Complaints

This profile includes complaints for EF Educational Tours's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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• 

  EF Educational Tours

  2 Education Cir Cambridge, MA 02141-1970

  
• 

  EF Educational Tours

  2373 15th St Ste 400 Denver, CO 80202-2791

  
• 

  EF Institute for Cultural Exchange, Inc.

  1221 S Congress Ave Ste 400 Austin, TX 78704-2405

  
• 

  EF Educational Tours

  1221 S Congress Ave Apt 400 Austin, TX 78704-2405

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:01/02/2023

  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.

  Over a year ago, a teacher from my daughter's school contacted parents about planning a trip for students to **** using EF Tours. We met with a representative from EF Tours multiple time about the trip and began the process. The trip was scheduled to begin on 6/23/2022. I also purchased the traveler protection plan which I was led to believe would guarantee coverage of additional costs due to unforeseen circumstances as well as a refund if my daughter or the company had to cancel. Initially the trip was delayed due to a flight cancellation less than 12 hours before departure time. EF never notified the trip leader or travelers of this cancellation. It was discovered by a parent who was monitoring the flight status. The trip was rescheduled for August and was later cancelled by EF due to civil unrest although the country was not in a level 4 safety risk. The last communication from EF was on June 13, 2022. EF refused to communicate directly with parents. on August 5, 2022 I received an email stating that the trip was cancelled. When I contacted EF about a refund they stated that no refund would be given. I was also told that the insurance would have provided a refund if my daughter had been sick or had to cancel, but since that was not the case I would be given a voucher for future travel. I filed a claim with *********************** for a refund and after 3 months was told my claim was denied. I was given no reason for the denial. When I asked for more information, I was sent excerpts from their insurance policy. I have since filed a claim with the **************'s attorney's office to attempt to get a refund of some sort. I am still waiting for them to assign a mediator.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/10/2023

  Thank you for reaching out. I apologize your daughter was not able to travel to **** as planned. Per our Peace of Mind Program, and since we were unable to travel to **** in August of 2022, due to safety, and due to flight cancellations in June of 2022. Because of this, all travelers enrolled on this tour were issued a Future Travel Voucher in the amount of all funds paid to EF, less the cost of the insurance. The insurance will not cover the cancellation, as their policy covers individual cancellation reasons such as death in the family, job loss, and injury. The voucher can be used on any EF product and is available on your daughter's online secure site. The Group Leader has a tour scheduled for this Summer, in July, to ********* and ***********. Your daughter can enroll on this tour using her Future Travel Voucher!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/10/2023

  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.]
  
  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,

  *****

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/28/2022

  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 scheduled a trip to Ireland in November 6 of this year. I was under the impression that everything was fine. I had tried to find out information why they charged an additional fee of 200, No one could advise me. Then I was told there was not enough people not that they were canceling the trip. Next thing I know we are told trip is canceled. Well now they want to charge us a $500.00 fee. Plus ins fee and $95.00 fee. I feel I should have been advised in November that they may be canceling the trip the next month. That is a lot of money for no trip and be booked one month. I can understand the ins and maybe the 95. But not the 500, This may be legal but Morally not correct at all.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/10/2023

  Thank you for reaching out. We are sorry to hear this tour will not be departing as planned. The options were to cancel or rebook to the Group Leaders **** tour. We made significant financial investments onto our tours, and standard cancellation fees are withheld. You can find our cancellation policy at www.eftours.com/**. I understand you worked with **** to close the account with a refund. Should you have additional questions, please call us at ************. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/28/2022

  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.

  I purchased two tours through EF Education Tours, one in May 2022 and one in November ************************************************* **** and the US **************** raising the threat level of travel to that country. Our school tour organizer then changed the travel location from **** to *************** before Christmas. Our tour info is below:***********************: 2482846DA *********************: 2618519KS I canceled both trips due to the change in itinerary on 12/23/22 and immediately received confirmation of cancellation. All payments for the trips were made with a debit card. I just received an email stating it would *********** weeks to receive a refund for monies paid. Not only is EF charging me a $350 fee for each cancellation but now holding on to our money for up to a month and a half without reason. The payments have cleared, there is zero reason for such a long delay in a refund. The airline and travel industry is held to a 7 business day refund processing window per the ****************************. I would kindly request that the money be refunded immediately directly to the original form of payment.To make matters worse, I called this morning and spoke to ********* (one of their customer service representatives) who refused my request to escalate my call to a manager or supervisor and said that was against company policy and he did not have that ability. ********* then stated that email was my ONLY option and it could take 3-5 business days to receive a response to my email. As a travel agency and international business, this is NOT an acceptable business practice and is a major red flag of EF's business practices. I just want a refund for the monies due us without having to wait almost two months. With today's technology there is zero reason for such a long refund window. I would request that BBB please step in to make sure a refund is made immediately to the original form of payment for the two balances due of $1563 and $2513 for a total refund due of $4076.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/10/2023

  Thank you for reaching out to us. I apologize that you trip is not departing as planned. I do understand your frustration on our refund timeline. Our standard refund timeline is 4-6 weeks. When a traveler cancels with a refund, **************** must review the account to ensure the correct refund is being issued before we are able to send it. Time is required to ensure that accuracy is maintained for the large volume of travelers that are rebooking or requesting refunds. That being said, 6 weeks is the maximum amount of time it will take. I see you spoke with ******* and she was able to work with you on your travelers' refunds. If you have additional questions, please reach out to us at ************.

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/11/2023

  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 have NOT received a refund or confirmation that one has been processed. The last correspondence received was a week ago with ******* but no resolution was confirmed, just that they are working on one. I emailed them again to check on the status and have not heard back. This is entrapment. They take your money and string you along for weeks without providing a refund on a trip that is already canceled and did NOT have any reservations yet made for. 

  
  
  Regards,

  *****

   

   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/17/2023

  Hi there. I see ******* emailed you on 1/13/2023 stating the refunds have been sent via check. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/22/2022

  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.

  My daughter traveled to ****** with EF Tours in June-July 2022. Her flight out of *** was canceled and due to a very circuitous replacement flight (she had to ride to ************ and then flew through ******* and ******** to get to ******), she missed two days of her tour that I had already paid. EF promised a refund on some of the tour time (I would expect at least the hotel rooms...) as well as reimbursement for the extra money spent on her long journey to get there (mostly airport food). I submitted the insurance claim in July 2022 and was told it would take a few months. I called to follow up in early November and was told that my claim was pending and I should hear in a few weeks. I have not. This is going on six months from when she traveled and is not acceptable. I have already told families who have been offered trips through school through EF not to take them, that they hail miserably at crisis management, should have been able to get the kids on a better itinerary and then are delaying the compensation that would make us happy.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/23/2022

  Thank you for reaching out. I apologize for the delay in the claims process through our third party insurance company, Seven Corners. If you're looking for a status of your claim, please reach out to **************************** They are diligently working through the high volume of claims due to a busy Summer travel season with higher than normal flight delays and cancellations due to the airlines. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/24/2022

  [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:12/17/2022

  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.

  I signed my daughter and I up for a 12 day trip to ***** with this company. Very shortly afterwards, I paid in full over $10K including over $1100 just so my daughter and I could room together! Additionally, almost $1K for trip insurance. Then, about 5 months before the trip, the company informs us they can no longer provide the trip they have been charging us for and that it has been cancelled. Finally, the teacher who was leading the trip has received 100% of everything she paid for the trip, yet the company decided to keep $1,110.00 of my money when it was their failure to follow through. I want ALL of my money returned just as they did for Ms.L.C.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/19/2022

  Hi there, thank you for reaching out. I will be contacting you directly due to this unique circumstance. 

  Best,

  Cherie 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/19/2022

  [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,
  
  ******************************

  (Not certain if I have to answer here if I was answered outside of here.)

  I appreciate the response and rectifying the prior mistake as well as refunding the money that should have been refunded with the previous monies that were already refunded. I will await the refund processing

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/15/2022

  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.

  I purchased a trip through the school of LSHS (*******,**) to go to ******* for roughly $4700 for 8 days.Accommodations for rooming states that students 19 and above will be in 3 to 4 in one room in double and twin beds. On the other hand, no mention about my son's age who is 15. I requested from the teacher (team leader) that my son can not sleep in the same bed with another students for multiple reasons: He has never slept in the same bed as someone else, Our religious belief does not accept that, for privacy needs, and for sleeping habits that could be uncomfortable to my son. I was told to take the request directly to the tour organizer. Which I did. I was told unless my son belong to an LGBTQ group, the request of a twin bed will be a 300 dollars charge, plus I have to find another student that is willing to be in a twin for an additional 300 dollars. Only LGBTQ individuals can be upgraded FREE of charge!. Even though, the rooms will most likely have double and twin beds as well. They refuse to assign one of the twin beds to ****. I am shocked and disappointed, how could EF have a policy that favors one student over another based on their sexual orientation. I can't back track, because my son is keen to visit ******* but does not wish to share his bed.I believe he should be entitled to his own bed, given the price we paid, and also the fact that some other students might benefit of the same right for free. We are not asking for a private room, just a single bed in a group room. I hope EF will reconsider our request and offer **** the same right as an LGBTQ..

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/16/2022

  Thank you for reaching out. Our rooming policy, written in our booking conditions, is the below:

  EF handles final rooming assignments for all travelers. We make rooming assignments
  based on the *** identified on your passport. If you tell us you identify as a different
  sex, we will work to accommodate you. Please ensure that all rooming requests are
  submitted by 110 days prior to departure.
  

  
  Students will room in triples or quads with others of the same *** from the entire tour
  group. This means that students from different schools may room together. EF uses
  hotels with rooms that contain two double beds (beds for two people). Two students
  are expected to share each bed.
  
  Students may request twin accommodations (a hotel room with two single beds) by
  submitting the name of their roommate. Additional fees will apply.

  Student travelers are always welcome to request roommates in student rooming through their group leader to ensure they are comfortable. You can find our booking conditions at www.eftours.com/**. The policy was electronically signed upon enrollment. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/16/2022

  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.]
  
  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,

  Driss

  EF didnt answer my request of waiving the fee for twin bed. Rather, they copied and paste an incomplete policy of rooming, because I clearly read on the policy opened on their website the mention of students 19 and up, which they left out purposely from their responses. They also didnt address the fact that the same policy doesnt apply to LGBTQ individuals. That was my main issue with their policy. The only way I did found that, was when I spoke to the support travel team. They are not straight forward. 
  clearly that is something they are not admitting and basically they brushed off everything I stated on  my email, and submitted a response that is completely beside the point. I do not call that an answer. 

   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/19/2022

  Our standard rooming policy is 3-4 students of the same gender in each room. Should students and parents want to request upgraded rooming, which can be twin rooming, two to a room with separate beds, we can accommodate that. Through our twin room supplement, we can upgrade the student from standard student rooming to twin rooming which does require an additional fee. If the two travelers upgrading are both students, both students are subject to an upgrade fee. If the travelers are one student and one adult traveler, only the student is subject to the upgrade fee since the adult is already paying for twin rooming as an adult. All student rooming can be requested through the Group Leader. If your student has a request, please reach out to your Group Leader ****************** directly. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/13/2022

  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.

  I was misled to believe we would receive a full refund if we took out trip insurance and had to cancel. Instead I lost $500! I signed up as a girl scout leader. I am a volunteer and they prey upon students and parents! Something should be done to educate organizers to include a presentation by EF representatives not teachers or third party! It let's them wash their hands of responsibility.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/14/2022

  Thank you for contacting us. We're sorry that **** is no longer traveling with us. Upon enrollment, there are always cancellation fees at any time as we make investments into your trip as soon as the tour is set up. You can find our booking conditions at eftours.com/** to review our standard cancellation policy. The booking conditions were signed upon enrollment on 4/27/2022. There is never a full refund, even if purchasing the Global Travel Protection, however if you are cancelling for a reason covered by the travel protection, you can file a claim for the $300 cancellation fee withheld. You can find this information here:  https://ahptravelcare.com/EFEducationalTours 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/13/2022

  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.

  On Nov 18th, I paid $400 as the beginng payment for my son and daughter to go on a trip with this company, thier thier high school . There was a link the teacher from the school sent, with instructions, that led us to the ** America page. The teacher's information AND ** America's page showed that if the trip was canceled within 14 days we would get a full refund. It apeared as though anyone on this trip was covered with that regardless of weather they paid extra for trip insurance or not. Three days later, the school canceled the trip since not eough students signed up. I called ** America to cancel and get a refund. And was told the school will need to cancel as a whole for me to get a refund. The teacher finally sent us a message that it was canceled, it took over a week. So, I then called ** America for an udpate on my refund. I spoke with *****. He told me we did not qualify for a full refund, and they would keep $200 of the $400 because of the payment method we chose. I did not see anything about that signing up. And after I pointed that out, and the fact that they are keeping $200 for a trip 6 months out and was canceled per the school, not us indeividually, his reply was "We hold our travelers to a higher standard". I do not know what this means. I asked if I can escalate this to anyone else at the company and he said no. I still do not understand why we will need to loose $200 for a trip that had insurance and was cancelled three days after we paid. And was cancelled by the school. The trip was for Jun 2023. I still do not have a refund for the other $200 either. ***** would not answer why we have to wait for the refund. Account number US1819368, Group Plan number 6729809-01. Certificate number 44560700-P. I paid $194 for *********************. And $194 for *********************. But am told I only get $200 back. I should get a full refund back. Still do not have it. I hear other parents have had this same issue.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/15/2022

  We are sorry that your student was not able to travel as anticipated.
  
  We do have a standard cancellation policy which is outlined upon enrollment and apply to all bookings which can be viewed here: https://www.efexploreamerica.com/help-center/policies/booking-conditions
  
  As outlined the initial deposit and cost of your insurance plan are always nonrefundable. EFs group travel model requires it to make significant investments long before the tour departure date.  EF incurs and must cover these fixed costs as well as variable costs in many circumstances for each tour program, often years beforehand, regardless of whether a tour departs as scheduled.  EFs Standard Cancellation Policy is tiered to reflect these investments and increased costs as the departure date approaches.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/13/2022

  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.

  Ef tours screwed up my son trip. They promised a refund twice, I filled out paperwork twice and they still have not resolved the issues. They cancelled a flight and part of the tour without proper notifications and proper accommodations. another flight was available but they ignored it.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/14/2022

  Thank you for being in contact. We were disappointed that your child experienced flight delays while traveling on their recent EF tour. If you have filed a claim with Seven Corners, you can check your claims status online on their portal or by emailing customercare.requests@sevencorners. They can give you any information relevant to your claim. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/10/2022

  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.

  ** Tour's poor travel planning caused the non-performance of the ***** segment in the June 2022 **************** Trip, ***** to the Pyrenees. The departure date pushed two days later losing the ***** stay and associated excursions which were prepaid. We have tried many times by email and phone to get a resolution with ** and its affiliated insurance company only to receive automated replies or no reply at all. Following is my last effort to several ** contacts (********************* and ***************************** were two) and the insurance company.Please be aware ** nor its affiliated insurance company has responded to our numerous efforts since July to resolve this matter.The insurance claim was sent July 6, 2022.This is rather astounding given how accessible ** was pre-trip and pre-booking.Our claim for $507.40 reflects the non-performance of the ** ***** to the Pyrenees Trip where **s poor travel planning - as detailed in the attachment - doomed the ***** leg of the trip and delayed the departure by two days. This trip would have worked perfectly had ** stayed with the original departure date or chosen one of several earlier flights on the actual departure date. All of this is disappointing to our school group who trusted you with our money for two years and did not cancel during the Covid postponement.We are reviewing ** complaints on the BBB website and see hundreds of complaints over the past few years and will be adding to the complaints if we cannot get a resolution from ** or its insurance company.The attached detailed incident report was sent to ** and Seven Corners over a month ago and still no reply.It is time for ** to do the right thing for the entire **************** June 2022 tour group.(2440680ZN.)Please call or email with your resolution on this matter. Any check should me mailed to the address below.******* and ********************* *************************************************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/01/2023

  Thank you for reaching out. We sincerely apologize for the delayed response. I see that you worked with ***** back in December and your claim was approved for tour interruption and reimbursement was successful. We hope you are out exploring the world this summer!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/04/2023

  [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,
  
  ***************************