Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Cultural Care, Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Cultural Care, Inc.

  1 Education St E Cambridge, MA 02141-1805

  
• 

  Cultural Care, Inc.

  8 Education St E Cambridge, MA 02141-1968

  

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/19/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We contracted with Cultural Care Au Pair for one year of service (12/1/202311/30/2024), paying $11,045 in total ($450 processing + $10,595 program fee). The first au pair left early due to homesickness. A second au pair was matched with us but decided to leave suddenly after making a false accusation against my husband.On Sunday, 6/23/24, my husband returned from a business trip at 5 AM. Two hours later he woke up and took our twins to play on the beach, picked up our older daughter from the airport, and dropped me off for my business trip. That evening, around 5:47 PM, the au pair returned home, briefly chatted with my husband, while the twins were napping on the nearby sofa. He then took a short nap, and at 6:40 PM, the whole family went out for dinner and also played at the nearby playground. She showed no signs of distress. All the events were captured by our security camera at entrance.On 6/25, I received a call from Cultural Care while in ********, stating the au pair alleged my husband harassed her that Sunday afternoon and she was leaving immediately. The claim is completely false and makes no sense given the timeline and context. My husband slept no more than 3 hours on that day, was worn out by the beach sun, and the round trip to the ********************. Cultural Care ended our contract without notifying us or investigating. They also refused to assist in contacting the au pair.We only received 29 of the 52 weeks promised. We were refunded $2,875 but are owed a proportional refund of $11,045 (23 52) = $4,885.29. The remaining amount due is $2,010.29. Additionally, we advanced the au pair $500 for a personal trip to ******, which was never repaid. Cultural Care has refused to help recover this or even pass along a message.Weve made several attempts to resolve this directly, but Cultural Care has refused. We are requesting the remaining $2,010.29 refund, plus support in recovering the $500 advance.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/21/2025

  In November of 2024 we confirmed that the refund due per the contractual agreement had been executed. While the family continues to object to the concerns raised by their previous au pair, as a program sponsor, we are charged with ensuring the health,safety and well-being of participants on our program.  When concerning allegations were brought to our attention, they were reviewed and the decision was made that a future placement would not be possible.  The refund was then explained and processed pursuant to the policy.  No additional refund is due.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/21/2025

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  We dont agree with the refund amount. We explicitly communicated with Cultural Care multiple times, detailing the entire situation with a clear time line supported by our security camera. Cultural Care terminated our contract without any prior notification or direct communication.
  

  The au pair chose to go home for whatever reason and she used an unfounded excuse to break the contract without any penalty. Its evident that the au pairs have their own network to share and exchange advice on how to exit the program. This has happened before when our first au pair seek advice in a similar chat room on how to return home.

  Cultural Care has not provided sufficient training on honesty and accountability for their au pairs.  The lack of due diligence and unfair judgement has caused our family a significant emotional distress and financial loss. There is no evidence that we did anything inappropriate. We strongly request a full refund owed to us. We are determined to take further action to resolve the matter faily.
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  Wei

   

   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/23/2025

  The decision to end our relationship with this family was based on concerning reports of inappropriate behavior and advances from a host parent.  We are unable to continue forward and executed the refund in full compliance with the agreement signed at the beginning of the program which includes that the suitability of the environment is a determining factor in ongoing program participation.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/23/2025

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  We promptly contacted Cultural Care upon receiving notice of the contract termination, firmly stating that the accusation was baseless, with detailed timeline as supporting evidence. The au pair had clearly fabricated an excuse to exit the program. Cultural Care failed to provide adequate professional training for the au pairs and did not offer flexible or reasonable options for withdrawal. While they claimed they are not law enforcement and therefore cannot conduct a full investigation, this does not absolve them of their responsibility to ensure fairness and accountability within the program. Nor does it give them the right to charge us fees at our expense. Imagine a scenario where an au pair joins the program, decides they dont like it, and fabricates an excuse to leave. The host family is left in distress, while Cultural Care imposes a full annual contract fee without delivering the promised service. This is both unreasonable and unfair. 

  Once again, we request a full refundthis is the minimum that should be expected under these circumstances. We reserve the right to pursue this matter further in court and to seek reimbursement for any additional legal fees incurred as a result.

  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  Wei

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/16/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Date of Transaction: 4/27/2024 Account Number: Host Family [******, ID *********]Amount of Money In Dispute: $9,595 Nature of Complaint: Failure to provide contracted services, negligence, safety concerns, misrepresentation, and financial hardship.We seek a full refund from Cultural Care Au Pair due to gross negligence and prioritizing profits over host family's safety. Our experience included severe endangerment, lack of support, and disregard for documented concerns. Direct resolution attempts have failed.Inadequate Vetting/Endangerment: Despite requesting an au pair with infant care experience, Cultural Care placed an "Infant Qualified" au pair who dropped our 8-month-old 3 times in 48 hours, lacking basic infant care knowledge. This au pair was wrongly recertified and placed back into the candidate pool for re-match, knowingly risking other families. Rematch Failure/Lack of Support: Their dysfunctional new application hindered our urgent rematch needs. Support lines and Local Childcare Consultants were unhelpful, leaving us without contracted services.Lack of Mediation/Endangering Others: A second au pair breached contract, leaving us without care. Cultural Care didn't mediate and facilitated the abrupt departure. Cultural Care Au Pair failed its obligations, causing emotional distress and financial hardship. Supporting documentation is available. The attached email thread further details our unsuccessful attempts to resolve this directly with Cultural Care Au Pair customer success representatives.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/21/2025

  The family has been provided with a refund of their unused program term and have been offered the remaining credit on their account as well.  We would like to speak with them about their experiences and discuss their concerns further, however, they have repeatedly refused to speak with our staff.  We remain available should they change their minds, however, no additional refund is due.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/21/2025

  We find the business's proposed resolution unsatisfactory. Our initial complaint clearly detailed how Cultural Care failed to deliver the specific, advertised services. Since the core service we paid for was not provided as advertised, we requested a full refund of the agency fee. The partial refund offered is insufficient and does not take accountability for the gross negligence exemplified by Cultural Care. We also note the receipt of a settlement offer for $18.75 contingent on our silence, which we interpret as an attempt to suppress feedback about their failure to provide advertised services. Our requested resolution remains a full refund of the agency fee. 

  Regards,

  Rada

   

   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/23/2025

  We continue to remain available to speak directly with them about their experiences and discuss their concerns further.  To date, they have refused to speak with our staff. We remain available should they change their minds, however, no additional refund is due.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/24/2025

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  To assist in mediation, we want to stress that we have already provided Cultural Care Au Pair with extensive documentation (email records, which have been included as part of this case) and dedicated significant time to phone calls and discussions with their customer service and Local Childcare Consultant. They have ample information to understand our experience. We are no longer willing to expend further time and emotional energy reliving this negative experience with Cultural Care Au Pair. Our aim is to resolve this matter peacefully and move on. Given the agency's failure to provide adequate service and the significant impact this has had on our family, we maintain that only a full refund of the agency fee is acceptable.

  Regards,

  Rada

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/03/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Dear BBB,I am filing a formal complaint against Cultural Care Au Pair due to unethical business practices, fraudulent charges, and serious concerns regarding their screening process for au pairs.Fraudulent ***************** to Refund We selected the monthly payment option for their au pair services, yet Cultural Care charged us the full amount upfront without authorization. For two months, they repeatedly assured us that a refund was being processed, yet no refund was ever issued. We were ultimately forced to file a dispute with our bank to reverse the unauthorized charge. After this, Cultural Care attempted to scam us again by demanding additional payments.Failure to Properly Screen Au Pairs ***** Safety Concerns We have serious concerns about whether Cultural Care actually conducts background checks on their au pairs. We were assigned two au pairs who experienced severe mental health crises, putting our family and children in danger. The lack of proper screening and transparency is deeply alarming, and Cultural Cares negligence in this area is completely unacceptable.Given these issues, Cultural Care is operating in bad faith, engaging in fraudulent billing practices, and jeopardizing the well-being of the families they claim to serve. We request a formal investigation into their business practices and urge BBB to take appropriate action to warn other families before they experience similar harm.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/12/2025

  While we appreciate the familys perspective, we respectfully disagree with their conclusions and allegations of fraudulent practices.  We have communicated with both parents regarding their concerns as well as the concerns expressed by the au pairs they have hosted.  While they were contractually due a refund in the amount of $364.04, we offered a specialized refund in the amount of $2162.50  As this is beyond the amount due per the terms of their original agreement, we provided a new agreement to confirm this amount and to bring this matter to a close.  The family declined to sign and indicated they would be pursuing other options.   Our offer remains available should they change their mind, otherwise no additional refund is due.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/02/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Au pair left 2 weeks early from completion of program without consulting my family. Cultural Care had already booked her flights and we were not consulted. Ive asked for a refund of the 2 weeks of cultural care fees. They are refusing to refund and only offering credit for future au pair. Unfortunately we will not be welcoming another au pair (and re-enrolling) as we struggled to find a young lady interested in caring for such young children. I have informed CC that we would like the refund option per their account page attached. They are refusing. They claim we are withdrawing from the program, however, our au pair left us high and dry. We did not withdraw and we had NO CHOICE from cultural care. I feel they did not live up to their duty to my family, which we have paid handsomely for.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/03/2025

  We recognize the family's disappointment in their au pair's decision to depart two weeks prior to the expected date.  We are happy to apply a credit to their account for future use even if they are not intending to continue the program right away.  However, per the terms of their agreement, if they don't wish to continue with the program, that credit is not eligible as a program fee refund. We have shared the specific part of the agreement that speaks to this situation which is included below.  We wish the family the very best moving forward and hope that we will have the opportunity to continue to support them on the program in the future.  However, no refund is due.

   

  c. Host Family acknowledges that Cultural Care will make a good faith effort to replace an au pair who departs the host family home prior to the end of their term. Should Host Family choose to withdraw from the program, regardless of the reason for that withdrawal including if the au pair has chosen to end the placement, Host Family acknowledges that they are subject to the refund policy (see Appendix B).

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/15/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We have used Cultural Care for years and have always received mediocre service, but it has gotten much worse. We received a balance owed notification, and on Dec 9 2024 we made a payment of $2,150 towards our program fee. The system stated that we had a zero balance and we thought all was well. Without any prior notification, we received an e-mail on late Friday, January 29 2025 stating that our program would be terminated the next Monday. There were no phone calls or prior notifications about this extreme action, and when I received an accidental call from an account manager (he dialed the wrong number), he hung up on **** was informed that their computer system upgrade they implemented had "myriad issues with notifications and missing due dates" and they acknowledged the problems on their end. Yet, no leeway was given and on February 14 I was told that our caregiver would be asked to move out of our house.Again, there was no contact in the two prior weeks and no notice was sent. I have asked to speak with a supervisor and the request was ignored.Of course, we are willing to pay any balances, but their broken system has been unable to show a balance and in fact stated that there was no balance owed at the time of the last payment.Given their horrible customer service, malfunctioning computer system, and inability to resolve a situation they caused, this company should not continue to receive an A+ rating with the BBB.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/18/2025

  A manager reached out earlier today and was only able to leave a voicemail.  We look forward to speaking with this family further to work through any questions and to clarify any outstanding balance on the account.  We are hopeful to resolve this matter.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/24/2025

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  It's true I finally reached a manager... but it took this complaint to get one to reply. The manager agreed that CulturalCare treated me inappropriately and, in doing so, validated much of the content in my complaint.

  It does not matter whether I was able to reach a resolution. What matters is that the company itself hung up on me, lied to me, threatened my family and, as I later found out, never once contacted any of their local "LCCs" to reach out on how this would affect the au pair in question. My children were upset, their caregiver would have been upset, and the *** was upset that she was never notified when she obviously should have been. This company's behavior remains completely unacceptable and is worthy of a BBB downgrade.

  If Cultural Care can show that they did not, in fact, actually do these things then sure, go ahead and dismiss the complaint and mark it "closed". If the BBB is okay with companies behaving so badly, then sure, mark it "closed". However, I believe that companies should have integrity and care for their customers, so the complaint stands.
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ****

   

   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/27/2025

  ** regret that this family remains dissatisfied with our organization and their experience.  ** have continued to act in good faith in trying to resolve these financial issues including our recent outreach to discuss this matter directly as well as a program fee discount.  It is notable that this outreach was not the first contact attempted as there were multiple attempts made to speak with the family throughout November, December and January.  ** care deeply about the impact of any decisions we make and it is because of this that despite the fact that there was a balance due in October, that only as we approached 4 months past this due date and multiple attempts at outreach that we raised the issue of having to end program participation.  ** have apologized for the frustration that the family has experienced and acknowledged that automated communications may not have all been received, however personal outreach was made in order to resolve this outstanding matter.  It was our hope to resolve this matter without program disruption and as the *** is not involved in financial matters and it is not our policy to share those personal details, we tried to work with the family directly.  Again, we are disappointed that the family feels so negatively about the program and hope that their experience will improve and we remain available for any additional feedback on this or any other matter that they wish to share.  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/02/2025

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered.

  ----------------------------

  I reject Cultural Care's response as both factually accurate and misleading. They incorrectly state that they "acted in good faith" and they made "multiple attempts to speak with the family." Neither are correct, and I am glad to clarify, yet again, what happened.

  It appears that I had a balance owed in both October and December. I made a payment, which was applied to the December amount, and the new system showed a zero balance on the account. I assumed, apparently incorrectly, that the zero balance that the system showed was correct. I was not contacted, via email, text, mail, or phone, that there was an outstanding balance from October, and I therefore was unaware of a past due amount.

  Cultural care seems to believe, incorrectly, that they communicated with me about this. I don't know how they reach that conclusion, although I recall a call in January where their name showed on my caller ID but no message was left. It appears that for Cultural Care, simply calling and hanging up counts as "communication" or an "attempt", although I completely disagree. When their billing department finally spoke with me in January, because they called the wrong number, the ***resentative chose to hang up on me instead of resolve the matter.

  Cultural Care also claims that the *** is not involved in financial matters. Although true, it completely misses the point. The *** is, by design, involved in matters that affect the au pair themselves, and when Cultural Care sends an e-mail on a Friday night stating that our au pair will be removed from the family on Monday, the *** is required to be informed so that they can make arrangements with the au pair. The failure to notify the *** that there was an au pair that may have to move, on very short notice, happened twice in less than a month. When I contacted the *** personally, she was very upset and confirmed that Cultural Care violated their own policies regarding notification and movement of au pairs.

  To summarize: despite their statements otherwise, no communication was made for four months regarding an outstanding balance until notice was sent that unless the matter was resolved in a few hours, the au pair would be moved and the program for the family terminated. When I tried to call to resolve it, no one answered the first time and the *** hung up on me the second time, all in the span of a few minutes. The company violated its own notification requirements for the *** and family, leaving a major change in child care uncertain and possibly disrupting the lives of both the family and au pair.

  For these reasons, I am unable to accept the response provided by the business and the complaint stands.

  Regards,

  **** **** 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/05/2025

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Cultural Care provided us services related to finding and supporting a cultural exchange/childcare live in au pair. We've used their services for 5 years, and they have always accepted credit card as a payment method. We entered into an agreement for a new au pair to join our family in July under the pre-existing terms that we had in place with them. After the agreement was made, they sent an email to all host families stating that they would no longer accept credit card as payment and would only accept ACH/Check. I assumed that was for any subsequent agreements. When our payment was due I asked to pay via credit card and entered multiple cases/requests with the company. They in response told us we were overdue and they would remove our au pair from our family if we didn't pay via ACH. They also claimed that their notifications post agreement was all they needed to provide.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/11/2025

  We appreciate the loyalty of this family to our program and their commitment to cultural exchange.  In July of last year we announced our upcoming change to ACH payments and across 5 different emails over that time we communicated this change.  We also reached out to this family 5 times directly via phone in order to discuss their concerns further.  We recognize that they do not agree with our decision to make this change, however, we were within our rights to do so and informed them of the update.  We are unable to provide a refund as requested.     
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/12/2025

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  I didn't receive the communications they claim to have sent.  If I had, I would have switched agencies.  **************** provided continually deteriorate while the cost continually increases, and this is just the most blatant, recent example.  Congratulations on turning an advocate and repeat customer for your program into someone who will share their negative experiences with whomever is interested.
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ****

   

   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/13/2025

  It is regrettable to see that this family has such a negative impression of a program that they have been a part of for quite some time.  We remain available to discuss other aspects of their experience that have been disappointing and hope that we can have the opportunity to address them.  We will continue to support them throughout their remaining program experience and are hopeful that we can find a path towards continuing to work together in the future.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/13/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We engaged with Cultural Care Au Pair to hire an au pair. We matched after reaching out to over 30 candidates. We had an au pair who had every weekend off, worked less than 35 hours per week, had her boyfriend visit for a week. We let her take our car on trips every weekend, she put thousands of miles on the vehicle in the less than 6 weeks she was with us, then abruptly told us at 10 pm on a weekend she would be leave because she did not feel comfortable after we had a conversation with her about the importance of being on time for the kids. Cultural care promised a refund for out experience, but has not responded to any of our messages. We paid the au pair $2,020 in the time she was with us when she was only due $1,174.50 per the au pair agreement. Cultural care has offered no explanation to us or logical thought process and has simply not returned any messages. When called to speak with initial contact person they are "not available" but they will "call us back" which has not happened. This organization should be avoided, they take no real responsibility in the process for anything, they are simple a human clearing house taking money from au pairs and au pair families. I would recommend no one do business with this company.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/17/2024

  We regret any disappointment that this family experienced on the program.  The schedule and any additional compensation offered by a family is their own decision and does not change or modify the refund policy detailed in the host family agreement signed upon joining the program.  Per the terms of the agreement, there is no contractual refund due.  However, as a customer service gesture, an amount outside the contract was offered with the stipulation that the au pair must be paid the minimum stipend due for her final week with them.  Until this regulatory requirement is met, this specialized refund cannot be processed.  A member of our team reached out to the family yesterday to discuss this matter further and we remain available should they have any questions.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/07/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I started engaging with Cultural Care in July of 2024. As part of my initial conversation with them they communicated that I could make payments using multiple methods (credit card, AHT, etc). Fast forward a few months they completely removed the ability to accept credit card payments. They were demanding almost $10,000 and they were demanding it in essentially cash. They claimed they had a policy change that they emailed me about in some fine print buried somewhere. I tried to back out and they threatened with an $850 fee. They changed their payment policy midway through our agreement, wouldn't let me out of it it and now I am stuck in an agreement with them that I am scared to break because of their policies and threatening communication.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/09/2024

  We regret the frustration experienced by this family.  We provided information on multiple occasions regarding the change in payment options throughout ************************************************************************ if they wished to proceed.  We also provided an option for families to pay over time as an alternative to making a full balance payment prior to the au pairs arrival.  The policy that was relayed to the family is when a match is cancelled after a certain point in time, which means the team in the home country is working to help prepare the au pair for arrival and the flight has been booked, a cancellation fee applies.  The family has now paid their balance and appears to wish to move forward.  We hope that they can move forward with a positive program experience, despite their initial disappointment with the change in payment options.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/09/2024

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as ******************************************* sent on their billing policy change were buried in high volumes of communications sent from them and they offered NO ***** period or ability to grandfather in families who could no longer adhere to their new policies. With such a significant change in their billing policies, they should have offered a ***** ******* an ability to be grandfathered in OR a way out of the agreement. No such options were offered. 

  The paperwork and forms they have families send are also dense and full of legal language that basic families cannot comprehend. Cultural Care did not communicate to me that the travel was already booked until AFTER I asked if I could leave the program. Due to their lack of flexibility on payment options (they stopped taking credit cards), I inquired about leaving the program. I had one person on the phone tell me there was no fee, so then I pursued this and was told by a different person I'd have to pay a fee since travel was already booked. I then asked multiple times for the travel information and never received a response. I had to reach out to the au pair to get the travel information from her. Even today I cannot see this information on the website because they changed the website and everything broke. 

  I feel trapped into this agreement and I didn't want to leave the au pair hanging just because of Cultural Care's bad policies and practices. So I emptied my savings to pay their fees from my checking account because they stopped taking credit cards in the middle of our engagement and their payment plan option has significant fees associated with it. Again all of this leaves families like mine with no choice. 

  The fact that they changed their billing policies without any flexibility when we were in the middle of our process seems like bad business behavior. The response I received from them via BBB is the only communication I am receiving because the person I was working with told me her manager would reach out to me but that has never happened. The poor au pair they are shipping here has been my focus because it's clear they do not care about her or our families well being. They are ignoring me and giving canned responses through BBB when what they need to do is change their billing policy to what it used to be or to give a ***** period or grandfather in families who had entered into the process prior to those changes. 

  And it would be nice to have someone actually follow up or return my calls or inquiries in a professional and productive way vs ignoring me or giving me partial one word answers in an email. 

  This has been such a frustrating experience. I've used ********************* previously and their business practices are significantly more customer friendly. 

  Thanks, 

  Lucy 

   
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ****

   

   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/18/2024

  We are happy to have a member of our team reach out to speak with this family to make sure that any outstanding questions are answered.  While we feel that we provided both notice and options, including an extended payment option without fees, we respect that the family maintains their concerns and perspective.  It is our goal to support both the family and au pair to have a positive program experience and we remain available to continue to discuss any and all concerns.  A team member will reach out by Monday at the latest. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/04/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Transaction occurred 7/8/2024 in amount of $9195.00 to ************ for ********* services. The business promised in writing (contract) to provide an Au Pair which would be living with us and working 45 hours a week receiving a weekly stipend of $196.00. The dispute; our Au pair endangered our 10 year old daughter driving reckless, not communicating her whereabouts with the child, ignoring the child during working hours and lying about not receiving weekly payments which she did receive. (Proof and witnesses). We, wife and I decided to rematch and depart from the current Au Pair for safety reasons. ************ platanly without a reason decided to remove us from their program and not allow us to do a rematch. In short, we paid $9195.00 and only received child care for 9 days in August, though, the contract has services until Aug 9, 2025. The business has not tried to resolve the problem and stated that our Au Pair did not like her childcare duties which she agreed to fulfil during several interview calls and online communication. We like to be reinstated for a rematch or request a full refund back without the processing fee. We would like your help, please. A point contact for culture care at the state department or in the state of MA to report fraud, financial fraud and neglecting child care for a minor in the State of **********. Thank you for your time and help in this urgent matter. Please let us know what you need or who else we can contact to receive help. *************************, *************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/06/2024

  We have discussed with all parties what transpired during the familys time on the program and respectfully disagree with the description provided.  However,we have also reviewed their account and are currently in discussions with the family about how to bring their time on the program to a more amicable close.  We are hopeful to bring this to a mutually agreeable resolution shortly.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/19/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I believe Cultural Care is withholding refunds inappropriately. They denied us a refund after completely botching the process and our au pair leaving us suddenly when we had all agreed to finish out her term. They are supposed to go through a process before initiating rematch (including notifying us) and instead the *** put in a rematch without even telling us - and we found out with an automated email. So we are left with a child care gap of 2.5 months that we have to pay for. We submitted a request for a refund because we will NOT be using CC again (in fact we are in the process of bringing in an au pair from another agency) but they denied us a refund even though they know they didn't follow the process, I think because we are leaving. They said we could use the money left in the contract for our next au pair, which is obviously not happening. So they are keeping the money. They have not provided support in any way to us during this whole terrible process which is supposed to be their job. The *** who is supposed to be supporting us basically told me to lower expectations when I was worried about my child's safety. I should have been counseled to rematch (this I know now) and we could have been spared a lot of trouble if we had the promised support. On top of this, the au pair was planning on going home (and staying in ***** with her boyfriend until her "rematch" period was up) so that the company would pay her flight home, which is what happened. If she decides to go home, she's supposed to pay her own way. But the *** told her to call it a rematch because she didn't have the money for the flight (she spent all her money and was constantly asking for more or advances). The fact that they would pay the au pair's flight home but not give us a refund when we were the ones who were treated unfairly is really frustrating. We just want our money back for the remainder of the contract we didn't get the opportunity to finish out.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/25/2024

  We regret the disappointment expressed by this host family and the frustrations they experienced on the program.  We cannot guarantee the satisfaction of host families or au pairs during their program term and either party is free to end a relationship if they feel they cannot complete their term with the other.  Per the agreement signed prior to program participation, the family does have a remaining credit on their account, however, no refund is due. We would like to have the opportunity to better understand their experience and a senior manager from our team is actively reaching out to discuss further.