Sportsplex Management Group

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:Again, the response is missing the point The facility continues to focus on the red card The red card and quality of referees are just a symptom The issue that was raised is the management oversight and customer service Yes, I agree that the referees are likely sub contractors and make judgment calls Sometimes people make mistakes and there should be an open mind in handling these issues But again, this is only an example of the issue As stated in the original complaint, management has a take it or leave it attitude and fail to provide the appropriate customer service The facility demonstrates this on an ongoing basis and the actions have lead to injury and the lack of delivering services that the customer paid for Here are some of the points I raised and some additional onesReferee complaint resolution-They will support a call no matter what You can file a complaint but it is on deaf ears They then suspend for a game in effect removing your privileges for a game already paid for Facility maintenance is lacking There are times that blood is on the ground, there are issues with turf having gaps Management is slow to repair and often the cleanliness is disregarded during operations Note the other Yelp postings They have recently replaced a field that was in horrible and likely dangerous condition They will place a team in a division that is not suited for their level of play The example I raised originally was our team being placed in Division This lead to a player injury That season was not competitive We lost almost every game by goals Basically we made a donation to the sportsplex and felt terrible about our experience Championship award- Our team won the championship for the lower division back on September 19th We elected to receive shirts instead of trophies It is my understanding that we have not received the correct sizes requested since then The sportsplex scheduled a game for after Thanksgiving When the team indicated we could not field a team we were told it could not be rescheduled The team did not play a game and did not receive all of the services it paid for A standing policy at the sportsplex Safety-While the facility does the typical waiver and play at your own risk routine they are still obligated to provide a safe environment I have seen players get injured and still see players play without some of the mandatory safety equipment (shin guards) This should be pointed out by the referees and the player should have to wear them Additionally there should be procedures in place to adequately address incidents I want to take a moment to expand on the last bullet I have had two significant injuries playing adult soccer where another player caused my injury from a rule infraction One at the sportsplex and one outdoor with another league After the incident in the outdoor league I received a call from the league management to inquire about my condition While they have similar policies regarding play at your own risk, they still took the time to follow up With that incident the player received a card as one would expect In contrast, the injury at the sportsplex was not handled the same way The opposing player pushed me into the boards and there was no card issued The injury was significant enough that I had to have surgery and I have lost some of my original capabilities I never received a follow up call from them I would even challenge them to produce an incident report I on the other hand can produce the people that were there and even the medical records that being said, that is not my objective My goal was to establish reasonableness with the management at the facility I did not want to escalate this but felt the need to as the attitude needs to change from management The facility should have handled this complaint but failed to and that is why it has escalated Ron (management on duty) was advised that would be the result When I discussed this poor call with MrA [redacted] it just again showed that there has been no progress made with the situations that have been raised before It showed that MrA [redacted] will say what it takes to include that he did not care about the Revdex.com or Yelp complaints He was going to be closed minded MrA [redacted] has indicated they agreed I did not cause an issue (disruption) on the field and the referee made a judgment call on a play When I asked if he looked at the video he indicated he did and could not see the play In his response he indicated that the call might not have been correct but at a minimum it could be perceived as poor taste He elected to stick with a judgment call that was made in error As a result I sat out another game resulting in payment for services not rendered Regards, [redacted]

Actually, we do care about our customers and our reputation and standing with the Revdex.com, otherwise, we would not be taking the time to respond to this or any other complaints, for that matterWe have been in business for over years, and have many more satisfied customers than those who are not As for receiving multiple red cards at our facility and none at other leagues, and putting the blame on our refs for that; first of all, our refs are certified and ref at all the other indoor and outdoor leagues in the areaThey are independent contractors and are not exclusive to usSo they are no better and no worse than the ones in other area leagues because many of them are the same ones who ref at our facilityBesides, giving more red cards is usually a sign of a ref exhibiting better control of the game and for not putting up with unsportsman-like conduct As for not answering our emails, this is simply not trueNot only does the facility management respond to e-mails on a daily basis, but we answer them from our central office in Gaithersburg, as wellCertainly it is possible for one to get missed or a transmission error can occur, but I can assure you this is not the norm We also do take referee complaints seriously and value everyone's feedbackBut it is obvious to everyone who competes that to referee is many times a thankless job, not being able to please everyone all the timeSoccer like many sports, contains many judgement calls, and these types of calls are open to interpretation many times, so you will always have varying opinions on if the call was correct Think about this; percent or more of our referee complaints come from the losing team and hardly ever from the winning teamDoesn't that tell you something right there about the nature of these complaints in general ? As for management not hearing the complaints in person and the details of what transpired in the game; honestly, it is a bit extreme to use this forum for that type of complaintThis is a facility level complaintIt does not involve the customer being ripped off or cheated, etc by us Management does listen to our people that complain and are upset, but we also have a policy not to engage anyone who is yelling or cursing at us, or is arguing with us about something in the heat of the momentIn fact, our rules clearly state that we do not listen to complaints about the game until hours after the fact, although we usually do hear the person out anyway To receive a red card, a person would have done something to disrupt the game, so to not accept any responsibility by the player is not entirely fair, as the situation would not have happened without that player acting in an unsportsman-like manner And finally, in response to the customer's team being placed in a division not of their liking; as the customer admits, we state it clearly in our rules that we can place teams as we see fit, into the best division available, given the teams we have signed up for the leagueWe actually have some of the best leagues competitively and the best scheduling in the area, but of course it will never be perfect, and that goes for any other league as wellChris E [redacted] Regional Manager Sportsplex Management Group

This complaint leaves out a lot of details, which I discussed with Mr [redacted] by phone on October This was the third red card Mr [redacted] has received in the last five years, however, he has yet to follow our policy and send referee complaints via e-mail Instead, he chooses to discuss them with the managers on duty and but then feels like he is not being treated fairly because we tell him to send an e-mail detailing his complaint for us to review Rather than following what we believe is a fair, reasonable policy, Mr [redacted] opts to complain on online forums like this after the fact when he does not get his way He has been told on numerous occasions to e-mail his complaints to us and we will review them and address the issues he raises accordingly We have not received an e-mail from him regarding any of the complaints he mentions in this postOur rules clearly state that we do not discuss referee complaints immediately following a game We have this policy in place because emotions often run too high after a game and it can escalate into an argument in which nothing gets resolved Additionally, the referee is still on the field reffing the next game so we are not able to pull him/her off the field to discuss the complaints being raised For these reasons, our policy has always been that complaints must be submitted via e-mail Mr [redacted] kept telling the manager on duty he needed "to fix it now" after he was ejected from the game Our manager was courteous in telling Mr [redacted] he needed to send his complaint via e-mail Only after Mr [redacted] followed our manager around the facility for several minutes and repeatedly demanded that he "fix it" did our manager say the conversation was over and there was nothing else he could do for him at that timeMr [redacted] admitted to taunting a player from another team who the referee thought was injured The referee viewed that as unsportsmanlike and ejected Mr [redacted] from the game Mr [redacted] claims he was "only joking" when he taunted the other player but, as I reminded him, it's very difficult for a referee to determine whether someone is joking when they mock a player who is on the ground after a foul At best, it's in poor taste As I told Mr [redacted] , I likely would have called the play the same way had I been the referee Regarding the placement of his team in a higher division, the team had finished with the best record in the lower division a season before and we reserve the right to move teams to higher or lower divisions each season as stated in our rules Our goal is to create the most competitive divisions possible each season and we would never place a team in a division if we felt it would be unsafe We also notified the team of the division change several days before the league started and gave them the option of a full refund if they did not want to play in the higher division We did not force them into playing in a higher division nor switch divisions without the team's approvalWe value all of our customers and it shows in our day-to-day operation Our goal is to create fun, competitive leagues for all our players and I believe we've done that on a consistent basis since we opened almost years ago We have rules and policies in place that, when properly followed, ensure that customer complaints are heard in order to make the experience at our facility as pleasant as possibleJamie A [redacted] General Manager

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because:
This business never reviewed the video or provided any explaination of the incidentThe business response is to dismiss the fact that they endangered my physical integrity by kicking me out of the establishement without been able to put my coat or my childThe customer service representative did never address the issue and simply act with arrogance and bigotryI experienced an absolute lack of concern about the clientele in this establishement
I believe that as a consumer I deserve (and if I am not mistaken it is my legal right in the State of Maryland) the basic customer service. The bussines did not take any step to avoid the escalation of the problemThe fact of the matter is that due to the staff's inexperience and negligence to response to the customer's concern the issue escalatedDuring the problem, there were no security, no control or response from any of the business' employees in a place that had more than people inside
This business responded using denotatives to describe me as "frivolous: and/or as a "troublemaker" but the fact is that the videos can show clearly that I have never attacked any player in any manner; and instead of that it shows how one player attempted to kick me without the ball in clear view of the business employee (referee)There was no action taken to protect my integrityBy my experience I consider this business' practices were unfair and dangerous
I consider that this business' response attempted to sell the notion that a contact sports is a justification to enable or to set in motion an environment that promotes recklesness! Which is wrong and unethical
I consider that this bussines' lack of security, and concern for their patrons is a problemI believe that their attempt to rest importance to this type of issues (Because there is been reports of more similar problems before) would cause in the future a harsh result for some of their consumers. Regards,*** ***

Dear Revdex.com,
This complaint is completely frivolous and is honestly a waste of the Revdex.com's time and of our time as well. The leagues that we run at our facility are competitive and sometimes participants do not always agree with the call of the referee on the field.
As for his safety, we have...

signs posted all over the facility and on our website, as well as on the waiver form that each player signs, stating that they know there are physical risks when involved with sports and similar activities, and so his complaint about being involved in rough play and his disagreement with the referee and his subsequent behavior to our staff, enough to have him asked to leave our facility, is absurd, unfair, and unwarranted, to say the least.
And that is before hearing our side of the story. What happened was actually this, which came right from our facility manager:
"He kicked a guy from behind the play and then spit on someone. We dealt with him and told him to leave the facility because he kept trying to fight the other team. His teammates had to hold him back. All this in front of his child."
We have a zero tolerance for troublemakers and for those who come into our facility and fight, or try to start fights or cause similar problems. It is all within our rights, and certainly within our facility rules, to enforce our policies for the safety of all our customers and to ensure that their playing experience is enjoyable as well.
Regards,
Chris E[redacted]
Regional Manager
Sportsplex Management Group

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:Again, the response is missing the point.
The facility continues to focus on the red card.  The red card and quality of referees are just a symptom.  The issue that was raised is the management oversight and customer service.  Yes, I agree that the referees are likely sub contractors and make judgment calls.  Sometimes people make mistakes and there should be an open mind in handling these issues.  But again, this is only an example of the issue.  
As stated in the original complaint, management has a take it or leave it attitude and fail to provide the appropriate customer service.  The facility demonstrates this on an ongoing basis and the actions have lead to injury and the lack of delivering services that the customer paid for.  Here are some of the points I raised and some additional ones.
Referee complaint resolution-They will support a call no matter what.  You can file a complaint but it is on deaf ears.  They then suspend for a game in effect removing your privileges for a game already paid for.
Facility maintenance is lacking.  There are times that blood is on the ground, there are issues with turf having gaps.  Management is slow to repair and often the cleanliness is disregarded during operations.  Note the other Yelp postings.  They have recently replaced a field that was in horrible and likely dangerous condition.
They will place a team in a division that is not suited for their level of play.  The example I raised originally was our team being placed in Division 1.  This lead to a player injury.  That season was not competitive.  We lost almost every game by 10 goals.  Basically we made a donation to the sportsplex and felt terrible about our experience.  
Championship award-  Our team won the championship for the lower division back on September 19th.  We elected to receive shirts instead of trophies.  It is my understanding that we have not received the correct sizes requested since then.
The sportsplex scheduled a game for after Thanksgiving.  When the team indicated we could not field a team we were told it could not be rescheduled.  The team did not play a game and did not receive all of the services it paid for.  A standing policy at the sportsplex.
Safety-While the facility does the typical waiver and play at your own risk routine they are still obligated to provide a safe environment.  I have seen players get injured and still see players play without some of the mandatory safety equipment (shin guards).  This should be pointed out by the referees and the player should have to wear them.  Additionally there should be procedures in place to adequately address incidents.  
I want to take a moment to expand on the last bullet.  I have had two significant injuries playing adult soccer where another player caused my injury from a rule infraction.  One at the sportsplex and one outdoor with another league.  After the incident in the outdoor league I received a call from the league management to inquire about my condition.  While they have similar policies regarding play at your own risk, they still took the time to follow up.  With that incident the player received a card as one would expect.  In contrast, the injury at the sportsplex was not handled the same way.  The opposing player pushed me into the boards and there was no card issued.  The injury was significant enough that I had to have surgery and I have lost some of my original capabilities.  I never received a follow up call from them.  I would even challenge them to produce an incident report.  I on the other hand can produce the people that were there and even the medical records.  that being said, that is not my objective.  My goal was to establish reasonableness with the management at the facility.    
I did not want to escalate this but felt the need to as the attitude needs to change from management.  The facility should have handled this complaint but failed to and that is why it has escalated.  Ron (management on duty) was advised that would be the result.   When I discussed this poor call with Mr. A[redacted] it just again showed that there has been no progress made with the situations that have been raised before.  It showed that Mr. A[redacted] will say what it takes to include that he did not care about the Revdex.com or Yelp complaints.  He was going to be closed minded.  Mr.. A[redacted] has indicated they agreed I did not cause an issue (disruption) on the field and the referee made a judgment call on a play.  When I asked if he looked at the video he indicated he did and could not see the play.  In his response he indicated that the call might not have been correct but at a minimum it could be perceived as poor taste.  He elected to stick with a judgment call that was made in error.  As a result I sat out another game resulting in payment for services not rendered.              Regards,[redacted]

Actually, we do care about our customers and our reputation and standing with the Revdex.com, otherwise, we would not be taking the time to respond to this or any other complaints, for that matter. We have been in business for over 10 years, and have many more satisfied customers than those who are not.
As for receiving multiple red cards at our facility and none at other leagues, and putting the blame on our refs for that; first of all, our refs are certified and ref at all the other indoor and outdoor leagues in the area. They are independent contractors and are not exclusive to us. So they are no better and no worse than the ones in other area leagues because many of them are the same ones who ref at our facility. Besides, giving more red cards is usually a sign of a ref exhibiting better control of the game and for not putting up with unsportsman-like conduct.
As for not answering our emails, this is simply not true. Not only does the facility management respond to e-mails on a daily basis, but we answer them from our central office in Gaithersburg, as well. Certainly it is possible for one to get missed or a transmission error can occur, but I can assure you this is not the norm.
We also do take referee complaints seriously and value everyone's feedback. But it is obvious to everyone who competes that to referee is many times a thankless job, not being able to please everyone all the time. Soccer like many sports, contains many judgement calls, and these types of calls are open to interpretation many times, so you will always have varying opinions on if the call was correct.
Think about this; 90 percent or more of our referee complaints come from the losing team and hardly ever from the winning team. Doesn't that tell you something right there about the nature of these complaints in general ?
As for management not hearing the complaints in person and the details of what transpired in the game; honestly, it is a bit extreme to use this forum for that type of complaint. This is a facility level complaint. It does not involve the customer being ripped off or cheated, etc by us.
Management does listen to our people that complain and are upset, but we also have a policy not to engage anyone who is yelling or cursing at us, or is arguing with us about something in the heat of the moment. In fact, our rules clearly state that we do not listen to complaints about the game until 24 hours after the fact, although we usually do hear the person out anyway.
To receive a red card, a person would have done something to disrupt the game, so to not accept any responsibility by the player is not entirely fair, as the situation would not have happened without that player acting in an unsportsman-like manner.
And finally, in response to the customer's team being placed in a division not of their liking; as the customer admits, we state it clearly in our rules that we can place teams as we see fit, into the best division available, given the teams we have signed up for the league. We actually have some of the best leagues competitively and the best scheduling in the area, but of course it will never be perfect, and that goes for any other league as well.
Chris E[redacted]
Regional Manager
Sportsplex Management Group

This complaint leaves out a lot of details, which I discussed with Mr. [redacted] by phone on October 10.
This was the third red card Mr. [redacted] has received in the last five years, however, he has yet to follow our policy and send referee complaints via e-mail.  Instead, he...

chooses to discuss them with the managers on duty and but then feels like he is not being treated fairly because we tell him to send an e-mail detailing his complaint for us to review.   Rather than following what we believe is a fair, reasonable policy, Mr. [redacted] opts to complain on online forums like this after the fact when he does not get his way.  He has been told on numerous occasions to e-mail his complaints to us and we will review them and address the issues he raises accordingly.  We have not received an e-mail from him regarding any of the complaints he mentions in this post.
Our rules clearly state that we do not discuss referee complaints immediately following a game.  We have this policy in place because emotions often run too high after a game and it can escalate into an argument in which nothing gets resolved.  Additionally, the referee is still on the field reffing the next game so we are not able to pull him/her off the field to discuss the complaints being raised.  For these reasons, our policy has always been that complaints must be submitted via e-mail.  Mr. [redacted] kept telling the manager on duty he needed "to fix it now" after he was ejected from the game.  Our manager was courteous in telling Mr. [redacted] he needed to send his complaint via e-mail.  Only after Mr. [redacted] followed our manager around the facility for several minutes and repeatedly demanded that he "fix it" did our manager say the conversation was over and there was nothing else he could do for him at that time.
Mr. [redacted] admitted to taunting a player from another team who the referee thought was injured.  The referee viewed that as unsportsmanlike and ejected Mr. [redacted] from the game.  Mr. [redacted] claims he was "only joking" when he taunted the other player but, as I reminded him, it's very difficult for a referee to determine whether someone is joking when they mock a player who is on the ground after a foul.  At best, it's in poor taste.  As I told Mr. [redacted], I likely would have called the play the same way had I been the referee. 
Regarding the placement of his team in a higher division, the team had finished with the best record in the lower division a season before and we reserve the right to move teams to higher or lower divisions each season as stated in our rules.  Our goal is to create the most competitive divisions possible each season and we would never place a team in a division if we felt it would be unsafe.  We also notified the team of the division change several days before the league started and gave them the option of a full refund if they did not want to play in the higher division.  We did not force them into playing in a higher division nor switch divisions without the team's approval.
We value all of our customers and it shows in our day-to-day operation.  Our goal is to create fun, competitive leagues for all our players and I believe we've done that on a consistent basis since we opened almost 11 years ago.   We have rules and policies in place that, when properly followed, ensure that customer complaints are heard in order to make the experience at our facility as pleasant as possible.
Jamie A[redacted]
General Manager