The rule
Fees and material terms change only at renewal, never mid-season.
- "Fees" means any charge the software company collects from the campground or from its guests.
- "Material terms" means fees, card-processing rates, what each plan includes, support levels, data rights, ending the contract, liability limits, and every fixed period or other term covered by this standard.
- A change needs N days' notice · open.
- "Renewal" means a renewal date at least 12 months · open after the later of the campground's start date or the last change that applied to it. A month-to-month contract doesn't renew every month for this purpose.
- If a renewal date falls inside the operating season the campground has declared in writing, the change waits until that season ends. If no season is declared, the change takes effect on the renewal date.
- A campground that turns down a change may leave without penalty, and keeps its rights under Rules 16 and 17.
What this looks like
The software company wants to add a monthly fee. It announces the change well ahead of renewal. The change can't start in July.
A campground that doesn't accept it can leave at renewal with no penalty and take its data along.
Why
One contract lets the software company change fees "at any time in its sole and absolute discretion." Another "may revise Fees at any time." One campground owner reports a fee added "right before my season started." One county's park staff reported attempted mid-season rate increases.
How it's checked
Software company
Read the contract, including sampled order forms. Collect dated change notices from the software company, and from sampled campgrounds (Appendix A, T12).
Pass
- The contract says (a)–(f).
- The notices show they were kept.
Fail
- Fees can change "at any time."
- The notices show a change mid-season or mid-term.
- No evidence: the software company won't supply its notices.
- Evidence
- Contract · Records (change notices)
- Source
- S16 · O1 · Evidence E18