Complaints

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:03/26/2025

  Type:Order 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.

  In August 2024, I began hosting an exchange student through Northwest services peace program. The student opened a gym membership at a local gym and defaulted on his payments and incurred a debt of $198. Upon signing up for this gym membership, the student agreed to be responsible for his own payments. In the event that the student doesnt pay his bills, Northwest services is responsible for this student, as they are listed as his sponsoring agency on his ***** and Northwest services brought him to the US from his country to attend school and live with a host family. We are no longer hosting this student in our home and Northwest services remains responsible for his behavior and while he is here in the country. Northwest services has refused to pay this debt of $198 incurred by the student even though they are responsible for him while he is in *****************. The department of state has been notified as well as the council of standards for exchange students. Northwest services is legally responsible for this student while he is in the country, so I am unsure why they are refusing to pay this debt and putting it back on me. I was nothing but a host family, and did not ever have legal responsibility for this child and never signed any documents stating I had custody of him. Attached in this complaint are copies of the forms we signed when we chose to host said student. In these forms, it clearly states that we are not the legal guardians of the student and do not have legal custody of him. Attached are also screenshots of an email sent by ***** ********, the director of Northwest services, where she states in her own words that her agency is the legal guardian of the student, therefore they should be responsible for the debt he incurred while he is here. This agency needs to take responsibility for their students behavior and pay his debt before leaves the country.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/07/2025

  On 3/17/25 I received an initial email from Ms. ****** (complainant) stating her exchange student owned an outstanding bill of $198 to the gym that she helped him join. Her complaint was that this bill was being sent to collections which would effect her credit report. Since Ms. ****** allowed our student to join this gym without our knowledge it did take some time to investigate this situation. We don't just pay bills without full understanding. We first sent off an email to our overseas agent in ***** to ask that the natural parents please pay this bill. It was at this time that we received a message back from the overseas agent with a statement from the parents that ***** was, by Ms. ******** word, paid up through ******* (message attached). It was also stated that Ms. ****** told ***** he could no longer attend the gym so he stopped going in December. I have also attached the ****** transfer of $50 by the natural parents to Ms. ******* which she acknowledges in the message also and stated that her and ***** would go to the gym that afternoon as she would have it applied to his account. As per the invoices, also attached, from the gym this payment was never made to the account. We always tell our host families to never sign for anything that will make them financially responsible to our exchange students, for this reason. I have been in very close contact with the gym over this issue and at this time,  $148 of the original bill has been settled and only the original $50 that was sent to Ms. ****** by the student's natural parents to be applied to his gym membership, is still owing. Since this amount was verified as being sent to Ms. ****** and we have verification that it was never applied to the gym membership account, as Ms. ****** stated she would do, that needs to be paid by Ms. ******* It is against the ********************* Regulations for any host family to receive payment for hosting a ** secondary school international exchange student. By keeping this $50 without proof that it went to pay for an expense by *****, this would be considered a cash payment for hosting. This money needs to go to ******* gym membership bill in order for it to be a legal transfer of money to a host family. Please let me know if you need further information.