Thousand Trails/Naco/Outdoor World Campgrounds Misuses member funds, Violates commitment to members, Changed Campground against contract Cincinnati Ohio

I recently read another report from a campground member interestd in engaging in a Class Action Suit against Thousand Trails Campgrounds for failing to live up to its commitment to members who bought into it as owners, to remain a member only campground.  I too believe they are engaging in illegal practices and scamming the members out of millions of dollars a year. Thousand Trails/Naco, Outdoor World and others are all owned/run by the same corporation and are part of what is called Equity Lifestyle Properties; all engage in the same sort of practices.  They violate members rights without apology and they need to be stopped.

I have experienced the deterioration of the campgrounds in both the Thousand Trails/Naco System, and that of Outdoor World over the years; members pay high, ever increasing maintenance fees regardless of the level of their use of the parks, and the campgrounds are not well maintained. The campgrounds have been bled for income by one management company after another, then sold to another corporation that does the same thing. Now, in addition to these questionable practices, income is produced by renting to non-members and by allowing people to pay extra money to reserve the best spots for themselves or to receive unlimited use for a season with no further maintence fee, while other members can't find a spot to camp and these spots stay empty. The members were not consulted before these programs were initiated, and the income they produce does not go to tpark maintenance and upkeep to reduce the annual maintenance fee charged to members, but rather it goes into the pockets of management. These practices continue because members feel powerless to stop it.

Memberships when I first bought in were represented as "ownership" in a park; something that we paid ongoing maintenance because we owned a property and the corporation was taking care of it for us; a collective ownership concept.  Today these parks are run as if the "managers" owned them and we simply pay higher and higher fees and get less and less for our money.  Yet, in the case of Outdoor World for example, we are told we must either continue to pay, sell the membership and pay the park another fee to do the transaction, or be sued by them.

I concur with the complainant who wanted to initiate a Class Action Suit; I would be willing to join in such a suit.