Nov 24, 2011

Vietnam - Tutor providers take students for a ride



Tutoring service providers are tricking Ho Chi Minh City college students while brokering a job for them.

“A schoolgirl in Binh Thanh District is looking for a tutor in math, physics, and chemistry,” said Mai, identifying herself as a consultant at a tutor provider based at 114 Bac Hai Street, Ward 6, Tan Binh District. “You simply go to her house and, with this service charge, we will dispatch you to three other families if the girl turns you down.”

Your correspondent paid, after some bargaining, VND500,000 (US$24) to get the reported job at a monthly stipend of VND2,000,000 ($96).

Mai hinted at trouble right away when she warned of their “occasional failures” when offering this service.

The woman went on, as a way of establishing trust in your correspondent, to ask him to sign a document with terms and conditions binding him and the service provider.

She then gave him the schoolgirl’s phone number and her home address, which was nowhere to be found, despite his efforts to search the district for an entire night.

The Tuoi Tre reporter also failed to reach the girl at the provided phone number, while Mai explained that her phone might have run out of battery, and assured that she would call him back the next day.

The ‘consultant’ did not call back or give an explanation until three days later, when your correspondent went to her office.

“The girl’s parents are on a business trip, so I’ll call you when they get back,” she said.

It appears that “the parents” will never come back, as the reporter has not heard from Mai for three weeks.

“This is a trick she often employs to dupe students,” said N.T.Y., a student at the District 5-based Ho Chi Minh City University of Pedagogy, who is herself a victim of the swindle.

Y. revealed that ten of her schoolmates have fallen into the same trap so far.

Tuoi Tre also found out that dozens of students were cheated by another tutor provider at 264 Hoa Hung Street, Ward 13, District 10.

Nguyen Van Thang, a sophomore at Ton Duc Thang University in Binh Thanh, said he gave the company VND470,000 ($22.6) for nothing.

“They had closed down when I went to get my money back,” he protested.

One of his friends fell prey to the same provider, Thang added.

“They repeatedly delayed refunding our money after failing to find us a job,” Nguyen Thi Huyen, a student at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Pedagogy, said.

Students from many other schools, including the Ho Chi Minh City Medicine and Pharmacy University and the Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry, have also been conned by the provider.

Similar swindling is common in Thu Duc District, where there is huge demand for part-time jobs among students.

TUOI TRE



Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.

No comments:

Post a Comment