I wish I could give Roam’n Around 10 million stars.
When I learned I would go to South Dakota for work, I immediately knew I wanted to take a personal day to check out and camp at Badlands National Park. I called ahead to reserve my rentals, and the owner, Bridget, was so helpful in talking me through each item to ensure that it met my needs. As she promised, the gear was all set up and ready to go at the time I said I would arrive for pick-up. She made sure I knew how to work the tent and even voluntarily gave me a discount because I only needed it for one night, instead of the standard three-day rental. She then had someone take all the gear out to my car. This attention and customer service alone would have warranted five stars. BUT THERE’S MORE!
The day-of my planned camping trip, the weather during the day was beautiful. Sunny and warm, but pleasant. I set up my tent as instructed and secured it with four metal stakes to the ground. I left the campsite a little before sunset to watch the sunset on an overlook. Around that time, the nearly perfect weather from earlier in the day seemingly changes instantaneously to dark clouds, heavy winds, and cold gusts. It’s evident now that a storm is brewing, so I hurried back to the campsite.
It then begins to rain. As I pull up, I don’t spot my tent. With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I convince myself that my eyes must be playing tricks on me. I confirm I’m at the right campsite and continue to look around - no tent. A man in a nearby campsite runs up to my car and asks, with a worried look on his face, whether I had a tent here. I shake my head yes, and he apologetically tells me that it blew away in the wind. Not knowing what else to say, he hurries away, and I’m in shock. I drive around some more to see if I can see the tent anywhere, but it’s long gone. At this point, the wind is close to tornado-strength winds, and it’s a full-blown thunderstorm.
When I returned to Roam’n Around the next morning, I had my tail tucked between my legs, and I was anxious to share the news that the tent and mattress pad had literally blown away. I told her I was happy to pay whatever price she thought was fair. Bridget, instead, laughed, gave me a hug, and assured me it would be okay. She told me I did all the right things by staking it down and only charged me the wholesale price of the tent and didn’t even charge me for the mattress pad. She then asked if I would be back in South Dakota, and that if and when I do come back, she would personally take me camping. I nearly cried from her kindness.
Roam’n Around is a locally-owned and operated shop, and I can personally attest to the care and attention they give each customer. Go visit them, they're the best!!!