Same restrictions. A copy of this pleading is posted on our UPDATES page. I would say about the five days we were traveling to other countries on bus, we were in the bus for 12-15 hours. There are several hidden fees which totaled $1,300! We were offered a wait and see attitude for the following year 2021 . All I know to do is make this issue public. 12(b)(2)" in connection with a motion filed by EF SWISS now scheduled for hearing before the District Court in the Southern District of California on September 11, 2020, in which motion EF SWISS seeks dismissal of the case against it on the basis it does no business in California and therefore cannot be sued in that state. 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. I worked on the building and had to be in the offices every 3 months for 2 years. 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. We put a deposit down and also the registration fee $199 plus $500. 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. My son is (or perhaps was) traveling on an EF tour this summer with a very small group from our high school. Meet your people The plan lists "quarantine" as a covered reason for a refund - no extra parameters. I can supply all correspondence that my group coordinator had. My son was scheduled to go to Peru on 8/3/2022, today is 7/28/22. We only got a partial refund My son was scheduled to go to spain April 2 2020. Please download the PDF to view it: Download PDF. This plan includes Trip Cancellation coverage. Meet Carlos, an expert local guide Background checks on adult travelers 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. After only 3 days on tour Israel kicked everyone out because of Covid. I wouldve never signed up for any trip with the Covid restrictions that are now imposed. EF Tours is just horrible. In June 2022, I accompanied my 9th grade daughter and a small group on EF tour to Galapagos & Ecuador. The reviews of the food were always " not enough food and mediocre food". Building tours that go beyond expectation. Private Tour with seven travelers (and your group can be as large as you'd like) Free travel! Dedicated Tour Director. Initially after this situation occurred a person from the company called me to get the story (since I immediately reported it to the tour director when I got off the bus) but never heard from him again. Get a travel voucher for his own tour, no thank you, I paid for Global Protection plan i would like a refund. These programs apply to tours departing October 1, 2022 or later. If a traveler needs to interrupt a tour due to serious injury or illness, this provides a benefit. Dedicated Emergency Service and Incident Response Teams 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. We understand that plans can change due to unforeseen circumstances. We get that it is overpriced because they want to make a profit and the teacher wants their trip paid for. People should be able to get a refund, without all of the hidden fees. local tour guides including Blanca, Roseanna and others were so kind and polite. Look at all the one star reviews. Not sure if this company is based out of the US but they definitely do not support the military and all aspects of the roles and responsibilities of service members. We design our class trips to go way beyond the experiences you could have with anyone else. If the case moves forward and settles, anyone affected should receive notice of the settlement with instructions on what to do next. EF Educational Tours Call 800-665-5364 to enroll. They also charged me $189 for insurance I declined. This company canceled our tour claiming Covid caused them to be short of staff to accommodate the tour. Group tours EF Ultimate Break only provides group tours. They kept $700 of our hard earned money and refuse to return it. We were told there was no where we could go. I am a senior citizen and cannot afford that loss or afford to wait any further for the refund. Trip Cancellation coverage A copy of all relevant pleadings can be viewed by clicking on what appears to the left. 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. My son received life threatening injuries and had there not been a physician along as a chaperone my son would have 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. I was told that they only charge whats been deposited. I have requested my money back. Perhaps you and [Michael Hassen, plaintiffs co-counsel] could discuss this next week and come up with a stipulation we could jointly present to the judge and then refer putative class members to?. 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. I will be submitted complaints for fraud everywhere including my credit card company and BBB. Has anybody seen anyone of color working in their offices? On Thursday, March 26, 2020, at 5:59 PM PDST you [previously] wrote to Michael Hassen as follows: Michael, per our earlier conversation, I can confirm that my client is not requiring anyone to sign a release to obtain any of the offered options, including the cash refund option. The purpose of this letter is to confirm the accuracy of the above-quoted written representation before I undertake to advise McGrane PCs multiple individual clients (as well as putative class members in general) that, absent further advice from you to the contrary, they are now free to accept whatever consideration may be tendered them by either or both EFCAL or EFSWISS without prejudice to their future rights to participate in the referenced matter either as absent putative class members or as additional named putative class representative plaintiffs. . Careers at EF. Payments made should be made to McGrane PC as trustee. It was discovered by a parent who was monitoring the flight status. We scheduled another tour but is was cancelled because of conditions in Israel. Hence the lawsuit (in CA 2020, look it up). Which btw the ticket was $100!!! They simply answered the phone, we provided the tour, dates and names of our family members and paid a deposit for each of us. ", UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 3:00 PM PDST April 24, 2020, On April 24, 2020, William McGrane wrote to Richard Schirtzer: "Let me clarify for everyone. 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. Trip Interruption coverage they won't help make an arrangement to stay together and they won't book one way so that you can save move and book the return yourself. This company is a fraud and steals money from families. Desired outcome: ", UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 1:30 PM PDST April 23, 2020. 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. It caters to young and older travelers, admitting anyone from age six and above (under-age travelers accompanied by adults). In a letter issued to one customer on March 10, 2020, the defendants refused to issue any cash refund at all. Thank you, This is a class action lawsuit for monetary and equitable relief arising out of Defendants' . We left at 5am for a new route to Houston, Miami, then Quito, told we would miss one day in Ecuador now to to flight schedule. McGrane PC. Protection for your belongings So we were unable to go out and see the cities on our own time like we were promised. 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. Is this your company? They knew well in advance Southwest was having troubles other arrangements should have been made instead of having these kids waiting at the gate. It was necessary for a family member to go to Costa Rica. Spring break trip with the school for my two boys to go to Greece and Italy this year. Risk-Free Enrollment Period 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. We were told we would receive a check from Ef Tours in 2 to 4 weeks for approx. While not happy with that amount I understood. But guess what? I also was being charged late fees even though I changed my payment plan. Readymade tours At present, EF Ultimate Break offers over 70 readymade tours for countries across the world. A more personalized on-tour experience. EF College Study Call 877-485-4184 to enroll. I was told we should have paid extra if we wanted to be IN Sorrento. -Sandra Joubarani. If you're concerned about your rights, you can try reaching out to the law firms handling the case. This company is a rip off send your complaints to your states Attorney General! 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. 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. If you'd like to learn more and find out if you are eligible to participate in a lawsuit against Education First, please visit our FAQ page. Background checks take place through a secure process that is meant to specifically identify individuals who could present a risk to student travelers while on tour. To be eligible, the traveler must enroll on a tour at least 110 days prior to the scheduled departure date. In my opinion they are if they hired them to insure these trips they should make good on there promises to get you to buy the insurance. ?we were then offered a tour of a castle which was supposedly a make up gift from ef tours for the bus situation however, once we got there we only had about 45 mins- an hour to tour the entire castle. However, I was never allowed to speak with management. 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). We will incorporate new procedures where appropriate as part of the comprehensive safety measures that are standard on every EF tour. Individual Coverage Read those reviews. If a traveler needs to cancel a trip due to reasons specified in the plan, this reimburses non-refundable pre-paid payments. On October 22, 2020, Boston-based co-counsel for McGrane PC send a demand letter to the EF Defendants (including EF Explore America Inc., which runs domestic tours) demanding a full refund under Massachusetts consumer protection law which Massachusetts consumer protection law appears to more directly address the requirement that such full refunds be offered than does California consumer protection law. This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback. My oldest son was scheduled to take a school trip to Peru next year. Get connected We're here to help. They claim the $700.00 is money that was already spent to secure travel details. 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 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 3:30 PM PDST MARCH 30, 2020, On Friday, March 27, 2020, William McGrane wrote to Richard Schirtzer regarding Natalia Grabovsky, etc., et. Thank you for your email! I signed on in 201920 when no restrictions were in force. I ended up booking our own flights home to the US for $1500. Submit a complaint and get your issue resolved. The Global Travel Protection Plus plan must be purchased when you book your tour. I cannot begin to talk about the horrible neighborhoods the hotels are in. They cancelled it - TWICE! In what universe is this considered acceptable?!?!?!? al. Imagine being in London not able to tour anything because you don't have the proper tour bus that you were promised?? UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 2:00 PM PDST SEPTEMBER 22, 2021. 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. 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. Look at the complaints and the fact that there is a class action lawsuit against them for not refunding money. She had a black eye and blood in her eyeball for the entire trip. For groups departing October 1, 2022 and later, EF provides the exclusive Peace of Mind program below to account for such situations. Travelers who had booked their program by redeeming a previously issued Future Travel Voucher may have different terms and options available to them based on the originally issued voucher terms. Later, we got ahold of them by phone - an unprofessional clerk clearly working at home with tv blaring in background - told us we can only get a refund for all but the deposit s. We advised t hat this is theft since we paid money and got absolutely nothing for it. UPDATE ON EF CASES AS OF 12:00 PM PST FEBRUARY 14, 2023. Three weeks after enrolling, our circumstances changed so I called to cancel, expecting to pay the $95 cancellation fee x2. and the kind of learning that prepares students for the future and 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. The first thing to keep in mind is that there are alcohol restrictions with these tours. 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. Not only did I make a complaint to the Better Business Bureau but I also requested that a manager call me and I have yet to hear from anyone. For more than 15 years we have helped nearly 50000 customers resolve their issues and will never stop striving to ensure further improvements on our platform for a better communication between companies and customers. 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. I called EF and they directed me to the insurance company-which is an absolute rip off. Poor communication, date changes, do not uphold refund requests. Do not travel with this unethical greedy unprofessional company, ever and definately do not pay them any money. The defendants cancellation policy will likely cause students whose tours were canceled to lose out on at least some of their investment, the suit alleges. The 2020 trip was canceled due to Covid. opens a world of possibilities. 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. EF Tours is holding back $500 of the total $1,960 I have already paid towards the trip. This is morally and ethically wrong. DO NOT USE EF Tours! Wife has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and will not be able to make this trip. 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). Unable to travel? The number of travelers in each group is capped at 14-38, and small group tours only . 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. 5. EF will make every effort to accommodate revised tour requests. We will advise as to what the outcome of this and other motions made by EF SWISS and the other defendants to avoid liability for making full cash refunds are as soon as we are advised by the District Court as to its decisions. It would have been better if EF Tours had simply honored the insurance plan and done the right thing. Please read on for additional coverage details, as well as deadlines to purchase each Global Travel Protection plan. 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. 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