STAFF MEMBER "CODY" (who worked on Sunday, September fourth, from at least 3pm onwards) SHOULD BE STRIPPED OF HIS EMPLOYMENT and let me tell you why:
first of all i want to say that overall this was an excellent experience for me, my nephews, and his friends. That being said, i wanted to make a specific complaint about one of the staff members. The reason i did not make this complaint at the actual arena is because i saw this individual was rather friendly with everyone who worked there today and thus did not feel comfortable reporting him to somebody who in all likelihood was his buddy. This is the reason why i am making this complaint via email, on your official facebook page, on Yelp (where it won't be removed and the issue will have to be addressed), and every message board and review website that i can find. Furthermore, I will be calling you guys tomorrow afternoon to ensure that my complaint is acknowledged.
The staff member named CODY (about 5'6-5'8, scrawny, early 20s, white, closely cropped brown hair) was ridiculously unprofessional with regards to how he spoke to and around the kids. Not to mention how he disrespected me personally in front of the kids (i'm about twice his age and was shocked by this pipsqueak's big, profane mouth). This pint-sized staff member, obviously a victim of adolescent bullying and not used to any concept of real authority or respecting people twice his age, consistently showed an overtly bad attitude and made several inappropriate gestures and statements in the presence of CHILDREN. I mean c'mon man, they're just kids! Listed below are examples of Cody's improper and unethical behavior.
A. I witnessed first hand, CODY verbally assault no less than three 11 year-olds (that i witnessed after being told by a fourth child under my care that one of the staff members was 'cussing at him'). The reasoning behind his verbal battery (at least with regards to the three seperate accounts that I personally witnessed) was for taking off their masks while literally passing the curtain which led from the arena into the 'deadzone', two of those 11 year-olds being under my care and one which was not. Whether or not the children were wrong and whether or not it was done in the interest of their safety, there is such a thing called tact and customer service. EVERY OTHER STAFF MEMBER was kind, polite, and helpful when correcting the kids (they definitely didn't drop F bombs and insult the kids on a personal level while reprimanding them) and so CODY's actions really stuck out like a sore thumb and put a dampener on the experience to the point that i am now wasting my valuable time in order to report him.
B. During his jaw-dropping verbal tirades, he utilized the word "f*ck" multiple times:
For example: what the **** are you doing", "what the **** did i tell you", "are you G**D*MN stupid?!?", and the one directed at me "aren't you listening? what the **** is your problem?" the last one being rather amusing seeing as that i am hearing impaired and did not want to wear my hearing aids for fear of them getting damaged or lost ("what the f**k" being his go-to-catchphrase like some sort of pre-teen who has just discovered the cussing). Although I noticed that most of the older participants had absolutely no profanity filters or sense of decency with regards to how to conduct themselves in front of children (which is none of my concern), but the kids I was taking care of have been raised in goold ole Southern, Christian homes and were appalled by CODY's attitude and use of profanity.
C. This very small man had the audacity to do the same with me with regards to me taking off my mask while passing the curtain from the arena to the 'deadzone'. I have REAL firearm training, years of experience with outdoor paintball matches held in the Florida Everglades, and was the only non-military member of a private Miami Sharp-Shooting League before recently moving back to Georgia. Thus i have years of experience with regards to safety and to be told-off by some punk 20 year old in front of my nephew and his friends was rather embarrassing to say the least.
Despite the consistent cheating (and our complaints to Cody about this) of the more "experienced"/equipped participants, I never once saw Cody reprimand any of them and actually seemed to know them personally (big surprise there). It boggles my mind that individuals who literally spend thousands of dollars on equipment for this (let's be honest) game and seem to take it quite seriously, were the individuals who violated the 'honor code' of admitting when they were hit more often than the middle-schoolers that i was supervising - what's the fun/challenge in cheating against a bunch of 6th graders when you already have superior firepower, armor, and equipment?! Furthermore, why did Cody (the match supervisor) turn a blind eye to it even when we brought it to his attention?
(see second review for complete account) read more