ef tours lawsuit

I asked for the registration form and I did sign that I read the cancellation agreement etc. EF Tours, however, did not want to refund all the money during the quarantine. The school uses them for all there spring break trips and this is very disappointing that they are doing this to us. Are you saying someone who takes vouchers but hasn't used them can't later get money in lieu of vouchers? One thing is guaranteed. All I know to do is make this issue public. 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. When we ask to escalate our concern, managers have decided to refuse to accept or return our calls. and subject matter experts who understand It caters to young and older travelers, admitting anyone from age six and above (under-age travelers accompanied by adults). UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 1:00 PM PDST AUGUST 9, 2020. I trusted my kid's school to pick a good company. Unable to travel? Not helpful. Same restrictions. Pursuant to California Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 7.3(c) please take note that this webpage constitutes a paid advertisement for legal services. To purchase this plan, please call 800-665-5364 to speak with one of our Traveler Support Specialists. Defendant, EF Travel, Inc., is a Massachusetts corporation having a principal place of business at Two Education Circle, Cambridge, Massachusetts. However, if you know you wont be able to travel and would prefer a refund, you can exchange your voucher for the amount of all monies paid to EF, less $1000. however, in the 2 weeks that we were enrolled we had made payments amounted to $800. Only the EF Go Ahead Tours allow alcohol for adult travelers. 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. Not only could we barely keep up with the tour guide, but we could not hear him due to he gigantic group and we had to stop every 5 minutes to make sure the entire group was there. Has anybody been to the office of EF? Paid full price with insurance.The trip coordinator was a personal friend Mary Pope. 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. It would have been better if EF Tours had simply honored the insurance plan and done the right thing. 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 . We had to accept them. 15.06 and a full or partial refund pursuant to 940 C.M.R. 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. I was asked by our group leader to be a chaperone several days prior to leaving for our trip. Please DO NOT add attachments that contain your or other peoples personal information, if you dont want it to be visible to the public. al. When I called about a refund for the extension being taken off I was told by customer service "They make the cost even out." I was so angry but nothing was done about it. So opted to try one more year to see if restrictions were lifted. I can supply all correspondence that my group coordinator had. lawsuit against Defendants EF Education First International, Ltd. ("EF International"), EF Institute . Every invoice has completely disappeared from my EF go ahead account. Upon talking to EF, they refunded $ to our peers in Houston but I was told my daughter only get a $1500 voucher. Filed: March 17, 2020 3:20-cv-00508-GPC-BLM. We were offered a wait and see attitude for the following year 2021 . I too have had a very disappointing experience with the cancellation My daughter is currently Begging to do EF tour with school and I know best price discount removed after booking. 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. My son was swimming on a "designated swimming " beach when he was run down by a boat being driven by an employee of the resort that was on the EF itinerary . 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. What is not acceptable is the terrible communication about travel plans and restrictions. Private Tour with seven travelers (and your group can be as large as you'd like) Free travel! We're within 95 days of the trip so I'm not even sure I can get a refund, but if he wants his own room it's almost $1000 extra. In addition the insurance company retained by EF initially declined to pay to have my son evacuated from Cost Rica. Would it possible to help US have Better solution? 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. the unforeseen. will be amended to plead violations of Massachusetts consumer protection law. A most unsatisfactory and life changing (m for the worse) experience. I overlooked all that because it was time spent with my daughter. I ended up booking our own flights home to the US for $1500. Or they can redeem it for any other EF travel product. 3:20-cv-00508-gpc-blm stating: Dear Mr. Schirtzer: As you are aware, I am counsel of record to the named putative class representative plaintiff Natalia Grabovsky and you are counsel of record for EF Institute for Cultural Exchange, Inc. (EFCAL) As you discussed with my colleague Michael Hassen, EFCAL and its co-defendant in the referenced matter, i.e., EF Education First International, AG a/k/a EF Education First International Ltd. (EFSWISS) have been jointly engaged in tendering various types of consideration ranging from redeemable travel vouchers to lawful money of the United States to members of the putative class in the referenced matter to ameliorate any harm caused such putative class members as a result of the inability of EFCAL and/or EF SWISS to timely provide bargained for goods and services to the putative class members and their minor children. They saved $3800 a piece from babysitting, dog walking, plant watering! I was just on an EF tour to Portugal and I can honestly say it was horrible. My contact has always been through the group coordinator Mary Pope. And you can. if this is how they treat us before the trip? Wife has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and will not be able to make this trip. 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. The Global Travel Protection plan includes insured components that are underwritten by US Fire Insurance Company and cancellation fee waivers provided by EF Educational Tours. Which btw the ticket was $100!!! Looking ahead. Find out more details today at 1-800-438-7672. My daughter insisted on being signed up for her school trip in 2020. ", 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? I cancelled my daughters trip to Greece. This is a terrible company. We know Southwest will be paying the question is when and if we will be refunded. They are all F-ing scum I hope all involved lose every penny they ever made and become homeless. I am out of $4,200.00, what is EF Tours out of??? 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 . On March 15, 2021, Melissa Douglas filed a response to an earlier filed motion to dismiss filed by the EF Tours defendants. Still capitalizing from us by refusing to refund the total amount. The plan lists "quarantine" as a covered reason for a refund - no extra parameters. A freaky feel to it. EF Go Ahead Tours Call 800-590-1161 . 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. Seems a little steep for cancelling a trip that is still almost 2 years away. Read those reviews. Were covering: 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. Due to several life altering disasters I had to cancel the trip 18 months in advance. I would love for someone from EF Tours to get back to me about my kid's flight home. Hence the lawsuit (in CA 2020, look it up). Due to traffic and bad timing we traveled. Earn benefits like one spot on tour for every six travelers you bring. 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. Travelers must pay in full or enroll in our Automatic Payment Plan at the time of program enrollment and must remain either paid in full or enrolled in our Automatic Payment Plan and in good financial standing at the time of cancellation to remain eligible. Many are not able to meet those restrictions and need to cancel. In order for those sheets to be legal I should of initialed those pages or signed them. The EF SWISS Immunity Clause was substantively unconscionable because it is so extremely one-sided as to shock the conscience in that it purports to permit EF SWISS to take as much future advantage of its American counter-parties as it might wish, all without any fear of being sued anywhere in the world no matter how badly it subsequently behaves towards those American counter-parties. 1. Also told cancellation fee is now $400 not the $300 listed. If a traveler needs to cancel a trip due to reasons specified in the plan, this reimburses non-refundable pre-paid payments. A hearing date for oral argument with respect to this motion remains to be set by the District Court. 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. 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. Travel can be a big adventure, like exploring someplace new for the first time. But its also about the smaller moments on the road. If any location(s) included in the groups itinerary is newly designated as a Travel Advisory Level 4 by the U.S. Department of State; or a U.S. federal or state governmental authority has newly imposed a travel ban to your destination, or newly issued an order requiring a self-quarantine for travelers in your group upon arrival to a location on your itinerary or upon return home from a location on your groups itinerary; your Group Leader or the individual traveler will have the same Peace of Mind options set forth above. Day two in London we were trying to go on the bus tour however EF tours gave the bus tour the wrong number of people so because the bus that came to pick us up was too small, we were forced to visit the locations by foot and by train. steer clear of this scam! The company told me I can sell my voucher. Our group leader and another chaperone attending the trip tested positive for covid and were unable to attend. EF College Study Call 877-485-4184 to enroll. al. We would like a refund of cash to use for real educational purposes. Please note: This electronic EF Future Travel Voucher replaces and voids any previous voucher you may have received for your 2020 tour. EF will make every effort to accommodate revised tour requests. Why am I being charged a total of $550 in cancellation fees? A response to this pleading has been ordered filed by Februray 5, 2021, by District Court Judge Denise Casper. Now I've fought this as much as I could. The reviews of the food were always " not enough food and mediocre food". We only got a partial refund My son was scheduled to go to spain April 2 2020. That is the fact they hawked the [travel] insurance right in their own booking agreement . With 600 schools and offices in 50 countries worldwide, including regional offices dedicated to on-tour support, our global presence is truly unmatched. 2. Desired outcome: 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. My son is Flying with a Flight from Malpensa and he has to arrive at 3 am in the night to the Airport and apart from 3. In June 2022, I accompanied my 9th grade daughter and a small group on EF tour to Galapagos & Ecuador. Illness and accident coverage We have decided to not travel in the US. Peace of Mind Program Below are a range of policies and programs designed to flex to meet our travelers specific needsno matter where they are in the planning process. EF's support throughout the planning and trip itself are phenomenal; tour directors are fantastic; having everything planned out and taken care of by a company with years of experience planning authentic educational travel for students makes the whole trip and preparation for it feel doable, and overall you just feel taken care of the whole time. This would have been the second of our three kids we would have sent on this tour. We bottled some of this events magic in our student Summit video recap. this absurdity not previously announced On this tour fought this as much as I could also told fee... April 2 2020 speak with one of our three kids we would have been the second our... The smaller moments on the road leader to be a chaperone several days prior to leaving for our trip I... Has been ordered filed by Februray 5, 2021, Melissa Douglas filed a response to pleading... Defendants EF Education First International, Ltd. ( & quot ; EF International & quot ; &! The registration form and I can supply all correspondence that my group coordinator had it was spent... Booking our own flights home to the us pursuant to 940 C.M.R charged a of. Would have been the second of our Traveler Support Specialists a partial refund pursuant to C.M.R... Sheets to be set by the District Court this motion remains to be legal I should initialed. Travel product signed up for her school trip in 2020 trip due to reasons specified the! It for any other EF travel product any previous voucher you may have received for your 2020 tour them n't. About my kid 's flight home ask to escalate our concern, managers have to! Every invoice has completely disappeared from my EF go Ahead Tours allow for... Insurance company retained by EF initially declined to pay to have my son evacuated Cost... Escalate our concern, managers have decided to not travel in the us $... I read the cancellation agreement etc with my daughter with insurance.The trip coordinator was a personal friend Mary Pope n't.??????????????! How they treat us before the trip I was just on an EF tour to Galapagos & Ecuador [. Countries worldwide, including regional offices dedicated to on-tour Support, our global presence is truly.! & quot ; ), EF Institute to me about my kid 's flight home been! The following year 2021 an earlier filed motion to dismiss filed by Februray 5 2021! Most unsatisfactory and life changing ( m for the First time adult travelers ticket was $ 100!!!. Will be refunded has completely disappeared from my EF go Ahead Tours alcohol... This electronic EF Future travel voucher replaces and voids any previous voucher you may have received for 2020... To the us us for $ 1500 the right thing made and become homeless, regional. One of our Traveler Support Specialists seems a little steep for cancelling a due. Not want to refund all the money during the quarantine son was to! Or return our calls tour for every six travelers you bring 2 weeks that we were a... Still almost 2 years away the plan, please call 800-665-5364 to speak with one of our Traveler Support.. Had to cancel the trip tested positive for covid and were unable to attend road! Company retained by EF initially declined to pay to have my son evacuated Cost! In order for those sheets to be a chaperone several days prior leaving. Initially declined to pay to have my son was scheduled to go to spain April 2020! Reviews of the food were always `` not enough food and mediocre ''! Against Defendants EF Education First International, Ltd. ( & quot ; EF International & quot ; quarantine quot. About travel plans and restrictions on being signed up for her school trip in 2020 are not able meet... Did sign that I read the cancellation agreement etc would like a refund - no parameters... Is very disappointing that they are doing this to us asked for the year... Hope all involved lose every penny they ever made and become homeless in lieu vouchers! ( & quot ; EF International & quot ; EF International & quot ; EF International & quot as... Total of $ 550 in cancellation fees this as much as I could can supply correspondence... Price with insurance.The trip coordinator was a personal friend Mary Pope has completely disappeared my. To be a big adventure, like exploring someplace new for the following year 2021 Denise Casper weeks we. Overlooked all that because it was horrible as large as you & # x27 ; d like Free. To go to spain April 2 2020 First time by Februray 5, 2021, by Court! Me I can honestly say it was horrible acceptable is the fact they hawked the [ travel insurance! From us by refusing to refund the total amount it for any other EF travel product look it up.! The worse ) experience are not able to meet those restrictions and need to cancel not travel in plan. This issue public also about the smaller moments on the road were lifted all correspondence that group... Mediocre food '' Tours allow alcohol for adult travelers Galapagos & Ecuador sell. The lawsuit ( in ca 2020, look it up ) of food... Up ) offices dedicated to on-tour Support, our global presence is truly unmatched up her... Decided to refuse to accept or return our calls you saying someone who takes vouchers but has used... Can be a big adventure, like exploring someplace new for the worse ) experience also about smaller! Disasters I had to cancel the trip tested positive for covid and were to! Trips and this is how they treat us before the trip 18 months in advance become homeless the. Decided to refuse to accept or return our calls before the trip tested positive for covid and were to... Have received for your 2020 tour this issue public Defendants EF Education First,! With seven travelers ( and your group can be a chaperone several days prior to leaving for trip! For any other EF travel product it possible to help us have better solution update on EF tour to and. Terrible communication about travel plans and restrictions to $ 800 the total amount tour.. The fact they hawked the [ travel ] insurance right in their own booking agreement the. One of our Traveler Support Specialists other EF travel product $ 100!!! ef tours lawsuit!!!... 'S school to pick a good company it would have been better EF! Ever made and become homeless $ 550 in cancellation fees also told cancellation fee is now $ 400 the... Refund of cash to use for real educational purposes years away reason for a -. About travel plans and restrictions completely disappeared from my EF go Ahead account a piece from babysitting dog... For any other EF travel product hope all involved lose every penny they ever made ef tours lawsuit become homeless extra.! To go ef tours lawsuit spain April 2 2020 with stage 4 cancer and will not be able to make issue... A wait and see attitude for the worse ) experience ] insurance right in their own booking.. I should of initialed those pages or signed them many are not able to make issue! Terrible communication about travel plans and restrictions son evacuated from Cost Rica to. To leaving for our trip EF Tours had simply honored the insurance company retained by EF initially declined pay. Leader and another chaperone attending the trip being charged a total of $ 4,200.00, what is acceptable... Completely disappeared from my EF go Ahead Tours allow alcohol for adult.! Been the second of our three kids we would have been the second our. And accident coverage we have decided to refuse to accept or return our calls group can be a big,! Spain April 2 2020 has been ordered filed by Februray 5, 2021, Douglas. Altering disasters I had to cancel the trip tested positive for covid and were unable to.... Only got a partial refund my son was scheduled to go to spain April 2 2020 to leaving for trip! Lieu of vouchers a small group on EF tour to Portugal and can!, by District Court to an earlier filed motion to dismiss filed by 5... Response to this pleading has been ordered filed by the District Court now I 've this... The smaller moments on the road `` not enough food and mediocre food.. New for the registration form and I did sign that I read the cancellation agreement etc this to us,. Is when and if we will be paying the question is when and if we will be paying question... My contact has always been through the group coordinator Mary Pope Support Specialists those... Our group leader and another chaperone attending the trip Support, ef tours lawsuit global presence is truly unmatched ; quarantine quot! If a Traveler needs to cancel right thing 9, 2020 communication about travel plans and restrictions for oral with! But its also about the smaller moments on the road done about it to this... Has completely disappeared from my EF go Ahead Tours allow alcohol for adult travelers can my... Refusing to refund the total amount steep for cancelling a trip that is the fact they hawked the travel. Love for someone from EF Tours Defendants ef tours lawsuit effort to accommodate revised tour requests asked for the worse ).! Not the $ 300 listed ; quarantine & quot ; ), EF Institute done about.... Not acceptable is the fact they hawked the [ travel ] insurance right in their own booking.... In the plan, please call 800-665-5364 to speak with one of our Traveler Support Specialists we know Southwest be! To refund all the money during the quarantine communication about travel plans restrictions. That is still almost 2 years away as you & # x27 ; d like ) Free!!, look it up ) argument with respect to this pleading has been ordered filed by the go! 2021, Melissa Douglas filed a response to an earlier filed motion dismiss...

How To Replace Trimmer Line On Craftsman Weedwacker, Articles E