A number of social media users have criticized a water park after its director was filmed forcibly dragging a mom in front of her crying child following a dispute.
Per The New Zealand Herald, the incident in question occurred at the Waterworld water park in Browns Bay near Auckland on January 6.
According to the water park's official policy on its website, both children and parents/supervisors visiting the park are required to be competent swimmers.
Take a look at this video of the incident:When the woman in the video (who has chosen not to identify herself) realized that she and her six-year-old daughter couldn't play at the inflatable park she turned back to ask for a refund. This was refused as per the company's terms and conditions.
She said she decided to keep the jackets until the one-hour session they had paid for was over so her daughter could play in the shallow pool.
But as she walked away with the life jacket to get her daughter's surfboard, a male staff member pursued her, telling her to take off her jacket and leave.
When she refused, the staff member grabbed her by the arm, and forcibly dragged her away.
A video of the incident was recorded a the time, which shows the woman being dragged and pulled towards the company's marquee until her life jacket came off.
On Twitter, a number of social media users have since viewed the video and condemned the actions of the water park's staff.
For instance, one person wrote: "That dude is a prize a-hole. Which Auckland water park is it - I want to complain. Disgusted in Tunbridge Wells."
Another outraged viewer wrote: "As I watched the video, it looked like an assault to me. I don't think that store security staff are allowed to grab suspected shoplifters and drag [them] along. They can call the police. I look forward to a response from the NZ Police."
A third person wrote: "This is very sad, I am sure there must have been a better way to handle this."
Someone else added:
"I completely feel for that woman, perhaps English was her second language and she needed it explained to her! Are the staff not trained to deal with customers?
"He assaulted her no matter the circumstances he did not need to lay hands on her at all! Disgusting behavior!!
However other social media users were on the park director's side.
For instance, one person wrote: "Hardly a dragging - mostly squirming! I'm not big on companies that don't offer refunds in this type of situation (she seems no to have used the service & made an honest mistake?), but you shouldn't threaten to walk away with their equipment in protest!"
Another person wrote: "That's barely even a drag i've been dragged and thrown against clothing racks in stores here, she was trying to steal what does she expect no sympathy. [sic]"
A third person agreed with the above, writing: "She failed to follow safety instructions and tried to steal a lifejacket. Zero sympathy."
Commenting on the incident in a later interview with The Herald, the woman in question stated:
"Based on my life experience, I thought I have the right to use the life jacket for the hour because they wouldn't refund me. We weren't going to go somewhere far."
"While he was talking, he already came up close to me and was trying to take the jacket off me... my instinct was to dodge and make sure he didn't touch me... I was trying to block his hand... but he was too strong.
"No matter as a human being or as a consumer, I think my rights haven't been respected ... I think me and my child have been insulted in the public. I was hurt both physically and psychologically."
Meanwhile, Waterworld director Kel Travers told the Herald a different story, stating: "She told me because she couldn't get a refund, she was taking the lifejacket and she walked away and I stopped her by holding the life jacket
"She told me that she was taking it because she couldn't get a refund and we stopped her from stealing the jacket. I was making sure that they didn't go into [the] water. They couldn't swim. She absolutely demanded being taken out by boat.
"If we took her by boat and left her on the water park, there was a high chance that she might have drowned and one of our lifeguards may have missed it, so there was absolutely no way that we're letting her into the water.
"At the end of the day, it's about people's safety. That is the number one rule. There is nothing else and there's no compromise on that."
However, Jessica Wilson, the Head researcher at Consumer New Zealand, claims that the park was in the wrong, telling The Herald: "There appears to be some dispute, some confusion about the rule, but the staff member should have approached this in a much more professional manner.
"He can't treat customers like that. He should have clearly explained to her the situation and tried to resolve things. He should not have grabbed the jacket and pulling her along.
"There [are] clearly conflicting accounts of what happened and what was said, however, the woman shouldn't have been treated in the way she was by the staff member. If he was concerned she was taking the life jacket, he should have called the police."
