Zoo Drama

Legal disclaimer:  This statement is a recap of an unfortunate even that occurred at the Detroit Zoo.  The purpose of this statement is not to slander or take business away from said establishment.  It is simply to share information.  I find it very useful to share experiences, both good and bad, with other young families to inform and allow them to make their own decisions.

I'd signed Beanie (girl, 5.6) up for a few one-day Summer Safari Camp sessions at the Detroit Zoo.  The first one was in early July.  The office had failed to send me the confirmation paperwork and parking pass, so the first class was kind of a mess.  In addition, power was out for 2/3 of the zoo.  After unloading kids and stroller once, I was forced to move my car 30 ft due to lack of the stupid parking pass. Then I was told that the member gate (which was pickup/drop-off point for camp) was closed, so I'd have to go to the main gate after dropping her off.  I basically told them that I have been having foot problems (heel spurs- currently trying to put off surgery) and could not walk more than necessary, and we'd be going home if they couldn't let us in.  The director came out and said she'd call up front and get us signed in, no problem.

The second class was 4 weeks ago (or so I thought).  I got there, and was informed that Beanie was not on the list.  Since they were so incompetent the first time, I incorrectly assumed that they had screwed up again.  I kind of let them have it.  Then the director called the office and verified that I actually had the wrong date and that Beanie had actually been signed up for the week before. We argued about it for a bit and then she agreed to let Beanie in the class for the day since we were already out there.  I apologized for the unpleasantries and the mistake, and she said it was ok and have a great day.

On the way out, the COO, flanked by two security guards, stops me and tells me that my membership has been revoked because I took a swing at one of his employees (the director apparently).  I told him that was absolutely not true.  He said that it was and that he watched the whole thing on tape and already contacted R.O. Police and filed a complaint and that they were pressing charges against me.  I told them that this was a mistake.  He pretty much said tough and that there was nothing I could do.  I was upset, but didn't lose it until Beanie started crying saying that she wanted to go back to camp.  He told me then that if I set foot on Zoo property again, I'd be arrested.  They refunded the remaining two classes in which Beanie had been enrolled, in addition to my entire membership fee.

I requested the advice of an old cohort-turned-attorney, who said the first thing to do is to contact the ROPD and find out if they were pressing charges.  I waited two weeks so I wouldn't cry on the phone to the desk aide, and then contacted them.  *gulp*  This was not even an official "report" since no officer was dispatched.  It was a legal documentation so that the Zoo would have grounds to revoke my membership.  Legally, they can't just revoke memberships for fun.  Now that they have on record an incident wherein video footage is "inconclusive;" I could have been reaching for a runaway Bunky (boy, 3.6) or trying to swing at aforementioned employee.  The record does note that I had Nacho (boy, 1.85) in my arms.  Now, I don't know about you, but I think every parent should get in a good old-fashioned cat fight with a toddler in arms.

So basically, this came down to they didn't want to deal with any squeaky wheels so they made something up that could be moderately plausible on video and documented. I was pretty upset and embarassed initially; having to tell my family and friends that we couldn't go to the Zoo.  In actuallity, I am not allowed to own a pass nor can my children attend camp.  If I wanted to pay full price, I could do so.  

I thought about trying to pursue things further, or pulling the COO's valve stems, but I decided I'd just pray for the bozo instead.  Clearly the Institution does not understand the concept of customer service.  We have taken our money and joined the Toledo Zoo, so I've officially lost nothing.  We are much happier at Toledo.  They have excellent customer service and are much more family and child oriented.  So, lesson learned.  God knows what's up, anyway.

-rk