Toledo East / Stony Ridge KOA Journey — Hotel in Perrysburg

I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction and lodge a formal complaint regarding my family's recent experience at the [KOA Toledo ohio] KOA campground on June 5 and a few hours of the 6th. We were traveling across the United States for the past 17 days, and this was, without a doubt, the worst experience of our entire trip. We traveled from New York to Florida to Alabama to NC to Toledo Ohio.

Upon arrival late in the morning, we were immediately charged an additional $20 fee for, what I can only assume, was due to the prioritizing of our infant child and our prioritizing her needs before the KOA's. This extra charge I don't was it justified.

Furthermore, the quality of the campground and the accuracy of its advertising were shockingly poor. The brochure we received was riddled with grammatical errors, giving a distinctly unprofessional impression. The website advertised free amenities and activities, yet we were confronted with hidden costs at every turn. The swimming pool, reportedly in service online, has apparently been defunct for three years. The playground was dilapidated and unsafe, and the picnic benches left black stains on our clothing. The broken drainage pipes resulted in widespread flooding, creating a stagnant and unsanitary environment.

However, the deplorable condition of the campground paled in comparison to the unacceptable and frankly, abusive behavior of the staff, particularly the individual I believe to be the "owner."

While I was holding my infant daughter and waiting outside the women's restroom for my wife, I was accosted by a middle-aged woman with a severe tan (resembling "leather shoe") who verbally assaulted me, accusing me of being a "weirdo" and claiming that my presence would upset an upcoming girls' softball team and their fathers. Her tirade was completely unwarranted and incredibly offensive.

Adding insult to injury, my wife was treated with blatant disrespect when she went to the office for complimentary coffee. The young woman working there appeared utterly incompetent and acted as if providing water for the coffee machine was an unreasonable burden. My wife felt demeaned and unwelcome, to the point of tears.

Realizing that this was no place for my family, we immediately packed our belongings to leave. Before departing, I attempted to express my extreme dissatisfaction at the office. Initially, it seemed as though I might receive a partial refund, but the “leather shoe tan” woman reappeared and resumed her screaming, both at me and at her employee. At that point, I decided to leave immediately to avoid escalating the situation.

This entire experience was unacceptable. The misleading advertising, the dilapidated facilities, and, most egregiously, the abusive behavior of the "owner" have left my family deeply disturbed.

I demand a full refund for our stay at this appalling campground and expect a formal apology for the treatment we endured. Furthermore, I urge KOA Corporate to investigate the practices and management of the Toledo East Stony ridge Ohio KOA journey. KOA to ensure that no other family is subjected to such a horrible experience.

Now we are forced to pack up all of our belongings pack it in our small car and drive the 5 and 1/2 hours home with little to no sleep with the stress of our soiled dreams of camping. To make it in short we would have been better off camping at one of the city dumps at least there would have been something there for our children to play with.

Sincerely four tired and distressed furlong...

(Long review, but worth the read.)My husband and I spent a week (7/20/19--7/27/19) tent camping here while our son attended a conference/camp in Bowling Green. We read the reviews before we made the reservation with the attitude of, "Meh, not so great, but we've stayed in more primitive conditions than what people are complaining about." Well, let me just say that we were very, very pleasantly surprised! We had a lovely site with plenty of space, a great tent pad that fit our large tent perfectly, and a nice gravel parking spot for our big truck. The bathroom was always clean and stocked, the showers were always nice and clean with hot water, and the camp store was great if we needed something in a pinch. Firewood was cheaper than anywhere nearby, and they threw in a firestarter for free that was almost miraculous. (We actually bought a few extra to take with us, as they sell them separately also.) One of the nights we were there, it poured almost all evening and all night, but the tent pad was fabulous, and there was no pooling or anything under or around the tent. There were a couple puddles around the site, but they drained/dried away quickly, so they never became an issue. The site never got mucky or boggy like we read on some earlier reviews, and the staff was out the next morning putting gravel out where they saw puddles or barer spots in the drives. Speaking of which, the staff/owners there were excellent. Truly. They were so kind and friendly, and checked on us multiple times throughout our stay. They always had a smile and a kind word, and gave us recommendations for things we asked about (i.e. Marco's Pizza and Luckey Junction--fantastic food from both places!). They even put up with my husband's lame dad jokes! :) The only things I had to whine about were the enormous mosquitos, and the squirrels. Yes, the squirrels. They ate through one of our totes to get to our tortillas, and then ate around the top of a jug of unsweetened tea and drank most of it. Guess the tortillas made their mouths dry... keep your carbs in the car. The pool was clean and cool, and there were games you could take to your site, as well as a horseshoe pit and mini golf. Our son really liked the mining sluice (sp?) too! We have had some rotten experiences camping for a week at a time over the past few years, but this place renewed our faith. We will most definitely be back any time we take a trip...

Okay, this is a hard review. Our stay at the Stony Ridge Toledo KOA was the maiden voyage for our newly purchased travel trailer. So, take my words with a grain of salt since I am admittedly new to the camping lifestyle and do not know what the norms are of good vs. bad.

To nutshell the campground: shabby. The whole place has a very run-down feel and appearance. The bathrooms are worse than truck stops. I'm thankful we have a bathroom in the camper, even at the risk of filling our tanks too quickly. Wifi would not work reliably to even load facebook; I ended up hotspotting from my phone. The panning station wasn't running and had to be turned on just for our kids' use, which was a little discomforting as it is just a stagnant water tank under the sluice run and who knows what was growing in it. One of the most unpleasant parts of our two night stay was the perpetual stink. Yes, I mean stink. They have a "lagoon" type wastewater treatment setup with open filtration pits. Imagine 90+ degree heat and a stiff downwind breeze to the campsites. Everywhere you went, be it the playground, pool, general store, or your own camp lot - the methane sewage odor was potent and relentless. I believe our fee for staying was grossly overpriced considering the standards.

Now, I will give full credit to the friendliness of staff. I never had a grouchy person or someone being rude, actually the opposite because there was always a smile and a wave for my kids. Firewood was cheerfully and freely delivered right to our site. The camping "neighbors" were all friendly and respectful. We never felt unsafe at any moment, nor did we fear for our belongings. It was a laid back environment which was good.

We purchased a KOA membership when we made the reservations for this campground since we are planning to do much more travel. If they are all like this, I'll consider it money wasted. As it is, I would hope and pray that this is not the best representation of what a KOA facility should be and that the Toledo Stony Ridge is just a little more down on its luck vs. the majority. Would I stay there again? Only if a nicer place wasn't available.

Ultimately though, our family still managed to have fun because we were together and that's what it...