My mom is part of a tour departing for a 10 day trip to Europe. Just don't use them. local tour guides including Blanca, Roseanna and others were so kind and polite. They are all F-ing scum I hope all involved lose every penny they ever made and become homeless. Every invoice has completely disappeared from my EF go ahead account. 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' ". v. EF Institute for Cultural Exchange, Inc., et. I would love for someone from EF Tours to get back to me about my kid's flight home. They want to keep $1000 each child therefore I will loss $2000. A response to this pleading has been ordered filed by Februray 5, 2021, by District Court Judge Denise Casper. I have seen some recent reviews for EF Tours and wanted to share my experiences for those who may consider using this company for a tour. Look at the complaints and the fact that there is a class action lawsuit against them for not refunding money. If so, I'd like to know.". Hence the lawsuit (in CA 2020, look it up). Beware. 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. Work with EF to modify your groups current tour itinerary and dates, or, Cancel your tour and all travelers will receive a transferable Future Travel Voucher in the amount of all monies paid for the original tour, less the cost of any purchased Travel Protection plan, Cancel your tour with applicable fees under the Standard Cancellation Policy. 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. Read more here: Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Claims. Look at all the one star reviews. I have been a group leader with EF for 10 years and they have been getting so bad that I will no longer travel with them. Protection for your belongings My signature was on paperwork for a trip THIS July. I overlooked all that because it was time spent with my daughter. Get a travel voucher for his own tour, no thank you, I paid for Global Protection plan i would like a refund. Customer service is the WORST! opens a world of possibilities. Due to traffic and bad timing we traveled. I will not let this go if need be I will take them to court and sue there asses. EF was never concerned about her health or welfare and only accused her of being drunk so they could dodge any responsibility. Nonrefundable fees are outlined in EFs Booking Conditions. On February 5, 2021, defendants EF Institute for Cultural Exchange, Inc. (EF Institute), EF Education First International, Ltd. (EF International), and EF Explore America, Inc. (EF America) filed a motion to dismiss Plaintiffs Second Amended Complaint (Dec 7, 2020). We had to accept them. ", Later on March 29, 2020, Richard Schirtzer wrote back to William McGrane stating: Bill, the representation you are now asking for exceeds the one I made. Four girls were placed in a room with one queen sized bed and two twin mattresses on the floor in London. We heard nothing from this company even after covid-19 hit usa and threatened travel. The next day, on March 17, EF emailed the first consumer with the same cash refund offer of $1,000 less than what she paid, the suit says. . will be amended to plead violations of Massachusetts consumer protection law. 5. EF Tours is just horrible. Provided to all groups departing through September 30, 2022. I wouldve never signed up for any trip with the Covid restrictions that are now imposed. Please note: These programs apply to tours departing October 1, 2022 or later. Michael Ortiz is seeking unspecified millions of dollars from the city of Hollywood, Florida, and Officer Henry Andrews, 50, who is also facing a . Thats why we prioritize safety, value, 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. Travel can be a big adventure, like exploring someplace new for the first time. ComplaintsBoard.com is a leading complaint resolution website on the Internet. and subject matter experts who understand A copy of this pleading is posted on our UPDATES page. 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! I asked for the registration form and I did sign that I read the cancellation agreement etc. UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 4:00 PM PDST SEPTEMBER 13, 2020. or delay EF tours for public health issues or quarantine or threats of public health issues, in which case the . A hearing date for oral argument with respect to this motion remains to be set by the District Court. Here is what you need to know: 1) they refuse to give an itemized list of what they spend the money on 2) what you pay them does not cover lunch or tips. 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. 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. the unforeseen. EF Go Ahead Tours Call 800-590-1161 . If the case moves forward and settles, anyone affected should receive notice of the settlement with instructions on what to do next. I would say about the five days we were traveling to other countries on bus, we were in the bus for 12-15 hours. 3) They pretend that you can extend your student's trip. and I'm pretty sure it would have all been cheaper if we just did it ourselves. :? Their initial flight was cancelled at 645pm and no one from ef tours was available to book overnight rooms so they could make their 6 am flight. They have horrible people on the chat, like actually rude. Please DO NOT add attachments that contain your or other peoples personal information, if you dont want it to be visible to the public. On December 7, 2020, Melissa Douglass filed a Second Amended Class Action Complaint against various EF Education First affiliates. It is nothing but a money grab from unsuspecting parents! We promise not to send you any unrelated messages, Click here if youd like to unsubscribe from notifications about new complaints of EF Educational Tours. Their contact information can be found in the complaint below. I would never recommend dealing with EF tours or there insurance company. I feel like EF tours did not take our interests and feelings into consideration and I feel like this trip was a complete waste of time and money. 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. . COVID-19 required everybody to be quarantined. Your Group Leader may choose from the following options: Terms & Conditions they won't, in any way, help you book your return trips to stay together as a family. We have decided to not travel in the US. They cancelled it - TWICE! 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 was saddening but completely understandable. The communication from EF Tours its grossly nonexistent and generic. One student got up in the middle of the night and tripped on the mattress and smashed her head into the wall. Or they can redeem it for any other EF travel product. Here's my EFTours experience: 1.I have been on 3 EFTours and have another planned for next summer. 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. . The people who sign up for this type of group tour deserve better vetting of other group members before tour starts. 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. Company is stealing 500.00 saying that is the cancelation policy. I can reschedule to next year. Against my better judgement. 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 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. They also charged me $189 for insurance I declined. I have been saving up my own money for the past three years just to go on this "life changing" experience. Call us: Teachers and Group Leaders 800-637-8222 Students and Parents 800-665-5364 Careers at EF View Opportunities Plus, the staff in each office and school are trained to respond to a wide range of emergency situations. They simply refuse to refund your deposit. After about a year and a couple of months of planning, we FINALLY received our travel dates. Please download the PDF to view it: Download PDF. Your password has been sent to the specified email address. We were told that other than the deposit and a small admin fee, all the rest of the money was refundable. The teacher wouldnt return my phone call, or emails. 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). One thing is guaranteed. EF Educational Tours (international) EF Tours for Girls; EF Educational Tours Canada; EF College Study; EF Ultimate Break; EF Go Ahead Tours; EF Gap Year Same restrictions. It felt like a complete waste of time to travel and waste that many days. I'd like them to give me a written, emailed itemized list of what they are spending all our money on. release my refund and return $500 cancelation fee. This policy helps safeguard Group Leaders, schools, and districts in case of claims related to covered on-tour incidents such as personal injury and provides a legal defense and covers all associated legal fees. How on earth is this justifiable? 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. 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. Has anybody been to the office of EF? 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. ClassAction.org is a group of online professionals (designers, developers and writers) with years of experience in the legal industry. 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. 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. Illness and accident coverage No materials from this website may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way. 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. However, EF Tours will override the plan and refuse your refund. 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 . That means that I will receive less than half that amount back! Cancel for Any Reason** Read those reviews. It would have been better if EF Tours had simply honored the insurance plan and done the right thing. Signed up in 2019 for a 2020 trip. My family and I scheduled a tour with ef educational tours. 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. 3. I went on my trip June 11, 2014-June 25, 2014. EF will make every effort to accommodate revised tour requests. But their ads sure reflect diversity! Looking for a new place to explore, or just a new way to see a familiar destination? Any contract such as the EF SWISS Immunity Clause that gives one side so much power is just the kind of absurd bargain no man in his senses and not under delusion would make on the one hand, and as no honest and fair man would accept on the other described in Hume v. United States (1889) 132 U.S. 406, 411; see also Harper v. Ultimo (2003) 113 Cal.App.4th 1402, 1409 (noting that Faust, depending on which version of the story you read, might or might not end up going to hell because he freelyand without duresssold his soul to the Devil But someone who makes a faustian pact to become someone elses slave in our system is going to find that, among other things, the deal is unconscionable, period, end of discussion., As you are well aware, and under applicable California law, your Swiss clients' conduct in inserting such unconscionable clauses into contracts it makes with American counter-parties results in $1,000 per contract fines; awards of punitive damages as well as liability for my legal bills (which are considerable and growing every day). Four girls were placed in a room with one queen sized bed two. Tour with EF Tours or there insurance company apply to Tours departing October,. Blanca, Roseanna and others were so kind and polite someone from EF had. 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