A year and a half ago, I discovered what I thought was a delightful website called girlsgoingout.com. It's a club for women to meet in DC doing all kinds of things...none of which I really wanted to do. But it sounded like a nice bunch of people and I decided to order some "vintage" (last season Limited) clothes from their online store.
The clothes arrived 2 weeks late. Two items were wrong; the one that was right was stained pretty badly. Farrah Ashline, the head of GGO, said I could come by at a certain time, which I did. She was out. So I called again and arranged another time to come by, and she was in. And too busy to talk to me. She just took the clothes and said I would "get something" in the mail. (Interesting aside: her phone sounded like an ambulance, which she said was the ring she set it to whenever people she didn't want to talk to called. I should have guessed something was up right then.)
I waited, got married, forgot about it, then finally called her a couple months later. She did remember me and accused me of pestering her at her office (remember that time I had come by at her invitation?), groaned, fussed, and finally said that I would get something.
More months. Finally I called again and got an assistant, who was rude and then hung up on me. Then I called a few days later and got Farrah, who yelled at me for "bothering her staff", misrepresented a lot of facts about what had happened (she insists I put the stain on), and engaged in similar ugliness. She said she had a blood problem and had been at the hospital a lot--I'm not sure why she bothered making an excuse, since in the end she told me that she wouldn't give me anything. And she kept her word there.
And of course, she was getting rave reviews in local media (like the W. Post) who were calling her things like "a young Gloria Steinem". It was getting so I dreaded picking up the weekend papers for fear of seeing some goofy homage to her and her group.
Now, I am totally vindicated. :)
It seems Farrah has bilked not just me but like, all of her employees and several clients, out of money--from the $60 membership fee to the $2000 she never paid her assistant. There have been quotes like "I would warn anyone I know not to have anything to do with Farrah Ashline" and "All I got from that doggone girl was her cussing me out" and (my favorite) "I can only say that that was never proven...I have never solicited for sex and no one has solicited me for sex." That last was from Farrah herself, who has a misdemeanor charge for prostitution that she never went to trial for (and there's a warrant for her arrest in NY state). And all of this was in the Washington Post today for the whole city to see. You can read the article here . (Share it with your friends!) Considering everyone else's comments, I got off pretty easy with only being bilked $40.
And I learned a valuable life lesson about bitterness--it really does pay off. ;)
Kudos! Yet I have to say its so funny reading everyone's complaints. You could literally cut out the name and super-impose someone elses; and it becomes the same story over and over again.
Its truly sad....
I am so sorry you were "duped" out of that crap stuff she was trying to pawn off on you.
Poor girl! Well there are lots of investigations going on I am sure you could get your story heard!!! ( and possibly recieve your $ back?)
You aren't the only disgruntled member! i would love to hear back from other as well.
Be well!
April
Posted by: april | 04/03/2004 at 19:59
It's not just GirlsGoingOut.com members that got scammed - so did some of its staff, too.
I was its sister site WOMagazine.com's designer.
Guess what, I haven't been paid a cent.
:-)
Posted by: Phil Thompson | 04/22/2004 at 04:53
Over the past little while I've been following up on FA. I'm blown away as to how she could treat people this way. Though I'm not surprised! I can't take much more of hearing about what this woman has done.
I do have a complaint myself. Being Canadian and looking to move to the states, I came across an add for an Assistant as well as to one day manage a GGO. I responded to the add as I thought this was a choice opportunity for me and it did sound rather exciting and challenging. *Farrah made it sound that way*
I went down to meet FA in VA twice. She was very positive and outgoing it seemed. Promised me all kinds of things while she interviewed me. Made the job sound amazing and would deal with the Visa papers once I arrived. Crazy, I know for me to even think of coming without papers, but she reassured me that we'll work everything out once I arrived. FA promised to send me a contract via fax, but nothing. I had called a few times but she was never there. or, she was to busy. At one point we did connect finally and she was a mess crying on the phone, i was shocked and couldn't believe - "for what I thought to be such a strong individual", she was going on about this guy, especially to me, someone she barely knows, and how unprofessional. I think that was just a way to make me feel sorry for her, and let the contract go. Anyway, to make a long story short. She said that once i moved down to VA she would have all the paper work ready for me. I guess I'm too much of a dreamer, I resigned from my job, put all my things in storage, and rented out my apartment, only to find out she gave the job to someone else....I was blown away. Thank gawd I stopped my resignation and they took me back, and I'm so thankful for that. So here i was homeless, no job, and furious. But i have no-one to blame but myself for this. In looking back though and knowing what i know now, I thank gawwd I didn't go.
I even did work for her up in Canada until i could make my way to VA. If you only knew the information she was asking me to put together. Let's just say it wasn't for GGO! Or WO. Promised that she would pay me for the work i did while up here when i moved down. I kept all the information that i was working on and didn't send her a damn thing.
I'm sorry for all the things that she did to every one, and I've def. learned my lesson. It was crazy of me to even think of going down there without papers to begin with. She's a scammer, a manipulator, and so full of herself it isn't even funny. There is more, but my stomach turns just talking about this woman.
What comes around goes around and in the end she will have to pay the price.
~J
Posted by: Jade | 02/22/2005 at 14:49
can you PLEASE contact me asap????
I can explain if someone responds.........it is important
I am concerned here.
please, please get back to me.
I am shocked by what I am reading here
Posted by: karen o'leary | 04/28/2007 at 22:25
happened to stumble back on this site, and noticed that you made a comment under my entry. Im not sure if you're referring to me or to anyone in general to contact you.
~J
Posted by: Jade | 05/04/2007 at 22:42
Yeah, I'm not sure what's going on either. I emailed Karen, but got no response. Is Karen, perhaps, you-know-who?
Posted by: Dryope | 05/05/2007 at 09:41
Wow I am now in this womans group here in NY. I cannot believe this she seems so nice. On her site she gives her side of the story in VA and says everyone was paid. So many ppl would not be online if that was whooly true. She is quite public here so I don't know. Perhaps she has changd.
Posted by: Betty | 06/28/2008 at 13:48
she just scammed me in virginia. she has no conscience!
Posted by: Alison | 06/26/2009 at 22:55