Your Group Leader may choose from the following options: Work with EF to modify your group's current tour itinerary and dates, or find a new tour and apply all money paid to the new tour. For a fee, a single room can be requested for the tour. They need to be outted with their unfair business practices. You may wish to spend time at your destinations before or after the scheduled tour. Lodging: Some hotel chains may be loosening their cancellation policies, waiving change and cancellation fees that would normally apply to non-refundable rates. We would be spending time in three different countries, seeing some of the most beautiful and historic cities in Europe. At the time of this publication, EF Tours has been notified of this unacceptable hotel and has yet to respond. My son is (or perhaps was) traveling on an EF tour this summer with a very small group from our high school. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. If you pay by credit card, you should receive a refund to that credit card. It was necessary for a family member to go to Costa Rica. Four boys were also booked in a room in London with only a king sized bed! She and her husband, Jerard, had to pay $437 for new tickets. Grabovsky and the proposed Class are represented by William McGrane and Matthew Sepuya of McGrane PC and Michael J. Hassen of RealLaw APC. So, Hignite and other parents contacted EF Tours to learn they could get only vouchers, or pay the penalty to cancel. 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. During our entire time in London, we were not once served any traditional English food. If you dont believe me, ask Melina Jose, who was supposed to fly from Paris to Orlando, Florida, recently. 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. However, EF Tours will override the plan and refuse your refund. These Britrail England Flexi Passes are taking forever to refund. When you travel with EF, you get the benefits of our 55+ years of experience and our unmatched global network. I have been saving up my own money for the past three years just to go on this "life changing" experience. We were encouraged to invite friends and family to join us on the tour, whether or not they were associated with our school or even local to our area. Save up to $300. Four girls were placed in a room with one queen sized bed and two twin mattresses on the floor in London. Thanks :). EF Tours is a travel company that specializes in international tours for students. EF Tours charged each participant $60. When Chicago Public Schools canceled all district-sponsored international travel for the upcoming spring break because of the threat of coronavirus, Derek Dattner assumed he would be refunded the. They are in trouble financially and that is ok with me!!! If not used for travel, a COVID-19 Voucher can be exchanged for a refund of all money paid into a travelers account less $565. It will cover topics such as contacting EF Tours directly, filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), disputing the charge with your credit card company, and seeking legal advice. 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. COVID-19 required everybody to be quarantined. As you can imagine the difference between 0 and 55 is immaculate and only caused problems throughout the entire trip. It is very expensive, and I'm just hoping for a positive experience. The COVID-19 Future Travel Voucher cannot be used for: When I redeem a COVID-19 Future Travel Voucher, can I split the value across multiple accounts? Its always best to book any tour, hotel or activity for your trip with a major credit card, explains Claire Soares, founder of the travel company Up in the Air Life. Tours with scheduled departures from October 1, 2020 September 30, 2022, If at 44 days or less prior to departure of your tour, travel restrictions, governmental orders, or other conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic make it impossible or impracticable for EF to operate your tour as scheduled, or any of the COVID-19 travel related events referenced in the. So, even the itinerary is a lie! You're in!) Students and parents can then sign up directly through the EF Tours website, and submit all payments directly to the company. Parents are upset that a student tour company won't give full refunds for canceled European vacations. how to get a full refund from ef tours how to get a full refund from ef tours | You can call EF Ultimate Break at 1-800-766-2645. What should I do? This hotel was a bit older than the Hiltons wed stayed in, but it was clean, spacious, and comfortable. My daughter was extremely disappointed, as she had always wanted to see Paris. 2/22/2022. For what it's worth 4k for a scotland ireland trip is definitely too much. Meals on the tour ran the gamut from weird to stellar, but overall were not to bad. Crypto Wallet Development: Types, Features, and Popularity, 5 Ways AI is Detecting and Preventing Identity Fraud. Prefieres leer en espaol? Im not sure if the lunch situations were like this because of our tour guide or because of EF itself. Did they create a good experience for students who havent done a lot of international traveling? why is there a plague in thebes oedipus. then how you pay matters. 44 days or less prior to departure: No refund will be issued. We put a deposit down and also the registration fee $199 plus $500. We were not given specific dates for our trip, but instead we were given a window of time during which the trip would occur. Your card has consumer protection programs built in so you can challenge a charge if the vendor does not fulfill what was promised. This Arizona based company has been organizing dozens of tours for teachers and college professors all across the country for 30 years. You might not know all the answers, but you've got a friend in us! We found that that number was not quite accurate for us, especially if we ever wanted to stray from the planned meals that EF Tours had set up for us. They informed me that my type of service is not recognized and I would not be covered. The purpose of this article is to provide a step-by-step guide on how to get a full refund from EF Tours. However, we understand the existing account on file may be inactive, or that you may prefer a check to be sent to you by mail instead. Will this be the busiest spring break ever? Call 800-665-5364 to enroll, EF Language Schools Spring break trip with the school for my two boys to go to Greece and Italy this year. Here's how we make world travel easy. Often, a brief, polite written appeal to someone higher up can do wonders. Call 800-992-1892 to enroll. We were told that other than the deposit and a small admin fee, all the rest of the money was refundable. The cancellation was due to a National Emergency not voluntary of the travelers. In Munich, we were given lodging one block from the red light district, and had three young women awakened during the middle of the night by a drunken man demanding access to their room (their room entrance was directly onto the street). "You can accept a travel voucher with no penalties, or you can accept a. Edited: 11 years ago . If all other attempts to get a full refund from EF Tours fail, it may be time to seek legal advice. My AT&T bill is wrong. We had a fantastic time seeing the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London. But use a credit card, and you have the full force of federal law (the Fair Credit Billing Act) and your credit cards resolution department in your corner. If EF Tours does not respond or refuses to issue a full refund, the next step is to file a complaint with the BBB. The school is only involved in the process as far as whether they allow teachers to hand out information in schools or not. That EF 12-Day tour was called "Europe with an Alpine Flavor." She signed up October 1 and we had to cancel Oct 14 due to conflicts with my work schedule. Overall, Id say that the hotels provided were quite good, with the exception of Hotel La Pergola. We've got you covered. Our school will be traveling with three other schools from different parts of the country. Can I exchange my COVID-19 Future Travel Voucher for a Cash Refund Option? Thus far I've paid off $1,500. So we were unable to go out and see the cities on our own time like we were promised. Id say yes. Again, we found these rooms to be clean and pretty comfortable. They want to keep $1000 each child therefore I will loss $2000. We were served in a huge warehouse, with 20 other large tour groups. If you want a quality tour experience, with a reliable professional tour company, I wholeheartedly recommend that you contact TSA Tours. In Paris our group had to travel by Metro clear across town for our dinner. Now I've fought this as much as I could. Tour participants may also choose to upgrade the insurance for the tour. Can I get a refund for my Marriott Vacation Club Points? I always like to start my reviews by reminding you that I was not compensated in any way to write this post. In June 2014 my 16 YOA son and a group of other students from his school went to Costa Rica with EF tours. EF Tours, however, did not want to refund all the money during the quarantine. 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. Recently I was notified by EF Tours that my child was cancelled from the tour after paying off almost whole trip price. Tuesday 28 March . They promised the moon, but did not deliver. If you booked a trip like this as an adult, you would scream from the rooftops for a refund but since these are kids, apparently EF doesn't have to listen because there will be another crop of unsuspecting students waiting to go next year. By enrolling on an EF Educational Tour pursuant to a COVID-19 Voucher redemption, the traveler is agreeing to the most current version of the Booking Conditions, which is available at www.eftours.com/bc. Once you get the notification for your EF ATM adjustment you should have access to the full amount of funds you deposited. Im a wife, a mom, a crafter, a Disney fan, and a french fry connoisseur. "All travelers with trips through April 30 will automatically receive a transferable travel voucher for the full amount paid (including all non-refundable payments) good through September 30,. I struggled to pay for this trip and now after paying for travel insurance also they are denying full refund. Usually if you haven't paid in full you could get a cancel for any reason insurance which will give you about 75% back. I loved knowing that I could write my own tour, knowing that every detail would be done right. Several items listed on our initial brochure were changed before the trip due to pandemic restrictions and travel challenges, which was fine. Explain the situation and why you are requesting a full refund. Do I regret going on an EF Tour? The design and architecture of the building are very unique and modern contemporary. Our lead teacher did this as well. Things started off badly when we discovered that the lights in all the hallways were not on, and that we had to hunt around with our cell phone flashlights to find our way to our rooms. Does anyone have experience with this type of thing? The trip total came to around $4,000. Note that this is a salesperson who will try to sway you into "changing your destination, adjusting dates or setting up a new payment plan to make paying for your trip easier" according to their help center. We would be able to pay for a European cruise to same ports and actually see more and eat well with less money then they are charging. Politeness. Other than the local tour guides and maybe the tiramisu class, I wouldnt call just visiting these historic places an experiential learning activity.. We told to make sure we ate lunch after our tour, before rejoining the group to get on the bus. But their ads sure reflect diversity! I am out of $4,200.00, what is EF Tours out of??? Did EF Tours create the trip of my dreams? I work for a competitor of EF and have about a million reasons why groups that go with them get ripped off. No one wanted to be the person that made us late. Thats why weve enhanced our already top-tier, industry-leading coverage programs to provide even more choices, and to give travelers, families, and school communities the widest range of safe and flexible plans. If your original tour needed to be postponed but you have not yet been notified of your Group Leader's decision or been issued a voucher, you may request a voucher or choose the available refund option by calling our Traveler Support Team at 800-665-5364. 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. You can definitely have a positive experience on the trip. Things like this happened over and over again throughout the trip. Be sure to document all communication with your credit card company so that you can refer back to it if necessary. We were combined with a group from upstate New York consisting of 14 travelers: one teacher, one adult, one child and 11 students. Students and parents can then sign up directly through the EF Tours website, and submit all payments directly to the company.