Thank you, I went on my trip June 11, 2014-June 25, 2014. 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. It isn't worth the hassle these people have created. We will incorporate new procedures where appropriate as part of the comprehensive safety measures that are standard on every EF tour. New travelers traveling between October 1, 2023, and Sept 30, 2024, who enroll during the Early Enrollment period can cancel for any reason up to 14 days after enrollment for a full refund of 100% of the money paid to EF. I had to also pay $500.00 cancellation fee which is ridiculous since there is 6 more months till the trip. v. EF Institute for Cultural Exchange, Inc., et. Weve experienced the transformative power of travel firsthandand we cant wait to explore the opportunities that are out there for you and your students. I have traveled extensively with Expedia, always buy travel insurance, and am covered for any thing, from war to terrorism, to a pandemic. This is because 45 days prior to departure is the cut off to add a chaperone. Our school will be traveling with three other schools from different parts of the country. Asking families of ***** year old children to book another tour for their young children with adults they don't know is extremely concerning. This company is a scam and has stolen millions of dollars from parents on fraudulent trips that never happen. 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. There were no medical facilities available on this resort, and it was necessary to have my son medically evacuated back to the states to receive treatment. Please read on for additional coverage details, as well as deadlines to purchase each Global Travel Protection plan. Your Group Leader may choose from the following options: Terms & Conditions These programs apply to tours departing October 1, 2022 or later. et. Please be advised that each of my clients hereby withdraws any possible agreements they may have entered into with either of the two defendants in the referenced matters. Its a joke. DO NOT USE EF Tours! Refusal to refund refund after they cancelled tours! With 600 schools and offices in 50 countries worldwide, including regional offices dedicated to on-tour support, our global presence is truly unmatched. . EF Tours company has gladly excepted the government stimulus hand out. Nonrefundable fees are outlined in EFs Booking Conditions. They claim the $700.00 is money that was already spent to secure travel details. 15.06(1 . 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. COVID-19 required everybody to be quarantined. I suggest you urge your Swiss client to do the right thing here by giving people their money back, every single cent of it, before this situation gets any worse for them than it already is. I did not cancel this trip! Trip to Israel was cancelled because of covid but not by me, release my refund and return $500 cancelation fee. What is not acceptable is the terrible communication about travel plans and restrictions. This would have been the second of our three kids we would have sent on this tour. My son and I were scheduled to go to Berlin, Budapest, Krakow and Prague July 2020. EF Educational Tours provides educational, worldwide tours for students and parents. According to the case, the defendants sold tours to public and private high school groups pursuant to a written contract of adhesion that contained what the complaint refers to as the No Public Health Emergency Cash Refund Clause. Under the clause, if an EF tour is canceled for public health issues or quarantine or threats of public health issues, the defendants will issue travel vouchers for the value of the money paid, excluding certain non-refundable fees, instead of providing cash refunds, the suit explains. If you wanted a refund, there was a fee. Revised tours must depart within one year of the original tour. We use cookies to improve your experience on our site and to show you personalised advertising. Meet Carlos, an expert local guide First the trip increased in price from the original amount 3 times due to tours that were added on at no option to us. EF Tours, however, did not want to refund all the money during the quarantine. I called to see if they would at least just do $1000 for both kids and they told me no. For additional details regarding the insurance components of this plan, underwritten by US Fire Insurance Company, including coverage limits and a full list of exclusions, please visit this page. We were told we would receive a check from Ef Tours in 2 to 4 weeks for approx. This browser does not support PDFs. This is the biggest scam ever. While not happy with that amount I understood. 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. That's when we found out it would be around $800 to cancel. They simply answered the phone, we provided the tour, dates and names of our family members and paid a deposit for each of us. 3. Risk-Free Enrollment Period I was told to call EF to see what my options are. Never again. He has an unexpected stopover in Munich and no One accompanies him as he Is out of the group This plan includes coverages that can provide a benefit in the unlikely event a traveler should need to return home unexpectedly due to a natural disaster or unrest. EF College Study Call 877-485-4184 to enroll. Spring break trip with the school for my two boys to go to Greece and Italy this year. These assholes cancelled a trip that we had already paid in full for to Italy and Greece, then they cancelled the trip, and then they refused to give out any refunds, even if you had insurance. Just don't use them. We also were traveling to all the countries during the world cup. For plans issued in New York, customers can purchase the non-insurance Cancel for Any Reason waiver separately from the rest of the travel protection plan. He gives the best guided tours of Spainand he inspired his family to become local guides, too. B)there are about 1,000 people in the building and I have yet to see anyone that wasn't white as the driven snow. As a single mother or two, I used my savings ($8, 336.00) to give my daughter a graduation gift of travel and experience. Read those reviews. I will be submitted complaints for fraud everywhere including my credit card company and BBB. Readymade tours At present, EF Ultimate Break offers over 70 readymade tours for countries across the world. (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.). Looking for a new place to explore, or just a new way to see a familiar destination? When I told them that nowhere in their cancellation policy where the egregious fees stated they said Well thats what they are now Sadly, this was not the case. But its also about the smaller moments on the road. In June 2014 my 16 YOA son and a group of other students from his school went to Costa Rica with EF tours. 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. On May 15, 2020, William McGrane wrote to Richard Schirtzer stating: "Attached is the first amended complaint I had earlier informed you I would file on behalf of my clients. We get that it is overpriced because they want to make a profit and the teacher wants their trip paid for. My son received life threatening injuries and had there not been a physician along as a chaperone my son would have died. Benefits include: Choice of departure date. v. EF Institute for Cultural Exchange, Inc., et. 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. UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 2:00 PM PDST DECEMBER 7, 2020. Background checks on adult travelers After this horrible experience, we will never consider this company again for any of our children and advise all we know against it as well. Cost: $490* Trip Cancellation coverage 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 . View Opportunities; Resources. I was told the person would be kicked off the tour but they werent. Pursuant toCalifornia Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 7.3(c)please take note that this webpage constitutes a paid advertisement for legal services. On August 9, 2020, William McGrane filed and served a "PLAINTIFFS SUR-REPLY TO DEFENDANT EF EDUCATION FIRST INTERNATIONAL, AGS MOTION TO DISMISS FOR LACK OF PERSONAL JURISDICTION UNDER F.R.C.P. It caters to young and older travelers, admitting anyone from age six and above (under-age travelers accompanied by adults). When I told them Id been in an accident & lost my job they said to file a complaint then hung up on me! their futures. 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. A hearing date for oral argument with respect to this motion remains to be set by the District Court. EF Explore America Call 888-333-9756 to enroll. We asked to leave to home too. Defendant, EF Educational Exchange, Inc., is a Delaware corporation having a Very creative thinking by the [California] Legislature.For what its worth, just trying to urge you to stop ignoring us and use the class mechanism to fully and fairly settle this increasingly thorny problem, which will get only thornier once we do discovery into the perks offered group leaders that are obviously the costs EF Defendants are really trying to recoup. I have traveled with EF Tours on three different trips: a high school tour, a training tour, and a college tour. the unforeseen. A copy of the demand letter can be viewed by visiting our UPDATES page. 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. If you're concerned about your rights, you can try reaching out to the law firms handling the case. We have decided to not travel in the US. I feel like everything was rushed. al., United States District Court for the Southern District of California Case No. Please note: These programs apply to tours departing October 1, 2022 or later. When we called to cancel, they refuse to give us our full refund and claim to keep $500 despite their poor communication, COVID restrictions, and the paid insurance plan which has turned out to be a scam too. ComplaintsBoard.com is a leading complaint resolution website on the Internet. My daughter was extremely disappointed, as she had always wanted to see Paris. Desired outcome: UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 9:00 AM PDST April 24, 2020, On April 22, 2020, William McGrane wrote to Richard Schirtzer advising Mr. Schirtzer that his clients, the EF Defendants' ". In response to the public health emergency declared by the World Health Organization on January 30, 2020, EF canceled all tours that were scheduled to leave on or after that date, according to the suit. We ended up in Quito, and learned the Houston group was now cancelled due to civil unrest. 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. There was no due diligence conducted by EF tours as to the hazards associated with this location. Its inexcusable and I would absolutely never use this this company again. EF's Emergency Service & Support Team is available 24/7 to resolve any issue, from a missed flight to a lost passport to more serious on-tour incidents. EF Institute for Cultural Exchange, Inc. EF Education First International, AG, New to ClassAction.org? About 3-4 months before our trip, and after we had already paid IN FULL, we were notified that because of our small group, our group leader had only signed 5 people up..hindsight tells me people saw what a rip off it was and didn't sign up to take it in the rear from EF. 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. Dear Sirs EF Go Ahead Tours Call 800-590-1161 . EF Educational Tours Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of www.eftours.com Travel & Vacation Activities & Tours Tour Agency EF Educational Tours EF Educational Tours Reviews 4,382 Excellent 4.3 VERIFIED COMPANY www.eftours.com Visit this website kharden 1 review US 2 days ago DO NOT USE EF Tours! UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 4:00 PM PDST SEPTEMBER 13, 2020. My daughter insisted on being signed up for her school trip in 2020. Liability Coverage. and subject matter experts who understand My girlfriend and I had a tour to Israel but in March of 2020 (we arrived in Israel on March 7th). Hands-on experiences and collaborations with experts in the field. Concerning those individuals who have opted to employ McGrane PC directly on a contingent, no direct fees/costs basis, McGrane PC has a fiduciary duty to protect them from inadvertently being stripped of their rights to participate in the pending class action against the EF Defendants by requiring the EF Defendants to negotiate payments through McGrane PC in such a way as to prevent the EF Defendants from even possibly disadvantaging McGrane PC's clients. 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. 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. Also told cancellation fee is now $400 not the $300 listed. What a rip off! 2. Please Never purchase anything from these scam artists. But their ads sure reflect diversity! 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. 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. document.write(dt.getFullYear() ); 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. Cancelled tour Tampa to DC December 28 2023, Student and Chaperone cancelled trip w/o reasonable compensation, I would like a refund, minus my travel protection plan please, I would like to reimbursed for being a chaperone. this absurdity not previously announced I wouldve never signed up for any trip with the Covid restrictions that are now imposed. Please download the PDF to view it: Download PDF. UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 1:30 PM PDST April 12, 2020, On April 10, 2020, William McGrane wrote to Richard Schirtzer regarding Natalia Grabovsky, etc., et. I ended up booking our own flights home to the US for $1500. Their contact information can be found in the complaint below. Per the cancellation policy, there is a $95 non-refundable charge and a $300 cancellation fee. They do not respond favorably. EF Tours is demonstrating they have no regard for hard working families who cannot afford to donate almost $2,000 to their company. A few days later, EF responded to an earlier complaint submitted by the plaintiff to the Arizona Office of the Attorney General in which the defendants allegedly offered the plaintiff a partial cash refund of $1,000 less than what she paid for her childs tour. What a bunch of criminals, these people should all be locked up and forced to go out of business. We flew back to the US at 5am in the morning. Terrible customer service. Avoid at all costs! There was a fellow passenger who had caused a few problems earlier in the trip and later on the trip, threatened me on the bus (literally cornered me in the back seat) and nothing was done. This is a terrible company. Filed against EF Institute for Cultural Exchange, Inc. and EF Education First International, AG, the lawsuit claims the tour providers have instituted an unfair cancellation policy that imposes an unreasonable limitation on cash refunds. Safety First Program What a waste of time and money. We also had the unfortunate luck of awful traffic. Date: Tue, Jun 28, 2022, 9:41 AM Trip Interruption coverage However, the problem has wider implications for your clients. COVID-19 required everybody to be quarantined. 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. . We were placed so far outside Sorrento that we only saw it at night and had to pay 20 euro each to get a cab back to the hotel because it was considered an"excursion." We were quoted a price and told the insurance was a great thing to have because with it you could cancel up to 24 hrs before the trip for a full refund minus the cost of insurance. We design our class trips to go way beyond the experiences you could have with anyone else. This is meant to help provide a safer tour experience for all travelers, and is a similar process to what many school districts implement for adults who volunteer in schools or chaperone school activities. They said if we wanted to appeal we had to send them a letter from my company explain why I am no longer employed or show a death certificate that I died. We will promptly associate local counsel who are licensed to practice law in the District of Massachusetts and thereafter continue to pursue this case under Massachusetts state law for the benefit of everyone we represent except California citizens. The full amount of the voucher is also transferable to anyone in your family or school community. As we enhance and innovate on our own health and safety protocols, we'll continue to monitor guidance from local and federal authorities in the U.S. and internationally. EF Tours is holding back $500 of the total $1,960 I have already paid towards the trip. One thing is guaranteed. Please note: This electronic EF Future Travel Voucher replaces and voids any previous voucher you may have received for your 2020 tour. Sign up for ClassAction.org's newsletterhere. This will not work for many reasons, first I we are most likely moving. Yes, even though quarantine is a covered reason for a full refund, EF Tours CHARGED members $$ a significant amount of money thus negating a full refund. I registered my son and I to go on a tour in June 2017. 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). 3) They pretend that you can extend your student's trip. We would like a refund of cash to use for real educational purposes. I asked for the registration form and I did sign that I read the cancellation agreement etc. If a traveler needs to interrupt a tour due to serious injury or illness, this provides a benefit. lawsuit against Defendants EF Education First International, Ltd. ("EF International"), EF Institute . This has to be illegal. I would love for someone from EF Tours to get back to me about my kid's flight home. UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 1:30 PM PDST April 21, 2020. Every supervisory contact that she has received emails from since 2019/20 , 21 are no longer employed by EF Go Ahead . However, EF Tours will override the plan and refuse your refund. release my refund and return $500 cancelation fee. ef tours is a rip-off! Get the latest on closing arguments in the Alex Murdaugh case, charges for a college football star and a settlement over photos taken after a helicopter crash site killed Kobe They have tarnished their reputation and people are not as comfortable traveling with them anymore. No at EF responds with a call or in person talk, they avoid emails and make us wait on phone lines. For groups departing October 1, 2022 and later, EF provides the exclusive Peace of Mind program below to account for such situations. as the premier companies. 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