USA Summer Camp Reviews 193

Fantastic people helped me land placement as a camp counsellor! No messing around with these people, they take every application seriously and want every applicant to get a placement! Thank you guys so much!!

this is just a professional scam and i can’t believe how many people have to go through this, no refund policy due to the pandemic like??? they are more interested in taking your money and leaving you hanging with no replies to emails and calls when you refer to them about a refund. Please guys read these reviews before you waste your money

To put it very simply, this company is taking advantage of young people who are desperate to travel the world. Never would I go with them again, it was the absolute worst experience I've ever had with a company. They were terrible from the start and point-blank refused a refund in the middle of a global pandemic.

At the beginning, straight after I applied, I got a call from them and I had many questions. It seemed as though they were hurrying me during the call and giving me the answers I wanted to hear. They tried to pressure me into giving my bank card details over the phone (not good). I said I wanted to pay online on my footprints portal and in monthly instalments, they weren't happy about that as they clearly just wanted the whole £600 up front, ASAP.

They called me all the time to tried to get me pay all the remaining money ASAP instead of continuing with my monthly instalments.

On my initial phone call one of my many questions was wether my availability was ok, they told me that they could be very flexible with the end dates and that my availability ‘worked great’. Fast forward about 4 months when I’ve payed all my instalments, they tell me that my dates didn’t work and that I’d have to work at camp longer than I physically could.

They also lied to me multiple times about which airport I could fly from, turns out I couldn’t fly from Newcastle at all and I’d have to travel hours down to Manchester. And this cost £150 extra just to fly from Manchester instead of London.

They also lied to me multiple times about which airport I could fly from, turns out I couldn’t fly from Newcastle at all and I’d have to travel hours down to Manchester. And this cost £150 extra just to fly from Manchester instead of London. All the answers to my questions seemed to be an enthusiastic yes until I’d payed all my instalments.

A couple weeks later I get a phone call when I’m working, my phone is in the staff room so I can’t take the call. When I get out of work I see a message from them saying I had 30 minutes to respond to their message before they booked my flights and if they weren’t the ones I wanted I’d be liable for the costs. The message had been sent exactly 40 minutes earlier, as quickly as possible I messaged them back telling them to “STOP” as I needed time to process the information and decide wether these were the ones I wanted.

Something they don’t tell you is if your visa gets declined then they will cancel your whole application, not only will they not give you a refund but if you’ve paid them to book your flights, they will FORCE you to give them the money they spent on your flights .You’d think that the extra money you’ve given them to book your flights will cover the cost of the actual flights but no, that’s literally just the cost for them to sit on the computer and complete the booking. For this reason they will deliberately try and book your flights before your visa appointment which they shouldn’t do.

I was also constantly getting emails saying something like “URGENT ACTION NEEDED, chose your departure airport/date or we will make the decision for you” very stressful for me and unprofessional on their part.

Covid happened and my camp said that that they would think about putting our start dates back a little. My camps leader contacted Usa summer camp to inform them that they MAY decide amending the start dates if the situation got any worse. Usa summer camp clearly did not read the email correctly as they emailed us and said our camp was putting back the start dates which meant our flights would have to be rebooked, which obviously wasn’t the case.

Camp was inevitably cancelled so I asked for a refund, the boarders are closed and I wasn't getting into the US anymore. After many disputes they still said no refund and only offered to defer my application to next year, which I couldn’t do anyways. I had to go through insurance to get my money back.

Side note: this is about my 3rd time trying to re-post my review because they kept getting it taken down, Honestly they'll do anything to silence people who've had bad experiences with them. Also I've seen that they've been replying 'anonymous...' on peoples reviews who haven't displayed their name, its hilarious how childish and unprofessional they are. It's also really ironic since there's so many suspiciously positive reviews on here that all popped up within a timeframe of a couple weeks when the company claimed their profile.

My son was treated very badly by this company. Use BUNAC or Camp America they are more trustworthy and have a better record in terms of duty of care and getting real placements organised. Do your research and read the reviews.
Thinking about class action lawsuit if there are enough people interested in this.

I found USA Summer Camp a dishonourable company to deal with. Happy to take your money but not so supportive about camp cancellations, no offer of refunds. There are many companies providing this service go with them instead.
Thouroughly devious and dishonest

In line with the other negative reviews in here, it should be noted that if for any reason, a refund should be required (for valid reasons such as borders being shut) USA Summer Camp will not offer any room for refunds. In addition to this awful customer service which exploits young people wanting to travel, the company discriminates against disabled applicants, regardless of whether they are able to do the job. Personally, I was forced to pay hundreds extra despite having a doctor sign off that I was fit to work and have my camp happy with my performance the previous year. The company failed to respond to my formal complaint on this discrimination which further demonstrates the complete lack of care. It is also worth noting that the company has switched off reviews on Facebook due to receiving so many negative ones and only posts positive reviews on their website; far far fewer people have had a good experience than appears online.

In response to USA Summer Camp’s reply:
My issue here lies not with police checks nor being safe for the job. I work with young people every day and the last thing I would want is for any young person to be put at risk by someone not qualified/ safe for them to be working with. Instead, I am complaining over the fact that anyone with any pre existing health conditions (whether that has any impact on their ability to work at camp) is forced to pay hundreds extra by the company through unfairly sold insurance policies. It was wholly unprofessional that my many complaints surrounding this were ignored which led to me seeking advice from Citizens Advice. They confirmed that your company did indeed discriminate and you continued to ignore the formal complaint sent as a result of this. As a company which appears to pride itself on customer care, not much thought is given to the implication of charging those with ANY health condition extra money.

This isn’t meant to be vindictive; I had an amazing time at camp (which is worth noting I secured my returner spot myself and not USA Summer Camp as they make out in the reply) but I want people to be aware of the general lack of care coming from this company. Yes, on the surface USA Summer Camp get good reviews and the pandemic was unpredictable but, to me, their handling of the pandemic alongside my complaint, demonstrate their prioritising of money over customer care.

(It is also worth noting that they are continuing to promote travelling to America in Summer 2021 despite it looking highly unlikely with borders not yet open- will history repeat itself with hundreds of people angry at being out of pocket?)

Haven’t had any issues so far. Currently I have been offered a job at a camp in America and I’m excited to go! They have got me the job offer and has helped me immensely when I have questions. They often answer emails fast and have given me support when needed and I have got a great opportunity in the summer now. Currently both this company and the US camp have said they’re believing we will be allowed to go to camp this year however many of the poor reviews have been based off of last years covid outbreak which was horrible for everyone at the start. I still need to pay my last £100 instalment and that’ll be fully payed for and my police report is on its way with the only thing I need doing is my health report and I should be good to go. They provide a solid service and have often had a good customer-company relationship.

Absolutely terrible company, regret giving them any money. They are the worst company I have ever dealt with. They are just money grabbers. Despite circumstances beyond my control, they have rejected my application and refuse to give a refund.

Everything you need to know is explained to you, your questions are always answered and everyone is super helpful and friendly!

Do not use. I applied for camps this summer in my A-level year. I couldn’t go until later in the summer due to my exam timetable but USA Summercamp told me this was fine and took my money . However when I was trying to get jobs and when I went to their job offering days in London this was not the case. Every single camp I and another boy, who I met there, went to and interviewed with ended up with the same reaction , saying that although they liked us they couldn't offer us a job as when exams ended it would be too late. This went on and on and in the final weeks I was finally offered a job although it was far from the best fit for me I took it because time was running
out and USA Summercamp said they would not refund if I turned a place down . My flights had not been booked and I hadn’t got my visa before COVID hit. I am unable to postpone as I have uni placements in the summer and I am being refused a refund. Use a proper company like BUNAC who have guaranteed a refund if Covid is still an issue this coming summer.

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!
Absolute scam artists - won’t refund money paid for summer 2020 when camps were cancelled due to covid.
USE AN ESTABLISHED COMPANY LIKE AMERICAMP OR CAMP AMERICA

Please ,please please do not book with this company ... my daughter was unable to travel this year due to COVID - we paid £600 of hard earned money up front to USA Summercamps. She is unable to travel next year and given the state of COVID in the US I think it is highly unlikely that camps will run so we have effectively lost over £600. If you want to go make sure you get written confirmation up front from USA Summercamps that they will refund your money. They have not answered any emails or letters and the phone lines remain unmanned - bitterly disappointed by the service offered by this company. These are young peoples lives and bank accounts and when the chips are down they appear not to care - disgraceful

In response to USA Summercamp reply to my review ..

At no time have I blamed USA Summercamp for the pandemic ! I do however hold them completely responsible for their policy of no refund in case of cancellation due to COVID - their competitors have taken the directive from the Markets and Competition Authority very seriously and will guarantee to refund if COVID prevents Camp from going ahead in 2021. USA Summercamp appear to believe that they are above government issued directives.

At the time of writing my review I had been continually phoning the company trying to get resolution but the phone lines were unanswered - once I had posted a negative review, however, the managing director contacted me almost immediately - he was unimpressed when I reiterated my request for a refund ....
Given the young age of their target market I am especially shocked that USA Summercamp have not done the same as their competitors with regard to refunds. I was very clear with USA Summercamp as to why we were unable to take up a place this year - I also note that the UK government is advising all to avoid foreign travel and stay at home this summer - given the state of the pandemic in the US and todays press reports it is unlikely that Camp will take place - in these circumstances telling me move to next summer is not an " incredible offer" as suggested by the managing director.
I remain very upset that USA Summercamp will not refund and that they continue to try and persuade young people to book without a refund guarantee. As such I am heartened that over 1000 people have now read my reviews and will be aware that competitors to USA Summercamp ( BUNAC and Camp America) offer the peace of mind of a money back guarantee when such significant sums of often hard earned money is involved.

The team at USA summer camp have been nothing shy of outstanding,from getting in touch about updates and any information that I may need over the summer. Always polite and friendly on the phone and in person when attending interviews.

The team at usa summer camp has made the application easy to follow with making sure everything is filled out before being sent off.

I applied for a placement for 2020 and CCUSA made the process seamless and were always on hand if I had any questions. The pandemic meant that I could not see my summer plans through but the team assured me that my application would be transferred over, which was great of them. I’ve now been hired for 2021 and CCUSA have been in regular contact with updates and new information. I highly recommend CCUSA if you’re looking for a summer placement in the states!

After two incredible summers at camp, I couldn't be more grateful for the USA Summer Camp team. They made the application process easy and enjoyable, and were particularly helpful with visa applications. I worked for two summers at a girl scout camp in Maryland and had the most amazing time. Great programme for anyone who is interested in both working with children and exploring the USA. I can't recommend the experience enough!

USA Summer Camp facilitated the best summer of my life! Cannot thank them enough for their support, guidance and transparency throughout the process.

Really helpful and gave great support and guidance throughout the whole process!

I went to camp in 2018 and 2019! I had the best two summers of my life. I was placed at a camp in Pennsylvania and hired to be a Camp Counselor which was the best job in the world. I can't recommend this program and company enough! Thanks to USA Summer Camp for providing me with support and guidance throughout the entire program and helping me get out to America!