Hello Louis,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your honest feedback. We truly appreciate it, and we take all reviews seriously to improve our services.
Here is our response to your concerns:
Regarding your accommodation: During your interview, we informed you that you would be staying in an apartment with three other students, which is what happened. We did not state that you would have a private bedroom. It's written also in the contract. The apartment had three rooms, as you said, as well as a 150-square-meter balcony. If there was any misunderstanding, please let us know. As for the €100 deposit, all deposits have been returned this year, and STSicily covered all damages. We apologize for the Wi-Fi and water issues at the beginning of your stay; we did our best to resolve them as quickly as possible. Additionally, to make up for the inconvenience, we, along with the landlord, offered an aperitif with pizza and drinks at a restaurant. Were you able to attend? If not, may we ask why?
Activities and workshops: The activities and workshops you mentioned were not included in your contract. Should we verify the contract again? It’s also worth noting that we gave you the opportunity to participate in some workshops that were not part of the original agreement, which we hope added value to your experience.
Regarding the company: Three days after your arrival, you raised concerns about the company placement. However, no other students raised the same concern about the distance. The commute was way less than 1.5 hours, and we immediately offered to change your placement, but both you and your parents decided to stay with the original company in Palermo, instead of Balestrate. Are we wrong? We checked in with you multiple times to ensure the tasks aligned with your studies, and at no point did we receive negative feedback. We encourage open communication throughout the internship, so if there were any issues, we would have preferred to address them during your stay.
Conduct and rules: The head of STSicily reached out to you because we had received complaints from your roommates regarding shared responsibilities, such as taking out the trash and cleaning. Multiple times. This wasn’t the first time we had reminded you about maintaining the cleanliness of the apartment. Unfortunately, you left the house with 15 garbage bags or so on the balcony, and we have photos to verify this. We kindly ask that all participants respect the shared living space and follow the house rules.
Communication: According to our records, your tutor, Andrea, consistently responded to your emails and WhatsApp messages throughout the internship.
Finally, we want to clarify that at no point did we state that your review would be considered fake or removed. We welcome all feedback, as it helps us improve the experience for future students.
Thank you again for your review, and we wish you all the best moving forward.
Best regards,
The STSicily Team