This will not work for many reasons, first I we are most likely moving. We went ahead and waited. I was told that they only charge whats been deposited. Was told that in total I will lose the $749 each person as we also will lose the Global Travel Protection Plan amount as well. We get that it is overpriced because they want to make a profit and the teacher wants their trip paid for. ", Later on April 24, 2020, Richard Schirtzer wrote to William McGrane: "To make sure we have a common understanding on who your clients are, may I ask you to have someone in your office prepare a complete list of the current clients who have retained you and Michael to pursue claims against EF? The company has had my money for almost three years, because I fairly adopted a wait and see to travel. Our people are your people. 2. I was just on an EF tour to Portugal and I can honestly say it was horrible. The reviews of the food were always " not enough food and mediocre food". I hope your child knows that they will be sharing a bed with their roommates even if they are traveling with another school. 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. 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. Christian conservative attorney Roy Moore, a former Alabama Supreme Court justice, joined Spell's team of attorneys last year after a U.S. district judge dismissed his lawsuit in Baton Rouge . Has anybody seen anyone of color working in their offices? Protection for your belongings Both teachers who are the guides have left our school district, have done no fundraising, and the price has increased on the trip since I initially booked it. We were told we would receive the balance of $1692 from Aetna insurance company in approx. 8 weeks.It has been 8 weeks so my son contacted the insurance company and was told the money would be put back into our account between June 20 to 25th. Want class action news sent to your inbox? Filed: March 17, 2020 3:20-cv-00508-GPC-BLM. What a rip off! This whole company should be shut down. Here's my EFTours experience: 1.I have been on 3 EFTours and have another planned for next summer. Read our Newswire Disclaimer. These itineraries are your answer. 2022 . EF Go Ahead Tours is a brand under the EF Tours group that offers both guided and fully customizable tours to destinations worldwide. Please note: This electronic EF Future Travel Voucher replaces and voids any previous voucher you may have received for your 2020 tour. They do not respond favorably. Even with the "Global traveler's protection" insurance I purchased at $165 per traveler, which I paid for both my daughter and I. If the revised tour has a higher price than the original tour, travelers will be required to pay the difference as a condition of traveling on the revised tour. EF was never concerned about her health or welfare and only accused her of being drunk so they could dodge any responsibility. and subject matter experts who understand UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 2:00 PM PDST FEBRUARY 5, 2021. RIP OFF!! They informed me that my type of service is not recognized and I would not be covered. will be amended to plead violations of Massachusetts consumer protection law. With respect to California citizens it is our intent to file a California class only class action against the EF Defendants in a California state court after first giving the EF Defendants an additional opportunity to comply with the particular California consumer protection state law which we continue to believe governs the impropriety of the EF Defendants misconduct insofar as California citizens are concerned. the unforeseen. 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. If the group does not travel on the original tour, travel on a revised tour, or receive a Future Travel Voucher, standard cancellation fees will apply. 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. However, EF Tours will override the plan and refuse your refund. There are several hidden fees which totaled $1,300! On May 1st I lost my job and we immediately contacted Ef Tours to cancel. Original departure date 7/13/2020 Desired outcome: Unfortunately, there isnt a way for us to give Darianne a discount. I have requested my money back. No materials from this website may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way. Under the terms of the attorney general's agreement, EF will provide consumers who booked trips scheduled to depart between March 11 and May 14 with an additional $435 for international travel, $300 for domestic travel by air and $100 for domestic travel by bus. Live, unedited & independent traveler reviews. v. EF Institute for Cultural Exchange, Inc., et. Building tours that go beyond expectation. I am self employed so I had to send a letter stating that my business went under and this had created a hardship. It is nothing but a money grab from unsuspecting parents! 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. She was contracted but not employed by EFgo ahead tours. In my opinion, this is stealing. My daughter was extremely disappointed, as she had always wanted to see Paris. var dt = new Date(); 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. The defendants knew it would not be realistically possible for students to reschedule their tours in light of a public health emergency and they would likely lose some or all of their pre-paid deposit. et. Sadly, this was not the case. As you can imagine the difference between 0 and 55 is immaculate and only caused problems throughout the entire trip. Now that I see I cannot . Find out more details today at 1-800-438-7672. 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. They want to keep $1000 each child therefore I will loss $2000. One student got up in the middle of the night and tripped on the mattress and smashed her head into the wall. This company canceled our tour claiming Covid caused them to be short of staff to accommodate the tour. Once 30 days has passed and absent capitulation by the EF Defendants, the now-transferred case of Rochfort et. 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. On June 20th we called them to verify and were told our claim was denied and we wouldn't be receiving anything back from them. steer clear of this scam! Policy terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Please read on for additional coverage details, as well as deadlines to purchase each Global Travel Protection plan. To date I paid $1063 on this trip to Peru and canceling it over 1 year in advance due to unforeseen circumstances has cost me $560. In addition the insurance company retained by EF initially declined to pay to have my son evacuated from Cost Rica. Emergency evacuation coverages A hearing date for oral argument with respect to this motion remains to be set by the District Court. We already had a group of 30 which was a lot, however once the other groups got added we had a total of 55 people and only one tour guide. 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. I will never, ever even consider sending any of my other kids on one of these trips. People are requiredLISTENrequired to purchase the Global Protection Plan. Nonrefundable fees are outlined in EFs Booking Conditions. Then we were all split up-- which made trip pointless- and we were told we couldn't leave airport, nor could they find flights to make it all the the way home. But its also about the smaller moments on the road. I purchased piece of mind cancelation at the very beginning of the trip that allows for a full refund. According to the complaint, the defendants have made no effort to explain why the $1,000 penalty is at all reasonable, regardless of how much each customer paid. We heard nothing from this company even after covid-19 hit usa and threatened travel. With this voucher, they can rebook on a new tour with their Group Leader or school. (EF SWISS Immunity Clause). Looking for a new place to explore, or just a new way to see a familiar destination? Mr. Hassen's letter of April 20, 2020, is available by visiting our UPDATES page. Refunding all the money spent thus far is the right thing to do considering the cancellation is completely out of the control of the families. 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. EF Explore America Call 888-333-9756 to enroll. I sent the letter and will contact them again Monday to try and get answers. 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. The school uses them for all there spring break trips and this is very disappointing that they are doing this to us. I was super excited to go experience 6 countries however from day one everything seemed to go wrong. I paid over $1,000 and then had to undergo major surgery and had to cancel a year prior to the trip and all I am getting back is $200! Purchase was completed prior to pandemic..tour to Italy. You can find further details of the policy, coverage limits, and exclusions here. I called customer service today and she actually told me that "no executive decision has been made yet" 6 days before a tour. How on earth is this justifiable? What can we do with this company? A most unsatisfactory and life changing (m for the worse) experience. Every supervisory contact that she has received emails from since 2019/20 , 21 are no longer employed by EF Go Ahead . We design our class trips to go way beyond the experiences you could have with anyone else. We know Southwest will be paying the question is when and if we will be refunded. They know they are being dishonest and scamming these kids and their families. UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 2:00 PM PDST SEPTEMBER 22, 2021. 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. Out of that $550, $95 is the none refundable deposit but come on, the rest if ridiculous, especially when the cancellation request is made OVER A YEAR in advance. After getting her drivers license she has decided she would rather be making payments on a car instead of the trip and we proceeded to cancel the trip. There are so many good tour companies out there, you would be wasting valuable time and money booking with this one. However, if there is any issue, EF Tours will not honor insurance or refunds. Our school will be traveling with three other schools from different parts of the country. 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. With 600 schools and offices in 50 countries worldwide, including regional offices dedicated to on-tour support, our global presence is truly unmatched. 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. They are in trouble financially and that is ok with me!!! 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 also facilitate communication between travelers and families in the event of an emergency at home. Best Day Ever: Tokyo 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!) Plus you have more than two years to explore your possibilities. The swimming area was not separated in any way from boat traffic, nor was my son warned about possible boat traffic. They need to be outted with their unfair business practices. 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). ComplaintsBoard.com is a leading complaint resolution website on the Internet. v. EF Institute for Cultural Exchange, Inc., et. I signed on in 201920 when no restrictions were in force. Cost: $490* while including the problematic unconscionable clauses that made sure the bankruptcy insurance being sold if EF Defendants did not perform would never possibly be called on [because the EF Defendants would never have to pay anyone any money anyway] speaks to the unconscionability of the relevant unconscionable clauses for everyone EF Defendants did business with, not just some arbitrary subclass of actual [travel] insurance buyers.Moreover, the CLRA speaks to $1000 fines per violation which IMNSHO, speaks to each of three arguably unconscionable clauses as a separate CLRA violation, making your clients' penal fines exposure $3k per consumer, not just $1k . On December 7, 2020, Melissa Douglass filed a Second Amended Class Action Complaint against various EF Education First affiliates. My mom is part of a tour departing for a 10 day trip to Europe. 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