Complaint Review: Evergreen Lake Fishing and Camping - Bath Pennsylvania

EVERGREEN LAKE, BATH, PENNSYLVANIA

THE CONDENSED VERSION:

After a bad experience while a guest at my girlfriends campsite at Evergreen Lake in Bath, PA I posted a negative review online. Days later, the owner of Evergreen Lake demanded that the review be removed or my girlfriend would be evicted from the campsite with out refund. The review was not taken down and she was evicted one week later without refund at a loss of just under $4,000.00USD.

THE DETAILED VERSION:

1) What lead to the negative review 

On May 29, 2016 I went to visit my girlfriend at her campsite at Evergreen Lake in Bath Pennsylvania. On my way I got a little lost because I have only ever visited her there twice prior over a 3 year time span and was unfamiliar with the area. To better define "a little lost" I was unclear how to enter the site and briefly traveled down two incorrect roads before I found my way to her site.

Just before I reached her site a man on a four-wheeler approached my vehicle in an aggressive manor and started shouting at me; "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" before I could process the question or answer he shouted again "WHERE IS YOUR PASS!? DO YOU HAVE A PASS!?" again, before i could answer he shouted again "WHO ARE YOU HERE TO SEE?!" ... I reluctantly said my girlfriends name thinking I'm about to get her into some kind of trouble and I have no idea why. He then shouts at me again; "YOU NEED TO GO TO THE OFFICE! GO TO THE OFFICE!" and I'm left wondering "What office?" I'm new here and have no idea how any of this works. All I know is there is just some crazy man yelling at me for no reason.

I immediately called my girlfriend on my cell phone and told her I need to go to some office and asked where it was. She said she saw the whole thing, told me where the office was and she would meet me there. I said this guy was yelling at me about some "pass", am I supposed to have a "pass" ... she said; I already took care of it and she had the pass for me with her. (this lead me to wonder why we were going to the office at all .. but we went anyway)

I pulled up at the campsite office, parked and waited for the girlfriend to arrive. While I was waiting the guy on the four-wheeler pulled into the small lot a few cars to my right. I watched him for a minute and thought he would go into the office to inform whomever was in there that I'd be coming. But he didn't. Instead he just muddled around outside. This made me wonder if he was even affiliated with Evergreen lake or if he was just some rouge vigilante camper. I got out of my car to wait for my girlfriend but continued to watch him for a bit more. He still wasn't doing anything that seemed like he was a staff member so I decided to ask him; "Excuse me ... who are you ... I mean ..." and before I could clarify my question he shouted "DON'T YOU WORRY ABOUT WHO I AM!". Fed-up and realizing this guy just wants to fight, I said "OK", turned and walked away.

Just then my girlfriend pulled into the parking lot and I asked her "Do you know that guy?" she then told me it was the owner of the site! ... Are you kidding me!? This is how he does business?! Just screaming at people?! I then explained to her that I passed him twice while trying to enter the site and I watched him as he watched me. He could clearly see I was lost, and rather than ask "You look a little lost, can I help you?" he just starts berating me like a bad bouncer with pent-up 'roid-rage'.

At this point I don't want to stay but the girlfriend points out that I'm already here and drove all this way so she convinces me to stay for a few hours. She hands me the pass and we go back to her campsite.

As a result of everything mentioned above, when I returned home later that evening, I posted an online review of the experience.

2) The threat of eviction over the online review

A few days after my May 29th 2016 visit and subsequent online review of the experience, Joseph Tavianini Jr., the owner of Evergreen Lakes must have discoverd my review. In response Mr. Tavianini called my girlfriend to tell her to have me take the review down. She informed him that I would most likely not remove the review and he said if I refuse to it take down that she needs to refute it publicly in the comments section or she would be evicted. Needless to say moments later I got a call from a not so happy-camper. She told me the story and asked me to take down the review. I then explained to her that I had found several other negative online reviews that specifically state how awful the owner and staff treated patrons and how I didn't want to be bullied into taking a fair-and-just review down because of his threat. I told her if it happens we would fight back. I informed her to not take his calls so he would be forced to communicate via voicemail or written communication. I also informed her how to legally document any of their possible future encounters.  While we have collected a pile of evidence in our favor over this matter we have a civil case pending and we are in the process of filing a criminal complaint and feel it is in our best interest not to disclose what has been collected at this time.

3) The eviction without $4,000.00 USD refund

One week after my initial visit Mr. Tavianini evicted my girlfriend. She asked for a refund and he denied it to her. She had paid for the entire season and invested monies into other items required by Evergreen Lake's rules. The season had only just begun and she hadn't even "opened up her site" yet. The total monies lost as a result is just under $4,000.00 USD.