December 11, 2023 – January 09,2024
As a retired former employee of Department of Agriculture, I have always known about BLM, USFS, NPS, COE and Dispersed Camping locations. As a result, I sold my Maryland home and became a full-time motorhome dweller and national traveler in 2018, spending a lot of time in Arizona and New Mexico.
In the past, I just showed up at a BLM Long-Term-Visitor campground check-in booths; registered my vehicles, paid the required $180.00 for my 7-month pass which was placed on my windshield by a check-in station worker. Then I left the check-in station; drove around the campground to found my special homestead spot and settled in until it’s time to leave or move to other BLM campgrounds in various areas for short stays; until it was time for me to return to my home state motorhome campground for the summer.
I had never had a problem obtaining a pass from either BLM or New Mexico long-term stay campgrounds which was hassle free until now. This year based on BLM’s requirements for customers to purchase campground passes online from Recreation.gov rather than pay at campgrounds has caused a lot of problems and frustrations for former and new campground users due to Recreation.gov computer system not completely generating and printing the required documents needed to retrieve campground passes from check-in offices upon arriving at BLM Campgrounds. Which I was not aware that anything else was needed until I arrived at the campground window.
For instance. I ordered my 12-month non-resident New Mexico Permit online September 7, 2023, via https://newmexicostateparks.reserveamerica.com. As usual for $231.50. My signed letter of thanks from the State Parks Director and the permit was received via main on September 12, 2023. I immediately displaced these stickers on both of my vehicles. No problems as usual.
On the other hand. Based on BLM campground pass purchase changes as directed, I ordered my 7-month long-term visitor pass for $190.00 on October 26, 2023 at Recreation.gov which has never been received for the reason it was purchased, nor had the $190.00 payment been refunded although, it was requested twice (on November 11, 2023 and December 7, 2023) from Recreation.gov.
Further, after the Recreation.gov employee had confirmed, my previous complaint regarding issues at attempting to retrieve the Pass at the BLM campground was documented and forwarded to Yuma in November. As well as I requested a refund on December 7, 2023, from BLM Yuma Field Office, based on an employee of Recreation.gov; who claimed during the second call to his office on December 7, 2023, that a co-worker had documented my previous complaint and request for a refund which was sent to the Yuma BLM Office, because they determine if customers request for refunds are warranted. So, they either approve or deny customer refunds. I’ll send yours again, he said.
What happened: This was my first time ordering a campground pass from Recreation.gov and I expected this system to work as the New Mexico System. However, I received an email from Recreation.gov. Upon opening the email, I was directed to press the link on the email to print my pass. The computer-generated page 1, that I received showed the following: (1) My order number, (2) The receipt of my $190.00 Payment, (3) Reservation Details: Start date 15, 2023, Valid through Apr 15, 2024, (4) A picture of a Black Barcode, (5) Indication that this is page 1-of-1. As other customers, I put this document in a safe place until I arrived at a BLM Campground destination in Arizona.
Therefore, after leaving South Dakota in October prior to the arrival of winter season, and roaming from one southern city to another, until I decided to travel to Quartzsite Arizona; arriving on November 11, 2023, and driving to a favorite long-term visitor campground to present my one-page document as proof of pass purchase; receive the pass I paid for and found a perfect spot to homestead. Upon my arrival on the campground there were folks in line at the check-in window, I could see there appeared to be some kind of problem because of facial and hand response from customers. So, I parked my motorhome and waited until the line cleared.
Upon my arrival to the campground check-in window to pick-up my campground pass. A male and two women had their backs to the window and were saying, “This has been happening for the last three days; we can’t give customers their passes because of this crap, one woman said.”
When I said hello. All three booth workers turned around to face me. I am here to retrieve my campground pass; here is my purchase document, I said.
Where is page 2, the male asked. I have no idea what you are asking for; I just gave you what recreation.com computer gave me which shows I paid $190.00 for a long-term pass, I replied.
“We’ve had nothing but problems for the last three days,” he said, as the females agreed.
Okay, this is the problem, one female worker said, “There is supposed to be two sheets of paper. One is your receipt which you have. But, you need the second page which shows your address, type of vehicle, tag number; stuff like that. Other people seemed not to have gotten that page either. As a result, we’ve had folks trying to access their Recreation.gov accounts on cellphones, others have gone to nearby libraries to use computers to see if they can found and access a page two from his/her account.
Also, some people have made the two-hour drive from here to Yuma Field Office in Arizona to try and get page-two. Some customers are successful and return to retrieve their purchased passes, but most don’t. Meanwhile until you present both documents to us, although you have proof of purchase which shows you paid the required $190.00 purchase Fee, we can’t give you the pass without page two, she said.
Okay, this is the problem, one female worker said, “There is supposed to be two sheets of paper. One is your receipt which you have. But, you need the second page which shows your address, type of vehicle, tag number; stuff like that. Other people seemed not to have gotten that page either. As a result, we’ve had folks trying to access their Recreation.gov accounts on cellphones, others have gone to nearby libraries to use computers to see if they can found and access a page two from his/her account.
Also, some people have made the two-hour drive from here to Yuma Field Office in Arizona to try and get page-two. Some customers are successful and return to retrieve their purchased passes, but most don’t. Meanwhile until you present both documents to us, although you have proof of purchase which shows you paid the required $190.00 purchase Fee, we can’t give you the pass without page two, she said.
Okay with respect, let me say this: It is not my job to jump through hoops to chase down a page-2 document you are telling me is a requirement for me to obtain a BLM Campground Pass that I purchased online from a BLM vendor, whose job upon receiving my money was to provide me with everything document required for me to retrieve the Pass I purchased upon my arrival at the BLM check-in booths, but recreation.gov failed to do so? As a customer, how would I, or any other customers before me know, we need a page-2 to retrieve our passes? You wouldn’t which is causing problems for a lot of customers, a female replied.
I want a $190.00 refund and be done with this, because I don’t plan to burn up my gas, driving a 30-foot motorhome with a tow-car attached for any reason other than to access and homestead at a non-BLM run campground property, I said.
I don’t blame you. Just call recreation.gov and request a refund because you definitely didn’t get what you paid for because they didn’t provide both needed documents, the male said.
I left the check-in window; returned to my motorhome, before leaving the campground on November 11th. I called recreation.gov to speak with an employee and had a 35-minute wait. The employee was gracious and apologetic, explaining she had been having phone and computer problems all day. How can I help you she asked? I told her, I arrived at a long-term Visitor campground to receive my Pass, but a campground check-in window worker denied the insurance of my purchase pass because I didn’t have page-2 only page-I; he states both pages are needed before he could give me the pass.
So, since I can’t get my pass, I am requesting a refund of the $190.00 which I paid for the Pass, I said. The lady documented my complaint and request for the $190.00 refund. Okay it’s done. But, can I put you on hold a few minutes to see if I can determine what happened? Sure, I’ll wait a few minutes, I replied. It wasn’t long before the lady returned; I don’t know what’s going on. I even reached out for support because my computer kept going down. “I will submit your request for a refund; you should receive it soon. Have a good day, she said.
Believing Recreation.gov will issue the refund of my $190.00 payment as requested, I didn’t think I needed to watch my account to see when the refund was issued, so I didn’t. However, while balancing my check book on December 7, 2023, I discovered my requested $190.00 refund was never made to my account by Recreation.gov. As a result, I immediately called their office and this time spoke to a male. Again, I repeated the denial of my BLM Campground Pass on November 11th. After explaining again. The refund is requested because access to my Pass was denied because I didn’t have page 2.
He asked for my order number to review my account. I see you requested a refund for $190.00, and the reason was documented and submitted by one of your co-workers, he said.
My question is, why hasn’t your company issued a credit to refund my $190.00 payment to my account because I was denied issuance of the 7-month long-term visitor BLM Campground Pass because your companies online computer system did not issue the required two-page documents for me to retrieve the Pass upon arrival at campground check-in, I asked?
“well, we don’t make refunds without Yuma Field Office telling us to do so. Because we document customer requests for refunds and his/her reasons for the request and send it to the Yuma Office for a decision. They are the ones to determine if a customer’s request for a refund is warranted, he replied.
I would like to talk with the Yuma Office manager, can you give me his telephone number?
No, they don’t provide us with that type of information so I don’t have a contact number, but I will resend your refund request he, said.
As a result, after two requests for a refund from Recreation.gov and one request for refund from Yuma Field Office in Arizona, and neither has issued a refund credit, I had decided to share my experience and dealings with both Recreation.gov, and Yuma Arizona BLM Field Office by filing a complaint with Consumer Protection. As well as post my experience on review boards, motorhome/camping websites, and blogs to warn potential customers.
It appears to me that Recreation.gov and the Yuma Field Office is running a fraud on customers by refusing to refund BLM Campground refunds when customers are denied access to Passes because Recreation.gov computer system failed to provide the required documents needed for customers to retrieve campground passes upon arrival at BLM campground check-in booths. Due to no fault of their own; but those of Recreation.gov.
Based on my review of comments posted by other would-be campground customers, it seems no refunds are ever made by Recreation.gov nor the Yuma Field Office to customers. Further, most customers seem to throw up his/her hands and walk away. Which allows Recreation.gov and Yuma Office to never honor refunds weather customers get passes they paid for or not. Because no BLM high-leveler officials are watching them; and never read comments left by customers to determine if customers are being treated fairly by these two entities or secretly swindled, which I believe has happened to me.
Further, I have no intention of walking away for a $190.00 payment made for a purchase I never received. Therefore, I filled a complaint with Consumer Protection (The Arizona Fraud Squad) on 12/31/2023. My $190.00 refund was issued to my bank on 01/09/2024.
