In answering this question, I have a very real company in mind. They are based in QLD, and go by the names CBI RECRUITMENT, AWORLDFORCE AND THE GLOBAL WORK AND TRAVEL (they are one company who change their name to hide their horrible reputation). In the last few months there has been an absolute flurry of complaints and posts through YahooAnswers, all of which have been conveniently 'removed' (possibly when they have been spotted by staff members) so that all negative information and criticism (and their shoddy dealings) doesn't sway any potential clients.
"They seem nice, why shouldn't I go with them?"
Because the previous criticism has been removed, you can't really research what they do, and why some people are fuming about them. Their shtick is simple - you pay a deposit of around $450, then another deposit of around $835, they find you a job in another country with subsidized meals and accommodation, line you up with an interview, they book your plane tickets and travel insurance, you get on a plane and have a ball for a while. Easy right? Well, not exactly. When you fill out the forms, and consent to the first deposit (sometimes even before then), they do something called "high pressurized selling", what the ACCC (Australian Competition & Consumer Commission) call "unconscionable conduct", "conduct that is unfair, unreasonable, harsh or oppressive, intimidating, bullying or thuggish, or wanting in good faith". Basically they will ring you several times a day and pressure you into paying those deposits (which, of course, are not refundable). They will also send you a bill for over $4000 right after that and only give you two days to pay. I know of a person who paid them outright, in good faith that everything will be paid for and a job will be lined up for him, and they gave him nothing in return. The manager of the company even laughed when he demanded his money back.
"Wow. How can I make sure that that doesn't happen to me?"
Firstly, don't pay anything until you have gotten proof of what you are paying for. Don't ASSUME that they will just line up a job for you. Do not be sure until you have spoken and had a job interview with your potential employer. Even then, wait until they have given you PROOF of a job offer in WRITING before you pay the bulk of their bill. Also, do not pay anything until you have an INDIVIDUALLY itemized receipt. It is Australian law that any purchases over $55 must be issued with a receipt, and must be provided within 28 days of the customer asking. If they do not give it to you, do not pay!
"What is included in the invoice?"
This particular company charges around $1700 for travel insurance, $2500 for "fees" and whatever it will cost for a competitive plane ticket for you to get to where you need to go. Of course, travel insurance and the plane ticket are ultra important. But those "fees" are just the company's way of making money off you! Companies like this one rely on young people being too naive to know (and even research) their rights. According to their documentation, they are governed by the laws of Queensland. The $2500 "fee" they charge is for 'reformatting your resume', and for "finding you employment." The QLD Industrial Relations Act 1999 prohibits any fee to be charged of a job seeker in the general employment agency area, limited fees may be charged by agents of job seekers who wish to be placed as models or performers. Apparently they have been charged before for charging a fee for finding people employment in NSW, but it seems that they have just moved to QLD to keep on doing it, hoping that no one will notice. The $2500 “fee” they charge is also supposed to go to agency support while you are away, but apparently, that does not happen! Illegal! Illegal! Illegal! Refuse to pay it!
“Help! I’m stuck in Canada with no travel insurance and no return ticket home! What do I do?”
I was shocked when I came across this today. According to Stacey, “there are at least 10 of us in Canada atm and we have all paid thousands of dollars for return flights and travel insurance and we never got it all we got was one way tickets. The manager at mountain park lodges rang them to complain on behalf of us all and they then answered the phone as ten travel. The woman Ruth who is meant to be looking after us has gone and they told the manager of the hotel we are working at that they don’t do return flights,” http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ak4A5.ljI1IzZcGLDeXAPUvsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20081103194631AAoCsrE. It is illegal for a travel provider to take money from you and not use it to buy what they quote you for. Ten Travel is actually (thank god) a registered and licensed travel agent which the company uses and which people off the street can use, and so they come under the federal Travel Compensation Fund, which gives refunds to people who have bought tickets and insurance from travel agents who have dissolved (closed due to financial difficulties) or take people’s money and don’t give them what they pay for. Go to www.tcf.org.au and fill out a form as soon as possible! You will be refunded, and Ten Travel WILL be charged, and may even be closed and blacklisted (here’s hoping!). The thing with return flights is that they can’t actually say that they “don’t do them.” If you rock up to Flight Centre and ask for a one way ticket, they will refuse to sell you one because the Australian Government finds then a bit suspicious (we do live in the age of terrorism, after all) and can find them negligible. If you have PAID for a return ticket, they MUST provide you with one. I find it hard to believe that Stacey has lived without travel insurance all this time. If you can, BUY YOUR OWN! The problem with this company is that they try to assure you that everything is a ‘package’, meaning that you have to go through them with all aspects of the overseas working holiday, or you forfeit your deposit. If what Stacey says is true (and I have no doubts that it is), the company has made an absolute killing off her! They would have taken $1700 for travel insurance, $2500 for “fees”, and 25% off her plane ticket (a one way ticket is 75% of a return ticket). So if Stacey lived in Sydney, and a return ticket to Canada was $2500, they would have made over $4200 off her! If those 10 people she is working with got gypped in the same way, they would have made OVER $42, 000 off them all! I find that highly obscene and unconscionable! My advice to Stacey is to borrow money to get home to Australia, which you will get back through the TCF, and come home and raise some hell!
“I’ve just come home after a dodgy working holiday and I want to complain, what can I do?” OR
“I’ve just paid thousands of dollars for an overseas working holiday and I have nothing to show for it. I haven’t even left the country, what can I do?”
The great thing about Australian law is that no one can tell you to stop complaining. There are several ways that you can go to get your money back. One, of course, is the TCF. Even if you have paid for something, and haven’t even left the country, if they haven’t given you anything, you can still get a refund. You can also go to the ACCC and complain on several different accounts. One – unconscionable conduct, two – misleading information, three – payment for services which were not delivered, four – charging a fee for finding employment, five – refusing to produce a correct invoice within 28 days of request, and I’m sure you can find a couple of more things to complain about, too. The thing with the ACCC is that you must write to the manager of the company first, and then complain to them if you have not got the response you wanted. You can also complain to ASIC (Australian Security and Investments Commission), the Australian Taxation Office (for invoice fraud), Seek.com.au, and the state of Queensland consumer protection. Unfortunately, you cannot complain to the Australian Federation of Travel Agents, as Ten Travel are not registered with them, but Today Tonight and the internet are also ways in which you can get your story out to others. I would suggest finding any avenue you can to complain about this company. If you do have access to a lawyer, please consider taking them to court because you can get your money back, as well as compensation for the distress and danger that they have caused by allowing you to travel without travel insurance. If you broke your leg skiing, you could be over $25, 000 in debt by now, and god forbid to think what would happen to you if you died or got very, very sick over there, Stacey.
This blog is about overseas working holidays and consumer protection, so if you have been ripped off, please come by to and TELL ME YOUR STORY!
