Do not use US Park Lodging at all!

Question

Beware and do not use this site to make ANY reservations. They will scam you out of your money and be extremely rude when you call about it.

I wish I had come to TA before I got scammed out of almost $170.00.

There are a lot of posts warning not to use this site. Their name sounds line they are associated with the National Parks. They are not. Their terms and conditions are embedded and spell out the ten percent charges instead of the number , 10, so if you wear reading glasses, you may not scan for it as normal customers scan for numbers.

When I called, their Supervisor, Marci, snickered at how stupid I was to have not read the fine print in detail. It’s almost like they are trained to be rude. I get that they want to charge for their services but they need to put it upfront, on the first page that it’s not refundable and it’s a whopping 10%! Sneaky and rude.

Answer

It sounds like you had a very frustrating experience with this reservation site that claims to be associated with National Parks but is not. From your description, there are multiple issues that travelers should be aware of before using such services.

First, the main concern is the hidden fees and lack of transparency. While they advertise a service, the fine print contains a 10% service charge, which is not clearly displayed or highlighted. This can easily be missed by users, particularly those who do not scrutinize embedded terms carefully. The fee is non-refundable, meaning that if anything goes wrong or you need to cancel, you may lose the full amount.

Second, customer service appears to be unhelpful and, in some cases, rude. As you noted, when you contacted them, the supervisor reacted with unprofessional behavior, making the experience even more frustrating. This kind of response is concerning and a red flag for any customer trying to resolve a problem.

Given this experience, travelers should consider the following precautions:

Always verify that a lodging or reservation site is officially affiliated with the National Park Service before using it.
Read the fine print carefully, paying close attention to any service fees, cancellation policies, or non-refundable clauses.
Check multiple reviews and forums for any reports of scams or unprofessional behavior before making a booking.
Consider booking directly through the official National Park Service website or through reputable travel agencies to avoid unexpected charges.

In addition, it may help to document any correspondence and take screenshots of booking pages when dealing with unfamiliar reservation sites. This provides evidence in case of disputes or chargebacks with your credit card provider.

Ultimately, the best approach is caution: avoid this type of third-party site entirely and use only verified channels to reserve lodging in or near National Parks. This minimizes the risk of financial loss and ensures a smoother travel experience.

Do not use US Park Lodging at all!

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