Or they can redeem it for any other EF travel product. Why am I being charged a total of $550 in cancellation fees? Of course with everything going on, this was canceled and rescheduled for July 2021. 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. Join a Free Coronavirus Failure to Refund Class Action Lawsuit Investigation This whole company should be shut down. The school uses them for all there spring break trips and this is very disappointing that they are doing this to us. 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. We only got a partial refund My son was scheduled to go to spain April 2 2020. 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! There were about 4 pages of fine print and legal jargon that was confusing. It felt like a complete waste of time to travel and waste that many days. to a single room. The first was in 2018. We understand that plans can change due to unforeseen circumstances. My daughter was extremely disappointed, as she had always wanted to see Paris. As the coronavirus outbreak continues to ripple across the globe, a proposed class action lawsuit has been filed over an educational travel companys alleged failure to issue sufficient refunds for canceled student tours. It has been no surprise that management NEVER called. I ended up booking our own flights home to the US for $1500. 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. 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. I am self employed so I had to send a letter stating that my business went under and this had created a hardship. They are so many other excellent companies out there. 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. What a rip off! That's when we found out it would be around $800 to cancel. I can reschedule to next year. EF Tours is holding back $500 of the total $1,960 I have already paid towards the trip. Still capitalizing from us by refusing to refund the total amount. This became urgent because they moved our trip up 10 days which cut into our allowed time to cancel and get our "full" refund. My daughter's peers in Houston were sent home. And, this hotel was a truck stop on the M1. EF Institute for Cultural Exchange, Inc. - Class Action Lawsuits . opportunities for experiential learning. . Dedicated Tour Director. This has to be illegal. and subject matter experts who understand By the first week I was already begging to go home and I kept hoping, thinking and praying that things would get better however they never did. we signed my son up for a trip to England , Paris, and Rome. They know they are being dishonest and scamming these kids and their families. Risk-Free Enrollment Period EF travel chose bureaucracy over the customer which happens to be students so now we are waiting until January 11th for an update. 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. Policy terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. For over 55 years, weve dedicated ourselves to one global mission: Opening the World Through Education. Thats why as the world changes, so do we. EF Gap Year Call 800-726-9746 to enroll. WE never want to travel with EF again and this is not acceptable. Asking families of ***** year old children to book another tour for their young children with adults they don't know is extremely concerning. ", On April 23, 2020, Mr. McGrane responded to Mr. Schirtzer, stating: "I stand by my 'worthless' remark. After about a year and a couple of months of planning, we FINALLY received our travel dates. I am outraged and helpless. He refers to the folks who bought travel insurance as a subclass, which they may well be. Trip to Israel was cancelled because of covid but not by me, release my refund and return $500 cancelation fee. While not happy with that amount I understood. Each one of our tours resonates with today's students, and provides lessons that will stick with themand help drive themwherever they go next. Illness and accident coverage However, if there is any issue, EF Tours will not honor insurance or refunds. We were told there was no where we could go. EF provides an exclusive Peace of Mind program to account for such situations. I cannot travel with EF Go Head Tours due to their restrictions. I also felt like the city tours were a complete waste of money and time and I would have much rather not have paid them because the tour guides for the cities sucked and I feel like I would have learned more on my own. classroom it brings education to life, unlocks new potential, and We ended up in Quito, and learned the Houston group was now cancelled due to civil unrest. Our school will be traveling with three other schools from different parts of the country. Were covering: The reviews of the food were always " not enough food and mediocre food". Plus you have more than two years to explore your possibilities. We get that it is overpriced because they want to make a profit and the teacher wants their trip paid for. I had to also pay $500.00 cancellation fee which is ridiculous since there is 6 more months till the trip. 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. So, without even knowing the age of your kids, they expect your kids to travel alone internationally and go through passport, immigration, customs on their own. The day before trip, we were told cancelled due to civil unrest. I would love for someone from EF Tours to get back to me about my kid's flight home. ", 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. 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. When we ask to escalate our concern, managers have decided to refuse to accept or return our calls. Pursuant to California Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 7.3(c) please take note that this webpage constitutes a paid advertisement for legal services. 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. :? It was an extremely uncomfortable situation and I had to leave the tour. 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. If I can get any student considering this company to stop, I will. release my refund and return $500 cancelation fee. 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. We also had the unfortunate luck of awful traffic. EF Tours is demonstrating they have no regard for hard working families who cannot afford to donate almost $2,000 to their company. This program is automatically included for all travelers and can be enacted at the group level for any reason, including terrorism, pandemics, or other world events. Cancel for Any Reason** Trip Interruption coverage We would like a refund of cash to use for real educational purposes. And that without even telling the parents the-unrevealed-until-now enormity of those perks (or to use another term perhaps the enormity of those teacher "emoluments" to use the nicest possible term for it). al. Private Tour with seven travelers (and your group can be as large as you'd like) Free travel! and the kind of learning that prepares students for the future and Chosen by our travelers, these tried-and-true favorites bring destinations to life through culturally immersive activities. Also told cancellation fee is now $400 not the $300 listed. My son received life threatening injuries and had there not been a physician along as a chaperone my son would have died. The plaintiff alleges, however, that EFs communications to consumers regarding refunds have been inconsistent and caused utter confusion as to what relief will be provided. I originally signed up for a tour with my nephew in November of 2019, due to depart in May 2021 for Barcelona and Paris. Trip Interruption coverage 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. This plan includes Trip Cancellation coverage. 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 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. But its also about the smaller moments on the road. Coverage for baggage in cases of theft or delay. They are making a profit off of cancellations!!!! 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. EFs 2022 Global Leadership Summit We asked to leave to home too. They saved $3800 a piece from babysitting, dog walking, plant watering! UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 2:00 PM PDST DECEMBER 7, 2020. 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. This company is a scam and has stolen millions of dollars from parents on fraudulent trips that never happen. Every invoice has completely disappeared from my EF go ahead account. They make go in circles and have excuse after excuse. Our tours are curated by world travelers 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. 16 years' experience in successful complaint resolution, Each complaint is handled individually by highly qualified experts, Last but not least, all our services are absolutely free. EFs unmatched global presence All Rights Reserved | Website Design by LunaGraphica, California Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 7.3(c). 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