EF Institute for Cultural Exchange, Inc.

On 03/14/2013, our mutual customer enrolled on EF’s Adventures in Spain tour via our website. During the enrollment process every customer is required to read and agree to EF’s booking conditions. These booking conditions were signed on the day of enrollment by the parent or guardian of
our mutual customer. Within the booking conditions, we state clearly that the $enrollment fee that is required upon enrollment is a non-refundable item.
On 04/23/2013, our mutual customer called to cancel the trip. He was informed at that time that the $is always non-refundable. During the exchange, EF decided to offer an option to the participant that is outside of our booking conditions. We explained that if the customer was able to replace the spot that he is cancelling, we would refund the $95. He agreed and stated he would be in contact with our office at a later time.
We had not heard from our mutual customer for a little over months so on 10/23/2014, we cancelled the account due to inactivity along with a high balance. There were no other cancellation fees assessed to our mutual customer

Individual travelers are responsible for contacting the airlines about seating assignments and special meal requests. Unfortunately, this is not something EF can do.A member of our Customer Relations team would be happy to contact you over the phone to discuss your experience with the other group you were matched with and the experience on the boat.Please let us know if you would like someone to contact you over the phone.Sincerely,EF Education

Hello ***,Thank you for your message. I have cancelled your previous check from 2/and reissued a refund check to the new address you have provided - *** *** ***, ***, IN ***. This check will be printed within the next businesss days. Thank you.Best,***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ***Please add your rejection comments below.
The statement is inaccurate, I made several calls to EF Tours with regard to this over the time period described by the tour company , for them to say they had not heard from me over that time period is untrueFurthermore my initial complaint was partially in regard to the high pressure sales tactic they employ, encouraging people to rush to sign upThis is especially unfair as they seem to misrepresent the safety and quality of toursI think most people would readily admit that sales tactics such are these are often employed by companies and people in an effort to pressure a consumer to decide on a matter sooner then they would otherwise choose tooWith the goal of pressuring a consumer to commit to something they likely will latter regretThe way they handle deposits is a further example of these high pressure tacticsMost reputable travel companies do not have policies like this. I feel strongly that this is inappropriate behavior for any business especially a tour company that specializes in student tours composed primarily of childrenIt was a breech of trust on their part to misrepresent the tour and then not cooperate with regard to the deposit
Regards,
*** ***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ***Please add your rejection comments below.
We did not receive the check that was mailed on 2/26. It was not mailed to the correct addressOur address is*** *** ***, *** IN ***. I am wondering however since *** is a minor, should this check be made out to me since I am her mother?
Regards,
*** ***

Thank you for contacting usWe will make an exception and give a full refund, less the $deposit and $insurance fee.The remainder of the money paid will be sent back in the form of a check.Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.thank youEF Education

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does satisfy my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint #***I understand that by choosing to accept the business response that my complaint will be closed as resolved. (Additional Comments)Although I have accepted EF Tours response, I am not a satisfied customer. This information was not made available to me - only the promotional brochure was made available to me. I guess it was my responsibility to seek out this information although I didn't know it existed. Very disappointing experience which I hope the Revdex.com will share with EF Tours
Regards,
*** ***

Hello,Our Customer Service Manager spoke with the customer today over the phone.We believe we have resolved this issue to her satisfaction.Please feel free to contact me with any questions.Sincerely,*** ***Director of Customer Relations

Thank you for your email. I was very disapointed to hear about your experiences with EF.
This is not the type of experience we would like any customer to have.
I did some further research today into this issue, and I understand that the insurance company has approved your claim and mailed out...

refund checks earlier this week.
If you do not receive these checks in the next 10 days, please free to contact me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Director of Customer Relations
EF Denver.

Dear Mr [redacted]
Thank you for reaching out to us.
The $500 cancellation fee is what is agreed upon in our booking conditions.
However, EF has a strong partnership with [redacted], so we have decided upon a one time $500 refund to you.
A refund in the form of a check will be...

sent to you.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # [redacted]. Please add your rejection comments below. 
EF's response that everything was handled through the airline - yes, EF made the reservation!  We did not elect to upgrade our seat - we just wanted a seat like the rest of our group at no charge (what we purchased for $100 ea was a standard coach seat). I don't know how EF can justify why some in our group were able to select their seats in advance with no charge.  They do not address the fact we were misled, or at best not communicated with effectively.  EF's statement that they do not have the ability to issue a refund is ridiculous - of course they do if they cared anything about customer satisfaction. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Hello, Thank you for your message. We will make an exception and refund the insurance cost and cancellation fee. You will receive a check in the next 2-3 weeks.
 
Thank you, [redacted] Loyalty Manager

Thank you for your email. It was the school that made the change to the itinerary, not EF.  As a goodwill gesture, we have reimbursed all money that was paid for this account.The refund will come back in the form of a check in 2-3 weeks.Please feel free to contact us with any other questions or...

concerns.EF Education?

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response submitted by...

the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # [redacted]. Please add your rejection comments below. 
I am requesting that my complaint #[redacted] be reopened due to I have not received the refund that they had stated on February 23, 2015 they would be refunding. Our records show they owe us $560.00. My current address is: [redacted], IN [redacted].
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # [redacted]. Please add your rejection comments below. 
This approach is an unfair business practice that impacts the customer negatively.  The information presented in print and online from this company minimizes the cancellation process. in fact I cannot find it on the website. EF Tours does not make the cancellation process clear. On the payment options page, there is no mention of cancelation policy. This approach is unfair marketing and they are hiding behind state dept or other non legal means to keep someone's money. I equate this to stealing. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Thank you for your letter.  We were disapointed that to hear that the tour you took was not up to your expectations.We provide written material to all of our travelers and have details on our website to help prepare for the tour.  We would like to apologize if you did not receive this...

information.Unfortunately, we are not able to do airline seating assignments in advance. Seating assignments may be done directly with the airline in advance or at check-in.For special in-flight meals, we recommend our travelers contact the airlines directly, no later than 48 hours prior to their flight.EF is group travel and unless your group is private, you will be travelling with other students and teachers from the United States or Canada.In regards to meals, you should expect food and portion size to be different from what you are accustomed to at home. Included dinners will be from a set menu, either at a local restaurant or at your hotel.I understand that you have been reimbursed your visa fees and the amount for your single room which you did not receive.  At this time, we are not able to provide any additional reimbursement.Sincerely,EF Education.

Better Business...

Bureau:
I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does satisfy my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint #[redacted]. I understand that by choosing to accept the business response that my complaint will be closed as resolved. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # [redacted]. Please add your rejection comments below. Regards,
[redacted]

[redacted], thank you for your response. Tickets are often booked differently depending on the contracts that we’ve agreed upon with different airlines. That’s why in this case, the larger portion of the group was booked on a ‘group reservation’ and you and your husband were booked as individual travelers. Because our contracts differ both by airline and by ticket type, we specify in our booking conditions that seat assignments will be provided upon check-in. That helps travelers avoid situations where they may be responsible for fees associated with seating.
 
For a closer look at our booking conditions, you can find them here: http://www.eftours.com/eliterature/BookingConditions_ETUS_15.pdf

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # [redacted]. Please add your rejection comments below. 
I reject this explanation. I cannot imagine that a tour company would NOT make seat arrangements on flights. Particularly for the unaccompanied minors, we had to beg to get them together for very long flights. You say that group leaders are supposed to take care of those details and also ordering specific meals in-flight, but we don't pay the group leaders, we pay you. And if a group leader doesn't take care of these things, and the parents/students can't do it, then what? Suffer? What about traveler's with food allergies? Are you not willing to make allowances for them or is it more important to "immerse" travelers in the country they are visiting. Because we certainly WERE NOT told the meals were from a fixed menu. We were told that the tour company chose the restaurants, but not every single lunch and dinner for 10 DAYS. I wrote a very comprehensive explanation of our experiences to the company president, among others. I am attaching that now. There were many other situations that contributed to the unpleasantness of this trip. We all knew we would be combined with a larger group, and we had no problem with that, but they were hostile from the very beginning and made us feel inferior to their group. Is that the kind of experience EF Tours wants students to have? Not to mention being in the middle of the [redacted] in the midst of a huge storm. Every single adult on the boat thought we were all going in. I sat there in a total panic trying to figure out how I could save both my daughters from drowning. I'm not kidding and I'm not exaggerating. I've been on plenty of boats on open water and I've never been as terrified as I was that day.I refuse to accept that you provide the lowest-level of service possible, while charging a rate that was slightly higher than your competitors, and that you will not take responsibility for that. It's completely unacceptable. Regards,
[redacted]