Nova Sued (Again)

Why am I not surprised?

Nova explanation leads to lawsuit over refund

A 17-year old Kanagawa high school girl has filed a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court against Osaka-based Nova demanding the return of 420 thousand yen in lesson fees after after she canceled her contract. Nova gave contradictory explanations and failed to refund the girl's unused lessons fees claiming that they had expired.

According to the lawyer representing the girl, "Many similar lawsuits seeking damages have been filed by ex-students but no judicial ruling has been handed down."

According to the lawsuit, the girl joined a Nova school in Kanagawa in November 2001. She paid approximately 740,000 yen for enough points for 200 private lessons, and was told that the points would expire in November 2004.

Before the points expired, Nova told the girl that if she purchased additional points, the expiry date of the unused points she originally purchased would be extended until November 2007. The girl decided to purchase more points. However, when she went to cancel her contract in May of this year, Nova told her the points she had originally purchased has expired and would not be refunded, and that only 25 thousand yen's worth of her unused points from her newly purchased package would be refunded.

Original article

英会話最大手ＮＯＶＡ（大阪市）での受講を中途解約した際、事前の説明に反し、未受講分のレッスン料が有効期限切れを理由に返還されなかったとして、神奈川県在住の女子高校生（17）が三日、ＮＯＶＡに四十二万円の返還を求める訴えを東京地裁に起こした。

代理人の弁護士は「同種の被害を訴える元受講生は多いが、司法判断は出ていないと思う。追加提訴も検討したい」としている。

訴状によると、女子高生は二〇〇一年十一月に神奈川県内で入校。個人レッスンを二百回受講できる「ポイント」などを約七十四万円で購入、有効期限は〇四年十一月と説明された。

期限切れ前に、ＮＯＶＡ側から「追加購入すれば、最初に買った未使用ポイントの有効期限が〇七年十一月まで延長される」と勧められ、新たにポイントを購入。しかし〇七年五月に解約を申し出ると、最初に買った分は「期限切れ」とされ返還対象にならず、新規購入ポイントの未使用分約二万五千円だけを戻すとの説明を受けたという。

ＮＯＶＡの中途解約をめぐっては訴訟が相次ぎ、最高裁は四月、契約時を上回る単価での精算を違法との判断を示した。経済産業省は六月、受講契約時に虚偽の説明をするなど特定商取引法違反の行為があったとして、ＮＯＶＡに六カ月間の一部業務停止を命じた。