re⋅spon⋅si⋅bil⋅i⋅ty

[ri-spon-suh-bil-i-tee]
1. the state or fact of being responsible.
2. an instance of being responsible: The responsibility for this mess is yours!
3. a particular burden of obligation upon one who is responsible: the responsibilities of authority.
4. a person or thing for which one is responsible: A child is a responsibility to its parents.
5. reliability or dependability, esp. in meeting debts or payments.
—Idiom
6. on one's own responsibility, on one's own initiative or authority: He changed the order on his own responsibility.

SECURITY DEPOSIT
A security deposit in the form of a drivers license, active military ID or a major credit card is required from each person renting equipment. Security deposits will be returned only when all equipment rented is returned or payment has been made for lost, damaged or stolen equipment.

At our place of business the above mentioned items are required. First that you are responsible and then that you leave a security deposit to show that you are responsible.

Today we had a situation where the responsible party for the group of underage children left his ID for the equipment they were using. At the end of the day instead of having each child and person who had equipment return it as it was given to them, the responsible person brought EVERYTHING up to the office in the back of his car. We checked it in one set at a time. Turning over each rental agreement as the equipment was handed over. At the end there was still one set not accounted for since we still had one rental agreement left and no equipment for it... The argument ensued. We were wrong for handing the equipment to the kids and not the adults, we were wrong and not everyone got equipment, there's no way they were missing anything, they handed it all in. They were right, not everyone rented equipment, we had a record of that as well, so please tell me why I only have 13 sets instead of the 14 that were handed out? It went back and forth for a while. I let my ladies handle it for about 10 mins. Then I stepped in . I don't do confrontation to well, I yell, especially when I KNOW we are right. We keep track of EVERYTHING and we have a system. Since they didn't follow the system I think they expected us to make a mistake. We did not. It ended with them paying money and me walking off in the direction of the last field they played, since the lost equipment was IMPORTANT to me. I did manage to find the pods that were missing from another set that wasn't complete. I checked two more fields while my ladies collected the payment for the lost equipment. I didn't find the missing marker or goggles, but I am sure they will turn up. They always do...
What really makes me mad is the fact that they did not feel the least bit responsible for what had happened. They didn't give the kids any responsibility either. They didn't bother to look for anything. They figured it was our mistake and only our mistake and they didn't need to take any responsibility for anything that was missing. They even accused us of not giving them all of the equipment at the beginning of the day. Each person hands us a waiver and we mark down on that waiver what they rent, so when they turn it in we know what to get back from them. Since they turned it all in in one big pile it was difficult for them to see how we were counting it all and accounting for what was on all of the waivers. This fact they were arguing over and over instead of looking for the missing equipment. This happens often, but most people will go and look for it and find whatever is missing in a back seat or trunk. These people didn't bother at all. Well, now they are out $250+. I guess their pride in being right was worth more that that. I can't believe what they are teaching their children. Something so simple. Responsibility.