World Strides — Refund/Customer Dis-service
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 ###. I called five different people to request a refund. They refused. A call to the President, Mr. Hall, results in being transferred to a recent college graduate who is both disempowered and incapable. A visit to their Facebook and social media page simply indicates 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.
I will be accompanying granddaughter on a trip to the Florida Keys in April. We've been looking forward to our trip and can only hope that is handled better than the booking. I Not only is it a waste of time to try to get questions answered almost always I've been referred to the website. Apparently the same people who answer the phones created this website! It has no answers either! The only immediate contact you get is if they haven't credited your payment and are calling to tell you that you're about to forfeit all that you have paid. I had made the payment 3 days earlier!
Our fingers are crossed and we're praying that this will turn out well but I would alert any parents who consider this organization in the future.
Thank God I found this site before signing up my kid. It does not sound bizarre or strange what I have been reading here. I was impressed when I got the invitation on the mail for my kid and my wife and I were discussing the trip. First we decided not to send him but, after I read the whole pamphlet I was ready to pay and make the 'sacrifice' to send him on this 'lifetime experience'.
If it was only one complaint about this company I think I could handle it but, several complaints? Screw you guys...My kid is not going anywhere...at least not with them.
Thank you for posting this information regarding your experience. This line is especially descriptive: "The customer service at World Strides is legendary in it's horrific execution".
Hopefully, some parents and students will benefit by learning from your poor experience. Parents attending a future World Strides parent meeting or considering investing in one of these trips for their children should forward a link to these complaints to the teacher organizing the trip and the principal of the school. There are many tour operators that pride themselves on providing world class customer service to the parents that work hard to afford this important trip for their children.