After swimming for nearly two hours at the Canberra International Sports and Aquatic Centre on Saturday with my two young sons, I (whilst being whined at by my hungry, tired offspring) failed to notice that we had left two pairs of sports shoes behind.
When I rang on Sunday morning to find out if the shoes had been located, the helpful girl on the phone went and checked the area I had left them – and even looked in the change rooms for me! No luck; but I was assured that lost property was kept in the cleaner’s area for a week or two before being donated to charity.
Um – no. Actually, CISAC management has had a new policy for the last couple of months or so. ANY item left by the public that is not jewellry or a watch is binned by the cleaners when found. No Exceptions.
So my trip out to CISAC this morning has left me furious at the negligent, dishonest policy that leaves me trying to work out how to buy shoes for the kids; on a budget that only allowed a visit to the CISAC through some fairly stringent tight-fistedness in the first place.
I insisted, by the way, on inspecting the cleaner’s area for my sons’ shoes. I discovered the pile of clothing and swim aids, dumped in the bins out the back of the centre, and searched for my property there. My stuff wasn’t there; but if you lost your Kathmandu jackets, or a Trent Nathan shirt, you should duck aroung behind the centre and look for yourself.
Of more concern, and certainly more disturbing, I was appalled to see rehabilitive aids as well as kids’ kick-boards in the bin – how low can you get, chucking out items used by the less able in the community!
Now, from enquiries I have made, whilst the management are not open to charges of Theft By Finding, they may be liable to civil action.
Certainly I would like to think that if their complaints form has to include a warning that “abusive feedback may not be responded to” then surely the easier course would be to re-designate a holding area for lost property, instead of inflicting outraged customers on the usually young staff at the counter?
End Rant.