Fortress Japan/Global Trinity Sued
Osaka-based NPO, Kansai Consumer's Support Organization, has sued English conversation school operator Fortress Japan for "undue solicitations."
The Asahi Shimbun reports that the Kansai Consumer's Support Organization (KCSO) filed a lawsuit against Tokyo-based Fortress Japan, which operates the English conversation school Global Trinity, alleging that that it engaged in undue solicitation of contracts.
In the lawsuit, KCSO maintains that Global Trinity opened schools in Sendai, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka and solicited young adults near universities and train stations. Students were told that they could take lessons at any time [Gee, where have I heard that chestnut before?], but the lessons turned out to be courses with fixed dates and times.
Students were also pressured into signing contracts. A Kyodo News story in the Tokyo Shimbun says the schools would not let students leave unless they signed a contract, and cajoled (You're an adult, you can decide yourself) or pressured (Sign now!) them into signing.
The Tokyo Shimbun article mentions that KCSO tried to stop Fortress Japan's sleazy methods in June. Fortress Japan replied that it as not engaged in such practices, but refused to make any promises not to do so in the future.
Comment: Fortress Japan is pretty brazen to pull a few pages out of the Nova playbook while memories of its collapse are not-so-distant memories. When Japan finally sets up its consumer protection agency, one wonders if a lot of English schools may find themselves slapped with lawsuits.
英会話学校が「不当勧誘」 大阪の消費者支援団体が提訴
弁護士らでつくるＮＰＯ法人「消費者支援機構関西」（大阪市）は２８日、英会話学校の受講生を勧誘する際に事実と異なる説明をしたなどとして、運営母体の「フォートレスジャパン」（東京）を相手取り、消費者に代わって企業を訴える消費者団体訴訟を大阪地裁に起こした。
訴状によると、同社は英会話学校「グローバルトリニティー」を東京、大阪、福岡など５都府県で展開し、大学や駅周辺で大学生らを勧誘。実際は開講日時が コース別に決まっているのに、「いつでも受講できる」と告知したり、すぐに受講契約を結ぶよう決断を迫ったりしており、「消費者契約法に触れる不当な勧誘 は差し止めるべきだ」と主張している。
英会話不当勧誘で提訴 ＮＰＯ法人、団体訴訟制度で
2008年8月28日
大都市圏で展開する英会話スクール「グローバルトリニティー」が若者に無理な勧誘をしているとして、大阪市の特定非営利活動法人（ＮＰＯ法人）が２８日、運営会社のフォートレスジャパン（東京）に、不当勧誘行為の差し止めを求め大阪地裁に提訴した。
ＮＰＯ法人は、消費者団体訴訟制度で認定された適格消費者団体の「消費者支援機構関西」で、制度に基づき６月に行為の差し止めを申し入れた。フォ社は「現在はない」と回答したが、今後についての誓約は拒否したという。
訴状などによると、グローバルトリニティーは仙台、東京、名古屋、大阪、福岡の５校。大学生らに「大人なんだから自分の意思で決断できるでしょ」「この場で決断しなさい」などと契約を迫り、事業所から帰さないといった不当な勧誘をしているという。
（共同）
Comments
Honestly. If these people
Honestly. If these people are too weak willed and stupid to say no to something they don`t want... They get what they deserve.
Hey! Japanese consumers! Grow up!
Where are my anti-Nova
Where are my anti-Nova Stories?
G.com staying under the radar
I'd be surprised if G.com NOVA isn't liable for legal action on at least two points in their dealings with customers. One was the requirement for students to sign away any right to claim a refund in the event of branch closure (I know of two closures in my area which must have affected quite a few people), and the second was disadvantaging students on the 25% percent deal when using the online booking system (those paying 100% can book earlier in advance).
A lot of punters here tipped a second bankruptcy to happen by summer yet despite the rumours I hear of student complaints, they've kept well under the radar since April.
Shady Dealings
Such is the nature of G.Comms ethics, or lack thereof, they made a student i know who has government sponsored lessons (the partial refund upon completion of her points - i don't know the name of the course) have to take lessons at schools about 60km's away as they said the student couldn't use her points at a franchise school only a G.Network school. Contrary to the fact that there are 5 schools within about a 20km radius of her home. This company is rotten to the core who have failed to realise it's not a bums on seats business like yakitori or omrice, you have to keep your customers happy especially old point users as they need them to renew packages.
Lets not forget the face of the company is the unhappy, disgruntled gaijin delivering your product - management par excellence.
Trinity
from the one time I interviewed for a teaching position at Trinity in Umeda, I can tell you what I learned about them. Their clients are primarily University students. Small group lessons. The Umeda class room had six or so rooms, all with glass walls and doors, so it really was like a fish bowl! Lessons were expected to be lively, active and fun for the students.
It was the first and only time in Japan I was ever asked if I thought myself too old to be a teacher of University aged Japanese students. I was shocked as I was just over 40 at the time and held a part-time as a kindergarten teacher, with no complaints. I was being interviewed by a Non-native English speaker from India. During my interview, I had seen two other teachers. Both caucasian. One was the fattest young man I had ever seen. The other was a woman. I wanted to respond to the question, "Do you think your age would be a handicap in teaching University students?" with "No more a handicap than your ethicity, his size, or her gender", but I just left happily think of the wonderful bullet I managed to dodge!
I have heard the same tactic of pressuring the unversity aged people done by corporate human resource people as well!
I think you have to consider the situation. The unversity aged person is all alone in these decisions. There is no peer to look at in the room for the right answer. If I were the salesperson/recruiter, I imagine I would do the same tactic, otherwise you would wait years before these kids make a decision on their own! The skill of decision making is not taught in Japan. Not at home, not a school.
I have young male students these days. For those who are getting married, I ask them, "Why". I typically get a long pause, the strangest of looks and then, "It seems like the right time to."
the problem
I think part of G.com's problem is that G.education got away with a lot of shit when they were small because of the fact that they were small.
They obviously thought they had a winning formula (which included tightly leashing foreign instructors and booting them when they'd been around for too long) and expected to be able to apply it on a bigger scale with NOVA. Happily, sites like 'Lets Japan' have had a big role in disabusing them of that notion.
Now I'm somewhat concerned for new recruits who are supposedly arriving this month. I wonder how many they're getting, how they've recruited them, and what kind of people would join G.com NOVA now considering the amount of negative information to be found on them.
Sounds like the old NCB!
Sounds like the old NCB!
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