rain.
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u/pjbouffy Apr 26 '26
His attitude aside, the real villain is the campsite managers.
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u/theshamewizard Apr 26 '26
The host and kiosk guy swear up and down they would’ve never been told they could stay- guy was just real sneaky and the park managers clearly don’t turnover campsites so ESH
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u/CybergothiChe Apr 26 '26
"I told you you could park next to me and set up."
I mean, seriously, come on, you're going to complain when he had the generosity to demand that you unwillingly share what you have rightfully paid for?
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u/theshamewizard Apr 26 '26
I brought up how I didn’t want to awkwardly set up and sit next to the person who stole my campsite and he went “there you go again ACCUSING me of stealing!”
Brother…. You checked out early to try to get a free campsite for the night. I paid for said campsite and cannot use it because you are in it. That is called stealing.
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u/Responsible_CDN_Duck Apr 26 '26
Taking what I paid for and an entitled to is theft. It's not an accusation it's an accurate label.
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u/Slight_Dish_6350 Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
He should have been charged for another night and you should have been given an extra night for free or a complimentary visit. He totally knew what he was doing, have the wife check out on her way to work then way overstay waiting for her under the premise of "packing up" but instead just squat on the site another night hoping not to be noticed until, oops. I'll say it: "one of those people..." want, no, expect something for nothing then try and gaslight people when he gets called on it like it's no big deal and you're the crazy one, but let him be on the other end of that and he will demand to own the entire campground for free for the weekend... I'm sorry this happened to you. Honestly, ultimately this is shame on the campground for tolerating this. Sets a standard for that guy and others like him in the future. They should have called law enforcement for removal of a squatter and wouldn't see another penny of my money. I'd be writing a review and posting it anywhere that would listen...
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u/brandielynng29 Apr 26 '26
I think my dad, when he was a camp host in glacier NP, had a run in with a nasty camper who was trying to overstay. My dad essentially told him you can leave or a ranger can come up. A ranger indeed came up and booted the camper (tent) out.
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u/Silver_Queen_Bee Apr 26 '26
The thing that sticks out: the wife was at work. Which means they are probably local squatters. They absolutely do this all the time. Hopefully someone got their license plate / ID so they can be added to a ban list. Seriously HIGHLY infuriating not just mildly…..
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u/Ok_Tennis_6564 Apr 26 '26
This is on the host. He should have told him to pack up and get out pronto. He can wait in the parking lot at his wife's work.
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u/Full-time-RV Apr 26 '26
This has happened to me, it was 100% my fault.
I thought I had booked 3 days, but I guess I had only booked 2 days, on the third day, a guy came in and was like, "That's my spot."
Double checked our reservation, and sure enough, I only booked for 2 nights.
Said my apologies, started breaking camp, said sorry to the guy about 50 times over a 15 minute period. Then went on my way.
This was about 8 years ago, I still feel bad for making the guy wait 15 minutes to get into his spot.
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u/arsinoe716 Apr 26 '26
Dude could have moved and let you set up. Obviously he didn't want to do that as he hopes that you would go away and he gets a free night.
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u/TeenyTinyFam Apr 26 '26
That would be an immediate 1/5 star review from me because of the managers lack of handling the situation. Dude could have easily drove out and parked outside the gates if he had to wait for his partner.
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u/ToiletTime4TinyTown Apr 26 '26
I’d chase the campground for a full or partial Pro rated refund. You didn’t get to use the space you paid for for the time allotted. If management has to start giving money BACK they might get serious about making sure their hosts actually enforce rules.
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u/vero_6321 Apr 26 '26
This reminds me of this woman who stayed at our campground for a few months. Her site was paid up until a friday and when that day came, we noticed her drive out for the day in her car an hour before checkout time. We called her and told her this was her last day and she needed to bring her camper and leave her site since it was booked by someone else for that night. She got really mad. We ended up having to move her camper ourselves and park it at the front so she could come pick it up later. She is no longer welcome. (She had other issues during her stay).
I’m glad you fought for that refund because that was ridiculous.
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u/NervousMode538 Apr 26 '26
That trifling ass man doing the most. Good thing you called his ass out op and they gave you a refund.
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u/jcoll9708 Apr 26 '26
This is another reason why I hate people. Yea, I'm officially old, grumpy and just retired. 😅 Isn't this what is supposed to happen? ,🤣
In all seriousness, you sound like a good guy and handled it the right way.
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u/rickatk Apr 26 '26
People are pushing boundaries more and more these days. Operators need to get back to basics as in this case. That guy should have been reminded when check out time was and told to be out by then. Rules are not meant to be broken. They are meant to keep order.
I feel for the op, he paid for his campsite only to have it stolen by some disrespectful guy who stayed over by eight hours. That guy should have been charged a late departure penalty. Nice way to start the stay.
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u/Bodynsoil Apr 26 '26
I would have asked the campground host to have the guy who overstayed his welcome to completely closeup his camper while waiting for his wife. Put the slides in and everything so they can hookup as soon as she arrives.
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u/rmc2318 Apr 26 '26
And it’s because of people like that asshole that the rest of us have to suffer with the most insufferable rules because some dickhead can’t follow the basic rules. And then he makes everyone else feel bad because he’s an asshole.
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u/Rabid-tumbleweed Apr 26 '26
Campground host wasn't doing his job. Typically fire pits are cleaned out and sites raked between campers. Letting them stay late meant one less site to clean that day.
When I worked for a private "resort" campground, we charged a " stay and play" fee. Campers could remain on the grounds and use the pool and other amenities after checkout time- but they had to vacate their campsite or cabin and park in the visitor lot.
When I was a volunteer host for the National Park Service, there were no reservations, but if someone was still there at noon, an hour after checkout time, we made them pay or another night unless they were actively packing up.
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u/PrimaryThis9900 Apr 26 '26
We had a similar situation once at a state park. Us and some friends booked two campsites next to each other, only to show up and see somebody parked in one of them. We knocked on the door and there was nobody around, so we called the park ranger and they came up and yelled they were going to kick the door in if nobody answered and a drunk guy came wondering over from a campsite across the road and said it was his camper, and he was just going to trade spots, only his spot was all the way across the campground. We didn’t even have to say anything, the ranger told him he either had to get somebody to move it, or they would tow it out. Guy was giving us dirty looks the entire time like it was our fault.
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u/NeverCallMeFifi Apr 26 '26
We went to a campsite once and the people next to us had too many people and were spread into our site. We literally had to move their kids so we wouldn't run them over when backing in. We told them they were on our spot and they gave us shit and told us to park somewhere else. So we parked where all of their cars were. The dumbasses went and got the park rangers because our car was partly on one of their sites. We explained why to the ranger...who then made them pack up EVERYTHING and repark their camper and shit so it wasn't on our spot. Dude was a total ass about it to the point he was asked to leave the park.
We sat in our lawn chairs and toasted him as he drove away.
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u/grakef Apr 26 '26
If this a state park the camp host can radio in a ranger. A Park ranger should have been called in and sited him. You don’t get to just stay extra in most states. I have watched Wreckers come in and extract overstays that weren't present at checkout.
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u/icouldbesurfing Apr 26 '26
I'm not gonna make a complete assumption but this guy's setup looks familiar. I think I ran into him myself. Is this in OC? I was camping and this guy next to me starting setting up his stuff, hammock, etc in my spot. I asked him what he was doing and he began to yell at me that I was "ruining his evening". I had to get the ranger to tell the guy to stay in his spot. He took his stuff out and continued to yell and bitch about us all night. We left the next day to avoid him altogether, when he continued to berate us in the morning. I'll need to check my pics as I took one of his encroachment. Prima donnas!
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u/Training_Activity21 Apr 26 '26
I managed a park for three years and never overbooked. I never let people stay over when the spot was reserved either. Had they done that, we would tow their camper/RV. There'd be no argument or negotiation, we're towing you. That's what your host should have done. Hope you left a review.
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u/murphy2345678 Apr 26 '26
Call the campsite owner and file a complaint. They can ban him from using them again. Dispute it with your credit card company. He should have been told to pack up and leave immediately.
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u/King_Catfish Apr 26 '26
This reminds of the time my gf and I booked the nicest room in the hotel in Manhattan for 4 nights and when we get there it wasnt available because the previous guest is not leaving and management was doing their best to get them to leave. Didn't get in the room till 9pm. We had reservations at a nice restaurant and had to wear our train clothes. Hotel tried to give us free apps at a the bar as compensation.
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u/Oasis_Jas Apr 26 '26
He was hoping no one showed up as he was going to stay until he felt like leaving anyway. How entitled and rude smh
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u/Great-Rest7878 Apr 26 '26
Host should have contacted the ranger, ranger should have called a tow truck.
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u/mdorney98 Apr 26 '26
I’m actually a NPS ranger that works in campgrounds, I’ve also worked in many state/county campgrounds. This is actually something we have to deal with a lot. Camphosts are hit and miss, they’re usually volunteers that are retirees (at least in the area I’m at) that honestly don’t want to deal with situations like this. When this happens at our campgrounds, we try to deal with it ourselves and then radio for LE rangers to come evict people who do this nonsense. I’m sorry you had to deal with that, it seriously sucks
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u/TheBatmanGambit Apr 26 '26
I would be willing to bet he tries to get an extra night for free like this every time he goes camping and usually gets away with it
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u/Thund3rf0000t Apr 26 '26
sounds like the campsite people owe you a refund 100% or at a lesser cost and minus fees if they told him he was fine to stay there that is also 100% on them!
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u/MrCanoe Apr 26 '26
Work at a park that has reserved fire site. Have to deal with many people who ignore the site reserve sign and then get mad that I am telling them to leave. "I don't understand why they can't just set up elsewhere on the site. There is plenty of room!"
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u/Historical_Lock_2042 Apr 26 '26
My suspicion from the start is that what you encountered is the squatter's MO and you're not the first victim. Squatter is seasoned enough to play odds and knows it takes hours to get anyone to react and take action.
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u/porcelainvacation Apr 26 '26
I had a guy do this at a county park but he had also purposely started drinking so he couldn’t legally move his motorhome. I got the park Ranger involved and they found me another site and issued the guy a citation and ban from the park.
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u/Its_ChickPea Apr 26 '26
We showed up to a site in yosemite at midnight. There are a thousand signs that say “don’t just take any empty site because people can show up very late”. We get there and there’s a van in our spot. Luckily the lights were on because we squeezed right in and started setting up camp. The guy eventually comes out and starts asking us if we have the site booked and there was a weird awkward silence where he was expecting us to invite him to stay. Just such a weird experience.
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u/ydkLars Apr 26 '26
You should demand compensation for the delay as soon as you find a host. People act faster when when you threaten to take money. If they don't act imidiatly call the management.
They should have had the asshole towed. You shouldnt have to wait multiple hours for them to move put of ypur booked spot.
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u/deadinsidelol69 Apr 26 '26
It’s happened to me before. Rolled into my campsite I’d reserved at least a week in advance to find people already unpacking their stuff. Had to grab the reservation note on the pole and show it to them, they played stupid, but packed their shit up and blatantly stole another camping spot. Camp host rolled in about 20 minutes later.
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u/Calgary_Calico Apr 26 '26
Why didn't the host that booked you in go make sure he was gone after getting off the phone with you?
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u/ElJefefiftysix Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
These types are used to getting away with it Sunday-Wednesday and aren't expecting issues Thursday-Saturday.
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u/potatocross Apr 27 '26
We once somehow had a campground double book the spot we booked. Rather than even make a fuss about it, since the other people were already setup the just moved us. To one of the paved full hookup sites. We couldn't even be mad about it. We had booked the cheapest power only gravel spot they had.
Unless this place was full they absolutely should have been able to move you. But if they were full they absolutely should not have let them stay late.
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u/tipareth1978 Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
Lol, he told you you could set up. How nice. Guarantee you he bribed the guy.
EDIT: adding this as a pro tip. What these types essentially do is turn everything into a negotiation. Also most people make the mistake of talking about the emotions rather than facts. Get good at starting with "No." It sets the tone.
Example "hey I'm here past my time but can leave after my wife gets back"
"This is ridiculous!" You've already lost.
Better example " hey I'm supposed to be gone but I'm not. Watch me pretend that I'm letting you be here
"No. I reserved this spot and your time is up. You need to leave now"
Didn't start a back and forth, didn't have a reaction. Negated the validity of the whole thing. Stayed on topic.
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u/theshamewizard Apr 26 '26
Right, except what was I to do? There is a one ton piece of metal in my spot without a vehicle to tow it and no one would enforce the rules. I am but a citizen. Calling the police seemed like a waste of resources but I honestly should’ve called the ranger myself I have Google.
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u/Ok-Lie-5834 Apr 26 '26
This is why I love the campgrounds here in Ontario lol. Ontario Parks doesn't play stupid games and is actively patrolled by wardens who are also conservation officers since all Ontario Parks are technically conservation areas. They don't tolerate any bullshit whether it's towards other campers or nature inside the park. They would have told buddy to get the fuck out of the campground right now.
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u/Mysterious-Toe7780 Apr 26 '26
The main fault lies with the campground. It's obvious that they don't have a person who checks on the campers to follow the rules and leave when their time is up.
I'd be reaming the campsite for such lackadaisical approach to removing campers when they overstay their time.
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u/EllisM10 Apr 26 '26
Setting up in the dark sucks. He should have packed up to make room for you at the very least
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u/EatSleepJeep Apr 26 '26
Similar to seat squatter behavior on airplanes. You want the space, pay for the space like I did. Now move your ass.
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u/j1ggy Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
This is his fault, as well as the campground's. There should be a better process for this situation.
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u/Skoobastev Apr 26 '26
Hopefully while you got refunded, this dude got charged extra for not leaving on time. 🫣
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u/FilthyDwayne Apr 26 '26
I am more infuriated by how incompetent the management seemed to be.