[WG: Accessibility] [apereo-info] complaining letter for Apereo & Sakia branch in Mexico

[Ian Dolphin (apereo)]

Dear Cristina

Please be assured that I take this issue very seriously and will investigate immediately. I will respond to you more fully as soon as possible.

Regards

Ian

--
Ian Dolphin
Executive Director, Apereo Foundation

ian.dolphin at apereo.org


On 15 Oct 2014, at 05:05, Cristina Bojorquez <bojorquez.cristina at gmail.com> wrote:

> October 14th 2014
>  
> Apereo and Sakai foundation
> To whom it may concern,
>  
> My name is Cristina Bojórquez and I’m taking the liberty of addressing you after deep contemplation regarding a serious matter on which the credibility of Apereo and Sakai organization in Mexico is coming to question. I thank you in advanced for taking some minutes of your valuable time to read this letter.
> I am a professional simultaneous interpreter. A colleague and I were hired to cover the last Apereo Mexico meeting that took place on May 12th, 13th and 14th: in the Autonomous University of Morelos http://edured.mx/apereomexico14/congreso.html.  Since the event involved the simultaneous interpreting of several talks throughout three days, the need of two interpreters was unquestionable. Due to very unexpected and unfavorable circumstances of hiring (since the initial interpreter did not show to the event), I was almost forced by Ursula Bernal (one of the organizers of the event) to accept this job in the last minute on May 12th in order to help the organizers to keep the translation of the event. Because the emergency of the situation, we only made a verbal agreement previous to start the work by a payment of 11,000.00 pesos (833.00 dollars) for me and my colleague in order to cover the full event. This is a fare tariff for such professional service in Mexico. Despite this agreement, the organizers of this event Ursula, Bruno, Jorge Luis and Marco Antonio Bernal never paid for our professional services until now. You will find enclosed to this email, the certificate of my participation as the interpreter of the meeting plus a selected number of e-mails proving the denials of my payment from the organizers since then.
>  
> I should make clear that I accepted this job and in a very unsecure circumstance of hiring for me because (as you can observed in my enclosed curriculum vitae) I have a long history of pro bono and contract collaborations with the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the Mexican Society of Astrobiology (SOMA). So that when the organizers introduced themselves as part of Apereo, Sakai and UNAM, I accepted with confidence given my previous work experience with people from UNAM, and based on the reliability and honorability of people involve in improvement of education as I think your institution achieves to contribute in Mexico.
>  
> However, almost five months later I haven’t received the agreed payment. I’ve even had to pay the fees of my colleague interpreter that worked with me from my own pocket. This situation has caused me innumerable inconveniences I am not listing in this letter. I am just going to say that the treatment I’ve received from these organizers has been disrespectful, untidy and otherwise rude. They keep telling me they are expecting a payment that for a number of reasons hasn’t come through, we have agreed several payment plans they have never complied. Last month we scheduled an appointment in which they were supposed to liquidate the debt, I waited in vain for one hour and a half and nobody showed up.
>  
> Hence I am writing this letter because the situation is that I have lost all communication with the Bernals. It has always been extremely difficult to reach them, but more recently it has become virtually impossible since they are simply not answering any of my calls or messages. I have to say that the impression I’m getting out of this is that they are using the name of Apereo and Sakai to deceive people and commit fraud. Therefore, I think you deserve to know the kind of people representing your foundation in Mexico. In case you have a commission of honor and justice, you will decide what to do since the names of Apereo and Sakai are directly involved in this matter. I do hope that through your acknowledge I could have some kind of help to recover the money that the organizers still owe me from this event, or at least I would like to have some response regarding the responsibility of Apereo and Sakai organization about this issue before I start any legal action with respect to this matter inside and outside of the corresponding academic institutions.
>  
> I’m sending a copy of this letter to Ursula, Bruno, Jorge Luis and Marco Bernal, expecting they have enough civic conscience to acknowledge that I am telling the truth and not making up stories.
>  
> I deeply appreciate the time you kindly gave me in reading this letter and over your prompt response. I tried to be as brief and concise as I could. Please, do not hesitate to contact me for any question or additional information you may need regarding this letter. I will be out of the country for the next three weeks, but you can contact me through this e-mail or call to the phone numbers below after November 4th.
>  
> Yours sincerely,
>  
>  
>  
> Cristina Bojórquez 
>  
> 
> bojorquez.cristina at gmail.com
> 
> Home (52) 777 313 59 83
> 
> Mobile (52) 777 217 67 69
> 
> 
>  
> 
> <C_v EnglishCristinaBojorquez.doc><correosApereo.docx><APEREO CERTIFICATE.jpg>