The rule
Before signing, the campground gets these answers in writing:
- who processes card payments, and how the charge is figured;
- when money reaches the campground's bank, as a fixed number of days, not "usually";
- the specific reasons money can be held back, and the longest any hold can last maximum · open;
- whose name is on the guest's card charge (the "merchant of record"); and
- who pays when a guest disputes a card charge (a "chargeback").
Once a guest has paid through the software, the guest never owes the campground that money again, even if the software company fails to pass it on.
What this looks like
Before signing, the manager reads one page that answers: Who processes the cards? What does it cost? When does the money reach my bank? Why might it be held, and for how long? Who handles disputed charges?
A guest who paid through the software is never asked to pay the campground again if the software company fails to pass the money on.
Why
Published contracts name no payout schedule or merchant of record. One campground owner reports funds held for three months.
How it's checked
Software company
Read the contract, including sampled order forms, and score it on its own. Optionally, compare payout records with the stated timing (Appendix A, T10).
Pass
- (a)–(e) and the guest-payment promise are written.
- There's no hold "for any reason" or "as long as necessary."
Fail
- Any is missing.
- The terms leave the software company open discretion.
N/A
- Never, for a company that collects guest payments, directly or through a sister business.
- Evidence
- Contract · Records (optional)
- Source
- S19 · O5 · Evidence E21