Our son died in our hotel room in Perm, Russia on 11/25/99. We were given the option of a $9,500 refund if we signed a gag clause.
At the same time our son died, we were waiting for our son from Bulgaria. BBAS was more than hurtful to us during his wait. They attempted to isolate us from other clients.
We have highlighted our experiences and those of others in our website. We go into details of how this agency was formed, the background of its personnel and the abhorrent regulatory envirnment surrounding international adoption.
One would be wise to give your hard earned money to the likes of the people running this agency.
Could NOT be much worse when it comes to honesty. BBAS lied to my family while raking in the cash. Without giving away too many details about our case (for fear of Denise and what she might do ... That alone should speak volumes) I will say that BBAS was terrible in every way they possibly could've been. She would tell me that she was "looking into something" and I would never hear back from her. When I questioned her about misguided timelines she would tell me to "have faith in her" and that everything would work out. I would bet that a lot of these "BBAS was wonderful" comments came from the troll herself. Very, very unethical practices and nightmare situations in Guat. that will never be exposed because those referrals were "lost." Beware! I would hope that anyone who looks at these comments would have the sense to realize that though there are a lot of positive comments here, the negative ones should be enough to keep you away. Don't let your family get caught in the same trap we did!
I would NOT recommend this agency. The staff were wonderful at first and always there to answer questions AT FIRST. When our case was going smoothly, they were wonderful.
BUT when things in our case became complicated the staff turned from night and day on us.
The communication became a huge problem when we needed them the most. They were not there for us and we have never felt more alone when we needed them the most.
I believe if you case goes smoothly they are great. BUT if something should go wrong, even if it in not the fault of Building Blocks-the way they handle your case after or during a problem is far below standards one should expect from an agency.
I wish I could go into more details but because of the gag clause they have you sign you are not allowed to post your negative experiences with them or they will sue you for a huge dollar amount each day your experience is up. This is outlined specifically in your contract.
What happened to us is not country specific or case specific because it was how they handled the problem, that was the problem.
As Dr. Phil says, Those who have nothing to hide, hide nothing.
As an adoptive mother I beg, please be careful! No one should have to go through what we did.
A gentle reminder: Denise didn't sell cars. She used to work as a Police Dispatcher, a typist at a hospital (Medina Memorial) and ran her own OFFICE CLEANING BUSINESS (Mom's Office Cleaning).
We have a full account of her past "business" activities.
If you're ever in the mood, send us your story. We'd be happy to post it on our site.
Denise can't shut us up - and that's got to hurt. Oh well. Even Satan gets her commupance sometimes.
Wow, the positive reviews on here read exactly like the testimonials on their website...wonder why that is?
I agree that the in country staff in Guatemala and the attorney in Guatemala that handled our case were phenomenal. I also agree that we got regular photos of our child while we waited. I also agree that at the end of the day we have a wonderful child whom we love dearly.
HOWEVER, we were very displeased with the "services" we received from Denise and Kelly. Denise because she has lied to us and countless other families that I am in close contact with. She has lost all concept of what the truth really is. I know of things she covered up for months that would make one's skin crawl. Kelly because she was completely incompetent and exuded an I really don't care attitude. Getting them to follow up on anything they are looking into for you is a major endeavor. I truly feel like Denise is solely in this for the money. This is something I do not say lightly.
I am embarrassed to tell others we worked with them, and we will not do so for future adoptions.
We are just very fortunate that we worked with their good, ethical attorney as compared to the baby brokers they had working with some of my friends.
She is a liar, shows no compassion and instills fear in PAPS. She trols the adoption related boards tosing praises about herself and then she will hold any negative comments against who ever posts them. She also poses as a PAP on several boards in order to gain friendship and information from other clients of Building Blocks. Once she gets this information she will threaten the PAPs and basically hold their baby hostage so they have no choice by to comply and be nice to her.
There is a reserved section of Hell with Denise's name on it. The damage she does is unforgivable. She has no regard for anyone but herself.
Be afraid be VERY afraid~ Denise will take your money and lie to you. A woman like Denise has no business having anything to do with people , families or adoption. She better stick with selling used cars because all she is a baby seller. Knowing what I know now I would NEVER suggest anyone going to her or Building Blocks.
Oh and any positve praises posted here are no doubt posted by Denise herself.
Stay as far away from Building Blocks and Denise as you can. There is ababy out there for you believe me and God will see to it that that baby finds you WITHOUT Denise. There are plenty of great agencies out there and Building Blocks is not one of them.
If you know for 100% that your adoption is going to go smooth from beginning to end then they would be a good agency to use. That was not the case for me. Did our child come home, YES but I feel like I paid them for nothing. Our son came home 6 months ago, he would have been home 10 months ago if Denise would not have lied to us. I was so frustrated with how long every step of the adoption was taking so I decided to do a little investigating. I found out that they were lying to me for three months. My child could have been home sooner if they would have been on the ball. When I questioned Denise about what I found out she said, " let me look into it and get back to you. Well they never do. When you question them about it again she would get very nasty with you. The only person that I could rely on was the in country staff Stephanie. I really do not think that BBAS could keep the Guatemala Program up and running without her.
I have two good thing to say about BBAS, they always made sure that you got update pictures of your child every month and when we traveled to Guatemala there was someone with us when we needed them.
This is just my experience with them and I really hope that if anyone else is using or are planning on using them I hope you do not experience the same thing as we did. LIES about very important steps of our process.
The staff and lawyer in Guatemala were excellent. We could not be happier with them.
The US office, however, we found to be terribly frustrating and disrespectful.
As long as our case fell within the normal parameters of how things were supposed to go, they were fine. But when our baby, and case, began having additional problems communication was poor, important health information was not disclosed in a timely manner and we were overall quite displeased. It's when a problem develops or a case gets stuck that you need the most help.... not unmet promises.
Staff was great AT FIRST. We ran into a problem with our dossier and everything went south. They lied to us about the experience that they had with a specific part of our dossier and then made promises they couldn't keep. Eventually they told us to handle our dossier problems because they didn't know how to fix it. We switched agencies because we would rather of lost the money than finished an adoption with them.
We don't have complaints......But we really don't feel that we have anything to rave about either. The only time we have been contacted since our daughter has been home is for post placements. We would have thought that this agency would have contacted us a few days after we got home from Guatemala to make sure all was going well.
We have had our daughter now for a little over a year. She is doing wonderfully and is the apple of our eye!!
How can I possibly sum up the good in Building Blocks Adoption Services Inc. (BBAS) here? BBAS has facilitated three separate adoptions for over a nearly ten year period. We are very familiar with this terrific organization. Every member of their extraordinary staff is courteous, kind and thorough. They, individually and as a whole, are efficient, resourceful and genuinely eager to help people complete their families. The staff at BBAS realizes how intricate and arduous a process adoption is and strives to ease the burden. Their expertise is evident throughout the entire process. Our first attempt at adoption was with another agency. That agency made numerous errors and then actually dropped the program we were in right in the middle of our adoption. In disbelief and out thousands of dollars we cold called BBAS. Denise stepped in, collected the pieces, and salvaged our adoption.
Tragically the baby girl we were adopting was discovered to have devastating and ultimately fatal brain damage from a stroke she had suffered in utero. She seemed prefect but she was failing to develop. Neurologists at CHOP studied her case and advised us not to bring her to the U.S. stating the medical community would be forced to perform procedures that would only prolong an agonizing life. Devastated with us neither BBAS nor we could simply walk away from this baby. BBAS ensured for all four years of our little angles life she was loved, nourished and cared for by a wonderful in-country foster mom. They further ensured that when in country for our next adoption my wife was able to hold and spend some time with her. Please trust me when I say BBAS absolutely has the very best interest of every child everywhere in the world at heart. They have since completed two more adoptions for us and two for our dear friends that we referred. I cannot possibly say enough about this wonderful Christ centered organization.
My husband and I adopted from Ukraine in 2009 and have an amazing little girl! Throughout the entire adoption process BBAS was there to answer any question we had and was very quick to respond. The coordinator in Ukraine is the best in the country and is so dedicated to the work he does. Any times that we had issues or concerns they were addressed professionally, quickly and all of our needs were met by this agency. The social workers there and Denise have continued to be available to us post adoption for any questions or resources we might need.
We have chosen to use this agency once again for a domestic adoption. Everyone has been a pleasure to work with and they have guided us through this process. The lawyer they have suggested for us is extremely knowledgable regarding adoption and we have no doubts that BBAS is in the adoption business for the right reasons and not for the money as some people have said.
It is amazing that many of you have stated that Denise will write her own reviews. If you scroll through the reviews the only five star ratings below were all written on the same day about the same time. Kind of suspicious since the rest of the reviews are complaints and on various days. BEWARE.
Denise writes her own positive reviews on Building Blocks. She trolls all adoption boards in order to boast and brag about how great her agency is. Rest assured if there is a positive post about Building Blocks, Denise has posed as an AP and wrote it herself. It won't be the first time Denise has done this. Like another poster said, she should have stuck to selling cars, not babies.
I really do not appreciate you calling the coordinator in Ukraine a "child pimp". You have no idea the effort, time and care he puts into his work and how much he really cares for the children there. You are very bold to call names and judge someone whom you have never even met.
I am very familiar with your website and have read about your experiences with BBAS. However, I still do not know what it feels like to have a child die and I was not there, so I cannot judge you or the things you say regarding the agency's response to you. Though you will surely never be able to comepletely move past it, my hope and prayer for you is that you can find it in your heart to forgive the agency and those people you feel have harmed you. It seems to me that it would be a horrible life to live constantly walking around still with so much anger, resentment and hatred in your heart for others. I'm very sorry that you have been through so much and can't imagine how you feel. I hope that you can eventually stop spending so much time and effort focused on what has happened, how you have been wronged and can find it in your heart to forgive.
We used Building Blocks and had a good experience. Kelly was an absolute dream to work with. The staff in Guatemala, Stephanie & Veronica, were super.
About Denise.......hmm, this is a little tricky. I would agree with the comments she is a witch. If you have any questions or need anything out of the ordinary her attitude is total shit. She is rude when you ask a question. She gives the impression of "send me the $$ and do not dare ask any questions or cop an attitude." She is difficult, as best.
Kelly, Steph & Veronica more than made up for all the bad experiences with Denise.
Very knowledgeable staff, both U.S. and abroad...families receive photo updates on a regular basis and staff answers all questions promptly...many of the children live in a foster family setting instead of an "institution"...staff very helpful when traveling to adoptive country. The only low or "1" rating is a general opinion about the fees charged by the vast majority of international adoption agencies...NOT just Building Blocks...it is very, very difficult to believe that governments and "businesses" are really prioritizing children with the mind-blowing cost of international adoption, when a lot of that money could be used to help care for and educate them once they came "home". This agency's administrative and billing staff are also very approachable and helpful when needing clerical/billing questions answered.
I highly recommend Building Blocks. The agency's reps are available at any time during the process to answer your questions, even on weekends. No matter how "small" I thought my question might sound, they were always ready and willing to help. I felt well informed throughout the entire adoption, and everything went so smoothly. Everyone I came in contact with at the agency was warm, friendly, and knowledgeable. Adoption can be an intimidating process, but Building Blocks makes sure you never feel alone in it.
BBAS staff were very responsive to our needs. They are professional and genuinely care about each family's adoption experience. We had a flawless experience but did not realize how flawless until we were in Guatemala and met other families who had experiences that required extra fees and time. There were no surprise fees, and no surprise papers, everything was just as BBAS had spelled out in their packet of papers. I would highly recommend BBAS for your adoption experience.
We had a wonderful experience with Building blocks. Kelly and Denise spent lots of time answering our questions and helping us to chose the country that fit our family best. Throughout the process communication was excellent. Denise would check and answer her emails typically in less than 24 hrs. (you could almost set your watch that replies would be around 9pm). We received updates on our referral every 4-6 weeks and were impressed with care our daughter received while in Guatemala. My husband had to travel to Guatemala independently ( I was ironically too pregnant to fly) and the Building Blocks staff in Guatemala were extremely helpful to him. I would highly recommend this agency and would use them again with future adoptions.
Small laid back agency with over 100 Guatemalan adoptions per year. More staff hired this year to help efficiency, For those who thrive on the details, learned most about the process through Guatadopt and Yahoo Groups although any questions asked were answered knowledgeably (sp). Excellent attorney, overseas staff and baby home. Dossier guidebook could use some sprucing up, typos, conflicting requirements. Guatemalan Coordinator more client friendly, "approachable" and professional than Director.
We initially used this agency because close friends of ours had successfully adopted with them, and they had shown themselves to be friendly, reliable and trustworthy. The organization had further improved in it's process and support of adoptive families in our first experience of adoption, and has improved yet further as we are in the process of adopting our second child. As well as giving comprehensive information/application packets, they have made themselves available for consultation throughout the process via phone and email, and on occasion person to person when we have requested it. They have not only sent regular updates on the status of our paperwork overseas, but send pictures of the child every month or so, and periodically, medical/developmental updates. They have also sent pertinent updates on political issues pertaining to adoption. Our agency has dealt with a large number of families by now, but they know us by name. We are more than willing to recommend Building Blocks to others, because we have found them to be genuine advocates, who are truly dedicated to bringing together families in adoption.
We decided to adopt after being told that we could not have any more children. God had already blessed us with a beautiful biological son, and we knew that adopting a little girl would complete our family. I found Building Blocks and am lucky enough to live a couple of miles down the road from the agency. Kelly and Denise were phenomenal--they answered all of my questions (and believe me, there were many), and gave us regular updates, photos, and a video of our daughter. Their professionalism and knowledge of the Guatemalan adoption process is top notch. Not only did they help our family with all of the technical and tedious aspects that come with any foreign adoption, but they truly made us feel as if we were part of their family. And we pretty well have been ever since. I would recommend this agency (and I have on many occasions) to anyone who desires a loving, supportive, efficient, and professional staff.
I have truly been blessed to have had the an agency who was there from the beginning to the end without ever feeling where do I go from here. Building Blocks has always made me feel I was their 1st priority. Still to this day I still pick up the phone just to see how they are doing & up date them on my daughter. I was so pleased with their support and integrity, that my sister & my brother-in-law are now in the process of adopting thru their agency. I truly recommend Building Blocks they are a very dedicated agency who works to make everything possible.
Ethical, honesty and efficiency best describe this agency. This agency takes an active role in the country that we adopted from which allowed for a very thorough adoption , eliminating any surprises. We experienced no roadblocks due to their thoroughness.
Was kept up-to-date with monthly reports and the staff were always quick to respond to any questions we had. Never felt left out of the loop on any issues or concerns.
From the moment we first called Building Blocks to the moment we brought our daughter home we were pleased with them. We always got accurate information regarding our case while it was in process and those updates came every week. We also got medical updates and new pictures of our child every month. It was wonderful!! All of our questions were always answered by agency staff promptly. The staff in Guatemala was equally wonderful. We were taken well care of on both our visit trip and our pick up trip. The care that my daughter had in Guatemala was supurb. She was taken such good care of and adjusted beautifully to us when she came home. Our attorney was equally wonderful and I can't say enough about her. We were able to meet her on a few occasions and she always knew the exact details of our case and had a very genuine love for the children she places. Overall, we were very happy with our process and with Building Blocks. I think it is important to note that communication was a very, very important thing to me during this adoption. When your child is in another country you need and WANT to know what is going on. Communicaton is critical and BBAS will keep you informed as much as they can and will answer all of your questions that they can. If we ever adopt again, we will use this agency again...thank you BBAS for helping make my family complete!
Building Blocks went above and beyond our expectations during the entire adoption process. We highly recommend them to any family looking to adopt a child.
Building Blocks provided us with the necessary with the information and support we needed during both our children's adoptions. We wouldn't even think of using another agency after our excellent experience with the Building Blocks staff.
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Reviews
Our son died in our hotel
Our son died in our hotel room in Perm, Russia on 11/25/99. We were given the option of a $9,500 refund if we signed a gag clause.
At the same time our son died, we were waiting for our son from Bulgaria. BBAS was more than hurtful to us during his wait. They attempted to isolate us from other clients.
We have highlighted our experiences and those of others in our website. We go into details of how this agency was formed, the background of its personnel and the abhorrent regulatory envirnment surrounding international adoption.
One would be wise to give your hard earned money to the likes of the people running this agency.
http://www.bewareofbbas.org
Could NOT be much worse when
Could NOT be much worse when it comes to honesty. BBAS lied to my family while raking in the cash. Without giving away too many details about our case (for fear of Denise and what she might do ... That alone should speak volumes) I will say that BBAS was terrible in every way they possibly could've been. She would tell me that she was "looking into something" and I would never hear back from her. When I questioned her about misguided timelines she would tell me to "have faith in her" and that everything would work out. I would bet that a lot of these "BBAS was wonderful" comments came from the troll herself. Very, very unethical practices and nightmare situations in Guat. that will never be exposed because those referrals were "lost." Beware! I would hope that anyone who looks at these comments would have the sense to realize that though there are a lot of positive comments here, the negative ones should be enough to keep you away. Don't let your family get caught in the same trap we did!
I would NOT recommend this
I would NOT recommend this agency. The staff were wonderful at first and always there to answer questions AT FIRST. When our case was going smoothly, they were wonderful.
BUT when things in our case became complicated the staff turned from night and day on us.
The communication became a huge problem when we needed them the most. They were not there for us and we have never felt more alone when we needed them the most.
I believe if you case goes smoothly they are great. BUT if something should go wrong, even if it in not the fault of Building Blocks-the way they handle your case after or during a problem is far below standards one should expect from an agency.
I wish I could go into more details but because of the gag clause they have you sign you are not allowed to post your negative experiences with them or they will sue you for a huge dollar amount each day your experience is up. This is outlined specifically in your contract.
What happened to us is not country specific or case specific because it was how they handled the problem, that was the problem.
As Dr. Phil says, Those who have nothing to hide, hide nothing.
As an adoptive mother I beg, please be careful! No one should have to go through what we did.
Clarification
Honestly Angry Post-BBAS Adoption Victim:
A gentle reminder: Denise didn't sell cars. She used to work as a Police Dispatcher, a typist at a hospital (Medina Memorial) and ran her own OFFICE CLEANING BUSINESS (Mom's Office Cleaning).
We have a full account of her past "business" activities.
If you're ever in the mood, send us your story. We'd be happy to post it on our site.
Denise can't shut us up - and that's got to hurt. Oh well. Even Satan gets her commupance sometimes.
Wow, the positive reviews on
Wow, the positive reviews on here read exactly like the testimonials on their website...wonder why that is?
I agree that the in country staff in Guatemala and the attorney in Guatemala that handled our case were phenomenal. I also agree that we got regular photos of our child while we waited. I also agree that at the end of the day we have a wonderful child whom we love dearly.
HOWEVER, we were very displeased with the "services" we received from Denise and Kelly. Denise because she has lied to us and countless other families that I am in close contact with. She has lost all concept of what the truth really is. I know of things she covered up for months that would make one's skin crawl. Kelly because she was completely incompetent and exuded an I really don't care attitude. Getting them to follow up on anything they are looking into for you is a major endeavor. I truly feel like Denise is solely in this for the money. This is something I do not say lightly.
I am embarrassed to tell others we worked with them, and we will not do so for future adoptions.
We are just very fortunate that we worked with their good, ethical attorney as compared to the baby brokers they had working with some of my friends.
Denise is the Spawn of Satan~Do NOT Go To Building Blocks
She is a liar, shows no compassion and instills fear in PAPS. She trols the adoption related boards tosing praises about herself and then she will hold any negative comments against who ever posts them. She also poses as a PAP on several boards in order to gain friendship and information from other clients of Building Blocks. Once she gets this information she will threaten the PAPs and basically hold their baby hostage so they have no choice by to comply and be nice to her.
There is a reserved section of Hell with Denise's name on it. The damage she does is unforgivable. She has no regard for anyone but herself.
Be afraid be VERY afraid~ Denise will take your money and lie to you. A woman like Denise has no business having anything to do with people , families or adoption. She better stick with selling used cars because all she is a baby seller. Knowing what I know now I would NEVER suggest anyone going to her or Building Blocks.
Oh and any positve praises posted here are no doubt posted by Denise herself.
Stay as far away from Building Blocks and Denise as you can. There is ababy out there for you believe me and God will see to it that that baby finds you WITHOUT Denise. There are plenty of great agencies out there and Building Blocks is not one of them.
LIKE SOMEONE ELSE SAID "GOOD AT FIRST"
If you know for 100% that your adoption is going to go smooth from beginning to end then they would be a good agency to use. That was not the case for me. Did our child come home, YES but I feel like I paid them for nothing. Our son came home 6 months ago, he would have been home 10 months ago if Denise would not have lied to us. I was so frustrated with how long every step of the adoption was taking so I decided to do a little investigating. I found out that they were lying to me for three months. My child could have been home sooner if they would have been on the ball. When I questioned Denise about what I found out she said, " let me look into it and get back to you. Well they never do. When you question them about it again she would get very nasty with you. The only person that I could rely on was the in country staff Stephanie. I really do not think that BBAS could keep the Guatemala Program up and running without her.
I have two good thing to say about BBAS, they always made sure that you got update pictures of your child every month and when we traveled to Guatemala there was someone with us when we needed them.
This is just my experience with them and I really hope that if anyone else is using or are planning on using them I hope you do not experience the same thing as we did. LIES about very important steps of our process.
The staff and lawyer in
The staff and lawyer in Guatemala were excellent. We could not be happier with them.
The US office, however, we found to be terribly frustrating and disrespectful.
As long as our case fell within the normal parameters of how things were supposed to go, they were fine. But when our baby, and case, began having additional problems communication was poor, important health information was not disclosed in a timely manner and we were overall quite displeased. It's when a problem develops or a case gets stuck that you need the most help.... not unmet promises.
Staff was great AT FIRST. We
Staff was great AT FIRST. We ran into a problem with our dossier and everything went south. They lied to us about the experience that they had with a specific part of our dossier and then made promises they couldn't keep. Eventually they told us to handle our dossier problems because they didn't know how to fix it. We switched agencies because we would rather of lost the money than finished an adoption with them.
We don't have
We don't have complaints......But we really don't feel that we have anything to rave about either. The only time we have been contacted since our daughter has been home is for post placements. We would have thought that this agency would have contacted us a few days after we got home from Guatemala to make sure all was going well.
We have had our daughter now for a little over a year. She is doing wonderfully and is the apple of our eye!!
seems a little suspect to me...
Ninasimone
Lol! All the positive reviews are on the same day at the same time; 3:18p.m.
Three BBAS adoptions and counting!
How can I possibly sum up the good in Building Blocks Adoption Services Inc. (BBAS) here? BBAS has facilitated three separate adoptions for over a nearly ten year period. We are very familiar with this terrific organization. Every member of their extraordinary staff is courteous, kind and thorough. They, individually and as a whole, are efficient, resourceful and genuinely eager to help people complete their families. The staff at BBAS realizes how intricate and arduous a process adoption is and strives to ease the burden. Their expertise is evident throughout the entire process. Our first attempt at adoption was with another agency. That agency made numerous errors and then actually dropped the program we were in right in the middle of our adoption. In disbelief and out thousands of dollars we cold called BBAS. Denise stepped in, collected the pieces, and salvaged our adoption.
Tragically the baby girl we were adopting was discovered to have devastating and ultimately fatal brain damage from a stroke she had suffered in utero. She seemed prefect but she was failing to develop. Neurologists at CHOP studied her case and advised us not to bring her to the U.S. stating the medical community would be forced to perform procedures that would only prolong an agonizing life. Devastated with us neither BBAS nor we could simply walk away from this baby. BBAS ensured for all four years of our little angles life she was loved, nourished and cared for by a wonderful in-country foster mom. They further ensured that when in country for our next adoption my wife was able to hold and spend some time with her. Please trust me when I say BBAS absolutely has the very best interest of every child everywhere in the world at heart. They have since completed two more adoptions for us and two for our dear friends that we referred. I cannot possibly say enough about this wonderful Christ centered organization.
Paul Gordon
My husband and I adopted
My husband and I adopted from Ukraine in 2009 and have an amazing little girl! Throughout the entire adoption process BBAS was there to answer any question we had and was very quick to respond. The coordinator in Ukraine is the best in the country and is so dedicated to the work he does. Any times that we had issues or concerns they were addressed professionally, quickly and all of our needs were met by this agency. The social workers there and Denise have continued to be available to us post adoption for any questions or resources we might need.
We have chosen to use this agency once again for a domestic adoption. Everyone has been a pleasure to work with and they have guided us through this process. The lawyer they have suggested for us is extremely knowledgable regarding adoption and we have no doubts that BBAS is in the adoption business for the right reasons and not for the money as some people have said.
I will continue to support and use this agency.
boo
many sad experiences with them.
Building Block review
It is amazing that many of you have stated that Denise will write her own reviews. If you scroll through the reviews the only five star ratings below were all written on the same day about the same time. Kind of suspicious since the rest of the reviews are complaints and on various days. BEWARE.
Denise Writes Her Own Reviews
Denise writes her own positive reviews on Building Blocks. She trolls all adoption boards in order to boast and brag about how great her agency is. Rest assured if there is a positive post about Building Blocks, Denise has posed as an AP and wrote it herself. It won't be the first time Denise has done this. Like another poster said, she should have stuck to selling cars, not babies.
BBAS response to Elizabeth Case
Dear Elizabeth,
I really do not appreciate you calling the coordinator in Ukraine a "child pimp". You have no idea the effort, time and care he puts into his work and how much he really cares for the children there. You are very bold to call names and judge someone whom you have never even met.
I am very familiar with your website and have read about your experiences with BBAS. However, I still do not know what it feels like to have a child die and I was not there, so I cannot judge you or the things you say regarding the agency's response to you. Though you will surely never be able to comepletely move past it, my hope and prayer for you is that you can find it in your heart to forgive the agency and those people you feel have harmed you. It seems to me that it would be a horrible life to live constantly walking around still with so much anger, resentment and hatred in your heart for others. I'm very sorry that you have been through so much and can't imagine how you feel. I hope that you can eventually stop spending so much time and effort focused on what has happened, how you have been wronged and can find it in your heart to forgive.
Building Blocks - OK
We used Building Blocks and had a good experience. Kelly was an absolute dream to work with. The staff in Guatemala, Stephanie & Veronica, were super.
About Denise.......hmm, this is a little tricky. I would agree with the comments she is a witch. If you have any questions or need anything out of the ordinary her attitude is total shit. She is rude when you ask a question. She gives the impression of "send me the $$ and do not dare ask any questions or cop an attitude." She is difficult, as best.
Kelly, Steph & Veronica more than made up for all the bad experiences with Denise.
Very knowledgeable staff,
Very knowledgeable staff, both U.S. and abroad...families receive photo updates on a regular basis and staff answers all questions promptly...many of the children live in a foster family setting instead of an "institution"...staff very helpful when traveling to adoptive country. The only low or "1" rating is a general opinion about the fees charged by the vast majority of international adoption agencies...NOT just Building Blocks...it is very, very difficult to believe that governments and "businesses" are really prioritizing children with the mind-blowing cost of international adoption, when a lot of that money could be used to help care for and educate them once they came "home". This agency's administrative and billing staff are also very approachable and helpful when needing clerical/billing questions answered.
I highly recommend Building
I highly recommend Building Blocks. The agency's reps are available at any time during the process to answer your questions, even on weekends. No matter how "small" I thought my question might sound, they were always ready and willing to help. I felt well informed throughout the entire adoption, and everything went so smoothly. Everyone I came in contact with at the agency was warm, friendly, and knowledgeable. Adoption can be an intimidating process, but Building Blocks makes sure you never feel alone in it.
BBAS staff were very
BBAS staff were very responsive to our needs. They are professional and genuinely care about each family's adoption experience. We had a flawless experience but did not realize how flawless until we were in Guatemala and met other families who had experiences that required extra fees and time. There were no surprise fees, and no surprise papers, everything was just as BBAS had spelled out in their packet of papers. I would highly recommend BBAS for your adoption experience.
We had a wonderful
We had a wonderful experience with Building blocks. Kelly and Denise spent lots of time answering our questions and helping us to chose the country that fit our family best. Throughout the process communication was excellent. Denise would check and answer her emails typically in less than 24 hrs. (you could almost set your watch that replies would be around 9pm). We received updates on our referral every 4-6 weeks and were impressed with care our daughter received while in Guatemala. My husband had to travel to Guatemala independently ( I was ironically too pregnant to fly) and the Building Blocks staff in Guatemala were extremely helpful to him. I would highly recommend this agency and would use them again with future adoptions.
Small laid back agency with
Small laid back agency with over 100 Guatemalan adoptions per year. More staff hired this year to help efficiency, For those who thrive on the details, learned most about the process through Guatadopt and Yahoo Groups although any questions asked were answered knowledgeably (sp). Excellent attorney, overseas staff and baby home. Dossier guidebook could use some sprucing up, typos, conflicting requirements. Guatemalan Coordinator more client friendly, "approachable" and professional than Director.
We initially used this
We initially used this agency because close friends of ours had successfully adopted with them, and they had shown themselves to be friendly, reliable and trustworthy. The organization had further improved in it's process and support of adoptive families in our first experience of adoption, and has improved yet further as we are in the process of adopting our second child. As well as giving comprehensive information/application packets, they have made themselves available for consultation throughout the process via phone and email, and on occasion person to person when we have requested it. They have not only sent regular updates on the status of our paperwork overseas, but send pictures of the child every month or so, and periodically, medical/developmental updates. They have also sent pertinent updates on political issues pertaining to adoption. Our agency has dealt with a large number of families by now, but they know us by name. We are more than willing to recommend Building Blocks to others, because we have found them to be genuine advocates, who are truly dedicated to bringing together families in adoption.
We decided to adopt after
We decided to adopt after being told that we could not have any more children. God had already blessed us with a beautiful biological son, and we knew that adopting a little girl would complete our family. I found Building Blocks and am lucky enough to live a couple of miles down the road from the agency. Kelly and Denise were phenomenal--they answered all of my questions (and believe me, there were many), and gave us regular updates, photos, and a video of our daughter. Their professionalism and knowledge of the Guatemalan adoption process is top notch. Not only did they help our family with all of the technical and tedious aspects that come with any foreign adoption, but they truly made us feel as if we were part of their family. And we pretty well have been ever since. I would recommend this agency (and I have on many occasions) to anyone who desires a loving, supportive, efficient, and professional staff.
I have truly been blessed to
I have truly been blessed to have had the an agency who was there from the beginning to the end without ever feeling where do I go from here. Building Blocks has always made me feel I was their 1st priority. Still to this day I still pick up the phone just to see how they are doing & up date them on my daughter. I was so pleased with their support and integrity, that my sister & my brother-in-law are now in the process of adopting thru their agency. I truly recommend Building Blocks they are a very dedicated agency who works to make everything possible.
Ethical, honesty and
Ethical, honesty and efficiency best describe this agency. This agency takes an active role in the country that we adopted from which allowed for a very thorough adoption , eliminating any surprises. We experienced no roadblocks due to their thoroughness.
Was kept up-to-date with
Was kept up-to-date with monthly reports and the staff were always quick to respond to any questions we had. Never felt left out of the loop on any issues or concerns.
From the moment we first
From the moment we first called Building Blocks to the moment we brought our daughter home we were pleased with them. We always got accurate information regarding our case while it was in process and those updates came every week. We also got medical updates and new pictures of our child every month. It was wonderful!! All of our questions were always answered by agency staff promptly. The staff in Guatemala was equally wonderful. We were taken well care of on both our visit trip and our pick up trip. The care that my daughter had in Guatemala was supurb. She was taken such good care of and adjusted beautifully to us when she came home. Our attorney was equally wonderful and I can't say enough about her. We were able to meet her on a few occasions and she always knew the exact details of our case and had a very genuine love for the children she places. Overall, we were very happy with our process and with Building Blocks. I think it is important to note that communication was a very, very important thing to me during this adoption. When your child is in another country you need and WANT to know what is going on. Communicaton is critical and BBAS will keep you informed as much as they can and will answer all of your questions that they can. If we ever adopt again, we will use this agency again...thank you BBAS for helping make my family complete!
Building Blocks went above
Building Blocks went above and beyond our expectations during the entire adoption process. We highly recommend them to any family looking to adopt a child.
Building Blocks provided us
Building Blocks provided us with the necessary with the information and support we needed during both our children's adoptions. We wouldn't even think of using another agency after our excellent experience with the Building Blocks staff.