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Report: #407742

Complaint Review: People To People Ambassadors - Spokane Washington

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  • Reported By: winsted Connecticut
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  • People To People Ambassadors Spokane, Washington U.S.A.

People To People Student Ambassadors, what a let down to our kids Spokane Washington

*Consumer Suggestion: This totally mis-represents the People to People Student Ambassador program

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When my daughter received one of these invitation letters- my first thought was scam- because they wanted us to attend a conference (or sales pitch). I even gave the program the benefit of the doubt and did my own research- and sent a email to the director - aka "salesman".

Turns out like other people said - its a scam at almost $6,000 per 20 day program! But of course if your child is a 7th or 8th grade student they can attend the 14 day program for only a whopping $4,000...... On top of that attendance price you may also incur addittional travel charges. Such as travel transfer fees and uncovered meals...well i didnt know what that meant since 6 grand more than covers a few meals over a couple of weeks.

As like other overpriced sales scams - they dont want to discuss any prices over the phone or by email - but they want to take the time to fully inform us by inviting us (wasting our time) to the local seminar. My biggest issue with this scam is that it actually targets kids.....and although the mailings are sent to the parents of these kids, and ultimately the parents of these kids have the final say (and provide the money).... Well its the kids that get hurt.

First off their mailings are sent as a invitation , and treat the matter as a great opportunity , this hypes our kids up and makes them want to attend their informational conference...From there the conference or "sales pitch" just convinces them that they really want to do this. On top of it - it really hits the spot in convincing the kids that they are special and smart and thats why they were chosen for this special program!!!!

Overall its the same damm sales pitch used to scam adults out of their money, but in the end when a smart adult does the math - and says no its not a reasonable fee for attending this program- its the kids that are let down.
So who was this targeting all along???? it sure wasn't the parent because i can say as a parent i was not let down when i decided not to spend 6 grand on a 3 week vacation...it was my child. And by the way - our family of 3 went on a 4 week vacation for about the same price.

The other thing that upset me about this ordeal - is when i first google searched this company - the only thing i found was 2 different kids asking questions about it on yahoo answers, and the answers that these kids received was stating that they have been nominated for participation in the program m and that maybe a teacher or other person nominated them, and they should attend the informative seminar to find out more- that was distubing to hear because those answers were probley given by other teenagers...which is again a sign this is a scam towards kids. pathetic.

Maryb
winsted, Connecticut
U.S.A.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 01/03/2009 08:49 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/people-to-people-ambassadors/spokane-washington/people-to-people-student-ambassadors-what-a-let-down-to-our-kids-spokane-washington-407742. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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#1 Consumer Suggestion

This totally mis-represents the People to People Student Ambassador program

AUTHOR: Karen - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Friday, January 30, 2009

Yes, this is an educational trip that DOES cost money to have your child participate in. Yes, they can be pretty expensive trips at $4000 - $5500.... but these ARE all-inclusive 2 - 4 week trips to international destinations such as Europe, China, and Australia.

There are no additional or hidden fees, nor do the kids EVER have to pay for ANY of their meals or accommodation. Everything is spelled out VERY clearly in the orientation meeting and the program remains true to their statements. The only extra fees you pay for are for your child's passport and any spending money you may choose to send them with (for souveniers and such).

The organization is VERY helpful at preparing the children for the trip, and there are plenty of fund-raising options available to each child, as well as privately funded partial loan options, and scholarships for financially challenged families provided by People to People themselves.

Because of the price, this wonderful opportunity may NOT be available for all children invited to attend. However, as a single mom.... I worked my butt off and enlisted the help of family, friends, and local businesses to put both of my 7th and 8th grade children through this program. And it was a VERY positive and life-changing experience for both of them.

This program is not just "a trip" to these countries. These kids have one-on-one arranged local tours, educational and cultural exchanges with the people in the area, and are busy traveling from one pre-arranged activity to another from 7AM in the morning until 10PM at night, each and every day that they are there. It is extremely well organized and they pack as much into these trips for these kids, as they possibly can in the time alotted.

It is well worth money and the personal EFFORT that it may take financially to make sure your children do NOT miss out on this opportunity should they be nominated and invited (which is actually rare and should be considered an honor and kudos to your children... it is NOT random that your child got selected to do so).

I beleive this article totally mis-represents what the program is about. People to People is a very respected and very beneficial NON-PROFIT organization with the only goal of helping our children grow and become leaders, and promote world peace and cultural understanding. They certainly are not out to rip anybody off.

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