For more than a decade, hundreds of families thought they’d secured a slice of paradise in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands, a wooded 100-acre campground where summer never comes to an end.
Many had paid $10,000 or more for what they were told were ‘lifetime memberships’ at the Roaring Run RV Resort near Pittsburgh. A one-time payment that would let them park their campers year after year, no renewal required. Then one email changed everything.
“I can’t imagine someone would be so disconnected and cold and say your memberships mean nothing,” camper Catherine Thompson, who’s been returning to the campground for years, told KDDA (1).
The trouble began when longtime owner Jay Corl sold Roaring Run Resort earlier this year to Tannery LLC, a Texas-based company that paid about $2.5 million for the property. Before the sale closed, campers say Corl personally assured them their contracts would transfer. “They’re going to honor the membership agreement as they are written,” he told members during a meeting, recorded on video by attendees.
But soon after the new owners took over, more than 700 families received an email with a different message entirely: their memberships were ‘null and void.’
The message gave them two choices: pay new usage fees ($60 per day, $250 per week, or $3,000 per season) or leave the property immediately.
“Accordingly, if you do not elect one of the new options … this correspondence serves as Tannery’s formal written notice to you to vacate immediately,” the email read.
Campers like Mark and Fran Wills, who invested over $16,000 in what they thought was a lifetime pass, say they can’t afford the new rates. “We spent our life savings to join here,” said Mark. “It’s just not fair,” Fran lamented.
The couple had planned to spend their retirement summers at Roaring Run. “We’ve spent too much time here and getting to know everybody,” Fran added. “We’re all friends and it’s family.”
So, do ‘lifetime’ memberships actually last a lifetime? Consumer law experts say: not necessarily.
Contracts like these often depend on whether the rights were legally attached to the property, or to the previous owner’s company. If the memberships were personal agreements with the seller, they may not automatically transfer to the buyer.
Speaking about lifetime subscriptions as they pertain to digital services and streaming services to the Wall Street Journal, Sally Greenberg, executive director of the advocacy group National Consumers League said, “You have to be a very savvy consumer to sign up for something like this, if you’re going to get your money’s worth (2).”
Meanwhile, American Airlines is still licking its wounds from a decision in 1981 to sell unlimited First Class tickets for life, known as the AAirpass, for the price of $250,000. Tales of some travelers using the pass 10,000 times led the airline to cancelling the program in 1997.
“They told me that they viewed the AAirpass like a bond, so it was as if I was lending the airline money, and they needed money. So they gave me a very good deal” Steven Rothstein, who was one of the customers who bought the infamous AAirpass, told Forbes (3).
E2M Fitness was launched in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2016 offering consumers eager to lose weight virtual workout programs, nutrition guidance, and motivational coaching for a one-time fee of $320. However, the company switched a monthly fee in early 2024, leading to a class-action lawsuit seeking compensation for affected members (4).
Consumers often get burned by these offers – and that’s what members of Roaring Run fear happened here.
While some blame the new owners for enforcing steep new rates, others believe Corl – the former owner – misled them about what was actually in the sale agreement. Corl told KDKA that memberships were part of the sale but declined to provide documentation. He later agreed to meet with reporters, then failed to appear.
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Dozens of members now plan to take Corl to court, arguing they were sold contracts under false pretenses.
“We’re gonna take legal action,” said camper Ron Kepchia.
Tannery LLC, meanwhile, says it wants to work with members with regards to “cleaning up this mess.”
Still, for now, members face a painful choice: pay new fees or move their RVs off the property they believed was theirs for life.
Roaring Run’s saga is a reminder that “lifetime” doesn’t always mean what it sounds like — whether it’s a campground membership, a gym pass, or a car warranty.
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Read the fine print and look for transfer language. Contracts should explicitly state whether rights or memberships transfer to future owners. If not, they likely don’t.
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Verify the company’s business structure. If you’re buying a ‘lifetime’ or ‘founder’ membership, confirm that the agreement is with a corporation, not just an individual owner. If that business dissolves, your contract may die with it.
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Be wary of ‘one-time’ payments. Consumer protection attorneys say lifetime contracts often rely on unrealistic economics. “If a company promises lifetime use for a one-time fee, ask yourself how they’ll cover future maintenance costs,” said Rachel Merkowitz, senior counsel with the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
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**Keep written proof of all representations. **Verbal assurances, even from an owner, may not hold up legally. Always get contract terms in writing before signing or paying.
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Know your recourse. If a deal goes bad, you can file complaints with your state attorney general, consumer protection office, or the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
For the families at Roaring Run, the financial loss goes far beyond money. It’s about community and trust.
“It is just a different kind of life,” lamented Thompson.
Their story offers a sobering lesson for anyone tempted by ‘lifetime’ deals that sound too good to be true: in business, forever usually comes with fine print.
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KDKA (1); WSJ (2); Forbes (3); Trellis (4)
This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com under the title: Lifetime memberships at PA campground ‘null and void’ — campers who signed $10K-plus contracts booted. Is this legal?
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