Parents question study abroad offers

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) -- Many parents are wondering whether letters offering their kids the chance to study abroad are the real deal.

Call 12 for Action received numerous calls about the study abroad offers from the Student Ambassador Program.

Suzanne Mosley, a North Providence fourth grader, got a letter in the mail inviting her to travel to England and France next summer. However, her mother was curious how Suzanne was selected.

She was not alone. Call 12 for Action learned the Better Business Bureau received more than 1,300 inquiries about the Student Ambassador Program in the last 30 days.

Call 12 for Action contacted the company located in Spokane, Washington about their selection process. A company spokesperson said some children are nominated by their teachers, but most are randomly selected from lists for which the company pays. Those lists come from organizations such as youth soccer associations, the Boy Scouts, and the AAU.

The Better Business Bureau gives the Student Ambassador Program a B+, mostly due to a government action against the company in 2010. The Iowa Attorney General considered the company's advertising to be "misleading," and asked the company to refrain from stating or implying in its letters "that people are selected based on any form of special recognition."

The company says it has complied.

The Better Business Bureau also says that the company's rating was raised for how well it handles customer complaints, and how quickly it resolves them.