Adele applied to CICD on 2001:
I write to tell you about my experience with CICD, Winestead, Hull, UK; this is a brief synopsis.
A friend of mine who lives in Hull but who works with me saw an advert in the Hull Daily Mail newspaper round about August 2001, saying simply “Volunteers wanted for Africa” and contact details – nothing more, nothing less. I sent an e-mail and heard nothing in reply, but because I was really interested in what might be on offer I rang the organisation in Denmark and got myself down as an attendee at an information weekend for the end of August.
We were given some details of the organisation, a lot of focus on the positive side of what CICD can do for us as an individual and what we can then do for people in Africa. It was mentioned by the principal, Karen Boerse, that DRH/Tvind et al had received some bad press but that we should take no notice of it if we came across what had been written/said. How we should have listened to this!!
To cut a long story short, I was aked to go to Denmark and start a programme the following week, but personal circumstance dictated that this was an impossibility for me…it was flattering though. What did surprise me was the attitude towards people who wanted to sign up but who were short of immediate funds – Karen was offering to drive them into Hull, to a cash-point, and asking if they had an overdraft facility they could use. Are they really thatdesperate for students or just desperate to get cash out of people?
And on the Sunday morning we had to wash the windows of some buildings in preparation for one of the teams that would soon be starting there…a sign of things to come?
I recently found myself in a position to go ahead with a programme (albeit I would have to give up my full-time job and company car) and cast the doubts out of my mind – after all, they promised so much before, surely they have the means to deliver.
In January of this year I went back to see Karen and enrolled through CICD with the KNEC at Durban – I was warned that the school had teething problems because it was essentially relatively new and the staff there were still learning the best ways to run the college and students, and that they were selective in who could enrol for the school because of these difficulties.
However, I had a cheque book with me so I got enrolled straightaway, signed the forms, paid the money (GBP115 with the promise to pay R20,000 on arrival in S Africa). I queried some details about travel/medical insurance; Karen didn’t have the answers but promised to get back to me. I left, happy with my decision to leave my job, family, friends and go to Africa for 14 months.
I had checked the internet before I went to CICD in January but it’s a big mine of information and I did not find the Tvindalert site. However,excited about going to Africa, I tried searching for KNEC on the ‘net now that I knew I was going there, with interesting results.
I should mention that at this point I had e-mailed Karen Boerse regarding the insurance, she e-mailed back that she was going to bed and would get back to me, and I haven’t heard from her since. I also e-mailed the principal (Ester) at KNEC to ask about any entry requirements I might need to meet to go to S Africa – she also e-mailed, to say she wasn’t sure but considering some international students that she had had there it should “be a piece of cake for me”; she would check and get back to me…surprise, surprise she never did.
Not daunted – but a little annoyed – by the lack of answers to my questions, I was searching on the ‘net for KNEC and saw Laslo’s Story as a link – I wasn’t going to read it because I expected it to be just another story about how great a time someone was having as a Development Instructor…but something made me click on it and I am so glad that I did. I couldn’t believe what I was reading about the college at Durban – oh, I believed what was being written but it was nothing like the spiel I had been given whilst I was paying my money over to enrol there!!!
You know what the story says so I won’t repeat it, and I went on to read the other personal testimonies and many other areas of the Tvind Alert site. I can’t sum up what I felt, on first reading, for those people who had suffered already but I knew that I wasn’t about to follow in their footsteps. I’d already had my doubts about why my questions weren’t being answered – just a gut feeling that something
didn’t ring true. Now I had some answers.
I have, over the course of the last few days, sent the same e-mail to Karen and Ester, essentially stating that I had read reports about the charge of fraud, that this hadn’t been disclosed at the time of my enrolment, and that I wanted my money back.
I also made mention that I was not happy about the lack of responses to my questions. I did not receive any reply at all. I forwarded the same e-mail to the same people and this time Ester replied. After a couple of e-mails between the two of us Ester said that because I had enrolled through CICD I should be pursuing the matter with Karen, and “a contract is still a contract”.
Fortunately, I am not some 17 year old on their gap year, happy to belive their lies – I am aware of when a contract is or isn’t binding, and I totally believe theirs falls into the latter category – had I been told about the fraud charge I wouldn’t have paid a penny, let alone £115.00, and would not have proceeded with the enrolment.
Anyway, Ester wasn’t present at the enrolment in January so she isn’t aware of what was said – in a way I am surprised that she reponded to the e-mail. On the other hand, I have heard absolutely nothing from Karen at Winestead. I have again sent the original e-mail to her for a third time today (the one where I first asked for my money back), but in all honesty I expect her to play dumb.
So, what shall I do now? I don’t know if you can help, but you have much more experience with these people than I do – what do you think my chances are of getting my money back, just by asking politely? And if I don’t get it back, I want people to know that this organisation is still very much alive and kicking in a small corner of England.
I look forward to hearing yourthoughts on this, regards and thanks for the website,
A
