We only got a partial refund My son was scheduled to go to spain April 2 2020. 5. I was told that they only charge whats been deposited. The best part is, the voucher is valid through September 30, 2022, which means you and your family have more than two years to explore all of the possibilities and choose the experience thats right for you. Especially during a pandemic where these things change constantly. I also asked if I could speak to someone else about it she told me I could but I would be wasting my time because they would tell me the same thing. EF College Study Call 877-485-4184 to enroll. We were told we would receive a check from Ef Tours in 2 to 4 weeks for approx. We heard nothing from this company even after covid-19 hit usa and threatened travel. The gist of this complaint is that the EF SWISS International Tours Contract has provisions that were inserted into it by EF SWISS that were (and remain) unconscionable as that term is defined by California Civil Code section 1780(a)(19). A freaky feel to it. The trip was booked for June of 2019. My oldest son was scheduled to take a school trip to Peru next year. With Genesis and Atomic blocks, you can build beautiful, powerful websites in minutes with our robust theme framework and professionally-designed sections and layouts. There were about 4 pages of fine print and legal jargon that was confusing. Our group leader and another chaperone attending the trip tested positive for covid and were unable to attend. So talking to the customer service representative, I asked how if we hadn't paid so much into the trip that they would be receiving that much back in fees. This browser does not support PDFs. al. Safety First Program Please Never purchase anything from these scam artists. I agreed to be a chaperone for our students, and it's incredibly disappointing that EF honestly thinks that this policy is honest and fair. I trusted my kid's school to pick a good company. Michael Ortiz is seeking unspecified millions of dollars from the city of Hollywood, Florida, and Officer Henry Andrews, 50, who is also facing a . will be amended to plead violations of Massachusetts consumer protection law. Terrible customer service. So we were unable to go out and see the cities on our own time like we were promised. They won't tell you your kid's return flight so that you can try to book a return on the same flight (except maybe 10 days before the return). Joining the EF family means you'll have the support of our community of educators, tour architects, operations wizards, and ever-curious explorers. var dt = new Date(); I also felt like the city tours were a complete waste of money and time and I would have much rather not have paid them because the tour guides for the cities sucked and I feel like I would have learned more on my own. When we ask to escalate our concern, managers have decided to refuse to accept or return our calls. We have decided to not travel in the US. On April 22, 2020, the EF Defendants wrote to a parent whose son Jack's trip was canceled stating: Your voucher is now available:Were sorry Jacks Berlin, Prague, Krakow and Budapest tour didnt happen as planned, but were committed to helping them see the world at another time. Policy terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Not helpful. Dedicated Emergency Service and Incident Response Teams What can we do with this company? What I didn't understand was the fact that they also charged $155 for some type of insurance (which is not apart of their cancellation fees). I replied to your text last Thursday but forgot you were in Columbia, so thank you for letting me know. No one responded. My family and I scheduled a tour with ef educational tours. We've experienced the transformative power of travel firsthandand we can't wait to explore the opportunities that are out there for you and your students. I can reschedule to next year. Still capitalizing from us by refusing to refund the total amount. EF is only in business because people don't tell parents ahead of time how terrible the locations are and how far from the city they will be staying until it is too late to drop the trip without losing every dollar you already paid! UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 2:00 PM PDST FEBRUARY 5, 2021. Have had 2 separate travel experiences with EF. Your Group Leader may choose from the following options: Terms & Conditions I was told by the EF Tours representative that he could room with boys from other schools or upgrade (at an additional $90 per night!) UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 2:00 PM PDST OCTOBER 23, 2020. We also were traveling to all the countries during the world cup. 3:20-cv-00508-gpc-blm advising Mr. Schirtzer that his clients, the EF Defendants were breaking the law by communicating false and misleading information to potential class members with respect to what their rights are against the EF Defendants. With our EF Parent Ambassador Program, we'll connect you with a fellow parent who has "been there, done that" and can help answer any questions you may have about your traveler's upcoming tour. Many are not able to meet those restrictions and need to cancel. Find out more details today at 1-800-438-7672. November was our first payment of $200, December it went up to $215, no notification or anything. In a letter issued to one customer on March 10, 2020, the defendants refused to issue any cash refund at all. Also, in the long run, you actually pay the same or more (with all the added fees.) If a traveler needs to interrupt a tour due to serious injury or illness, this provides a benefit. The lawsuit argues that the clause constitutes an unlawful business practice under California law in that: The plaintiff suspects that EFs conduct has affected tens of thousands of consumers. Joining the EF family means you'll have the support of our community of educators, tour architects, operations wizards, and ever-curious explorers. They have stolen from many people, including seniors and students some of whom are in high school or younger. On December 7, 2020, Melissa Douglass filed a Second Amended Class Action Complaint against various EF Education First affiliates. The defendants placed the clause in their 2019-2020 adhesion contracts despite being aware of the potentially calamitous effects of global public health emergencies that have long been predicted as very likely to occur; The contract was presented to consumers on a take it or leave it basis; Consumers were lulled into a false sense of security since trusted teachers acted as the middlemen between the students and EF, leading consumers to believe that EF had their best interest in mind; A public health emergency would likely result in EF not being able to schedule any future tours and could hinder the defendants ability to honor the travel vouchers; and. For groups departing October 1, 2022 and later, EF provides the exclusive Peace of Mind program below to account for such situations. The Emergency Service & Support Team is made up of highly trained, dedicated EF staff based in our Boston, Denver, and Austin offices who are equipped to solve problems and answer questions that may come up, even outside of regular business hours. opportunities for experiential learning. 16 years' experience in successful complaint resolution, Each complaint is handled individually by highly qualified experts, Last but not least, all our services are absolutely free. I would like a refund, minus my travel protection plan please. A class action has been filed over an educational travel companys alleged failure to issue sufficient refunds for student tours canceled in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. She signed up October 1 and we had to cancel Oct 14 due to conflicts with my work schedule. I went on my trip June 11, 2014-June 25, 2014. However, we had already paid and were still excited to be spending 2 weeks in Europe together. Wife has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and will not be able to make this trip. We design our class trips to go way beyond the experiences you could have with anyone else. Joining the EF family means youll have the support of our community of educators, tour architects, operations wizards, and ever-curious explorers. Plus, the staff in each office and school are trained to respond to a wide range of emergency situations. Looking ahead. This, of course, was never brought up until it was too late to change the reservation. A copy of all relevant pleadings can be viewed by clicking on what appears to the left. EF Educational Tours should do the right thing and return all of the money I paid to their company. The company has had my money for almost three years, because I fairly adopted a wait and see to travel. Trip Cancellation coverage Please download the PDF to view it: Download PDF. Please note: This electronic EF Future Travel Voucher replaces and voids any previous voucher you may have received for your 2020 tour. In addition to our standard Peace of Mind program, EF provides an exclusive COVID-19 Peace of Mind program for tours scheduled to depart between October 1, 2020 and September 30, 2022, to account for situations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. How on earth is this justifiable? We were also promised to be able to be in walking distance from our hotels to the big cities in the countries we were staying in however in each country we were at minimum one hour away from the cities. A copy of the letter from the Clerk of the Southern District of California to the Clerk of the District of Massachusetts evidencing the transfer is posted on our UPDATES page and may be reviewed (along with the order transferring venue signed by District Judge Curiel) by clicking on same. However, EF Tours will override the plan and refuse your refund. Get connected We're here to help. And that wasn't even a full guarantee of a full refund. This has happened all over the US and people are not standing down. I will be escalating the complaint throughout our school and to the district so that these types of trips are no longer allowed through the school where EF Tours has access to millions of kids and their families giving the pitch of a once in a lifetime experience of travel only to cheat us out of our money. and subject matter experts who understand Also told cancellation fee is now $400 not the $300 listed. Upon talking to EF, they refunded $ to our peers in Houston but I was told my daughter only get a $1500 voucher. By way of explanation for the contents of this letter--which was sent with the express permission of McGrane PC's direct clients (and was not written on behalf of anyone who is not a party to an active contingent fee agreement with McGrane PC and therefore does not affect their rights in any way)--it is the opinion of McGrane PC that the present attitude of both EFCAL and EFSWISS towards the loss of consumer rights attendant on consumers' accepting money or other consideration from them is unclear. EF never notified the trip leader or travelers of this cancellation. I would NEVER stay at a truck stop, nor would I deceive students into thinking they were going to be safe on a trip and then place them there. ?we were then offered a tour of a castle which was supposedly a make up gift from ef tours for the bus situation however, once we got there we only had about 45 mins- an hour to tour the entire castle. Privacy Policy | Copyright I didn't think sharing was a big deal until I found out that he's expected to share a ben with a complete stranger. They had the nerve to tell me if I find a replacement that they will waive $300 of the cancellation fees. I feel like everything was rushed. As a single mother or two, I used my savings ($8, 336.00) to give my daughter a graduation gift of travel and experience. I would say about the five days we were traveling to other countries on bus, we were in the bus for 12-15 hours. It was necessary for a family member to go to Costa Rica. Take, for example, your requested representation about class representatives: If you move for class certification EF cannot agree not to argue that someone who accepted a refund is not a proper representative for a group who elected another option. These programs apply to tours departing October 1, 2022 or later. We conduct background checks on all adults traveling on our student tours. From: Emilia Hovestadt The school uses them for all there spring break trips and this is very disappointing that they are doing this to us. Evidently, just before the drop deadline, the other boys in our group dropped out because of cost, and he's the lone boy traveling from our school with a group of girls. If not for her, 30 of your kids would be sleeping in the airport for two nights in a row since their new flight to London has a huge 13 hour layover. Perhaps you and [Michael Hassen, plaintiffs co-counsel] could discuss this next week and come up with a stipulation we could jointly present to the judge and then refer putative class members to?. v. EF Institute for Cultural Exchange, Inc., et. Hence the lawsuit (in CA 2020, look it up). The swimming area was not separated in any way from boat traffic, nor was my son warned about possible boat traffic. They kept $700 of our hard earned money and refuse to return it. Provided to all groups departing through September 30, 2022. EF Tours, however, did not want to refund all the money during the quarantine. It caters to young and older travelers, admitting anyone from age six and above (under-age travelers accompanied by adults). I called EF to try to stay behind with them or re-book, as this was a science expedition they saved for together as a an 8th grade graduation trip. This whole [California Consumer Legal Remedies Act's] use of unconscionability as a sword and not a shield is not a good deal from your side of this case. Future Travel Vouchers are valid up to 25 months from the month of the original tours scheduled departure. Rather than refund the trips they chose to wait to see if they can recoup their money. Provides benefits related to hospital bills, doctors fees, and medical transportation associated with on-tour illnesses or injuries, as well as travel and accommodation expenses for a family member to be with your child while hospitalized in the event of a life-threatening illness. Seriously, that was suppose to be the best part?!?!?! Unable to travel? We know Southwest will be paying the question is when and if we will be refunded. I purchased piece of mind cancelation at the very beginning of the trip that allows for a full refund. However, EF Tours will override the plan and refuse your refund. Three weeks after enrolling, our circumstances changed so I called to cancel, expecting to pay the $95 cancellation fee x2. In addition, and for future purposes, all communications with these persons must and should come exclusively through me or my co-counsel of record in the referenced matter. Dear Sirs al. What I can reiterate is anyone you are advising should understand that EF Institute For Cultural Exchange is currently offering multiple options to people whose trips were canceled, and none of those options require them to agree to any release of liability., Even later on March 29, 2020, William McGrane wrote back to Richard Schirtzer stating: Dear Richard: It's a bit confusing. However, we are no longer traveling. IT IS THE PROFESSIONAL OPINION OF MCGRANE PC THAT A SERIOUS RISK EXISTS THAT ACCEPTING SUCH OFFERS WITHOUT THE ADVICE OF SUCH LEGAL COUNSEL WILL WORK A FORFEITURE OF VALUABLE LEGAL RIGHTS. They are extremely rude and will not falter from there scripted excuses. Not only did I make a complaint to the Better Business Bureau but I also requested that a manager call me and I have yet to hear from anyone. We would be able to pay for a European cruise to same ports and actually see more and eat well with less money then they are charging. I cannot begin to talk about the horrible neighborhoods the hotels are in. This was saddening but completely understandable. The lawsuit looks to represent allcitizens across the United States who entered into a 2019-2020 adhesion contract in connection with an EF tour through a U.S. high school that was scheduled to leave after January 31, 2020 but has since been canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak and who were refused a full refund based on the public health emergency clause. Please help us receive refund for this experience. Risk-Free Enrollment Period Every supervisory contact that she has received emails from since 2019/20 , 21 are no longer employed by EF Go Ahead . These affordable plans provide pre-departure and on-tour benefits, including medical expense coverage that may apply on tour and tour cancellation for the stated reasons below. (Just this year I found out our group leader got something for a refund, but she never mentioned it or even helped me get my money back in 2018.thanks for that.) On September 8, 2020, and over vigorous objection, federal District Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel granted a motion to change venue from the Southern District of California to the District of Massachusetts that had previously been filed by the EF Defendants and set for hearing on September 11, 2020. The very beginning of the original Tours scheduled departure through September 30, 2022 for. Tell me if i find a replacement that they only charge whats been deposited the or. In 2 to 4 weeks for approx things change constantly to one customer on March,! This, of course, was never brought up until it was necessary for a family to... Look it up ) falter from there scripted excuses text last Thursday but forgot you were in Columbia, thank... Massachusetts consumer protection law take a school trip to Peru next year rather refund... 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