My daughter won a $100 scholarship to a pageant hosted by Pennie and John Stathes.
Her total entry fee was $245.00. We sold $300.00 in ads to help toward the remainder of the cost. Half of her ad sales were to go toward her entry and the other half for the actual ad. No format was specified for this other than "ready to print 1/2 or full page... NO EXCEPTIONS." This could mean paper taped to poster board for all some people know. The person who sold the most ads was suppose to receive a 3 ft trophy and $100 savings bond. This winner was not announced at the pageant like it was suppose to be.
During the pageant when the program book was released for sale we learned that all of the ads that we sent were either wrong or not included. It was suppose to be available the night before and if it had been and I had seen it, we would have addressed this issue before the pageant. Our sponsors did not have any kind of contact information. The only thing they listed for the businesses that actually made it into the program book were business names. I approached Pennie Stathes after the pageant about this and was told that "our computer crashed and that I'm a stand up person and will make it right."
I know that she received these ads ready to print because she even replied to my e-mail when I sent them to her. I sent the document 2 times. The second time I sent it, it had one change. We had a last minute sponsor and added 1/2 page. She can not say that she didn't receive the document that I sent her. They now claim that we sent them in the wrong format, however none was specified and others in the program book were just photocopies of pages cut and taped together. All they had to do was print the document and photocopy it with the rest of the book.
After several attempts to contact Pennie and John Stathes after the pageant, they finally returned e-mail. They posted a banner on thier website stating that my daughter had tied for Ad Sales Winner. I felt that this was a ploy to have us stop pursuing refunds for our sponsors. However, I have pursued trying to receive refunds for our sponsors so that eventually they may sponsor my daughter again. If my sponsors thought that I didn't care about their money - how would they feel?
They have finally agreed to refund my daughters sponsors in full after I mail them another $145 to cover her entry fee. This would mean that she would refund a total of $300.00 divided to 6 sponsors ($50 each). I offered to have her only refund 3 sponsors totaling $150. This would leave my daughters entry fee paid and keep money from swapping hands a million times. This would save them money in the long run because she would not have to pay for the extra 3 certified checks.
I DO NOT have a problem at all with paying her entry fee. Several of our sponsors were family, including ourselves, and agreed to let her keep their money to cover my daughters entry. I refuse to give them anymore money because I feel they are trying to take advantage of us and will not do as they say they will and refund my daughters sponsors.
They say that if they refund my daughters sponsors, because they did not print the ad correctly, that my daughter did not sell any ads and therfore is ineligible to receive her award. I believe they are stealing from my daughter. She rightfully deserves that savings bond and trophy.
Pennie and John Stathes have still not refunded $150 to sponsors or sent award to my daughter. People already think pageants are bad due to the publicity in recent years. There are some good pageants out there but these directors are NOT organized or fit for directing pageants. If you go to their website you will see how unorganized they are - some things say contestants ages are 2 and up and others say 3 and up. Their rules aren't even clear cut.in her correspondence to me, she didn't even know my daughters age and repeatedly spells her name incorrect.
Pennie and John Stathes are in it for one reason and one reason only - MONEY. Mr. Stathes does the photography and no one else is allowed. You have to buy this from them directly. All children are charged admittance, even under 3. Both parents are charged admittance. I've never been to a pageant that one parent wasn't free. Obviously someone has to be with those small children. Like I said, it's all about money, money, money!
We have repeatedly tried to resolve this matter with them and have had no luck. We have been given excuse after excuse such as they work 50 hours a week and they have family issues and even told that we weren't their first priortiy. I am sorry but this is no way to run a business.
I hope everyone will see them for who they really are!
0 comments