Denver Italian Institute Charge: Refund, BBB Rating, and Recourse

The Italian Institute, a Denver business owned by Maria Chiacchio that sells Italian language classes, travel planning, and dual-citizenship help, drew a public complaint in June 2019 when Denver7’s Contact7 team reported that a Parker customer had paid $1,000 for citizenship assistance and never heard back. At the time, the Better Business Bureau had given the company an “F” rating based on multiple consumer complaints.¹

What the Customer Said Happened

Gretchen Mann, of Parker, Colorado, told Denver7 she paid the Italian Institute $1,000 to help with her husband’s Italian citizenship application. The company confirmed receipt of her payment by email and promised an update on the file within four days, she said. She never heard from them again.¹

When Contact7 visited the Institute’s Denver office, an employee said Chiacchio was “out of the country.” The company’s website had been taken down around the same time, and phone calls went to voicemail.¹

How the Owner Responded

Chiacchio denied the business was a scam. She called the situation with Mann a “misunderstanding” caused by “a perfect storm of communication breakdowns,” pointing to an office relocation, internet outages, and phone service disruptions. She also cited unspecified problems with Mann’s paperwork as a reason for the delays.²

Chiacchio said she had put a new policy in place requiring all calls and emails to be returned within 24 hours, and she apologized for the incident. “Our clients are our family,” she said. “We’ve been in business for eleven years. We’re a very solid business and have a wonderful clientele.” She told Denver7 her team of six had handled more than 300 citizenship requests, with roughly 100 more in progress.²

Mann was not persuaded. “Neither Ms. Chiacchio nor I misunderstood anything,” she said in a statement to Denver7. “I sincerely hope that after the airing of your report, Ms. Chiacchio will no longer maintain business practices which are at best incompetent and at worst unethical.”²

Better Business Bureau Rating

When Contact7 first reported the story, the BBB had rated the Italian Institute “F” based on multiple consumer complaints. Ezra Coopersmith of the BBB confirmed there were “definitely some concerns” about the business.¹ After the broadcast and Chiacchio’s outreach to the bureau, the “F” rating was removed, though as of June 2019 the BBB described the Institute’s file as “still a work in progress.”²

How the Customer Got Her Money Back

Mann recovered her $1,000 through a chargeback with her credit card company. She hired a different firm to handle her husband’s citizenship application.² If you paid by credit card for a service that was never delivered, your card issuer’s dispute process is usually the fastest route to a refund.

Other Recourse in Colorado

If a chargeback isn’t available or doesn’t resolve things, Colorado offers a few more options.

The Colorado Attorney General’s Office accepts consumer complaints at stopfraudcolorado.gov, covering issues like incorrect billing, refund disputes, false advertising, and deceptive business practices.³ The office also runs a Consumer Mediation Program that tries to resolve disputes through informal negotiation between the consumer and the business.⁴

For disputes under $7,500, Colorado small claims court is an option for recovering money or enforcing a contract. The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) also maintains licensing and disciplinary records you can check before paying a business.⁴

1
Denver7. Parker Woman Says Italian Institute Took Her for a Ride
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Denver7. Owner of Denver’s Italian Institute Denies Scam Allegations Made by Parker Woman
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Colorado Attorney General. Protecting Consumers
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Colorado Attorney General. File a Complaint