Canceled school trips abroad leave dozens of Estonian families chasing refunds
About 40 families of Estonian students are still waiting for refunds of roughly €50,000 after language trips abroad were canceled by organizer Gerri Vihman. The consumer regulator TTJA has opened supervisory proceedings against his company.
Dozens of families in Estonia are waiting for refunds after travel organizer Gerri Vihman canceled school language trips abroad. About 40 students' families are owed roughly €50,000 in total. The case involves the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA), the Estonian body that supervises consumer rights.
The Jüri School trip to Spain
Twelve students from Jüri School were due to travel to Spain this fall through Vihman's company, Keeleõppereisid OÜ. Each family paid €1,260 for flights, host-family accommodation, language classes in Madrid and insurance. In total, €15,120 was collected from the families.
Vihman did not send the plane tickets and later canceled the trip. When teachers asked whether parents could book flights themselves, he reportedly said he could not refund the money because it was gone. A teacher contacted the school in Madrid and learned that Vihman had not been in touch with it. Parents concluded that it may have been fraud.
The organizer's response
Vihman said he has organized language trips for nearly 20 years and has never deliberately canceled one to keep customers' money. He acknowledged shortcomings in financial management and said he has refunded all canceled trips except the two most recent. He also confirmed that a Tartu school's trip was canceled under similar circumstances.
Lagedi School principal Oliver Hoole said a trip planned for this spring was canceled about a week before departure. Of the 16 students who were due to go, about half have received their money back.
Oversight and consumer rights
The TTJA began supervisory proceedings against Keeleõppereisid OÜ on April 30. It issued a precept over the company's failure to meet the financial security requirement and imposed a penalty fine. This year, the authority's Consumer Disputes Committee has received four complaints involving the company. Jüri School principal Triinu Luiga said the school acted only as an intermediary and has not filed a police report, because parents paid the company directly and must file any reports themselves.
