ComplaintsforSTEM camp

• Initial Complaint

  04/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The event took place on August 2nd 2023. My children were enrolled in STEM Camp from July 10th to 14th and again from July 31st to Aug 4th I paid $1330.80 in full on January 14th 2023 Providing day camp in safe and educational environment for my children STEM Camp only noticed on August 2nd, 8 full days after my youngest son had been at camp that he did not meet the age limit. I accidently entered the wrong year of birth on the enrollment form in January and entered 2016, the year of birth of my oldest child under my youngest child form. An honest mistake, that should have been noticed upon the first day of camp as my youngest is 4 years old which is allowed under law to attend day camp, however STEM camp has an internal policy that doesnt allow children under 5. STEM Camp has made no attempt to resolve the situation. Instead I was called a liar and told to pick up both my children immediately in a frantic phone call from their head office in ******* (I live in ******).There are 4 issues I would like to report:1-REIMBURSEMENT POLICY IS UNSACTISFACTORY: I believe I should be reimbursed for the two days that my children did not attend camp 2-NOT AS ADVERTISED: They advertise their camp as being science, technology, engineering and mathematics our children made paper airplanes and played mindcraft on the computer. STEM Camp did not deliver on their advertised activities, as per their website, the kick-off email where they list the activities none of these activities were delivered on.3-HEALTH AND SAFETY: Camp counselors for this camp are very young, from as young as 15 to 23. No one can speak to conduct of your child or the activities planned. Upon at least 3 pickups there werent enough adults for the amount of children in attendance, at times only having 1 adolescent present for over 25 (or more children in attendance). Children were basically left to do free play all day, with minimal supervision. Additionally, I found one child wandering downstairs by himself when I arrived early one day.4-HEALTH AND SAFETY: My son injured his head, and no one was able to provide detail of the incident on site. I have no details on what took place. The only information received was from a staff member in ******* (again, we live in ******) to inform me of his fall. When I arrived at camp, no one on site was able to provide detail of the incident. When I tried to discuss the issues noted above with the regional manager on site, after receiving a rude phone call from head office, no resolution was provided. I was not able to escalate my concerns to anyone - none of the contact information provide to parents work - I received bounce backs on all emails listed on their website and provide to us as parents included, the **** Community Director etc. I was not able to speak with a supervisor. I did receive an email saying that I wouldnt be issued a refund because I threaten an employee, I've asked for details of this, and none were given to me. No such threats were made. I had a levelheaded discussion and asked to be refunded for the 2 days missed. I believe they sited this as a means to not have the refund me. Again, no other details/examples were provided, and my husband was a witness to the discussion - he can attest that no such threats were made. None at all. There's a complete lack of tact on their part. I have never received such accusations, and many could speak to my soft demeaner.

  Business response

  11/08/2023

  Good afternoon,
  
  On August 2, 2023 our Ottawa Regional Manager (********) informed head office that one of the campers present had let her know he was 4.5 years old. As per our website, all campers must be 5 years old prior to July 1, 2023 in order to register for the 2023 camp season. If parents enter a birth date that would indicate the child will be younger than 5 years old on the date mentioned above, the system does not provide any sessions to register in. Our activities are designed for school age children between the ages of 5-13 years old.
  
  Head office contacted *************** to inquire about her sons birth date. *************** informed head office that he was 4.5 years old and would be turning 5 in September. Our head office staff member (*****) let *************** know that unfortunately, we do not allow children under the age of 5 to attend camp and she would need to go and pick him up. *************** became very upset and demanded to speak to a manager. ***** informed *************** that the **************** Manager was out sick that day but that there was a Regional Manager on site who would be able to discuss any concerns.
  
  I will include ****** full report as an attachment.
  
  Mr. and *************** arrived on site and greeted ********* inquiring as to whether or not she was the Regional Manager. *************** then proceeded to comment on how upset she was with STEM Camp as an organization all while yelling at ********. ************** also engaged ******** speaking in a condescending manner and advising her that he will call the **** on both ******** and STEM Camp and will make her life difficult. ************** also threatened to inform the media of the dangers of sending their children to STEM Camp. 
  
  While ************** signed both their campers out, *************** ran into the facility yelling in front of other staff and campers that her boys were being kicked out and they were no longer wanted. Approximately 5 minutes after the family left, *************** returned and yelled at ******** once again demanding her boss phone number. ******** advised *************** she could contact head office and file her complaints there. *************** ended up leaving her contact information with ******** and informing her that if she did not receive a call that night STEM Camp would have a big problem.
  
  I will include Victorias full report as an attachment.
  
  Regarding *************** 4 issues, please see below:
  
  1. Reimbursement Policy is Unsatisfactory:
  
  STEM Camps refund policy states:
  
  Participants that have purchased camp sessions, services or merchandise products prior to May 1, 2023 may request a full refund (minus the 2.6% credit card surcharge) for any reason, if such a request is made to *********** on or before April 30, 2023. Please contact our Support team via email at ********************************* or by calling **************. Please note, this applies to new purchases made for the 2023 camp season, not for camp sessions, services or merchandise products purchased in 2022, or any previous season, for which credits were issued. 
  
  Camp session purchases made on or after May 1, 2023, through to August 25, 2023, are considered FINAL SALE. No cash refunds will be granted, or credits issued, for ANY reason. Please be aware of this when purchasing camp sessions on or after May 1, 2023. If you are not agreeable to this condition, do not proceed in purchasing camp sessions. Before and after care services are refundable at any time, including throughout the camp season, as long as the service you purchased is cancelled a minimum of one full business day prior to the start of the camp session for which you purchased the service. To cancel before or after care, please contact our Support team via email at ********************************* or by calling **************. 
  
  And continues to include:
  
  STEM Camp reserves the right not to offer refunds or credits after May 1, 2023, under any circumstances, including, but not limited to:
  1. Inclement weather or unforeseen facility closures 
  2. No air conditioning in a facility or it is hot outside 
  3. A camper is removed from STEM Camp as a result of inappropriate behaviour or as a result of parental bullying of STEM Camp staff (see Camper Removal Process and Parental Behaviour above)
  4. A health or safety situation, including situations resulting from a pandemic, epidemic or other health-related matter 
  5. The Participants decision not to attend for any reason at any time 
  6. Unforeseen illness or injury
  7. A child decides that they are not enjoying STEM Camp. This happens in life, and we are not under any illusion that STEM Camp is for everyone. Please talk with the camp staff about strategies to make the camp more enjoyable but realize that sometimes a child just does not enjoy something. This is no ones fault, and children need to learn how to cope with situations that are not, in their opinion, ideal for them.  
  
  This information can be found on our website, in the STEM Camp Guide provided to parents and also on the registration waiver signed by *************** acknowledging the above policy on January 14, 2023 at 9:51am.
  
  2. Not as Advertised: 
  
  Campers engage is several hands on activities as well as coding and robotics activities. All activities are prepared with specific learning outcomes in mind. This information is available under the Activities section of our website (*********************************************)
  
  *************** children attended camp from July ***** with no mention of unsatisfactory activities. Both children attended from July 31 until the family was removed on August 2, 2023. Unfortunately, we were not made aware of their activity concerns, and had we known, we could have addressed those concerns the week of July 10th.
  
  3. Health and Safety:
  
  Camp staff are put through a comprehensive hiring process. This process is even more extensive for lead roles. The ****** location *************** registered for has 6 full time staff members. The week of July ***** there were 40 campers enrolled making the staff to camper ratio 1:7. During the week of July 31 there were 25 campers enrolled making the staff to camper ratio 1:4. According to the ************************** a ratio of 1 staff member to 10 campers is acceptable. The door of this facility is kept locked throughout the day, so it is unlikely *************** was able to enter the facility without being let in by a staff member.
  
  4. Health and Safety Continued:
  
  On August 2, 2023 at 2:25pm an incident report came in to head office regarding *************** youngest son and explained that he had been playing at the park and had hit his head on a piece of park equipment. The report outlined the incident and the action taken by staff. Our internal policy is to contact the parents any time a camper sustains a head injury. We do this so we can ensure the parent has been made aware. *****, gave *************** a call to inform her of her sons head injury shorty after the report came into head office. At no point did *************** request a copy of the incident report. Reports are available to all parents when the incident involves their camper. This could have been emailed to her at any time. *************** simply thanked ***** for informing her of the injury and ended the phone call.
  
  When *************** arrived at camp, there would be no staff member available to discuss the injury as Mr. and *************** were in the middle of a heated discussion with ******** as mentioned above.
  
  Please note, there are no staff emails listed on our website other than ********************************* which is our main customer support inbox and is monitored continuously throughout the day as well as most evenings and weekends.
  
  After speaking with ******** regarding the situation that took place at pick up, it was determined that as per our Parent Behaviour Policy (found on page 9 of the STEM Camp Guide provided to all parents and available on our website) STEM Camp would be terminating our involvement the ***** Family. 
  
  I have included our Parent Behaviour Policy below for your reference.
  
  Parent Behaviour
  STEM Camp believes that everyone is entitled to be treated with respect and that differences can be resolved peacefully and respectfully. We encourage parents/guardians to discuss situations of concern with their on-site Camp Coordinator and/or with ***********. However, just as parents/guardians would expect their children or themselves to be treated with respect, STEM Camp staff also deserve the same consideration. If parents/guardians are deemed to be disrespectful to staff either in person or on the phone, STEM Camp staff will interpret this as a bullying situation and issue a warning that the interaction will be terminated if it does not improve and reserve the right to do so if the parent/guardian is disrespectful in any way. In particular, threats, yelling and name calling will not be tolerated. All support calls are recorded and monitored at ***********. STEM Camp may decide to terminate your involvement with our organization at this point without issuing a refund. Disrespect is not consistent with STEM Camp values.
  
  Despite the concerns listed above, *************** continued to send her children the entire week of July ***** and again for a second week until her youngest son was removed. We have every reason to believe had we not discovered *************** son was under the age of 5, that both children would have continued to attend the remaining two days of camp without complaint.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  27/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I enrolled my daughter in summer camp, for the last week of July. The cost was $303 for the week. Upon drop off 9am, I brought her into the ******** academy school. I walked her to the room where the children were gathered. It was incredibly hot, close to the temputure of a suna. I assumed that they were not spending much time in that specific room. Upon pick, 4pm. My daughter was drenched, looked as though she had taken a shower. She looked exhausted, and desperately wanted water (she ran out). Her request was to lay down in the car, as she felt dizzy. She explained to me that she felt very hot, and uncomfortable. She begged me to not send her back for another day at camp. She was in tears and said it was a horrible experience. I have not sent her back. I did contact the manager, she dismissed my health concern. Although she has never been to the site herself. She also said that it's summer and it's hot. No consideration of how my daughter felt. So I asked to speak to a supervisor. I received the same response from her. Basically saying no other parents, have yet complained, as if that is relevant. She also said the children are not in that warmer room for a long period, although it was at least 40 min that day, as she confirmed. She has also not been to that location. She was not concerned with my concern of my daughters health. I did ask for a refund and they only denied, as it was past a deadline. She even advised me to send my daughter again, to give her another chance to see how she feels. It was as thought she heard nothing I said. I did advise her that I would be making a complaint.

  Business response

  27/07/2022

  
  The Customer had called head office about cancelling her daughter’s week at stem camp as the facility was too hot for her. I had explained to her about how the day is set up and that they are not spending the day in the gym however they do have certain time slots that they are in there, however the gym does have proper ventilation as it operates as a school for 10 months out of the year.
  
   Prior to the summer, STEM Camp had air conditioning installed in the classrooms which is where most of the activities are held. 
  
  In the mornings for drop off the campers play games and large group activities in the gym. 
  Once camp starts the kids head off in their groups throughout airconditioned space, until mid-morning break which was held outside. Afterwards again back into the airconditioned space where they were building the millennium falcon with popsicle sticks which is a low energy activity. Lunch time was again outside where they did run around and play outdoor games, it is Mid July Summer heat. The kids are not forced by any means to play the games they are just options to do so. After lunch the kids where back in building the millennium falcon, which is again an airconditioned space. Afternoon break was held again outside and finishing the day off with Minecraft again in an air-conditioned space. Once camp has ended for the end of the day the kids do head back to the gym which is a very large space where the kids can run around play basketball while they wait for their parents to pick them up. We have not had any other complaints from parents or staff about the facility being too hot and we have also had someone from our head office go and be sure that the facility is ventilated and cooled properly.
  
  Parents are to send their kids with 2 snacks a full lunch and reusable water bottles that can be filled at any time at the facility. 
  As for refunds and cancellation we clearly state that STEM Camp reserves the right not to offer refunds after June 1 2022, under any circumstances including, but not limited to: 
  Inclement weather or unforeseen facility closures 
  No air conditioning in a facility or it is hot outside 
  A camper is removed from STEM Camp as a result of the three-strike policy or as a result of parental bullying of STEM Camp staff 
  A health or safety situation, including situations resulting from a pandemic, epidemic or other health-related matter 
  The Participant’s decision not to send them for any reason at any time 
  A child decides that they are “not enjoying” STEM Camp. This happens in life, and we are not under any illusion that STEM Camp is for everyone. Please talk with the camp staff about strategiestomakethecampmoreenjoyablebutrealizethatsometimes achildjustdoesnot enjoy something. This is no one’s fault, and children need to learn how to cope with situations that are not, in their opinion, ideal for them. 
  These terms are listed in the parent handbook located on our website and is also sent to parents after enrollment.

  Business response

  29/07/2022

  Again I would like to mention for this location the site is air-conditioned where the campers are spending the majority of the day, we can confirm this because we installed the Air Conditioning ourselves at this location. Also, in our Parent Handbook that is sent out prior to payment being taken it does state the terms and conditions of camp on page 5;

  Air Conditioning
  Not all the facilities we rent are air conditioned. If this is important to you, please check your location information on our website to determine if the facility is air conditioned. Please do not call our office to inform us that the facility is hot and there is no air conditioning. We are aware of this in the summer. The activities your children are involved in are of an academic nature and not strenuous. We will conduct activities under shade trees or in front of fans if it is hot but will not be refunding due to hot weather in the summer.

  However we are in constant communication with Staff at the Ottawa South Location who have not mentioned the heat in the gym being an issue as well as the 150 other campers who have been through this site this summer and over the last 4 weeks 

  The parent did express that her daughter did not feel she had instructions or that the project and was not hard enough for her. This does happen and for these cases if the child did not tell the camp leaders that it wasn't hard enough or that she didn't understand what she was doing we could not help her. Now that we know the camper was feeling this way we can add the expansion packages that I explained to the parent over the phone and stated that if this was the case I would make sure that the following day the camp leaders knew she needed more of a challenge. Unfortunately the parent made the decision to not send the child back which we are then not able to show the parent that we are capable of making things more difficult for kids that would like more of a challenge. Again we do no refund because a child is not having fun or enjoying themselves, STEM Camp is not for everyone but we do encourage parents to send their kids again and try more than one day of camp.

  And again in our Parent Handbook on page 11. 

  Refund and Cancellation Policy
  STEM Camp has a "NO RISK REFUND POLICY" as a result of the pandemic. Families can obtain a full refund (minus the 3% transaction fee) for ANY reason if that request is made by email to support@stemcamp.ca by the end of May 2022. As of June 1 2022, no cash refunds will be granted for any reason (with the exception that the government prohibits day camps from operating), however, full summer camp credits will be issued. Please note that locations may vary year to year. Participants may also switch their week at any time for another week provided spots are available. It is important to note that the refund policy applies to new enrollments received on or after January 7 2022, and does not apply to sessions that were carried over from the summer of 2021.
  In the unlikely event that STEM camp is forced not to operate because of a government order, the Participant will receive a full refund (minus the 3% transaction fee) for summer camp, including those Participants who rolled over from a previous year.
  STEM Camp reserves the right not to offer refunds after June 1 2022, under any circumstances including, but not limited to:
  Inclement weather or unforeseen facility closures
  No air conditioning in a facility or it is hot outside
  A camper is removed from STEM Camp as a result of the three-strike policy or as a result of
  parental bullying of STEM Camp staff
  A health or safety situation, including situations resulting from a pandemic, epidemic or other
  health-related matter
  The Participant’s decision not to send them for any reason at any time
  A child decides that they are “not enjoying” STEM Camp. This happens in life, and we are not
  under any illusion that STEM Camp is for everyone. Please talk with the camp staff about strategies to make the camp more enjoyable but realize that sometimes a child just does not enjoy something. This is no one’s fault, and children need to learn how to cope with situations that are not, in their opinion, ideal for them.

  
  

  Customer response

  29/07/2022

  
  Complaint: 17626006
  
  I am rejecting this response because again

  
  Not all the facilities we rent are air conditioned. If this is important to you, please check your location information on our website to determine if the facility is air conditioned. Please do not call our office to inform us that the facility is hot and there is no air conditioning. We are aware of this in the summer. The activities your children are involved in are of an academic nature and not strenuous. We will conduct activities under shade trees or in front of fans if it is hot but will not be refunding due to hot weather in the summer.

   

  as you have said in your policy, there is no strenuous activity. The gym is filled with children running around, and playing basketball. They sit in that room for more then 20 minutes at a time.  I have again been in there myself and it is very hot, there is no ventilation, and as your policy mentions, no use of fans. Even if there was, the temputure is still concerning. It is warmer in your gym than the temputure outdoors.

  your policy also mentions that a refund would be made if there was a health concern, which I have mentioned several times. This is a health concen/issue. The additional concerns about staff, and activities being to easy are not why I initiated my concerns

  If it was the single fact that the activities were to easy, or that your staff were  not engaged, I would have allowed my child to give the camp another opportunity to experience, after speaking to the manager and adjustments were made. As I repeat myself, I have decided not to send my daughter to your camp as there are health concerns, and her health is  far most important. I have asked if you would not have her sit in the hot gym for the time she attended camp, but you refused. So you basically said that she either comes and suffers, with my current health concerns, and there are no other options.

  Not being air conditioned and sitting in a room that is a warmer temputure than outdoors is a big differnece.

  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *******

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