Chairman's Opening Statements

Dan Hopper, NAM

Many of us have recently had some very sad experiences with particular membership campgrounds. It broke our hearts to see the dreams and promises we thought we had purchased - blown away. We were angry when the " Bad Guys" began demanding still more money, alleging that we had no right to ignore their new demands and they arbitrarily tried to change the provisions of our written contracts and the promises that were made when we first joined.

The Good:

We have also seen some of the more noble people in the membership campground industry. Our heartbreak might have prevented us from fully realizing who the "Good Guys" are. They are the people who offered us memberships in their campgrounds with no new significant "initiation fee". They are the reciprocal use systems that helped us find these "good" campground owners. You know who they are. There were many. The reciprocal use systems included Coast to Coast. Do you know of any other? Let us know if you do. We'll tell their story in our newsletter too.

It is not sufficient that we expose the antics of the Bad Guys. We need to find a way to elevate the Good Guys in this industry. We need to find a way for prospective campground members to tell the difference between the good and the bad.

The Bad and the Ugly

It is important to let people know their rights when scam artists try to "rip them off".

Members of some organizations report being threatened with the loss of their car, their home, their credit rating, and their good name. All of this by people who commonly offer the promise of future camping services that they cannot deliver and have no apparent intention to deliver.

We call them the "Marketeers".

They sell promises and dreams for exorbitant amounts of money up front, or for promissory notes that they quickly convert to cash. This cash does not pay the bills, maintain the promised parks, nor even pay employees health insurance, federal taxes, or wages. It goes to the benefit of people who own the organizations. It is used to pay for private jet planes, yachts, villas in Mexico, expensive cars, horse farms, and more... Until the company files bankruptcy.

They convince the courts that the company can be "saved"; that the parks are assets that have value that can "save the company".

But to quote one of the Marketeers: "The campgrounds are not assets. They cost money. The members are the assets."

And so bankruptcies have evolved. The campgrounds have gone back to finance companies, the other assets at the campgrounds disappear. Air conditioners, tractors, and other equipment reportedly get moved to other campgrounds controlled by the Marketeers. What is left? The memberships!

The Marketeers would have you believe that they own your contract (and your wallet). They conceal your right to escape payment demands for services that were promised when you first signed a contract.

Well-meaning bankruptcy judges are ignorant of the dilemma campground members are placed in. Not "stupid" mind you - just ignorant. They think they are preserving something of value by allowing your membership to be co-opted by the scheming Marketeers.

The most desirable solution may take many years and involve a multitude of state and federal offices. We can't wait that long. Too many people are being cheated NOW!

Our Plan:

We expect to cooperate with campground developer associations, individual campground owners, reciprocal use systems, government officials, educational institutions, and others to develop a meaningful way for the "good guys" to stand out from the crowd; to be recognized as honest business people who offer a legitimate value for the fees they need to run their businesses.

There are two parts of this plan. Education and action.

Education:

We need to develop and distribute educational materials that will help people know when the Marketeers are after them - before they become committed to endless payments, demands for more money, and broken promises. This will require input from educational institutions, government agencies, and very importantly, from industry officials. These materials need to be prepared and distributed in a manner and in a forum that will be most effective.

Action:

We have been aggressively cooperating with government officials, private attorneys, legitimate creditors, and others, by pointing the finger at the Marketeers wherever we find them.

We have done this through face-to-face contact with the victims, telephone calls, a "Hot Line" for people who are frightened and feel that they are alone with their dilemma, many newsletters, and a web site. We have held meetings with victims in Ohio, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Kansas, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, and other states across the country to help them deal with the Marketeers.

We have helped people write letters to their state consumer protection offices, and other state and federal offices that have the authority to intervene.

There is more that we have done - and more that we need to do. People we have helped and people who believe in what we are doing have given us the courage and the strength to continue.

They have also given us donations, usually ranging from .50 cents to $10-$25.

We want you to know that we care, we are trying hard, and we haven't given up.

Most importantly - we want you to know that what YOU do - matters. As much as we need new sources of funding - the most important thing that you can give to us are your ideas and your encouragement.

Dan Hopper
National Association for Members (NAM)