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I was going to adopt baby Elizabeth from Guatemala nearly 2 years ago. I would be a single, older mom, and was ready in every way to adopt. I was months away from going to get Elizabeth, having gone through all of the necessary and extensive paperwork. The agency continuously told me they could not send new photos at the beginning of the month as promised, and I only had one photo of her from the internet. I am a physical therapist, and was concerned about the baby's development, and of course wanted more photos or a video. The deadline was up for my sending the bulk of costs for the adoption, and I was assured that if the baby was delayed, my money would be refunded. I sent my money on time, and weeks later received a batch of photos, then another batch 2 weeks later. I was convinced that Elizabeth was not developing normally, and the agency then sent me a video of her, which I shared with collegues, who concurred that her development was not normal. The agency doctor did not agree. I stopped the adoption because of this, because of being 50 years old and a cancer survivor, and not wanting to take on a special needs child. The agency refuses to reimburse any money, over $15,000, unless Elizabeth is adopted, and then agreed to a partial refund. At this point, they have told me that they are no longer associating with the lawyer who handles Elizabeth's case, and cannot do anything more.
Does anyone have any advice or has anyone had any such experience with this? I would appreciate any help on this.
Blessings to your families!
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Sorry, I'm not sure as to what to advise. Perhaps you might like to post this on the international adoption forum [URL="http://forums.adoption.com/international-adoption/"]http://forums.adoption.com/international-adoption/[/URL] since it seems to have a lot of adoptive families and people who are about to adopt - perhaps they'll be able to provide more up-to-date info.
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It will really depend on what your contract states. I know with our contract once your referral is accepted there was no refunds for anything should something go wrong, and only another referral should you lose your's. There have been several families on the Guatemala boards that have had this issue, and you are correct, they were issued a partial refund after completion. I would imagine your contract addresses this and you will be bound to it. Sorry for your situation and hope things work out.
Oh, my goodness what a cute boy you have! So lucky!
You're right, the contract does not do much for me, but the real problem is that photos were not provided in a timely manner, and now the disagreement is about whether Elizabeth is developing normally. If it is true that she is delayed, as it seems, I am entitled to a refund, or a choice for another child, but since the agency insists she is ok, I am not going to get either. They did tell me that when she is adopted, they would reimburse me a portion, 11,300.00 to be exact. BUT, now they are telling me that they are no longer associating with the lawyer handling this child, so they will not know when or if she is adopted. This is the problem.
Thanks for writing. If anything comes to you, please let me know.
Fran
Thank you for the compliment. I am so sorry you are going through this. If I were you I would contact an attorney for a consultation and take your contract in. I'd be guessing, but most agencies seem to be able to protect themselves with this type of situation. It is so unfortunate. If your contract states they have to provide photo's, med reports, on a regular basis you may have them, but I would be surprised if they state this in the contract. If you go to my son's blog, under blogs I follow, there are 2 families I know that have went through this. Both had no recourse and completed their adoptions.
Wishing you the best and hope you find a solution.
Fran- I adopted from Guatemala in 07. At this point I would say that if you started this adoption 2 years ago, this child has delays because she has been in an orphanage for that long (there are no more foster homes). I know how frustrating this may be, you set out to have an infant and she is a toddler who has been stuck in the system. But, I have quite a few friends who went to get their 2 yr olds and they are just fine :) She is your daughter at this point no matter what age.I am sure you know, Guatemalan adoption have stopped for quite a while. No one can adopt a child that was not grandfathered in. WHich means for you, that this girl Elizabeth will not be adopted. You will lose the money and she will not have a home :(Or, you can complete this adoption and take a chance. I bet with love and a real family (and mommy) she will be the love of your life! :)
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Thanks for your thoughts, but I had to relinquish my adoption process and no longer have the ability to adopt Elizabeth. The agency is no longer affiliated with the lawyer and tells me they have no way of knowing what is happening with her, if she is adopted or not. It is no longer my choice. The only thing they told me was that once she is adopted I would be paid a partial refund, but this was 1 1/2 years ago and now they tell me they no longer have her in their agency, so it is over, with no chance of anything more.
It's really very sad, for the baby and for me.
Thanks though,
F