Enota Mountain Retreat at 100 State Route 180, Hiawassee, Georgia.

My parents gave me a gift certificate for $250 to this lodge. As with many people, 2017 was very hectic and in the commotion, I lost track of the certificate. Days ago when I found it, I was surprised to see an expiration date of only one year from the date of issue. These days, you often see cards "never expire" - or if anything, only the promotional value expires. I contacted the business and was greeted with a very stern and cold response: "Our gift certificates expire one year from the date of issue. At that time, the entire value expires. This policy is clear, and we will not help you."

The Federal Trade Commission enacted regulation in 2010 which states the following: "Money on a gift card cannot expire for at least five years from the date the card was purchased, or from the last date any additional money was loaded onto the card. If the expiration date listed on the card is earlier than these dates, the money can be transferred to a replacement card at no cost."

Not only is this business being a bad neighbor, they're not compliant with laws regulating gift certificates. I have filed a complaint with the FTC, Georgia Attorney General's office, and the Better Business Bureau. If you choose to do business with this organization, do not expect them to treat you like most friendly local businesses would. They do not care about you as a customer, and they do not care about doing the right thing. Even if this matter is resolved by extending the validity of the gift certificate the minimum five years required by law, I will be very reluctant to do business with them. I encourage customers to look at the many other wonderful North Georgia campgrounds and not patronize this business.