In my previous post about our problems with Worldstrides (you can read that post here) I mentioned the fact that Worldstrides had been involved with a bankruptcy. I had found that information via a private members only message board. It may or may not be in error but apparently the post got the attention of Worldstrides themselves. It is amazing to me that a blog that gets only 3 visitors a week would set off alarms at a small travel agency (Worldstrides only has 300 employees worldwide, hardly a large corporation) Because of that post I got a long 5 paragraph email from Mr. Martin, one of the VP's at Worldstrides trying to "correct" my blog post.
In answer to that email I will "correct" the word bankruptcy with a link to a court document that goes into great detail about how Lakeland Tours (which is what Wordstrides use to be known as) debts mounted up and how Worldstrides was formed under questionable dealings. You can see that document in full here. You can form your own opinion about Worldstrides after reading that.
Next I would like to mention that Mr. Martin prided himself in the fact that the Better Business Bureau of Richmond, VA gave Worldstrides an A+ as a rating. That is indeed true but on the same page they (the BBB) mention the 18 complaints against the company, in the last 36 months alone that were "resolved" (it was not mentioned how they were "resolved")
Another website also listed complaints against Worldstrides and you can see them at this link.
Mr. Martin's email goes on to mention the fiasco with the Bush inauguration which I had mentioned in the prior blog post. He said and I will quote him here, "During the inauguration program we provided an additional 1-2 days of lodging, meals, sightseeing, and transportation for over 1,000 students affected by both security and weather issues. This was done at no additional cost to the participants." Since I have no way of knowing if that is true or not I will give you a link to the news article that started of of this and let you decide. Here is the news article. Of course Worldstrides did not give out refunds to those kids, why am I not shocked. They like to keep what ever money comes their way and they stick to their no refund policy - they kept my money didn't they.
That is not all the news I have on them. Stay tuned for the next installment because there is more!
Those people at Worldstrides should have given me my money back. Now they will get lots of unwanted and free publicity.
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[...] did have a bankruptcy (see updated blog post for the truth about Worldstrides in great detail - click here), not an official bankruptcy but failing to pay huge debts. Around 2002 and they were also [...]
ReplyDeleteI hear Worldstrides gives their teachers a huge kickback in the form of a "stipend" that just adds to the cost of the trip for parents and students. Ouch.
ReplyDeleteUsed Worldstrides for years and have no problems. Great company.
ReplyDeleteTo Parent -
ReplyDeleteYou must have a lot of kids to use Worldsrtides for "years". That would be a statement I would expect from a teacher.
My daughter and I just returned from a WorldStrides trip to the east coast. We had a wonderful time and no trouble with the company. Every aspect of our trip ran smoothly. My daughter, through various fundraising opportunities, raised the entire dollar amount for her trip as did most of the other 23 students that attended. In addition, her fundraising efforts paid for a portion of my trip. I guess it depends on how much effort the organizers and parents want to put into fundraising. Most of our fundraising dealt with providing services rather than trying to sell anything. The students hired themselves to rake leaves, scoop snow, clean gutters, help with housework, weed gardens, babysit, etc. It also helps that we live in a very supportive community. I'm sorry you haven't had a good experience with WorldStrides. I plan on attending another WorldStrides trip in two years with my middle child. I have no worries that it won't be as rewarding an experience as this one was!
ReplyDeleteTo Parent too,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad your fund raising went so well. I would have no doubt that our group would have done better if we were located nearer to a large city. The area around Lacomb School is a poor rural area. Lebanon is the nearest town (13 miles away) with 14,000 people and an unemployment rate of close to 15%, if not more. The great majority of the residents of this area are older, retired and on fixed incomes so their spending money is restricted. The kids would have had no problem raising money doing the types of odd jobs your child did if they lived closer to neighbors or an area that did not need an hour round trip in the car to. That is one of the main reasons we turned to the internet for getting the word out but that too has not gone well at all. So far 5 children in the school district trip have dropped out due to financial reasons. There maybe more but as of yet I don't know.
It is wonderful that the fundraising went well for those of you...We did fundraising for our students and some raised the entire cost and some did not.My son went last year and had fun with his friends even though he thought the actual trip was boring. Personally I do not think it is worth the cost, but the growing experience is wonderful! This year my daughter is set to go but Worldstrides put half of our students on "waitlist" because they claim to have called about final payments due in April. All the parents got were "please call back" messages nothing about final payments due. There are so many discrepancies in what Customer Says that it is ridiculous! I would never use this company again..EVER!!
ReplyDeleteI used to work for World Strides, and can tell you that as an employee in Customer Service and the Financial Department YOUR BEING RIPPED OFF!!!
ReplyDeleteThe teachers do indeed get a stipend for organizing the trip as well as other freebies if they are a high profile teacher. The comment that was made from "Mr. Martin" about the extended stays and allowances for those students involved in the inauguration for Bush is completely FALSE! No one was offered that, I worked in customer service when that happened and let me tell you it was HELL!!! Now most of this was due to security changes granted, which was beyond WS control,but most schools were not offered refunds. Those schools that did get some sort of refund were schools that had a long history with WS and were "favorites" so to speak.
Once you sign up, your account will be racked with fees, and add on programs. If the participation is low you will be charged fees for rooming changes. Usually too late in the game to cancel without losing all or some of your money.
Should you decide to take a trip with them, READ THE SMALL PRINT of their brochures from top to bottom. If they say there are no hidden fees at the sales pitch to parents, that's complete BS!!!
FYI parents who are chosen as "chaperones" are given a percentage discount off their trip as well. The amount depends on the teacher organizing the trip. This does come from their stipend so some teachers do not do this. Instead they get parents who are going with their kids to take groups.
ReplyDelete**Here's a tip: If you wanna shave some cost, ask your teacher about getting your own airline tickets. This will only work if you are attending with your child though. They however will not guarantee scheduling issues or your cost from Airport to hotel or first stop on itinerary. My advice fly in the day before they do and meet the group at the airport when they are scheduled to arrive, this way you won't miss the tour bus picking them up. You will have to send in documents/waivers but it can be done!!!! This won't take much off your total so make sure to shop around before doing this and compare prices before you attempt. Also get all the flight information from your teacher so you know exactly where to be!!!
I also worked for Worldstrides and yes they are CROOKS!
ReplyDeleteThey will scam you in everyway possible.
I would recommend that you NEVER EVER use this company. They have had money trouble for YEARS!
If they did not screw your group this year.....just wait it will happen.
Yes they give "kick backs" to teachers and you wonder why they say such wonderful things.
As far as Mr. Martin he will do and say ANYTHING.
Ask him about Chuck Schumer, Senator from NY, and how he asked the Attorney General to investigate how they tried to rip off students in his district.
I know they were also gives referral fees to teachers who got OTHER schools to travel with Worldstrides. They could makeup to $500.00 per school! So if a teacher got a teacher friend(s) to travel they could and do make BIG BUCKS simply by giving a sale's person names of their friends whom they have already called.
Simply unethical behavior on Worldstrides and the teacher's part.
They say they are an "educational" corporation simply unbelieveable.
In regard to the BBB stating they have resolved all their complaints one thing that has been WELL KNOWN for years is NEVER EVER use the BBB for recommendations!!!!!! They are the worst mainly because coporations pay FEES to be listed and how many customers would the BBB have if they did not get those fees.
I am simply telling you the TRUTH.
Parents watch out!
Teachers be careful you don't wind up in a payola suit. Believe me Worldstrides will not be there to help you then. They will run just like they do with parents of MANY, MANY paying students!
My daughter just came home from school with a pile of information about a Worldstride spring trip to Florida. $2,400 for a 4-day trip to Florida? Are they out of their minds? As I started reading the small print, I realized this trip would end up costing even more with all the bologna extra fees as well.
ReplyDeleteI told my child that for $2,400, we can send her to overnight summer camp next summer for 4 weeks. She likes that idea a whole lot more than this RIP-OFF deal to Florida.
The customer service at World Strides is legendary in it's horrific execution. From the outset, this organization has been nothing but difficult. The problem is that the school selects the organization so World Strides has no impetus to help the parents. Consequently, the people paying the money are NOT the customers, and they are treated like pond scum. I called five different people to request a refund because I overpaid. They refused. A call to the President, Mr. Hall, results in being transferred back to a naive, recent college graduate who is both disempowered and incapable. A visit to their website, Facebook and social media pages simply indicate that they are only interested in their image to schools - there is no indication of any interest in assisting parents or their children. This is a warning to teachers and principals. If you want happy parents - AVOID WORLD STRIDES. They put the "uck" in suck.
ReplyDeleteI too am experiencing the unpleasant side effects of someone holding almost 2,000.00 of "MY" money, since we had to cancel a trip. They said it was in the Contract (waiting 4 to 6 weeks) and that I should have read it. I explained them my situation, and they insist on keeping my money for the month and a half duration. I agree wholeheartedly... AVOID WORLDSTRIDES. There are MANY hidden costs.
ReplyDeleteI am glad they gave me such poor customer service after reading all of this! We will not push the issue of m child going on a trip that costs more than it would if I just sent her myself since we have relatives in both places they were headed!Natahn Ryder is the worst customer service supervisor i have encountered.
ReplyDeleteMy school is planning a trip to Europe through WorldStrides next spring break. At first I was thrilled at such an opportunity, but now I am not so sure. Would you guys recommend that I ask my teacher about using another organization, or just not go?
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh this information is terrifying. I have just "allowed" myself to be fast-talked into this mess. Now I am terrified. Since I am not in for any money, how do I go forward from here?
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, I just got fast-talked into the beginning stages of offering this trip to my students. Should I back out? By the way, the sales woman was nice, but the talking reminded me of "Trump University" or a time Share talk. Oh I should have followed my instincts.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for writing this, I am a teacher and they just contacted me. I started researching and ran across this article, and LOTS of others! I e-mailed them and told them "thanks for calling, but this doesn't feel safe to me because of all of the negative information on the internet". So, THANK YOU. For saving my students and I a LOT of trouble and money we didn't know we were going to have to spend. UGH. So shady
ReplyDeleteI agree with these negative comments and agree that the customer is obviously not the parents who are paying because they could care less about how unhappy we are with the trip. They refuse to even call me back after I filed a formal complaint. DO NOT use World strides or pay the ridiculous prices. It is not worth it!
ReplyDeleteTeachers, do NOT use World Strides for student tours. After I donated for a student trip which had to be canceled, this company has refused to refund my money. I have spent an hour on the phone with them. Another donor was fraudulently charged over $650 today on her credit card, eight months after making the original donation. For the sake of your students' donors, do not use this company. I have never seen such a duplicitous, lying, and unreliable company.
ReplyDeleteWorldStrides Rewards its Employees to Use Their Teacher Positions to Prey on Students & Parents!
ReplyDeleteDISGUSTING!
*Our 2019 trip was All about how much $$$ Teacher Leaders could get & get away with!
*They rushed us through EVERYTHING, Lied about not getting paid by WorldStrides or benefiting any way!
*They are not only Paid by WS but have them charge YOU extra when They don't meet Their own trip quota!
*WS charges you late fees even if Teacher solicited you after deadline!
*Teacher & (boy)friends travel FREE on Your Kids' trip & sleep in Pres.Suite paid by Your "Trip price!"
*If parents are sucked into going, WS charges you for being an adult! Claiming Double Occupancy Charge (bc sharing room with a stranger)! Then an extra fee for NOT sharing with Stranger!
*Teachers list parents as "participants" who end up "chaperoning" while their friends, listed as "chaperones" get Stipends, come for free & do NOT "Chaperone!"
*Then they make it out be Your fault WS ordered a cheap/lame bus service, which was left 3hrs late & broke down 2hrs after leaving & strand you sitting at a rural gas station 8hrs with bus load of kids! With a smelly bus bathroom & a disgusting bathroom in gas station!
*Then teachers refuse to pay for Prepaid meals because "We're Not at the "prenegotiated restaurant" they set up!"
*Post arrival they then cram as many sites as they can & even though it's POURING RAIN, insist you exit bus so they can check off taking you to that site! Then take you in & while they wait by the door ignoring that EVERYONE (even with raingear was soaked to the bone) tell you to self-guide thru barely one exibit within their allotted 15min. per museum stop!
*Then still SOAKed, you're taken into another COLD A/C location for dinner, so they can get yet another "reward" for bringing in a large "pre-arranged" group!
*No site tours were pre-arranged (except restaurants & souvenir store that wasn't even listed on itinerary!), if they took inside, it was always thru "general public lines" or they dud NOT take you inside VCs even when they were listed on our itinerary & no matter which day it was! Claiming tickets, appointments & or fees were required. What did we PAY THEM FOR? Because it definitely wasn't to have them stand outside & point out buildings to us! Which BTW, our dog can also do & with same result!
*WS assigned Course Leaders are either rude or tell stories with no historical or educational value!
*There's NO mention or explanation of the multitude of historical symbolism or architectural aspects or design reasoning to Our Nation's Greatest Buildings & or Memorials!
*Expected Course Leaders are NONexistent on some days, so kids are allowed to just self-gude & or roam around with no map or guidance as to sites or locations!
*Teacher Leaders also lie to the the group, saying "we can't go here or there because there's a fee or bc tickets are required"
*Then why does WorldStrides & Teacher boast that it's an "ALL-INCLUSIVE" & "ALWAYS GUIDED" Tour?
*Students & or parents, are NOT STUPID!
*We can actually read what we are handed even Kids Know when a Teacher is LYING to them! And it is Completely UNACCEPTABLE!
*We also know that NPS sites in DC are ALL FREE! or minimal cost in certain situations. But Teachers DUMPING (not even recycling) NPS ranger provided brochures vs handing them to Students is UNACCEPTABLE & a Waste of Tax-Payer $$ used to print them! NOT COOL!
*Are you afraid students might LEARN something?
*BTW! We also know why you insisted we ONLY buy souvenirs at store YOU took us! The stop that was NOT on our itinerary! (Right after you lost your way between White House & its VisitorCtr)
*Parents! Save your Sanity & Save your children!
*Take them to DC yourself & get TRUE Educational Tour Guide for FREE from an NPS Park Ranger!
THANK YOU for posting & approving this post!
DeleteFYI... as a follow up...
Thst only after repeated calls (back to WorldStrides) after one customer service person had the balls to state, "You expect us to contact or reply to everyone who was on the bus?" & then didn't do what he promised... Which was to request that a manager return our calls, or any other parent's call...
But then, finally, we received a call from someone at WS!
After a 90-minute call (giving specific details to events touched on above & others more specific & even upsetting, did this WS employee, have a Form Letter of apology mailed out (supposedly to all 21 families) & a promise of an "expedited" $150 refund in 3-4 wks, to compensate parents for "any stress" during Day-1 of the trip!
Yes, WS ONLY feels responsible for Day-1! So Day-2 & Day-3 of the WS Itinerary which was NOT fulfilled by WS "Certified Leaders" NOT Fulfilled at ALL, or were deemed as fulfilled by these Leaders just because the bus drove past or around the site listed!...
So who is responsible for the other TWO DAYS that our 21-Students + Parent "Participants" (who stepped up and became "Chaperones" & "Leaders" for the sake of the kids!)
Who is responsible for what occured the other 2-days?
Per WS, the other 2-days is apparently the Sole Responsibility of the "Teacher/Group Leader!"
So now what do we parents do?