How annoyed would you be?

[Scruit]

My 7yo son goes to a summer camp (that will remain nameless for now). They recently organized a pizza lunch, and the email annoucnement said; "If you want your child to have pizza, bring $1 per slice..."

That night when I picked up my son I signed him up for 2 slices of pizza and asked where to pay. I was told to pay at the front desk on the morning of pizza day.

Pizza day arrives and I ask at the front desk if that was where I paid for pizza. They said yep, I gave them $2 in a baggie labelled with his name and "Pizza money".

That night I picked him up from camp and he told me that they had refused him his pizza becuase He did not have the money *on him* when he got to the front of the pizza line.

He told them that the money was paid at the front desk, but they still turned him away. In fact, because it was pizza lunch I didn't send him a packed lunch, so they sent him away from the food line with no lunch. Remember he's 7.

Luckily another child saw this shared her lunch with him. I will be speaking with that child's parents tonight because that girl has a heart of gold. But none of the adults did that, that was a child who took it on herself to help him.

So here's the thing... How annoyed would you be? I'm pretty mad about them turning him away with no lunch and not contacting me to give me an opportunity to bring him a lunch / explain the money thing or whatever. If not for the girl who shared with him he'd have had nothing to eat until I picked him up after work. Sure I'll get hte $2 back, and it was definitely their mistake, but that's not the point - How do you deny lunch to a 7yo child and not make any attempt to contact his parents to figure out a lunch for him?

When I spoke with the front desk again this morning the manager herself (who was the lady who took the money yesterday) said she personally hand-delivered the money ot the camp director.

I'm playing phone tag with the camp director. We'll see how that conversation goes.

[curby]

phone-tag... i'd play eye-tag with said director.

I can't believe noone stepped up and asked a simple question... damn people suck!

[conn-e-rot]

I'd be finding a new day camp and then calling the media and ruining the reputation of that one.

[Bad324]

wow what a bullshit camp. I'd be pissssssed

[Casper]

And another reason to lose faith in humanity.

[bowdog]

i am pissed just from reading the story so i can't even imagine how i would feel as a parent!! there is no excuse for something like that!!!!

[Scruit]

And another reason to lose faith in humanity.

..but at the same time, it's heartwarming to hear of another child giving up half her lunch for a kid she doens't know.

Had a long talk with my boy this morning about pay-it-forward.

[jblosser]

And another reason to lose faith in humanity.

...and have it restored by a 7 year old.

+ rep to the little girl who shared her lunch.

- rep to the stupid adults who (I'm guessing) failed to get the money to whomever needed it, and then denied lunch to a 7 year old. How the hell do you not feed a little kid lunch?

Camp needs to be named so none of the rest of us take our young'uns there, and the media needs to be called so all of Central Ohio will be made aware.

[Casper]

True guys, I can't forget the little girl that shared her lunch. That truly is awesome.

[Disclaimer]

Hat thieves and pizza money embezzlement? WTF kinda camp are you sending your kid to?

[Bkizz]

How the hell do you not feed a little kid lunch.

EXACTLY!!! That's not even funny. The LEAST they could do is feed him and tell him to bring the money next time. That's rediculous. Play phone tag until you get an apology.

Good thing there are kind people out there...below the age of 10.

[Scruit]

I don't want to name them right now because I'm giving them an opportunity to make it right.

[buildit]

..but at the same time, it's heartwarming to hear of another child giving up half her lunch for a kid she doens't know.

Had a long talk with my boy this morning about pay-it-forward.

I'd be inviting the little girl out for pizza with my son. Good pizza too not like the crap they probably had at the camp with a cardboard bottom.

As for the camp I'd leave ONE message about him/her having 30 min to call me back before I forward the story to the local news station, they eat those sorts of stories up for lunch.

[conn-e-rot]

I don't want to name them right now because I'm giving them an opportunity to make it right.

They don't deserve a chance to correct a problem like that. They are trusted to care for children it is unacceptable.

[Steve Butters]

how do you correct that? its done and over, they fucked up...they cant go back and feed him ya know....not sure what i would do in your position, except probably find my kid a new summer camp

[Scruit]

K, had the conversation. Got an apology and an unreserved mea culpa. The camp director called a meeting this moring and addressed it with the staff. No question is was their fault. Paying the money at the front desk WAS the right thing to do and as people pay their entry ont he signup sheed should be marked as paid, however his entry on the signup sheet was not marked as "paid" (that's why the denied him the pizza).

Their process for a child thta has no lunch is to contact a parent for advice, or provide food if the parent can't be contacted. Apparently they weren't aware that he had no lunch (why would he get in the pizza lin if he had a lunch?) They promised to change their procedures to verify that a child has lunch if they are turned away from any food line, and really at any time.

Finally, two things that my son and I have learned from this is that he has to speak up if he doesn't have lunch, to make sure the camp staff are aware. I'm sure that they didn't know he had no other food (or, more likely, were too busy to check - but that will now change)

Secondly, from now on I will send him some shelf-stable food on any day that Camp is providing food. If he doesn't get the camp food then he can eat his own, or bring it back unopened and put it back in the pantry.

And there's $2 waiting for me at the front counter.

Edited July 15, 2011 by Scruit

[conn-e-rot]

And it will be the same story the next time they do it

[Scruit]

They don't deserve a chance to correct a problem like that. They are trusted to care for children it is unacceptable.

You change your processes and policies to make sure it can't happen again. Pizza day has come and gone and they can't retroactively feed him, but they CAN make sure it never happens again, to any child.

[shadyone]

should be $2 plus half the cost of the camp.... he went without food for quite a long period.. id be pissed..

[Mykill]

It was $2 let the kid eat the pizza.

[Carwhore]

i'd be fucking mad.

my son is my world, and even though it was over $2 him going with out lunch isnt acceptable. I'd personally drive in person to meet said camp director

[Beegreenstrings]

I personally would be furious! I dont even have kids. But, that is one thing that lights my fire! That camp or at least that director needs more than a talking to.

By the fury of ole mighty, I would whoop that directors azz for being so stupid!

One dumbazz in this story says the front desk so you pay at the front desk then they deny your kid a lunch. Azz whooping time. (too the fact they would not make this mistake again)! Dumbazz's

Oh boy, where to even start? I have no kids. But if I did I would expect nothing less then what the little girl did. That is awesome! I was always taught to help out and that was great.

[John]

They don't deserve a chance to correct a problem like that. They are trusted to care for children it is unacceptable.

how is it that you automatically jump to conclusions that the problem is systemic and not just the failure of the single person at the front desk to deliver the money?

[John]

(why would he get in the pizza lin if he had a lunch?)

rly? they see their crappy bologna sandwich mom packed, then they see kids eating awesome pizza... they think screw bologna, im going to get a slice.

i mean, kids are not TOTALLY stupid

Edited July 15, 2011 by John

[John]

should be $2 plus half the cost of the camp.... he went without food for quite a long period.. id be pissed..

lol half the cost. yeah right...

i agree it was a bad mistake, and it sucks... but it was one day. its not like its a month long overnight camp and they didnt feed him for 2 weeks.

first world problems.