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A West Australian mother claims she is $1,000 out of pocket after paying Blossom Au Pair Service and claims she received no service from the company.
And there are fears that Lara Pimenta could be one of dozens of people who have allegedly been defrauded.
Consumer Protection Western Australia said 37 people had made complaints to the consumer watchdog about the same company.
Pimenta said her son’s father, Mateo, works at the base and day care is not suitable for the child.
With no family to help her, Pimenta said she became desperate and eventually found Blossom Au Pair Service Australia on Facebook.
The business is registered in Australia to Rhiannon Jade Gibson, who has been living in France since 2019.
“Although several Perth-based addresses are listed for the business, inquiries from the Consumer Protection Office revealed that Gibson has not returned to Australia since moving to Europe in 2019,” the Consumer Protection Office said in a statement. the users.
“I thought she really wanted to help me and that’s the only reason I paid her before the service was rendered,” Pimenta said.
“She said she had three girls ready to start at the end of the week.”
But Pimenta claims her $1,000 advance payment evaporated without service from the company.
In a statement, Rhiannon Jade Gibson told 9News that her business model has suffered during Covid.
“There was no intent to defraud,” Gibson said.
She apologized and “acknowledged the inconvenience.”
“If any family feels they have been wronged, please contact me for a resolution,” she said.
Western Australia’s Consumer Protection Commissioner Trish Blake said the number of alleged victims could be in the hundreds, with cases said to span the entire country.
“People are desperate for good childcare right now, they pay the money, mostly an average of $1,000-1,500 per person, and then they’re ghosts,” Blake said.
Gibson disputed the number of complaints and the financial figures.
The business has been reported to the police.
“I absolutely recommend that anyone stay away from Blossom Au Pairs,” Blake said.
To avoid falling victim to any scam, Consumer Protection advised customers to pay by credit card rather than cash, rely on word-of-mouth referrals and check online references.
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