Parents of the North Philadelphia Aztecs cheer squad felt they were getting the run around.
The girls have been practicing in Hunting Park for a big competition, and wanted to look uniform on and off the floor. But they say because of a South Philadelphia business that won't happen.
The North Philadelphia Aztecs have a lot to cheer about, they are driven, they practice hard and they are fresh off a regional championship win.
The pop warner team of 20 girls ages 13 to 15 won a national championship at Disney World last year in Orlando.
They are heading back this weekend to try to do it again and since the Aztecs are champions, parent Shaina Battis says they wanted to look like champions with brand new matching jackets and hoodies.
"They have certain things that they have to do, and we try to hold them to that. And when they do them, we try to reward them for that," said Shaina Battis.
Back in March, they placed an order with Universal Sports and Corporate Apparel in South Philadelphia.
The business missed the October deadline. It is now December, and the company still has not delivered.
Universal Sports owner Steve Ronca admitted to Action News that he dropped the ball with the Aztecs, and the paperwork was misplaced.
"At the end of the day, you have a business to run, we paid for a service and you did not provide us with that service," said Battis.
The owner promised to refund the $1,200 deposit and even dropped off hoodies and t-shirts free of charge. Unfortunately, they were the wrong color and sizes.
The cheer squad and their younger squad of girls are still trying to raise money for their Orlando trip through gofundme.com and eteamz.com.
At this point, they're just trying to keep their spirits up for competition.
"They were really expecting to get the coats. They deserve them because they were national champs, so for them not to get it, it just broke their hearts," said Coach Keionna Williams.
The owner of Universal Sports promised the North Philadelphia Aztecs he would get them their jackets with no charge by December 22nd.
Unfortunately, that is well after next week's competition in Orlando.
