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!
66 comments:
Hey Moe,
Im in the same boat, email me at gemharvey@msn.com.
Cheers,
Gema
We've joined Global Work and Travel Co, paid them $1500 so far and received pretty much nothing back for it. No receipts, they are starting to sound real dodgy. They've even given two different street addresses in Gold Coast, and don't appear to be at either of them.
I went to Canada in January this year for 4 months thru Global WOrk & travel. I inquired last year about going to Canada. i went into their office 2 times. the first office i went to was smaller but they moved down to a new office which was bigger n new. I have never worked at a hotel or a resort & i got a 4 months contract doing front desk at a Mountain lodge in Alberta. I had my accomm for $70 a week. I had a return airfare and i had 4 months travel insurance. I paid about $4,200 to get over there. i had the best time hey im gunna go to the UK next with them in next january.
im in canada at the moment through global. i filled out my application form in their office, so i dont know what you did wrong, but im having a good time.
Just so you know, while Ten Travel is a legitimate travel agent, it is run by the same family as The Global Work and Travel Co. i.e. not it's not really an affliciated/partner business - it's just the same people.
In fact, all of the following are/were Pierre/Caryl/Juergen Himmelmann Businesses:
AAA Nannies
The Global Work and Travel Co.
A World Force
Ten Travel
The Australian Nanny Co.
CBI Recruitment
While AAA Nannies "trades" from Queensland, it isn't currently a legally registered business (it is listed as "deregistered".
CBI Recruitment has been wound up by the courts and has also been done in the past for charging a fee to find people work (illegal in Queensland).
Some of their business names sound like other legitimate businesses - there's a AAA Nannies in the USA "Nannies who care" - sounds similar to AAA Nannies "above all we care" but they are not the same.
CBI stood for "Cordon Bleu International" but had nothing to do with the well known corporation of that name. Heaven knows how they were allowed to use that name.
There's also a Global Work and Travel in Argentina - different company.
While people have no doubt had successful dealings with these people, many have not - buyer beware...
They also have a Facebook group which of course only contains positive posts - they delete any negative ones and use stooges to reply positively to queries.
For instance, a mum asked whether "Ten Travel" are a legitimate travel agent and got a reply from "Josh Sawyer" (who just happens to be an employee, it says so on his Facebook profile!):
"Josh Sawyer
Ten Travel are as good a travel company as I've encountered (I've used flight centre etc.) They are easy people to work with and very professional!! You have nothing to worry about Viv!!"
The mum realised that he was an employee and made a comment to the effect that of course he would recommend them - he works for them!
The comment by the mum has now been removed - the whole group is manipulated to give only a favourable view of the business.
If all was well, would they need to do this?
In 2008 I paid CBI the application fee of 250$ and also 880$ for a REFUNDABLE bond for not using a credit card.
Sadly, I actually used part of the money left to me in my Nanna's will for this.
When I started feeling they weren't legit, I asked for the refundable bond back because, according to the contact, it was refundable as long as I didn't leave my new employer. But I argued that I didn't have an employer to leave in the first place. They didn't respond to anymore calls or emails, so, I went to Legal Aid in South Australia.
They agreed that legally, I was entitled to my money back. So she helped me sue them. I had to pay court fees and a fee for an information broker to get the registered name and address of the business.
After a couple months, I was granted judgement by default because they ignored the court letters and didn't make a defense or whatever.
Unfortunately, because they weren't in the South Australian jurisdiction (being a registered Queensland company), I wasn't able to serve a warrant for seizure of goods.
So I went further... PERSONALLY went to the magistrates court in Brisbane, registered my judgement in Queensland and served their a$$.
But of course, it still didn,t work out because when the bailif went to enforce the warrant and seize their goods, their registered business address was NOT their primary place of business. They somehow registered their business IN CARE OF a suite in another office so none of the property was legally theirs to be seized.
I complained to ASIC telling them my story, they wrote back saying that after I served the warrant, they went into court-ordered liquidation. This mean't my court judgement was null and void.
I wrote to the liquidators, and they said that once they sold off their assets, I MAY get some money back.
Unfortunately I never got anything back.
But I followed all the legal procedures and felt that I did everything I possibly could.
PART TWO...
I was astonished to discover that a lady I used to work with just sent her son to Canada through a different company offering the same sort of deal. Her son arrived to find there WAS no job, and that the place he was given to stay "had mice and bed bugs".
Turns out it was the SAME guy, Pierre Himmelmann.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&ref=search&gid=343857213914
Join this group on Facebook. We MUST stop them ripping off more Australians!!!
I reckon global rocks. I am in canada now thanks to them, and loving the ease in which they made it for me. they say they had over 1000 people in 2009, you guys are 4 or 5 people out of that, so 0.5%.
ive met a few people over here that came through some other companies and they all had to apply for their own jobs once here, i didnt.
dont know what you guys did wrong, must be more to your stories. so too bad for you.
Global Work And Travel are a joke. I went over with them in November, and when I gave the first $1500 payment I could tell something was up, but I realised by the time I pay the cancellation fee its going to work out to be the same price.
I get to Vancouver on a rainy wet day, only to be told by the global office 'my job had fallen through in Banff', so here I am with $2,000 in my bank, and no job lined up as I was promised. I met 3 other people in the office that day who were in the exact same boat... it gets better.
That night we went out drinking and met another 4 guys who had been screwed royally by global, they had no job either. It took my 6 weeks to find a job in Vancouver along with the other guys who went through Global, and the only reason I could stay in Van was because my parents sent money over to me.
DO NOT TRUST GLOBAL WORK AND TRAVEL THEY WILL SCREW YOU FOR ALL YOUR MONEY
BEWARE GLOBAL WORK AND TRAVEL!!!!!! STAY AWAY!!!! UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE GOVERNMENT, THE ACCC, A CURRENT AFFAIR, TODAY TONIGHT! THEY WILL SCAM YOU AND LEAVE YOU WITH NOTHING!!!!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!! CON ARTISTS!
BY THE WAY! THIS COMPANY HAVE CHANGED THEIR NAME CONSTANTLY AFTER BEING SHUT DOWN PREVIOUSLY! THEY ALSO CLAIM TO HAVE A NANNY AGENCY! STAY AWAY! THEY LIE, CHEAT & STEAL!
The majority of the content published on this blog is highly incorrect. The original blog was posted by Nicole Smith of One World Recruitment, an ex-staff turned competitor, - now closed down.
There's always 3 sides to a story. Eg. Blogger "Alex" has a real name of "Alex Beattie". He signed up to work at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He failed to return the security accreditation paperwork by the due date and thus the Vancouver Olympic Committee refused security clearance. He was offered alternative positions asap. Over 150 Global Travellers were succesful in returning the required paperwork in time and had amazing times working at the Olympics. This is just one example of an incorrect statement made on this page.
For further information, visit www.globalworkandtravelscam.com
PS. The company has never been under investigation by the Government, ACCC or any organisation. The company has also never been 'shut down' or changed it's name. Statements like these are 100% fictitious. We invite any genuine blogger to reveal your true name and we will be happy to provide the correct statement of events.
I wonder why a staff member from the global work and travel are on a consumer complaints website in the first place? Because they rip off heaps of young aussies like me and spend their time chasing down negative remarks online so that they can scam even more young travellers!!!!!!!!!
Hey Moe,
I'm in the same boat, as I have paid deposit and am not getting anywhere. Also, they want to charge me more fees as my application form stated I wanted a certain package and I actually want the other one. I only wanted their insurance not flights and was asked to tick that box. Now they saying that I have to book everything through them or I lose everything. I also lose my deposit if I choose the other lesser package. Im on bacra03@hotmail.com
I want to know what you recommend as I want to place an official complaint and get my refund.
Many Thanks
Amar
Hey Moe,
I'm in the same boat, as I have paid deposit and am not getting anywhere. Also, they want to charge me more fees as my application form stated I wanted a certain package and I actually want the other one. I only wanted their insurance not flights and was asked to tick that box. Now they saying that I have to book everything through them or I lose everything. I also lose my deposit if I choose the other lesser package. Im on bacra03@hotmail.com
I want to know what you recommend as I want to place an official complaint and get my refund.
Many Thanks
Amar
I have had issues with this company they are not good. They have been and are currently under investigation by the ACCC and Fair trading I know this cause I and many others have raised these claims warranting an investigation. To anyone thinking of using them I say don't. To anyone that has used them and been ripped off complain and don't stop til we get heard. To those few that used them and got what they paid for congrats you should have bought a lottery ticket. Companies like this one are a disgrace to Australia and the good ethics we expect of our reputable companies.
PS 1. Reverse the credit card charges by raising a dispute with your bank.
2. Write a complaint email to the ACCC
3. Write a complaint email to Queensland fair trading.
4. serve there ass in a small claims court. Does not cost much and represent yourself. Guarantee they wont be showing up to even try and defend themselves.
Daniel 82,
Thanks for your suggestions. Is there an officer that is investigating from ACCC and or QLD Fair Trading?
I'm actually calling the QLD fair trading 2moro to see my options.
Thanks
these figures of how much gwat makes sounds like bull shit to me, how can you say they charge $1700 for insurance, there insurance would vary on what level of coverage you would get and how long its out for. Also you say they charge $2500 for flights, that would also vary on what time of year you fly and what airline you fly with, of course they need to make money somewhere, they are a business, flight center charges money for flights, i have seen them charge a lot more and I am sure you wouldn't question them. there are always 2 sides to every story and i think its worth bringing your questions up with gwat and then making a decision after hear there side of the story. ps; if gwat were actually sending you Australians overseas with no job to go to, or no return flight, do you guys honestly think they would still be able to operate, some of these posts are almost 2 years old im sure they would have been shut down by now it these posts were true.
Hello, I just got a phone call from Global Work & Travel co. The lady on the other end was nice but of course she was nice, what she was offering was clearly bullshit.
She did not mention the initial $450 dollar fee over the phone which was the first alarm bell for me. I stayed polite and interested however.
I investigated it immediately.
After finding out what a joke the SCAM was I wrote them an email on behalf of everyone who has had unfortunate dealings with them to which I am sure they will not respond.
They also deleted my questions from their Facebook page which were not rude at all just stating the fact that when I Google searched their apparent address in QLD it was fake and asking what their response was to the numerous people that claim they have ripped them off thousands of dollars, and I believe those people because people don't complain about good service and denying those people is bad service to begin with, That's to you GWAT.
Why are you willing to answer queries and complaints here but not on your Facebook page? Afraid people will see it?
As for the "people" blogging that it all worked out GREAT for them (I'm looking at you GUS and LIAM if they are your real names)
Perhaps you should learn the art of attention to detail.
Notice GUS and LIAM have an odd similarity in what they have both written, "I dont know what you did wrong". That's a cheap effort by their own employees.
Also, most of what SEAN has stated above me does not add up or even make sense.
Why dont Global Work & Travel co. Do us all a favor and get jobs that actually help people, crooks,
You sicken me.
Even though I am not a victim of your lies and fraud I will be reporting it to the watchdog anyway and spreading the message far and wide GLOBAL WORK & TRAVEL CO. = CROOKS.
note: I re-posted this three times because of keyboard malfunctions.
I am happy to report that I received my initial payment back. Not from Global Work and Travel Co, but my back had to get a refund back on my behalf. Thank you Commonwealth Bank. Even at this time, GWAT were calling me like they know nothing about me wanting a full refund and wanting to know where there rest of my payment was otherwise they cannot "secure" me for anything..
So well done S.Jarvis for catching on and not going ahead with it.
I only wish all others do read here or at least call the ACCC for further information.
Stay Away from Global Work and Travel Co or any other names they go by
Statement from The Global Work & Travel Co.
It is pointless in attempting to discredit the content written on this site, as whatever we say will go through one ear and out the other of those who have written on it. However, for those who are looking into using Global in the future, we do have a series of facts & figures that speak for itself, and hopefully are more powerful in revealing the truth about what a fantastic opportunity we offer to working holiday makers, as opposed to the fictitious and plainly incorrect statements some people have written. Whether these statements have come from real customers, from the numerous smaller companies who compete with us & understand the defamatory power of the internet, or come from people like 'S.Jarvis' who aren't even a customer but believe everything she hears or sees on the TV or the internet as true & correct. Prime example, 'S.Jarvis' commented that we aren't located at the address we say we're at, simply because we haven't manually enlisted it on the Google Maps database. 2 buildings down the road from us is the Qld Office of Fair Trading, however they also aren't listed on Google Maps, are they a scam too? Feel free to walk into our building address and see for yourself.
Some quick facts:
Fact #1: Unlike what's commented on here, The Global Work & Travel Co. has never come under investigation from any authority, in particular the ACCC, A Current Affair, the Government etc. This is completely incorrect & false.
Fact #2: In 2009 we had approximately 1100 Australians & 2010 approximately 1200 Australians participate in a working holiday outbound of Australia. While we strive to provide the best service possible at all times, there will always be instances where a customer's expectations are not met, resulting in a complaint. This rings true with any company that operates on a large volume with a sizable staff figure. With 2300 travellers in 24 months, our complaint rate is below 5%, a figure we pride ourselves on and better than a lot of other companies in the travel/recruitment industries.
Fact #3: The Global Work & Travel Co. operates its own office in Vancouver, Canada. This office is not profitable yet, and is supported entirely by the Australian Head Office. Should we not have the best interest of our travellers in mind, we wouldn't go to the expense of being the only Australian working holiday organisation operating and staffing its own office to support our customers. Our competitors partner up with inferior companies in Canada and pass your details on to them instead. We believe our support services are second to none. As a result from having our own office in Vancouver, have over 400 active employers throughout Canada per year and operate year-round. Our main competitor has only 5 ski resorts and only operates their placements in Winter.
Fact #4: As we deal with the whole of Australia from the one office, it isn't possible generally for the majority of our customers to visit us in person. Therefore we created our Facebook fan page in mid 2009, where we could upload photos & videos to instill confidence in people who may wonder if we are a real company or not. On our Facebook page you will find numerous photos of our offices, our events, our travellers, some of our staff & our trade shows. Furthermore, you will also find several videos, in particular a BMX Competition we sponsored together with Unit to raise money for a local BMX rider suffering a rare brain condition. We also have uploaded a video of our Winter Arrival party held at the Samesun Hostel in Vancouver, in this video you'll find dozens of Global Travellers and video testimonials. We strongly believe this displays a more powerful message than what has been written on here.
You can watch our Winter Arrival video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x3YUD06VKg
And our BMX competition here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmxcBr7yc5o&feature=fvsr
At the end of the day, the opinion you make is up to you. However, we do encourage you to look at the real facts, speak to us and ask as many questions as you'd like, even come in and see us in person or visit us at a trade show, before making a final decision. We provide an amazing opportunity to over 1000 travellers per year, and you have the choice to be apart of it too.
Visit our website www.globalworkandtravel.com for more info.
Well there seems to be a lot of opinions saying the same thing. Yes they are a real company and yes you will lose your money with next to nothing in return but a bunch of empty promises. Go else where and speak your lies stealing slimy scum bag of a company.
Hey Moe,
I have made the mistake of paying the $495 deposit just 5 days ago, and when i hadnt heard anything from them since, I thought it was a little bit fishy so i went searching on the net and found this blog.
I was wondering if i could still use the tcf website to get my refund as i have not recieved any news from them?
Please help!
Hey Danni,
We have attempted to call you once already however you didn't answer. We have also had a very busy week, with 40 new applications in just 5 days! You can call us on 1300 40 11 90 and press option 2 to speak to someone right away, email admin@globalworkandtravel.com or we will call you again once the working week recommences.
Providing your name is 'Daniel', we have you registering as signing up on Tuesday the 12th.
Furthermore, to assure you that there's nothing 'fishy', you can view our YouTube channel here www.youtube.com/gwatsup or check out our Facebook page for videos, photos, testimonials and traveller interaction. If you are located in Sydney or Melbourne, you can visit us in person at 2 separate upcoming expos, and lastly, you can arrange to Skype video call either our Aus or Can office to chat with someone in video, see the office, the team etc.
We encourage you to email us at globalworld@globalworkandtravel.comwith your contact number and we can ensure you are contacted Monday morning, otherwise we will attempt to call the Daniel we believe you may be.
same thing. paid over $4500 including return flight and insurance to GLOBAL WORK AND TRAVEL CO. due to their "work placement guarantee" in Canada.
I originally applied in august 2009 due to wanting to work at the vancouver winter olympics. took GWAT over a year to send me to canada. (arrived october 2010!!)><
as if that wasn't bad enough, I decided to just suck it up and try to enjoy my experience in canada anyway.
NEVER got me a job nor did they try. all they did was send me public postings on craigslist. I have racked up about $10,000 debt on my credit card due to them not being able to try and find me a job, sending me out here and expecting me to survive on my own. I was told by Cara that if I changed my flight- so long as it was within 1 year of my arrival- it was free.
so I did so before my departure date and just got an email from ten travel that I was fined $200 "no show fee" and $292 flight change fee!!! neither ten travel nor GWAT has got back to me since and I'm now stuck in canada without a job and no way of getting home- not to mention the $10,000 debt that now I am also in because of GLOBAL WORK AND TRAVEL CO.
if u are reading this GWAT: if u put in at least half as much effort in helping the travellers and doing what u promised instead of trying to sell and pressurize payment in order to get your commission bonus- this kind of thing wouldn't have happened in the first place.
TO ALL OTHER GWAT TRAVELLERS WITH A COMPLAINT; My email is: kittygal_68@@hotmail.com and I am planning to take this matter to GLOBAL BC and it's affiliated media so that everyone is aware of this MASSIVE SCAM and hopefully will be blacklisted and shut down so no one else can be scammed from them.
send an email to: kittygal_68@hotmail.com subject title: GWAT
and state your story (you can remain anonymous).
It has come to our attention who the author of this post is, and we have chosen to shorten this person’s name (to Wenna, for the purpose of this comment), as it is not our intention to embarrass this individual, it is only our intention to provide an accurate account of the situation in question.
*Wenna, as you know, we have repeatedly explained to you why you have still not obtained employment through GWAT. You were sent the following email from our company. You did not respond with an attempt to intelligently defend yourself, and unbeknownst to us, chose instead to provide a biased, exaggerated, largely false and defamatory account of your experience with GWAT. From everything that has been discussed with you and written in your file since before you even arrived in Canada, it seems apparent that we have fulfilled our obligations to you. You may disagree with this, but here, in the purpose of clearing our name in the face of this deeply defamatory post, we will provide the details that were recorded (as they happened) in your file for you to read once again, and to provide an opportunity for the people who have born witness to this account and who are now questioning the validity of our service, to have a record of events as they happened.
We will first address the claim you were told by one of our staff that you would not be charged to change your flight. We advertise that we offer 2 free flight ‘booking’ changes with your flights, however, once a ticket has been ‘issued’ there may be additional fees subject to the particular airline’s policy on this. Flights are a third party supplier as we do not have our own airline, and we have no control over what the airline fees will be. If you have any proof or documentation that you were told there would be no fees at all, even after the ticket has been issued, we would like to see it please. Is there any possibility you misunderstood something that was said? However, this was not a question of a flight change; you did not even “show up” for your scheduled flight on the day. We will acknowledge that there were some communication issues, due to a staff turnover, that did have something to do with you not heading off on your trip as soon as you would have liked. But, once your file was fast-tracked, we waited for 3 months for your resume—if urgency was one of your primary concerns, it wasn’t made apparent by this particular behaviour.
A resume was requested from you before Christmas, but nothing was provided until January. One of our placement coordinators had asked you to update and change various parts of your resume—but each time you provided her with a resume (sometimes weeks or a month after the request) it was exactly the same as before—she asked for an updated resume in November and you did not provide her with one until February. Our placement coordinator sent you a lengthy email in which she expressed her concern for your lack of communication, your inability to provide an updated resume, and the state of your financial situation as a result of this. She provided you with many suggestions on looking for work, websites, etc. Although this is not our standard job-assistance process, you were told a considerable amount of times that finding work for you over the Christmas holiday break would be exceedingly difficult on our end, due to the fact that most organizations were not hiring at this time. And given that we still had no updated resume for you, the task would be nearly impossible.
Our placements coordinator did request that you stay in constant contact with her (which you did not do), and she attempted to contact you on numerous occasions, to no avail. In fact, our placements coordinator scheduled three appointments with you, none of which you showed up for. When our placements coordinator attempted to phone you regarding this, you did not answer or get back to her. You waited an entire month before contacting us, and you then showed up in our office with a friend who proceeded to be extremely rude to the staff and essentially spoke for you. Even at this point, after this substantial length of time, you still did not have an updated resume, and tried to convince our placements coordinator to write one for you. The coordinator explained numerous times that nothing could be done until you provided an updated resume and that monopolizing her time when you gave zero notice was not an acceptable resolution to the situation.
So, after unanswered attempts at contact, you came into our office without making an appointment, had someone not on the program monopolize our staff, and you missed three appointments—not to mention the two more that were scheduled for you after you came into our Vancouver office. Had these missteps been avoided, it most likely would have led to the timely resolution of your situation.
According to the placements coordinator, you also had many conditions on where you would work, what you would do, and even ‘who’ you would or would not work with—in fact, you rejected a position based on the type of people you would have to work with—for discretionary purposes we will not elaborate on this here, but trust you are well aware of the situation we are referring to. On top of everything else, these conditions only made it that much harder to source something for you. Please understand that we have over a thousand travellers coming over every year. The travellers who provide us with the correct documents when they’re supposed to, who are willing to work in fields that match their actual experience and skills, who communicate regularly with us and who are contactable are the travellers who inevitably get the most job opportunities the quickest. Our travellers must be active participants in their own employment process in order to capitalize on the available job opportunities; and the very large majority of them always are.
In sum, not showing up for your scheduled flight, providing a resume very late, not updating your resume in a timely manner despite numerous requests to do so, not showing up for scheduled appointments, being very difficult to contact, having overly strict guidelines for your employment, and not getting back to us for weeks or more have all directly led to your present situation.
As you know, our placements coordinator contacted you on April 13 in regards to yet another job opportunity—you also chose to reject this one.
As you know, the end of the email we sent to you only a couple weeks ago, containing the above information, also contained this invitation to speak out on your own behalf:
“If you feel any of the information in your file—which was recorded as it happened—is incorrect, we would certainly be willing to speak with you about it. Please let me know a time you would like to meet with the placements coordinator in our office if you wish to discuss this matter in further detail.”
You declined to speak out on your behalf, opting instead to continue unfoundedly accusing our staff of not helping you, and then turn to slandering this company publicly. It is clear that GWAT is absolutely not to blame for your current situation and we hope our statement provides readers with a better understanding of Wenna’s situation. We invite you to discuss this with us further should you wish.
GWAT Canada
PS. Check out our latest video interview with a GWAT Traveller living in Whistler, Canada: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K53WPdm-YZA
why can't I post on this blog..? it keeps being deleted (this is a test message)
why do you keep deleting my posts/comments?
what are you afraid of??
I find it funny how GWAT spends more time on a blog than helping out their clients. The last reply I receieved from GWAT when I enquired about what's happening with my situation was this:
we have been advised by our management and our legal team that we have met all contractual obligations to you and are no longer able to engage in direct communication with you.
we are aware of your adverse representation of GWAT online and are seeking legal council regarding the allegations.
Now, tentravel has told me to contact GWAT. ahh yes, this seems familiar- the passing of the buck commences once again.
would someone please stand up and take responsibility and account for what's already happened??
I will give GWAT another opprtunity to rectify or hear out your proposition to this situation before I take this matter to the courts.
And if ur afraid you "can't engage in direct communication" with me, please, by all means, feel free to reply on this public blog.
Wenna,
You were instructed to contact Ten Travel, a travel agency, for travel related enquiries, such as flight information. Anything else can't be dealt by them.
You have been removed from the program by GWAT for obvious reasons, with detailed info in our post above.
For any further enquiries, you can email accounts@globalworkandtravel.com
Hi all,
First of all, I have never used GWAT to find a job in Canada.
From my research, it seems that GWAT tries to scam people who got little or no money. Companies who say they will look summer/winter jobs for people are usually scams. The people at the companies have no jobs OR they might have worked in the one of the countries mentioned and found they could make a lot of money by doing this "working holiday" scheme.
Their behavior is extremely low. They get big money from the people who are jobless, who do not have money or have little money. How could they do this?
I got my job in Canada by doing the thing that most people, who really want jobs, do: "by calling AND sending emails directly to hotels, ski resorts, etc in Canada".
Never go through "an agent" to get a job in Canada/the US/ the UK. You will most likely be ripped off by these people.
It is now hard to get a job in the US and the UK although it is possible to get jobs at ski resorts in Canada.
Just call the ski resorts directly.
GWAT
You're all a bunch of cunts and you will pay sooner or later for fucking people around
Gwat I still remember when I was unemployed and desperate how you took advantage of me. I am now in a good job and look back and think to myself what sort of loser preys on the vulnerable of society. One day you and any low life that works for you will be paid back in full.
My cousin was with Global Work and Travel aka GWAT and this was one of they ways he dealt with them, go to: https://www.bbb.org/consumer-complaints/file-a-complaint/find-business/name/global+work+and+travel/
in order to file a complaint and get their credibility lowered- as u can see they have an A+ rating due to the lack of young aussies knowing what to do when they've been screwed over.
they should then send you an correspondence address:
Legal & Accounts Department
The Global Work & Travel Co. Australia
PO Box 3805, Australia Fair
Queensland, 4215.
or fax: +61 07 5528 2067
BY NO MEANS DO YOU EVER CLOSE THE CASE UNLESS UR 100% FULLY SATISFIED WITH WHAT YOU GOT- otherwise they will dismiss your case.
Good Luck
Just stumbled upon this forum. I went with GWAT to come to Canada as I was arriving relatively late in the snow season and wanted peace of mind with a job and accom etc. They did get me a job, however, I feel I payed far too much money for their services and my one way flight. The feeling at the hostel where all GWAT
customers were staying was a pool of negativity. I would certainly NOT recommend using the company. You pay money for them to help set you up with bank account and SIN number means they give you a map and send you on your way...
I have just recently payed of my working travel holiday received ALL my invoices/RECEIPTS and will be soon leaving for Canada early next year.
I have to say firstly the customer service is great whenever I call them up to inquire about a question or whatnot, I usually just give them my first name and they know exactly who I was.
I have had consent flow of emails back and forth from the company and they are also responding in a good timely manner. I have done a Skype interview with one of the team members.
So I got a face to face opportunity too talk with one of the team members and discuss any more questions I had. Yea as I said before the customer service is great.
Also I did a bit of research before I decided too sign up with the company. Saw all the scam articles and realize most of the people that are complaining about this company haven't not even signed up with them. Or they expect the company to do absolutely everything for them without even lifting a finger. You still got to put a bit of work into it.
I have and so far everything has been running smoothly/stress free no complaints and I am excited as too leave for Canada next year!
P.S
If try too look for positive responses from Gwat over the internet you will find more of them then negative
you're certainly one of the very few lucky ones whom they've upheld their promises to. just in case you are wondering why there are "more positive comments than negative" ones; there are a few reasons for this.
1. most of the "positive comments" were made prior to their travel experience.
2. many of GWAT's clients have been stranded in a foreign country with no job, no money let alone internet access.
3. Global work and travel conveniently removes negative or adverse comments and makes psuedo websites and forums about how "great" they are in order to take up most of any space there is for people who want to do some unbiased research on them.
so bear in mind- if someone is being overly helpful there is often a reason for it.
please by all means continue posting about your experience as we all wish to know what a "GOOD" GWAT experience is.
Global Work & Travel should be avoided at all costs. Victorian Consumer Affairs has confirmed they have a long list of complaints lodged against this business. Their treatment of young people is unethical. Read the contracts carefully. They place NO obligations on Global Work and Travel and incorporate unconscionable 'fees' if you have second thoughts.
Good work guys, keep warning future customers of there scams.
Every person that hears is another dollar less in there pocket.
Does anyone know the address of the CEO of this company?
I'd like to send him some dog shit in a bag,it's the least I can do.
one of his current offices is owned by Jorgen Himalmann (clearly a family relative)is:
suite 270 / 1140 Homer St
Vancouver, BC V6B 2X6
Canada
and they keep moving and change address every 4 months or so.
so good luck trying to bomb them :)
I recently got a job through GWAT, but I 100% regret it. They charge outrageous prices and all I got in return is a cheap phone, a map and a weblink to a job posting. I could have got that all myself and saved myself $1500!!!
i could have done it all myself. rip off prices for flights. i ended up getting the job myself. I wish i had done this with STA travel but by the time i realised i had made the mistake it was too late. please don't use them.
So we signed up to GWAT and then read this and got a bit freed out, we went and visited their office on the gold coast, sat down had a chat with the manager and our recruitment officer and went through the contract with them. We left feeling pretty comfortable and decided to stick with them...bad bad decision.
We turned up to Vancouver, yes we got our 5 days in the hostel and the 'helpful info' which is all info that you can get at the hostel. They help set you up with a SIN? they point on a map where you go to get it.
Anyway the jobs...so if you read the contract closely, the 'guaranteed job offer' is defined as an e-mail wiht a job listing. for us it was fr work in a McDonalds in Vancouver. After being in Vancouver for 3 days, we had no ski-job offers, no interviews and the people in the office actually told us to start looking for ourselves.
We tried so hard to get our money back, to complain, we got in touch with the Attorney General back home, and had 2 lawyers look into our case and we couldn't do anything, the contract is so well written.
This isn't to say that no-one got a job... a couple of people did, but at the hostel in Vancouver, GWAT is a big joke, it becomes embarrasing ot say you signed up with them.
The thing is, is that the vompany in Vancouver and the office in Gold Coast are difffernet and don't communicate. The people at the Gold Coast are seelling you something the people in Vancouver can't give you, and they will admit that to you when you are there.
We ended up giving up trying to get our money back, got a ski job by ourselves (which was actually REALLY REALLY easy), and we moved on. If we can prevent anyone from joining up with them we will feel so much better.
We were great candidates, paid on time, they were very happy with our resumes, we didn't have any preferences on where to go and were happy to do any sort of work.
PLease, please don't sign up with them, you can do it all very easily by yourself.
Also, everyone who went with other companies had jobs, the GWAT people were the only people who didn't!
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