NWSC cost us 14 months of our lives. They misrepresented material facts, withheld key costs, and then abruptly cut and ran when we refused to blindly hand over tens of thousands of dollars.
We signed a contract with Northwest Surrogacy Center (NWSC) in February 2022. We paid in full and were told to expect a match in a reasonable timeframe. 14 months later, we had received exactly one profile--a surrogate based in California, despite being told at the outset that we would likely not be matched in California due to high base compensation and reduced availability.
The real problems began once the profile was sent.
On a call with NWSC's case manager, Amber DeDionisio, she explicitly admitted that the surrogate had not been fully screened. NWSC did not know whether she planned to relocate mid-journey (which would compromise insurance eligibility) and had not confirmed whether her partner's employer-provided insurance--on which she was relying--would remain active throughout the pregnancy. NWSC knowingly advanced a match with a surrogate whose suitability had not been vetted according to their own stated processes.
Then came the ambush.
NWSC informed us that we would be required to place $22,500 into escrow to cover a potential insurance lien--a lien they had never mentioned at any point in the prior 14 months. It was never documented in onboarding materials, never disclosed in our contract, and never discussed during calls. We were told this was "non-negotiable," despite the fact that the lien had not yet been triggered, the insurance terms were still unclear, and the funds would be locked up for years.
We pushed back and offered two reasonable alternatives:
* Work with the surrogate to proactively switch to an ACA plan, or
* Use binding contract language to assign us full liability for any lien-related costs--without locking up the funds unnecessarily.
NWSC flatly refused. There was no negotiation, no willingness to explore alternatives, and no flexibility. Instead, Sam Chally (the Director of Client Development--and son of the founders) abruptly terminated our relationship via email.
After 14 months of waiting, we were discarded because we asked for transparency.
What happened next is telling: NWSC refunded us in full immediately. No argument, no back-and-forth, no defense of their behavior. Just a quick, full reversal. In our view, this was an implicit admission that they knew they had mishandled the situation--and possibly opened themselves up to legal exposure.
Since posting our experience, we've heard from other intended parents who report similar treatment: contracts pulled without warning, no clear rationale, and no accountability. This isn't a one-off mistake--it's a pattern of unprofessional conduct.
We've since completed a successful surrogacy journey with a different agency. That agency provided clear upfront costs, used an independent third-party escrow service (not an internal one), and helped us secure a California surrogate with ACA policy which had no lien language whatsoever via ART Risk Solutions. So much for NWSC's claim that their escrow demands were standard or unavoidable--they weren't.
Here's what you should know before giving NWSC a dollar:
* They control their own escrow. This is a massive conflict of interest. Every surrogacy lawyer and industry veteran we've spoken with flagged this as an immediate red flag. Most legitimate agencies use licensed, independent escrow providers. NWSC does not.
* They withhold critical cost information. Their published fee schedule is incomplete. The $22,500 lien escrow was never disclosed until it was too late.
* They violate their own protocols. The surrogate we were matched with had not been fully screened. This was admitted on a phone call by NWSC's own staff. Matching intended parents with an unscreened surrogate is reckless.
* They retaliate when challenged. When we declined to send them tens of thousands of dollars under murky terms, they terminated us. No negotiation, no resolution--just a refund and a door slammed shut.
* They are a family-run business with zero external accountability. Sam Chally, who canceled us, is part of the founding family. This agency operates as a closed loop: no independent oversight, no professional checks, no willingness to take responsibility.
NWSC is not a partner. They are not transparent. And in our experience, they are not acting in good faith.
They cost us over a year of time, trust, and hope--things we can't get back.
If you're an intended parent considering NWSC, please learn from our experience. This process is too important--and too expensive--to gamble on the wrong agency. There are better, more ethical, and more professional options out there.
Avoid NWSC. Completely.
As for Carla's response: Notice that she offers no factual rebuttal to any of the specific issues raised. We encourage you to compare her reply to the facts we're outlined. read more