Hi there,
I've been spending the last couple weeks bringing attention to a fraudulent agency that works out of Buenos Aires called AuPairInArgentina.com, run by a British woman named Anna Templeton. Why? Because I paid them $250 to place me with an Argentine family in October. They lied about having a family ready for me by the time I got to BA (my first time in South America) and after two weeks, "placed" me to live with a family who told me within a week that they cannot afford the fees.
I told Templeton that in light of this clear deception and negligence, I want a full refund. Templeton repeatedly refused me a full refund because of a purported "non-refundable fee." (The non-refundable fee only applies once I have signed a contract- which I never did, nor had the opportunity to do.) I imagine that non-refundable fees and such "terms and conditions" also do not apply when the agency does not perform its own job. She and her lawyer also accused me of being a bad au pair- despite the fact that the family and I remain on good terms and the family has also chosen to not work with the agency again.
I agreed to settle for a partial refund in exchange for signing a "compromise agreement"- because I could really use the money, I guess. However, when I read through the contract Templeton and her lawyer sent me, I saw that without telling me they had added a gag order that prohibits me from speaking about my experience'. Not only was I being bullied into accepting a partial refund that they don't deserve, but she was trying to make it illegal for me to talk about how terrible my experience was. I refused to sign such a document for a refund that is clearly mine". Because of this, I have received none of my $250 back, I have no family placement and I lost hundreds more during this time.
I created a blog to bring awareness to this scam: www.aupairinargentina.wordpress.com
Anna Templeton has since created several profiles and fake comments, including on my own blog, which are obviously fake because they come from the same IP address. She also runs AuPairInAndalucia.com and "Splat Argentina."
Anyway, I'm in the process of reporting her to the Argentine authorities for illegally running a business and employing foreigners in the country without paying taxes.
Careful out there.
I've been spending the last couple weeks bringing attention to a fraudulent agency that works out of Buenos Aires called AuPairInArgentina.com, run by a British woman named Anna Templeton. Why? Because I paid them $250 to place me with an Argentine family in October. They lied about having a family ready for me by the time I got to BA (my first time in South America) and after two weeks, "placed" me to live with a family who told me within a week that they cannot afford the fees.
I told Templeton that in light of this clear deception and negligence, I want a full refund. Templeton repeatedly refused me a full refund because of a purported "non-refundable fee." (The non-refundable fee only applies once I have signed a contract- which I never did, nor had the opportunity to do.) I imagine that non-refundable fees and such "terms and conditions" also do not apply when the agency does not perform its own job. She and her lawyer also accused me of being a bad au pair- despite the fact that the family and I remain on good terms and the family has also chosen to not work with the agency again.
I agreed to settle for a partial refund in exchange for signing a "compromise agreement"- because I could really use the money, I guess. However, when I read through the contract Templeton and her lawyer sent me, I saw that without telling me they had added a gag order that prohibits me from speaking about my experience'. Not only was I being bullied into accepting a partial refund that they don't deserve, but she was trying to make it illegal for me to talk about how terrible my experience was. I refused to sign such a document for a refund that is clearly mine". Because of this, I have received none of my $250 back, I have no family placement and I lost hundreds more during this time.
I created a blog to bring awareness to this scam: www.aupairinargentina.wordpress.com
Anna Templeton has since created several profiles and fake comments, including on my own blog, which are obviously fake because they come from the same IP address. She also runs AuPairInAndalucia.com and "Splat Argentina."
Anyway, I'm in the process of reporting her to the Argentine authorities for illegally running a business and employing foreigners in the country without paying taxes.
Careful out there.
