I'm happy to be back with another story of Tefl crime and corruption, this time from one of our European neighbours. Please keep these stories coming in, dear Tefl spooks, as we need to do out best to protect ourselves from these swindlers, villains, and charlatans!
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Bruno Merenna is the prime representative of a country. That sentence also works without the final syllable.
Wanna make a wad of cash at other people’s expense? Bruno, his Daddy Giuseppe Merenna and partner-in-crime (literally) Quirino Caparelli stole a bunch of English materials and founded Worldwide School (Via Salaria 225, Roma). No need to pay the teachers – most of them will be back in the homeland soon, plus Italy’s the most notoriously corrupt country this side of the Third World. And when the injunctions start pouring in, what do you do? Close down and say you never heard of anyone.
Yes, the Merennas have shifted everything to Redford ‘Educational’ Center (Viale Regina Margherita, Roma, tel. 0039-06-0696039211) while Caparelli has a brand new cowboy outfit Michigan Center (Viale Casalina 1769, tel. 0039-06-45541110). Phone Caparelli and he’ll tell you to go to Bruno. Go to Bruno and he’ll deny knowing you, physically assault you and report you to the police for trespassing.
Thank you and God bless.
More info on these shysters and scammers here:
Like many English people in Italy I am struggling to survive in the face of spiralling prices (not salaries of course) and irregular work. Last year I worked for a school 'WorldWide' which never paid me correctly:
The first month's pay arrived 30 days late as I was about to leave for my holiday in England and 'the boss was unavailable' so they made me wait then finally give up and spend my holiday unpaid. On returning I telephoned - no answer - I telephoned the next day - they said come in TOMORROW - then they gave me a cheque (50 Euros too low) to be cashed THE FOLLOWING DAY.
The second month's pay arrived ten days late and 75 Euros too low. The third month (September) I earned 1,900 Euros to be paid on 10 October. I received 1,000 Euros on 25 October and was told the rest would 'arrive shortly'. So I resigned at the end of the month - with September's outstanding pay (900 Euro) plus October's (1200 Euro) unpaid. On 10 November I met Giuseppe Merenna, the CEO of the company in charge ('Project and Consulting Company'), and his son Bruno. Giuseppe said he was fed up with my 'whinging' and I could go on chasing him and he could go on avoiding me - OR he'd make me an offer. Not much of a choice. The offer was a cheque post-dated to 24 November for the 900 Euro; then October's 1200 Euro to follow in 2 instalments (23.12.10, 23.1.11). Clearly I had to accept.
When 24 November arrived I patiently went to the bank to cash the cheque, and to my disgust discovered it was not covered by funds! In a rage I burst into the school and as they saw I was beside myself they paid it in cash from the safe. The remaining two instalments have not arrived and clearly never will. I telephoned Giuseppe and he made excuses; I went to the school where they ignored me, then derided me, and finally said the money would be transferred to my bank account. Of course it wasn't.
Giuseppe has not responded to a letter from my lawyer nor even a judge's injunction - and as he has closed 'Project and Consulting Company' they have nowhere to send the bailiffs. Meanwhile, the school has changed its name (now Redford Center) and when I civilly approached Bruno to enquire his plans, he (a) denied knowing me, (b) threatened to attack me physically, and (c) called the police, telling them I was creating trouble.
The Redford secretary told me to ask for payment from another WorldWide boss, a Quirino Caparelli, who has now founded another school (Michigan): he told me to ask for payment from Redford! When I told him I was prepared to continue legal action, he said, 'Do what the hell you like, I don't care.'
Searching the Internet these people have a long history of fraud and NO ONE STOPS THEM.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQTQakFxDGQ,
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=137719399604830,
http://www.ciao.it/Opinionisulprodotto/WORD_WIDE_SCHOOL__2498967...
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There should be more to follow on this one soon. Watch this space!
6 comments:
I would say that a majority of EFL schools in Italy are run this way.
They have little concern for scruples, and see the teachers like apples on a tree - to be plucked, consumed, and then discarded.
How UNLIKE the architrave of MAgnifiCENCE that resides close to HOME
BEHOLD and despaIR
If these are the guys that I think they are (they operated under a different name when I knew them), they are not reluctant to use physical force if the need arises.
As the old saying goes, "a smack in the mouth often offends", and this bunch were not shy of offending people when I worked for them!
YOU sail under many ALIASES and EngLANd always expects DOES it NOt??
You are SUBSTANTIAlly deraNGEd..
HER MajesTY in the gilded CHAMBER cd out wit YOU
Summer SKOOL waiting!!
They're cookie runts, all right.
I got ripped off by him too in 2010. The the same exact thing happened to me but luckily I was a able to get most of the money back but it was ridiculous to beg for scraps. I reported to him to the Financial Police and nothing happened because by only having a small stake in the business he is able to dump the responsibility on Bruno. Then they just blame each other and play good cop bad cop.Ive been in Italy for 16 years and know how to deal with Italians and even I got screwed. Italian law is only interested in doing a blitz here and there to make a good tv news story but TEFL teachers are definitely are not up on the list of priorities unfortunately. I would like to return to the states but the situation is not good there either.
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