Company never sent update on requirements for product and refuse to provide full refund. EF Institute for Cultural Exchange, Inc. - Class Action Lawsuits . Desired outcome: They also charged me $189 for insurance I declined. Along with others from our tour, in Quite we were then shuttled to a holding room near the airport terminal , no water, no food, one bathroom, Their local guide had no information. Customer service is the WORST! Asking families of ***** year old children to book another tour for their young children with adults they don't know is extremely concerning. Later, we got ahold of them by phone - an unprofessional clerk clearly working at home with tv blaring in background - told us we can only get a refund for all but the deposit s. We advised t hat this is theft since we paid money and got absolutely nothing for it. I am writing to complain about the lack of information regarding a language campus to Dublin I have paid for My 17 Years old son. We were told we would receive the balance of $1692 from Aetna insurance company in approx. I also dont like My daughter's trip was cancelled due to unforeseen medical issues to the group tour guide (PE teacher for my daughter) which she learned of over the past months. Against my better judgement. . I have been to the offices in Boston (I work on the building from time to time) and it's a blizzard every time I go. I booked my child on a school/group tour to Italy and Germany with EF My father and I are in the same boat. al. If not resolved I will go through my lawyer. EF Tours is holding back $500 of the total $1,960 I have already paid towards the trip. 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. That is the fact they hawked the [travel] insurance right in their own booking agreement . EF Educational Tours reviews 76 G GwenWil30 of Peoria, US Feb 22, 2023 3:34 pm EST Verified customer Fraud I booked a tour in 2022 to Greece through Girl Scouts of America for 2024. Even with the "Global traveler's protection" insurance I purchased at $165 per traveler, which I paid for both my daughter and I. This shows EF Tours has no regard for the emotional and physical well-being of children and only has their own financial self interest in mind. We will advise as to what the outcome of this and other motions made by EF SWISS and the other defendants to avoid liability for making full cash refunds are as soon as we are advised by the District Court as to its decisions. In good faith, my daughter and I, despite the 2020 cancellation of our purchased tour, took the "voucher" route in order to secure a tour for 2021 so that we would not loose our investment. I did not cancel this trip! I recently got a generic email stating that I had till October 2022 to plan a trip or lose my $5,668. Its inexcusable and I would absolutely never use this this company again. Two straight hours of calling the ef tours emergency hotline and no still no answer. UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 2:00 PM PDST FEBRUARY 5, 2021. 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. Emilia with EF shared that she could not update my status to chaperone and refused to be flexible during a pandemic during unexpected changes due to it being past the 45 day threshold. Our only hope now is that our kids have a great time with their class. 4. Filed: March 17, 2020 3:20-cv-00508-GPC-BLM. Cost: $490* I was asked by our group leader to be a chaperone several days prior to leaving for our trip. I would love for someone from EF Tours to get back to me about my kid's flight home. Travel Company efeducationaltours eftours eftours Photos See all Videos See all 1:02 We conduct background checks on all adults traveling on our student tours. We left at 5am for a new route to Houston, Miami, then Quito, told we would miss one day in Ecuador now to to flight schedule. Hence the lawsuit (in CA 2020, look it up). Join a Free Coronavirus Failure to Refund Class Action Lawsuit Investigation EF tours do not want to speak to me to accommodate my child's travel to join the EU trip after taking $6000 from me I feel like everything was rushed. Background checks take place through a secure process that is meant to specifically identify individuals who could present a risk to student travelers while on tour. This was saddening but completely understandable. My daughter was extremely disappointed, as she had always wanted to see Paris. UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 1:00 PM PDST AUGUST 9, 2020. Please DO NOT add attachments that contain your or other peoples personal information, if you dont want it to be visible to the public. I can supply all correspondence that my group coordinator had. EFs unmatched global presence I also was being charged late fees even though I changed my payment plan. However, we are no longer traveling. EF Educational Tours is keeping $700.00 as a cancellation fee. Just don't do it. This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Privacy Policy | Copyright If you wanted a refund, there was a fee. Provided to all groups departing through September 30, 2022. ComplaintsBoard.com is a leading complaint resolution website on the Internet. Our 50,000+ staff and faculty members around the world provide a local presence and are able to react quickly and in person where necessary. My girlfriend and I had a tour to Israel but in March of 2020 (we arrived in Israel on March 7th). They even bragged later about being the first one's out on the street), the food SUCKED, and the time spent on the buses was more time spent in the actual locations. al., United States District Court for the Southern District of California Case No. ** The Global Travel Protection Plus plan includes a non-insurance Cancel for Any Reason waiver benefit provided by EF Educational Tours. Well isn't that what insurance is for??? I will be submitted complaints for fraud everywhere including my credit card company and BBB. I haven t received any schoolplan, no activities, Just an enourmous amount of Money paid and no information at all, apart some general meetings where lots of people speak and no body answers your questions on the chat. Of course with everything going on, this was canceled and rescheduled for July 2021. var dt = new Date(); In a letter issued to one customer on March 10, 2020, the defendants refused to issue any cash refund at all. The company has had my money for almost three years, because I fairly adopted a wait and see to travel. Plaintiffs seek class certification, an injunction against EF Tours and an order requiring EF Tours to offer each class member the options required under 940 C.M.R. That's when we found out it would be around $800 to cancel. New cases and investigations, settlement deadlines, and news straight to your inbox. The school uses them for all there spring break trips and this is very disappointing that they are doing this to us. The travel company canceled tours for the 2020-2021 school year in light of the pandemic, and over the past year altered its refund policies. International education company EF Institute for Cultural Exchange Inc. was hit with a proposed class action by students who received only a partial refund for tours . If EF cannot accommodate a revised tour request and/or the group decides not to travel on the original tour, then the group may opt for future travel vouchers. November was our first payment of $200, December it went up to $215, no notification or anything. Coverage for expenses due to trip delays (lodging, food, and other reasonable expenses plus limited reimbursement of unused, forfeited, prepaid non-refundable payments for travel arrangements). We know Southwest will be paying the question is when and if we will be refunded. document.write(dt.getFullYear() ); 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. . The lawsuit looks to represent all citizens 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 I called to see if they would at least just do $1000 for both kids and they told me no. He has an unexpected stopover in Munich and no One accompanies him as he Is out of the group It is a crime for a youth educational program to take $3800 dollars from a 15 year old after they endorse a trip, then fly us into civil unrest, only to tell us they have no ability to get us home. EF Educational Tours 159 reviews Unclaimed Historical Tours, Walking Tours, Travel Services Edit Closed 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM See hours See all 49 photos Write a review Add photo " chaperone for a high school senior trip to London, Paris and Barcelona. Trip delay coverage The trip was rescheduled for August and was later. The teacher wouldnt return my phone call, or emails. If the case moves forward and settles, anyone affected should receive notice of the settlement with instructions on what to do next. Emergency evacuation coverages al. ", Even later on April 24, 2020, William McGrane wrote to Richard Schirtzer:"Are you actually going to offer to pay our clients some money through us and are we going to have a problem with a signed agreement that their accepting cash is without prejudice etc.? 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. Yes, on the rare occasion (as you can read) that your trip goes off perfectly smooth, without any issues (imagine that) you may get your money's worth. local tour guides including Blanca, Roseanna and others were so kind and polite. With 600 schools and offices in 50 countries worldwide, including regional offices dedicated to on-tour support, our global presence is truly unmatched. I went on my trip June 11, 2014-June 25, 2014. EF never notified the trip leader or travelers of this cancellation. UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 2:00 PM PDST MARCH 15, 2021. I can reschedule to next year. This company is a scam and has stolen millions of dollars from parents on fraudulent trips that never happen. EF will make every effort to accommodate revised tour requests. EF Tours, however, did not want to refund all the money during the quarantine. It is sufficient that exactly what monies belong to which clients are identified in any wire transfer especially any that involve more than one client. I struggled to pay for this trip and now after paying for travel insurance also they are denying full refund. 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. My family and I scheduled a tour with ef educational tours. Desired outcome: to a single room. 15.06 and a full or partial refund pursuant to 940 C.M.R. Help Center; How It Works; About EF; Blog; Customer Reviews; Stay connected. I would never recommend dealing with EF tours or there insurance company. The Global Travel Protection Plus plan must be purchased when you book your tour. Payments made should be made to McGrane PC as trustee. The first was in 2018. 3) They pretend that you can extend your student's trip. In June 2014 my 16 YOA son and a group of other students from his school went to Costa Rica with EF tours. Meet Carlos, an expert local guide We did not have enough free time (which we were promised). (This allows us to partially cover costs related to non-recoverable payments to our suppliers our staff and the investment we have always made and continue to make in itinerary date and destination flexibility.). Why would I need to do the work for them? Our trip was moved up 10 days without notice or inquiry as to whether or not we could make that change nor an offer to get on another trip. You can select one based on your preferred continent/countries, timespan, budget, and other aspects like road/air travel. A copy of this pleading can be viewed by visiting our UPDATES page. v. EF Institute for Cultural Exchange, Inc., et. EF representatives available to support the traveler and to coordinate with local authorities on their behalf where necessary, Assistance connecting with local health care providers, Communication between the traveler and the travelers family back home, EF-arranged flights home, based on existing itinerary, for the traveler once cleared to return, If the diagnosed traveler is a minor, flights for their parent or guardian to join them at the tour location, EF representatives available to support the traveler or group and to coordinate with local authorities on their behalf where necessary, Communication between the traveler or group and their family back home, EF-arranged flights home for the traveler or group once cleared to return. Looking for a new place to explore, or just a new way to see a familiar destination? Sadly, this was not the case. The trip was booked for June of 2019. The Future Travel Voucher is not a merchandise credit or a gift certificate and may not be redeemed for cash unless specifically noted on the voucher. Our people are your people. This new voucher ensures you get the absolute best value based on our updated Terms & Conditions. UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 3:30 PM PDST MARCH 30, 2020, On Friday, March 27, 2020, William McGrane wrote to Richard Schirtzer regarding Natalia Grabovsky, etc., et. 15.06(1 . The apparent truth is you keep denigrating this option because you dont want customers to take any option other than the cash refund (which you then want sent to your firm). They simply answered the phone, we provided the tour, dates and names of our family members and paid a deposit for each of us. They are all F-ing scum I hope all involved lose every penny they ever made and become homeless. I could honestly go on for 10 pages about the terrible food and the fact that you will only be given warm milk, cereal, coffee and last night's rolls for breakfast every day! No materials from this website may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way. We were offered a wait and see attitude for the following year 2021 . I was told that they only charge whats been deposited. When I told them Id been in an accident & lost my job they said to file a complaint then hung up on me! et. And you can. I called EF Tours back, they are keeping $300 cancellation fee, $95 downpayment and $155 for some type of insurance. EF Educational Tours should do the right thing and return all of the money I paid to their company. Live, unedited & independent traveler reviews. 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). 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