An Australian based working-holiday company, The Global Work and Travel Company (Global) is being investigated by the Queensland Department of Attorney General and Justice, following multiple claims of misleading customers.
Since allegations against Global became public in early November, SPIN has been in contact with more than a dozen past and present Sun Peaks residents, as well as local businesses, keen to share the experiences they’ve had with Global.
The end result: Not a single Global customer SPIN spoke with would recommend Global to a friend.
Elise Brady and her sister were looking for a “stress free” move to Canada.
“This was my first time moving overseas and working, and I just wanted the security of knowing I had a job and accommodation. I didn’t know how to go about getting this in another country.”
The Brady’s spent more than $5,000 each for their package, only to later find the return flights that had been booked for them were in fact one-way.
For Joanna Gibson, the process was a waste of time and money. She was told her $1,500 deposit would include accommodation assistance, visa assistance, and employment opportunities.
Her accommodation assistance? A link to the SPIN website and the Sun Peaks Survivors Facebook group. Arriving in Sun Peaks at the start of November, 2013 the search for accommodation became Gibson’s biggest stress.
“Essentially (for $1,500) all I got was a ride to the hostel in Vancouver, five nights accommodation, a sheet telling me where to go to get my SIN card, bank and phone and a $60 Future Shop voucher to buy a phone,” Gibson said.
“I got one job interview, and if I didn’t get that, I’d be offered another, but if I rejected any job offers I was told I’d go to the bottom of the list.”
Mark Harris and his partner were dismayed when their first job offer was at a resort in eastern Canada which records less than two metres of snowfall each year.
“I can’t believe they’d send Aussies looking for a job in the snow to a place with less snow than Australia,” Harris said.
“They lied to us,” said Jeremy Wright. He and his partner contacted Global for help organizing employment and accommodation for a winter season in Canada.
“They seemed super friendly when signing up, but they were very pushy and wanted us to make an immediate deposit (of $1,400, which was non-refundable).
“We asked them when signing up if we could book our own flights, we were told this would be fine, no dramas. A few weeks later they told us we had to pay $3,500 each for one-way flights and 12 months travel insurance. We were able to find the same flights and comprehensive ski insurance elsewhere for $2,100,” Wright said.
“When I asked about it, I was greeted with an angry response, put onto a manager and told if I didn’t purchase flights and insurance through Global, our contracts would be terminated and we would lose our money.
Wright encouraged prospective travellers to do their research before booking with a working-holiday company such as Global.
“Do your homework, do your research, and cost it all up yourself. At the end of the day, you should get to choose where you want to work and live,” Wright said.
Despite negative experiences with Global, most were able to look on the bright side.
“Without them, we wouldn’t have ended up in Sun Peaks. We had a great time, so you cut your losses,” Harris said.
Supporting the staffing shortage
With recent changes to the Foreign Workers Program restricting employment in Canada, employers in Sun Peaks rely more than ever on the services of companies like the Global Work and Travel Company.
Reiner Brecht from Bear Country says his experiences with hiring staff through Global have been exceedingly positive.
“They provide us with quality staffing. They do the pre-screening, give us options, and then we can do Skype interviews. Most of the staff get their job before they come to Canada.
Brecht says Bear Country doesn’t pay Global for their service.
“Some of our employers are in their second or third year back with us, and they’ve been very happy with the service. They’ve paid a bit more, but they were looking for a guaranteed job placement.
“We have a serious shortage of labour in Sun Peaks. Without Global, the hotel sector would have a huge struggle.”
Global’s response
Pierre Himmelmann, President of the Global Work and Travel Company, wrote to SPIN to share his side of the story. Himmelmann said Global never misrepresented itself.
“The estimated complete program package costs are highlighted in bold in our information packs and booking forms, and our clients are made aware and acknowledge that the arrival pack inclusions are only available in conjunction with flights and travel insurance booked through us.
“We do not claim to and cannot compete with online pricing, but provide a premium service. We employ staff to look after our clients all the way through their travels and this is expensive, considering Australian wages are among the highest in the world, Canada not far behind, and we don’t outsource to a call centre in India, the Philippines or other low wage cost countries. Our clients are provided with an estimate flight and insurance package price at time of booking, as demonstrated in bold on our application forms.
“Canadian employers want to know from us when a traveller is arriving exactly, in order to properly schedule staff training, work rosters, accommodation, etc. Employers in Sun Peaks are no different and we are, and have been, working with a large number of employers in Sun Peaks for a number of years already.”
The investigation
The Industrial Relations Services section of the Queensland Department of Attorney General and Justice has commenced an investigation into The Global Work and Travel Company.
Australian’s wishing to register a complaint against Global should contact: +61 7 3225 2299 or email informationservicesu@justice.qld.gov.au.
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