Latest news with #WizeGuyEntertainment
CBS News
2 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Limo company accused of scamming Eaton Fire victims on prom night
A special night meant to bring joy to students recovering from the Eaton Fire turned into a troubling case of betrayal after the limo service paid to take them to prom never showed up. "I tried to be forgiving and not have a vengeful spirit, but that doesn't mean you're not held accountable for what you do," mom Angie DiClaudio said. "Aside from being just like, a huge letdown ... This wasn't even our money. This was a nonprofit trying to help kids who lost their homes in a fire." The Virginia-based nonprofit Alice's Kids , with the help of actor Steve Carell, donated roughly $175,000 to treat 800 Altadena and Pasadena students to the full prom experience, including free tickets and limousine rides. It paid Shawn Lasley, the owner of Wize Guy Entertainment, $4,000 to take more than 20 students to their prom. However, parents scrambled to find a ride for their children when the night came. "Very nervous, horrified and disappointed," Alice's Kids spokesperson Hilary Riedemann said. "For him to not say anything and then to not show up, after not only we reached out to him but multiple parents did, to not show up was pretty atrocious." Parents like Carrie Meyers said Lasley blocked them when they tried to reach him. "The plan is we got to make this guy suffer," Meyers said. "He failed us. He ripped us off. Word has to get out." Luckily, parents called Ubers to make sure their teens still made it to prom. Despite the disappointment, everyone had a night to remember. "It's just like we build all this stuff up in our head," DiClaudio said. "We want it to be the perfect night. Oftentimes it isn't. It's OK. Sometimes the ones you don't expect to be are the best ones ever. CBS News Los Angeles reached out to Wize Guy Entertainment for comment but did not receive a response. Alice's Kids said they are in the process of taking legal action against the limo company.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Limo company accused of scamming nonprofit, standing up Eaton fire survivors before prom
A limo company is accused of taking thousands of dollars that a nonprofit donated to help give young Eaton fire survivors a prom night to remember — then vanishing without a word, leaving two dozen dolled-up teenagers without a ride. Students at Marshall Fundamental Secondary School, many of whom lost their homes in the January firestorm, were stood up Saturday by limousine service Wize Guy Entertainment, which nonprofit organization Alice's Kids had paid to transport them to the dance, according to the head of the nonprofit. "Alice's Kids is outraged and heartbroken over the failure of Shawn Lasley, owner of Wize Guy Entertainment, to provide limousine services — for which he was paid $4,320 — services meant to give 24 deserving high school students affected by the Eaton wildfires a special and memorable prom night," Sean Fitzsimmons, Alice's Kids executive director, said in a statement. Longtime Alice's Kids supporter Steve Carell released a video in March announcing that the Virginia-based nonprofit would donate $175,000 to cover prom tickets for some 800 students at six schools in Altadena and Pasadena. Fitzsimmons then traveled to Los Angeles last weekend to attend a preprom celebration and offered to cover the cost of the limo rides as a bonus. Read more: Pasadena high school seniors, Steve Carell has a surprise for you: Free prom tickets Lasley did not respond to The Times' request for comment. The Wize Guy Entertainment website was taken down after a slew of negative reviews were left by furious parents on the business' Yelp page. Altadena mother Carrie Meyers said she was enraged when she realized that the kids were being stood up. Meyers lost both her home that had been in the family for four decades and her business Steve's Pets, which was founded by her uncle in 1971, to the Eaton fire. This year has been a nightmare for the whole family, and she said this fiasco on a night that was meant to provide a joyful respite felt like a sucker punch. Read more: After the Eaton fire, they didn't think prom would happen. Now these teens are ready to dance Fortunately, the students still made it to prom after parents ordered Ubers for the group, Meyers said. But they did have to miss a professional photo shoot that was scheduled to take place en route. Fitzsimmons said Alice's Kids is committed to holding the limousine company accountable for the alleged no-show. "As a nonprofit dedicated to helping children in need, Alice's Kids finds this breach not only unacceptable, but a misuse of charitable funds," he said. "We are demanding a full refund and are prepared to pursue every legal and public avenue to ensure accountability." Meyers added that parents of the affected teens are also upset. "The point is, you don't mess with my kids," she said. "All us moms, you don't mess with our kids." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Limo company accused of scamming nonprofit, standing up Eaton fire survivors before prom
A limo company is accused of taking thousands of dollars that a nonprofit donated to help give young Eaton fire survivors a prom night to remember — then vanishing without a word, leaving two dozen dolled-up teenagers without a ride. Students at Marshall Fundamental Secondary School, many of whom lost their homes in the January firestorm, were stood up on Saturday by limousine service Wize Guy Entertainment, which nonprofit organization Alice's Kids had paid to transport them to the dance, according to the head of the nonprofit. 'Alice's Kids is outraged and heartbroken over the failure of Shawn Lasley, owner of Wize Guy Entertainment, to provide limousine services — for which he was paid $4,320 — services meant to give 24 deserving high school students affected by the Eaton wildfires a special and memorable prom night,' said Sean Fitzsimmons, Alice's Kids executive director, in a statement. Longtime Alice's Kids supporter Steve Carell released a video in March announcing that the Virginia-based nonprofit would donate $175,000 to cover prom tickets for some 800 students at six schools in Altadena and Pasadena. Fitzsimmons then traveled out to Los Angeles last weekend to attend a pre-prom celebration and offered to cover the cost of the limo rides as a bonus. Lasley did not respond to The Times' request for comment. The Wize Guy Entertainment website was taken down after a slew of negative reviews were left by furious parents on the business' Yelp page. Altadena mother Carrie Meyers said she was enraged when she realized that the kids were being stood up. Meyers lost both her home that had been in the family for four decades and her business Steve's Pets, which was founded by her uncle in 1971, to the Eaton fire. This year has been a nightmare for the whole family, and she said that this fiasco on a night that was meant to provide a joyful respite felt like a sucker punch. Fortunately, the students still made it to prom after parents ordered Ubers for the group, Meyers said. But they did have to miss a professional photo shoot that was scheduled to take place en route. Fitzsimmons said Alice's Kids is committed to holding the limousine company accountable for the alleged no-show. 'As a nonprofit dedicated to helping children in need, Alice's Kids finds this breach not only unacceptable, but a misuse of charitable funds,' he said. 'We are demanding a full refund and are prepared to pursue every legal and public avenue to ensure accountability.' Meyers added that parents of the impacted teens are also upset. 'The point is, you don't mess with my kids,' she said. 'All us moms, you don't mess with our kids.'
