Class Action Lawsuit Alleges Recreation.gov is Charging "Junk Fees"

A consumer class action lawsuit was recently filed by the law firm of Tycko & Zavareei against Booz Allen Hamilton, the government contractor that runs Recreation.gov, the portal used by national park visitors (and other recreational users) to purchase timed entry permits, lottery fees and other recreational passes. In short, the lawsuit, filed in the Virginia Eastern District Court, alleges that Recreation.gov is charging excessive "junk fees" to access federal recreational lands and national parks.

According to the Tycko & Zavareei website:

Based on our investigation, when a reservation is made on recreation.gov, there are two fees charged. A “use fee” (often free) paid to the applicable federal agency (e.g., the National Park Service) and a “reservation fee,” that is paid to the for-profit federal contractor Booz Allen. As at least one federal court has recognized, “[n]o part of the [reservation] processing fee is remitted to [the federal agency].” Kotab v. Bureau of Land Mgmt., No. 220CV01957JADEJY, 2022 WL 972416, at *1 (D. Nev. Mar. 31, 2022).

Based on our investigation to date, we believe that the reservation fees may be unlawful for at least three reasons. First, as at least one federal court has already found, Booz Allen is not authorized to charge the fees under federal law. Second, Booz Allen operates recreation.gov to create the false and deceptive impression that the reservation fees are paid to the federal agencies that actually administer the federal land. Finally, the reservation fees may deprive veterans and others of free access to national parks, in violation of federal law.

Since this is a class action lawsuit, anyone who made a reservation through Recreation.gov may have standing in this lawsuit. For more information, you should contact Tycko & Zavareei.

The complaint and court filings can be found here. Also, the National Parks Traveler published an excellent article detailing many of the issues surrounding Recreation.gov and this lawsuit.



Jeff
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