I have been subjected to fraudulent interstate advertising on the internet as well as by direct telephone commitment.
On November 28 I made a credit card deposit by telephone from Pennsylvania of $250.00 to Whispering Palms MHC & RV Resort located in Sebastian, Florida. This was to insure my reservation at said campground for a month—from December 15 to January 15.
This campground is owned by Evergreen Community in Burbank, California. It is they who stand behind the rip-off.
I chose Whispering Palms because I was assured, when I called the campground on November 28 to make my deposit, that among the park's facilities were included Cable TV and an office providing a means of going onto the Internet with my computer.
I had also done research on the Internet prior to making the reservation. The Sebastian Chamber of Commerce site (dated 11/28—) informed me of the following: "We [Whispering Palms] are proud to be a Good Sam park and rated in... Woodalls guides."
I then consulted the Woodall's site (dated 11/28) and found that, indeed, the campground was "Internet Friendly" and had "Central Internet—Wireless". The Whispering Palms site (dated 12/18) said "Modem Available" and "Phone/Modem".in addition, the florida camping site (dated 11/16), which I also had before me when I made my reservation, emphasized "Cable TV Hookup". I have dated copies of these advertisements.
After I arrived at the campground at 11 A.M. On December 15 and signed in with my credit card, I was informed by the office that Whispering Palms was no longer a Good Sam park (an organization I respect highly and for good reason), that a cable television hookup was problematical at best (I spent an hour hooking up my vehicle at two different sites without effect), and that service to access the Internet was no longer available because, so I was told, the building I would have used to go online had been destroyed by hurricane Wilma. I was then informed by the operator of the desk that a public library in the area might offer that service!
Important: It must be noted that this last hurricane to strike the Florida coast occurred on October 24th and 25thm more than a month before I made my phone, reservation with the campground on November 28!
When I asked at the office in Sebastian why I was not told at the time I made my reservation that the advertised facilities particularly important to me were problematical on one hand, unavailable on the other, the woman at the desk replied "You didn't ask." This is unconscionable. I asked about the services I needed when I made my reservation on November 28 and before I submitted my deposit.
It must be emphasized that I did not cancel my reservation but in good faith arrived at the campground on the elected day only to find that the information provided me on November 28 by both the Internet and the campground proper was seriously erroneous.
In short, facilities promised by Whispering Palms via direct telephone conversation as well as by related Internet advertising turned out to be unforthcoming, and so I refused to stay there. My request for a refund of the monthly fee of $693.75 was denied according to company "policy" of the owner, Evergreen Community.
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