Cambridge Nanny Group

As the other reviewers have said, I would give Cambridge Nanny Group ZERO STARS!!! This is honestly the most poorly run business I have ever come across.
We hired a nanny through Cambridge that was personally recommended by the owner as «wonderful both personally and professionally» and she turned out to be total opposite. Four months into the employment we had to terminate the relationship. Cambridge offered to replace our nanny but would not offer a refund of our (very expensive) fee. Given the first experience we had with them we were reluctant to trust their recommendations so a replacement was not an option. Providing refunds is the industry standard and almost ALL other agencies stand behind their business and offer refunds. For us it seems Cambridge didn’t care about anything other than collecting the initial $ 2500 fee.
After our nanny was terminated I was contacted by the owner to share results of a personality test/​new screening process they started using after our nanny was terminated. For some reason they had our former nanny take this test and she scored so LOW that based on the test she was basically unemployable — scoring especially low in honesty and integrity. Somehow she made it through Carmbridge’s screening process. To be clear, they were not using this testing when we hired our nanny but I think this speaks volumes to their ability to screen applicants.
Like some of the other reviewers I was contacted by the owner after much discussion about our terrible experience and terrible nanny. She offered me a full refund but that was over 6 weeks ago. I have tried to contact her multiple times to follow up on the status of our refund but she is no longer responding to me. Again, like others say not only does Cambridge not provide the service they advertise but they are dishonest and unethical.
Frustrating, stressful and just AWFUL don’t even describe my our experience with Cambridge. Use another nanny agency that stands behind their service or for that matter just use one that operates an honest business.

ZERO STARS! I had the most negative customer experience of my life with this company. The nanny they placed with us was not working out, so we requested new candidates (part of the «guarantee» they tout). They ignored us and did not send any other candidates, forcing us to go elsewhere (Northshore Nannies, who were great). To make matters worse, despite their «guarantee,» when I asked for a refund of their hefty $ 2500 fee, the owner first rejected the possibility out of hand. After much negotiation, she agreed to pay and I agreed to accept 50% ($ 1250) as a refund for their failure to fulfill the services they «guaranteed.» That promise was made months ago, and I haven’t received a penny. The owner stonewalled me and apparently now has gone back on our agreement. So on top of terrible customer service, there is no honest dealing here. Words cannot describe the extreme frustration it has been dealing with this disappointing company.

In the Fall of 2012 I was frantically searching for a nanny before starting a new job. My need was unique as I was searching for a temporary full-​time nanny and then after a few months would need to change to a part-​time nanny for the long-​term. I spun my wheels trying to do the search myself, and finally decided to hire a nanny agency since I needed to find someone quickly. When I first spoke with Ingrid, the owner of Cambridge, she indicated that good part-​time nannies are hard to find, but made me feel like her team could fill my need. I hired her on a retainer basis and my stress level decreased immensely once I felt like I had someone on my side to help me. That lasted for about a day. Every time Ingrid promised to send me candidate to review or get back to me on anything, she missed the deadlines she set for herself. I had to keep prodding her to send me additional candidates. She was able to help me hire a temporary nanny quickly, but I indicated to her that I was not 100% satisfied with that person and was very interested in talking to more candidates for the long term. It took a month for her to arrange an interview with someone who I would consider for the long term position.
Moreover, I never felt like Ingrid had a clear picture of what I wanted in a nanny, which meant that the majority of candidates she presented to me were not at all a fit. She knew the basic requirements (hours of the position, valid drivers license, experience taking care of 2+ children), but she never tried to get an understanding of the qualities our family needed in a nanny for it to be a good fit. When I confronted her on this issue, she dismissed those as «soft skills» that were not very important. While she will tell you in the beginning of your search that selecting a nanny is a very personal decision, she really did not seem to grasp that personality is a huge factor in the nanny search process.
I will say as a positive that the video interviews offered by Cambridge are great. They upload short videos to a web portal so you get a much better understanding of each candidate before deciding to meet them in person. I did, however, always have to ask for the candidate’s resumes since the portal does not contain detailed information about their experience.
Ultimately I identified a permanent nanny through my personal network. Ingrid offered to give me a refund of the placement fee since I was so dissatisfied with their service. I was told in writing that I would receive that refund by December 3, but as of February 1 I have not yet received it, despite multiple follow up requests. I have followed up again this morning and was promised a return call shortly; hopefully that will not be another disappointment.
I am sure that there are people who have found good nannies through this agency, but my experience was that they were unreliable and did not deliver on the expectations that were set. I do not recommend working with Cambridge Nanny Group, especially if you have unique needs or are in a hurry to hire a nanny.