Consultancy - I went for a job abroad interview
2 months ago
Hello,
I went for a job abroad interview which happened in a consultancy and after getting selected, the consultancy asked for 1 month salary of my future company which was 6000 AED, approximately 1.5L which I paid.
I paid then as I thought I can payout myself from current company as my notice period was 90 days. But my current company denied my payout request.
I explained my situation and moreover my wife is pregnant with twins and recently doctor said we can expect delivery in May, so I told the company my situation and the consultancy is not providing me any refund, not even a partial refund.
No Visa process has started, they haven't spent anything for me, all they did was arrange first round of interview with the abroad company. The second and third round was online and I did it from home.
It was not just me but also other candidates who did attend the interview. I explained my situation and asked refund atleast by cutting 20-30%. But now they are denying full refund.
I have the online payment receipt in the company name and my credit card statement with the company name, I haven't signed anything. I have WhatsApp chats as proof and nothing else. They haven't invested anything for me and then denying refund for no reason.
What can be done in this case?
Please advise, 1.5L is a huge amount.
Based on the details provided in your query, it appears that you have encountered a fraudulent job agency, and unfortunately, this occurred abroad. The mistake was made in making upfront payments to the placement agency without verifying its background or obtaining confirmation from the prospective employer. Given the absence of a buyback policy or notice period, your current company's refusal to accommodate your request is justifiable. The likelihood of obtaining a refund from the fraudulent placement agency seems remote and impractical, especially through litigation. Pursuing legal action may incur significant costs, potentially surpassing the claim amount, and involve additional consequences and harassment.
From the contents of the query it appears that you encountered a fraudster job agency and that unfortunately happened abroad. In the absence of any confirmation from the side of your prospective employer, you made the blunder of making the payment upfront to the placement agency without even verifying the background of that entity. In the absence of a buyback policy of notice period, refusal of your request by the current Company stands on the right footing. In the given scenario, the chance of a refund of your payment from that fraud placement agency appears to be almost remote and not feasible at all even through litigation, the cost of which may be much more than your claim apart from other consequences and harassment involved in the litigation. You may consult with a Solicitors firm having their branch at abroad for guidance and steps.