ComplaintsforFrench Woods Festival of the Performing Arts

• Initial Complaint

  08/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My husband and I sent our 12-year-old daughter to sleep away camp at French Woods for the first time this year. It was not her first time as a sleep away camper, but a first time there. She was to stay a 3-week session. After over a week there, we heard from her through her sister, who was also a camper there. Her sister alerted us that she was not feeling well, had tried to reach us but was not allowed to and her camp email address was not functioning (and the camp had not given her an alternative way of reaching us). We called the camp immediately and demanded to talk to our daughter. She begged us to leave the camp, for the reasons detailed in the letter attached to this email: a 17-year-old boy was annoying her, and outright stalked her one evening. She told us she did not feel safe, and we went up to get her. To our surprise, we were only welcomed by 19-year-old camp counsellors, nobody from the direction. We demanded to talk to someone from the direction, and talked to the head of girls' camp (at least number 3 there), who explained to us that the 17-year-old boy would remain in camp, the reason given being that "he was autistic and would never hurt anyone, and that he did not know what he was doing". He has spent many years at this camp, whereas ***** was a newcomer. ***** felt unsafe staying there, and we could understand why: we know children with handicap, and under no circumstance should a handicap be an excuse for a 17-year old boy to stalk a 12-year old girl around camp. We went back to New York and called the camp to seek a resolution to ***** having had this unpleasant experience and having had to leave when she was clearly not the cause of the issue. The camp director we talked to apologised for what had happened and asked us to write to the owner of the camp. We sent the letter attached here. The owner sent us a shockingly rude reply blaming our daughter for complaining about a child with handicap. This handling of the facts is unacceptable.

  Business response

  08/29/2022

  To Whom it may Concern
  

  I am in receipt of the enclosed complaint from ******* ******* ** *******. I have included the original emails in the attachment. The *******’s sent TWO girls to a three week session at French Woods for the summer of 2022. One of the girls, *****, felt ill during her stay.Despite being seen my our medical staff, she became homesick and continued to complain of being ill. She then complained of being stalked by a seventeen year old autistic boy. We spoke to the boy
  and despite having no idea of what the girl was talking about, agreed to stay far away from her.  The parents came to camp,   took ***** home,  LEFT HER SISTER at camp and sent the enclosed emails demanding a refund and action against the boy. We spoke to them via phone and a greed to give them a credit for future use,  in our opinion,  none was warranted.   

  The sister finished her stay at camp without further incident.
  I would like to point out,  that if the camp was “unsafe” why was the second daughter left to finish her session?    This claim has absolutely no warrant.     

  
  Ronald S********  

  Director,  French Woods

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