CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Comment:
Hello, I would like to take the time to express my concerns for the service I received at our Outdoor Recreational Center.
My first concern is the policy of no refunds. Our squadron had signed out miscellaneous equipment for our summer picnic for a period of one week. The event was moved shortly after to a different date for weather concerns. The equipment was returned within two hours of drawing it and there was no refund or credit extended for the gear. I can understand withholding refunds when there is a shortage of equipment and people are queued to sign it out, however, there is a large amount of gear at Outdoor Recreation and it does not appear this is the case.
My second concern is the apparent policy of not providing a receipt for returned equipment. I asked for a receipt for the returned equipment and was told that they do not offer one. I then inquired if Outdoor Recreation could later call and claim that someone had not returned the equipment and demand payment and was told, "Yes we could do that, but we don't." I asked again for some sort of receipt and the customer service representative there reluctantly signed the initial issue receipt so that I would at least have something to prove return of the equipment.
My third and last concern, is all during this encounter I felt as though this facility was somehow a civilian business simply being run on base as opposed to a Morale, Welfare and Recreation facility dedicated to supporting the base populace. I felt that my service was rude and uncaring, and felt like our squadron had simply donated our equipment rental fee to Outdoor Recreation.
While my experience at Outdoor Recreation was not what I would consider ideal, I would like to compliment our bowling alley and golf course. The service at these facilities has been commendable. My section frequently utilizes these facilities for meals and recreation and the service has been better than we can hope. A good example of the service provided would be
during the months of the Unit Compliance Inspection preparation and the UCI itself, these facilities have bent over backwards to ensure we received hospitable service and good meals at all hours of the day. There were periods of time when some folks were unable to make any other arrangements during this time for meals, and these facilities have been a lifesaver.
Response:
Thank-you for the opportunity to address operations at the Outdoor Recreation Center. Our programs and resale activities at the ORC are operated as a business and we are required to remain within Air Force financial goals to meet the needs of and support the community. At the ORC, our primary goal is to provide the best customer service possible while ensuring we meet the needs of our customers. Unfortunately, during your visit, we missed the mark and extend our sincere apologies. However, I understand the ORC has since given you a refund. We've also instituted an equipment rental rain-check policy to avoid similar situations in the future and will be conducting customer service training with all our staff members. Thank you again for your feedback and we hope to see you at the ORC again soon.