Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/20/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We were in contact with EF about signing our son up for a trip to *****. It was confirmed, several times, that as long as we canceled min 150 before the trip, we would get a full refund, minus the $515 non-refundable deposit. There seemed to be a time crunch with J, our sales/admin coordinator for this trip, he kept pushing to get this going and confirmed so we dont lose out on special cost. We asked for Terms so that we would know exactly what to expect and also that we were not going into this with no safety on getting a refund if this doesnt work out. Our son had been diagnosed with severe anxiety and if he wouldnt be able to make the trip, we didnt want to lose the funds we paid. J assured us he would get it over to us, the papers for me and my son to sign and we just needed to get him registered and the non-refundable paid. We did do this upon his promise that we were covered for any reason. We had a family situation come up and opted to cancel. Prior to this, we had been billed the incorrect amount and not on the agreed upon cadence. We also had an incredibly difficult time getting ahold of anyone from J or EF or getting any replies. Upon asking to cancel the trip, we were told that not only would we not be entitled to a % refund, but we were also not entitled to any money back. We asked for our contract, which we never signed, and detailed payment info. We did not receive either. J escalated the matter and we never received any reply. We reached out again, finally spoke with S, still did not receive our documents (as well as our request to review our audio recordings) and were assured J did not mislead us. We were told the terms at the time of signing up were no longer valid and they would not honor the terms from the time of signing up. We felt pressure to accept the % refund, despite the fault lying with EF. We still have not received any replies. We have no doubt this is a scamming company preying on innocent people. We need all the help we can get.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/01/2024

  I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/03/2024

  Dear *********,
  
  Thank you for your message. We have checked on the status of your refund, and it has been issued to you today. Thank you for your patience. In regards to the refund amount, the refund is in line with the notice period needed per the terms for EF International Language Campuses. These terms can be found in the "how to book" section of our website. Your understanding of a 150 day notice is from terms associated with another division of EF, EF Tours, which is not the program you have signed up for. Our team can be reached at ************** should there be any issues in receiving this refund. 
  
  best,
  The EF Admissions Team
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/08/2024

  Better Business Bureau: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; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  In the statement finally provided by EF, they are refusing to acknowledge that their team member did not in fact tell me anything updated when the trip was changed from 18 weeks to a Semester option. The man I had been in contact with since the beginning shared options for travel dates but never said it was a different term and condition once switching to that. I was also told he didn't have that access to tell me the "150 days" condition but if I was talking to him from the very beginning when that was told to me over and over it would all be refunded, he definitely did have access or lied about it and then should have updated us, the family/parents, of terms not being the same and we would NOT have went with them. They are being snaky with tricking families into this, telling them what they want to hear and taking our money. Not every family can come by that with ease as it was with us and then to lie and say everything was said correctly to us on the recordings, when if they were, we would have had our full refund. This company needs to not be in business any more. They also did not keep in contact during the entire ordeal and then when trying to get our refund the other person we spoke with said 90 days tops but would expedite it but it may take 45 days. It took well over 90 business days and with no contact/reply back to our emails trying to find out what is going on. I am happy they finally sent those funds back to me!

  This has also made my credit reporting have bad marks due to so much money being taken out from EF not returning it in their expedited statement. They need to have a bad report on them from all the families they have dome wrongfully. Thank you Better Business Bureau for helping me with this.

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  *********

   

   

  Business Response

  Date: 07/24/2024

  Hi *********,
  
  
  Thank you again for voicing your feedback. It is important for us to understand how we can be as clear and transparent with our offerings, including expectations on and before the course, as well as our terms and conditions. ** Language Campuses has never had a policy of a 150 day notice period. ** ********************************** of ** does have this notice period for certain trips. Your coordinator with ** Language Campuses is experienced and knows the terms regarding ** Language Campuses. Before enrolling in our programs, we want to ensure that our customers understand the terms and conditions, as we do understand that it is frustrating when a customer feels surprised. We offer our terms in the How to Book section of our website and ask that our students read them before committing to the program. Your refund has been fully issued to you in line with the terms and conditions for a Language Year abroad program with ** International Language Campuses. Please give us a call at ************** of any doubts.
  
  Best,
  The ** Admissions Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/05/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  EF agreed to issue refund of $6148.63 but only refunded me $4051.11 after I filed BBB complaint on 3/27 and stated the remaining balance would be processed within 2 weeks. It's been two months, I have not received the remaining $2097.52 refund. The company ignored my my emails and phone calls.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/16/2024

  I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/24/2024

  Hello, 

  Upon reviewing your case it appears that your student's course termination was entered according to the 2024 terms and conditions, rather than the terms in effect at the time of booking. We have requested an adjustment from our financial controllers and will be processing your remaining refund accordingly. I'm sorry for the delay! Please don't hesitate to be in touch at *************** or ********** to discuss further. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/25/2024

  Better Business Bureau: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; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  I can't accept the verbal response from this business until I see the refund in my account because this business doesn't do as promised.
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  A

   

   

  Business Response

  Date: 07/09/2024

  Hi *******, thank you for your patience. Due to a technical error with our backend system your refund processing has taken longer than the usual expectations that we set with our customers. As of today the second part of your refund has been issued. 
  
  Best,
  The EF Admissions Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/27/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My daughter joined a 5-month language study program starting 9/18/2023 but due to personal issues, she needed to drop out after 2 months. On 11/4/2023, the school agreed to refund $6148.63 to me after the normal program ends in 2/16/2024. I have emailed the Student Experience Manager, ******************** on 2/22/2024 asking for status. Emailed her again on 2/23/2024, and again on 3/5/2024. She finally replied on 3/5/2024 stating "I've submitted a request with our finance team for your refund to be processed as soon as possible, and will let you know once I have confirmation on when it will be finalized and issued.Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any further questions. "I emailed her asking for update on 3/14, and again on 3/19. She simply just ignored my email.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/01/2024

  Hi *******, I am sorry to hear this has taken longer than expected. Our goal is to ensure your refund is back to you within 90 days upon course completion. A refund transaction for $4051.11 was issued on 3/28. The remainder is in process and will take about 2 weeks. Since the payments were taken separately we will need additional processing time. We want to get this to you asap. Please give us a call at ************** or email at ********** should you have any further questions. 
  
  best,
  EF Language Campuses

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/01/2024

  IBetter Business Bureau: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; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  

  Since only a partial refund is credited to my account, I cannot accept the resolution at this time.

  
  Regards,

  *******

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/22/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  *******'s tour Grecian Odyssey Tour dates Mar 17 25, 2024 Account number ******* Group Leader ***************************************** My daughter has been sending me messages almost daily describing the negative experience shes having in regards to the group leaders. I bought this for her as a graduation present for being an honor roll student and winning the indigenous role model of the year award. Shes a great kid and these messages are concerning.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/01/2024

  Thank you for reaching out. We're sorry to hear about *******'s experience. A Traveler Support Manager has reached out to *******'s primary contact on her account. Please feel free to connect with her there to discuss your feedback.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/18/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Back in August 2023 I signed my daughter up for a Spanish course to take place this summer July 2024. Unfortunately we had to cancel which we did back in November 2023.We have filled out all the appropriate paperwork and we keep getting the runaround on when we can expect our refund. we are paying a penalty which we agreed to and are still owed over $831.67 in credit. We contact them weekly and they keep giving us the runaround and it has been four months dealing with this.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/03/2024

  Hi ******, 
  

  Thank your for you patience as this was an unusually long wait time for a refund. We strive to refund students and their families as soon as possible. I see that your refund was hung up in our system, which has since been fixed. Your refund was issued on March 28th and went back to your original payment methods. Your bank may need up to 4 business days to process this transaction. Please give us a call at ************** if you have any questions.
  
  best,
  The EF Admissions Team

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/04/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  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 #********. I understand that by choosing to accept the business response that my complaint will be closed as resolved. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/13/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have been horribly disappointed in the way this program and company has responded to my daughter's 9 month program in the ** Language Campus.I am a single mom and spent $24,000 + dollars to send my daughter into a foreign country with the belief that she would be taken care of by this program. Not only did she fall through the cracks but came home early. And getting home I have had the most difficult time getting my concerns heard. But I also have had no responses to emails, calls, and many miss appointments that I have to schedule. I have called so many offices and no one can give me answers. There is no one to listen to the issues and problems we had. Or reach out and help my daughter in a country so far away. I also am very disappointed and angry with the way my refund has been handled. Not only did my daughter only stay for the 4 months of the 9 month program and she was not an expense to the program at all but they are only refunding me $4000. So if you plan to use this program MAKE SURE you know the repercussion of removing your child from the program. I think this is so *******.I have had 2 students stay in my home for them to attend high school with the ** Program. I spent my own money for them to be here. I was not given anything from the program. And then they just keep over 1/2 of the money that I worked so hard for no reason. I paid for plane tickets and all transportation. I paid all the fees and insurances under the guidance that my money would be refundable.The Program in **** was a farce. They did not have any program offered adventures. In **** they where never taken the the Ancient Ruins, *************, or even ***********, They did not keep the kids busy on weekends and they found to much free time to get into situations that where not healthy. I saw an Ad in Instagram today that was completely false compared to what the school actually is. In the descriptions the program uses the words dorm... This is not a dorm, this is apartments in the building around the corner from the school. There is a night club in the ground floor space that plays loud music until 4-5 am daily. The apartment is a 3 bedroom with a small common area. The apartment is off limits to visitors so there was no space to hang with other students, unless they lived in the apartment. There was so many things that no one helped with and lots of information that was not shared with us for her trip to another country. There was no help in getting her **** and that was the worst. Not knowing if we need to fly to ************* to the Italian Consulate. No help in preparation for what would be needed or the process to get there. We are a family that never traveled to Europe so we did not know all the laws. Once there we had to get my daughter an Italian ID and to do that we had to go to immigration. That was a huge added expense that they never told us about or informed us about, Without an Italian ID you cannot get phone service and no one helped her with either of those things.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/24/2024

  I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/01/2024

  Hello ****,
  Im sorry to hear that your daughters experience was not as imagined. Our goal is to set expectations for each program. I am sorry to hear the program did not meet yours. I do see that EF had reached out a few times before departure to discuss the **** process, and that you were able to successfully apply with an honorary consulate local to you. Typically the school staff helps students obtain their residence permits within 8 days of arrival from the local police station, but all ****s and residence permits are ultimately the students responsibility. The school staff is always available to assist students with everything from obtaining an Italian SIM card to organizing new activities (such as ********* visits, ******* visits, etc). The program is intentionally structured so that students have plenty of free time to explore **** at their own pace and according to their own interests. The activities are optional and offered on a rotating basis. Each month an assortment of activities are offered which differ month to month. Im sorry to hear that you feel your daughter slipped through the cracks. Our staff are available and equipped to help students go through problems and difficulties--unfortunately they were not given the opportunity to offer her a solution. Our admissions staff reached out to her multiple times to offer support with academics and activities, but never heard back from her. Our school team reached out to her as well but a return flight had been booked before the school was able to work on solutions for her. After reviewing the terms and conditions in place at the time your daughters course was booked, we will be revising your refund amount to $6892.93. We are happy to discuss further. Please give us a call at *************** or email us at ***********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/04/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  

  There is definitely going to be a difference in opinion  when it comes to the process of how things happened but there is nothing more I can do about it. I just want to get past this and finish all my connection to the company.  I have been waiting 2 month for my refund check and still have not got anything which is why I wrote to BBB. Now I call and email and get not responses to my correspondence. Even calling the number they provided in the response with BBB, and still there is not one calling me back.
  

  But, 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. 
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/06/2024

  Better Business Bureau: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; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

   I was promised a refund in 2 weeks. After the 1st week I was told it would be mailed out with in the 2 weeks. After 3 weeks I still have not seen my refund and was told last week I would definitely get the refund by the end of May. This company does not follow through with its promises and the people that work in the company never respond or contact you back for weeks. 
  
  Thank you
  *********************** 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/22/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We enrolled our daughter in a cultural immersion program through ** Education First (www.ef.com). The price was $2,650 plus add ons for the 2 week program in ***********, ****** (not to mention air travel and incidentals). The program was designed around 4 - 6 hours of language classes during the day and group activities in the evenings and weekends with supervision and chaperoning provided by the program representatives locally. Despite this assurance (and contractual statements that they would provide in loco parentis while my daughter was in ****** under their supervision), the conduct of the program and staff during her time in St. Raphael **************** placed my daughter in multiple unsafe/dangerous conditions, and they further failed to provide the educational and language opportunities advertised and spelled out in the terms of the agreement. On multiple levels, ** was generally negligent in their roles and responsibilities to provide supervision/ chaperoning for my daughter and the educational opportunities which were promised (making false advertising and fraud potential legitimate allegations in my view). A few of the numerous examples are provided below: 1) representatives of the program who were supposed to transport my daughter to and from activities on multiple occasions left my daughter and other teenage girls in multiple locations in the city (a public beach, a music festival at night) unsupervised and unprotected while awaiting transport with no defined mechanisms for contacting the ** program for help for hours at a time. In the case of the music festival, my daughter and other adolescent girls in the program were subject to unwanted attention and interactions with adult males in the city center and left to fend for themselves while waiting to get picked up by **. When my daughter called the ** emergency number for assistance, no one picked up despite multiple attempts. 2) On other occasions, the program repeatedly failed to answer the dedicated "emergency" number for the students, so in situations like the music festival or waiting on the beach to get picked (on this case approximately 90 minutes) where the girls felt unsafe and vulnerable, they were not provided guidance or support from the program to get back to the school or the host family. Not only did this place my daughter and other minors in threatening and dangerous conditions, it was a complete dereliction of their educational and cultural immersion responsibilities as part of the program as advertised. How does waiting for 90 minutes alone at a beach to get picked provide ****** language instruction or cultural immersion? 3) The program school was not air-conditioned. We recognize that this is commonplace in Europe, but water was not provided despite the sweltering heat, forcing the students to purchase water to maintain hydration or else risk dehydration. One student fainted because of the heat. 4) The 1st week of the program 8 students were present, so language classes were provided at a basic/ beginner level (learning the ****** alphabet) even though the program is clearly advertised and the terms of agreement indicate that classes will be provided at intermediate and advanced levels to optimize the language and cultural immersion experience of the students. This again raises clear questions of false advertising and breach of contract. 5) During the 2nd week of our daughter's attendance at the program, the size of the group swelled to approximately 100 students. Only 1 8-person van was provided for transportation of the students to and from activities and school, so students were left waiting for 2 - 3 hours with no supervision or educational activities just simply to wait to picked up and dropped off for activities and classes. 6) Raw/ severely undercooked chicken was served at the canteen of the school to the students on several occasions. 7) The language instruction was equally bad the second week because the size of the classes was more than the school could accommodate given the number of teachers present. Therefore, the paid for 4 - 6 hours of instruction a day was in no way provided, as my daughter and other students spent multiple hours milling around waiting for a teacher to be available to teach them. 8) The families from other countries (for example ***********) were reimbursed money because of clear deficiencies in the ** program and clear evidence that the program failed to provide the educational and cultural experience they claim they provide. In contrast, I have made repeated efforts to contact the US representatives of the ** company. Here in the US, I have been repeatedly stonewalled in my efforts to complain to the company about this unsafe/ negligent treatment which also failed to provide the educational and cultural services paid for. The experience was so appalling and frankly dangerous that I think the students are being placed at significant risk in this St. ******** and I recommend it be shut down and investigated given the risk of real harm to adolescent minors.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/08/2024

  Thank you for reaching out and we apologize for the delay. We are sorry to read that you are dissatisfied with your daughters experience in ****** this past summer. Our goal is for every student to have an amazing educational and enjoyable experience abroad, so it is disappointing to hear that we missed the ***** While we may have differences in perspective regarding the safety and overall quality of the program, we are glad to see that you are open to addressing the concerns raised. We do acknowledge there were some features of the program that were not offered at our highest standard and therefore are still open to providing a partial corresponding refund, as we indicated we were at the time of your initial request. Please feel free to contact us at ********** to discuss this further. Again,we are sorry to hear you and your daughter were so unhappy with her experience and hope that we can change your opinion about EF! 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/09/2024

  Better Business Bureau: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; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  I appreciate EF Education re-engaging with me to dialogue about my complaint and to try to reach a resolution. However, until such time as a actual resolution is mutually agreed upon, I cannot say that I am satisfied with their response. Their actions and conduct when my daughter was under their supervision in ****** for a cultural immersion opportunity were egregious and arguably negligent which is why I was and remain very persistent about this complaint. Thank you very much. 
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ******

   

   

  Business Response

  Date: 02/18/2024

  Thank you for sharing your feedback. Please feel free to contact EF directly at **********. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/20/2024

  Better Business Bureau: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; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered.

  I appreciate EF Education re-engaging with me to dialogue about my complaint and to try to reach a resolution. I have emailed them directly as they indicated to me in their BBB response. I just received a reply from them this morning which was open-ended and to which I will respond directly to them seeking a resolution.

  However, until such time as a actual resolution is mutually agreed upon, I cannot say that I am satisfied with their response. Their actions and conduct when my daughter was under their supervision in ****** for a cultural immersion opportunity were egregious and arguably negligent which is why I was and remain very persistent about this complaint. Thank you very much. 

  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ******