Last year I enrolled my 11 year old son for their 4 week military camp and paid the tuition in full, $3800.00. I had checked references, received letters from cadet's parents, and was comfortable sending my son to their camp, which claims to teach Respect, Integrity, Timeliness, Loyalty and Excellence, to name a few. Except when you owe somebody a refund, I suppose.
Less than 24 hours before my son was to arrive at camp in August they called me to say "camp was canceled" because there was a "microburst storm that tore up the camp". I was promised a refund. I waited and waited for that refund, I emailed and called and was completely ignored by Ginger Denton, who curiously had been very attentive to me up until the camp was canceled.
In November I filed a complaint with the BBB, of which they are members in good standing, and then I finally got a call from Jeremy Denton, promising me he would return my money. Remember... integrity?
Since then, I have again emailed and called and have not gotten any response or any refund.in March I filed a second complaint with the BBB and today I was informed that Reality Ranch Military Camp refuses to make any concessions and that the case will remain "unresolved".
I did nothing wrong. I enrolled my son, paid my tuition in full, and camp was canceled. They have no intention of refunding my tuition and they are currently advertising for 2008 camp. I even offered to let them credit me the $3800 toward camp this summer, but they did not respond to that either. At this point, I wouldn't allow my son to attend because they are dishonest and hypocritical.
Let's take a look at what Reality Ranch claims to instill in boys as described in their Recruit Creed:
"Respect for self, others and authority is my first priority. I will always treat others the way I would like to be treated."
"Excellence is my standard. My character will be judged on my proficiency, devotion and efficient manner at which I complete assigned tasks."
"Attitude is the single most way to affect a situation. My attitude shall be positive and forward thinking at all times. My attitude, good or bad, will be the decisive factor of the outcome of infinite situations that will present themselves."
"Loyalty to self and family is foremost. I must maintain loyalty to my goals, academics and character in order to be loyal to myself. My family is center in my life and loyalty to them will ensure a powerful and unbreakable support network for years to come."
"Integrity is the backbone of trust. Without integrity, my word cannot be trusted. I will always strive to do what is right with or without the presence of authority."
"Timeliness is crucial. Classes have been passed and failed and battles have been won or lost based solely on being prompt. Throughout my life I shall make every effort to be timely in all that I do."
"Yes, I believe in myself and the inner strength that I possess. I will never give up. Perseverance is my cornerstone. I can and will succeed. I can and will achieve all that I desire in life."
Well... I guess they desire my $3800, because that's exactly what they got. They have also stolen time from me. Time spent emailing, calling, writing, filing complaints, writing this report. What infuriates me most about this is what they claim to teach at their camp, while conducting themselves contrary to those values without repurcussion.
Even if I file a small claim, I will only win $2500, because that's the limit in Arizona. So either way, I'm out.
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