FRENCH CLUB SNUB

I recently received a disturbing email from my friend, Kathleen Ferry. No, not one of those emails! The email was actually about something that happened to her niece, who was part of the Westwood High School French Club in Westwood, NJ. Apparently, her niece and 14 other students were recently scammed out of $3500 through a company called Mariden USA, who allegedly filed for bankruptcy, but we know what really happened. Whoever is running that site is enjoying a summer in France at the expense of these poor Westwoood High School students. 

According to the email, the Westwood French Club organized a trip to Paris that was supposed to take place this month (July) for 15 students. The trip was to include airfare, hotel, and sightseeing trips around Paris. The school used a company called Mariden USA (maridenusa.com). Shortly before the trip was scheduled to begin (July 2), right around the time the students were taking their finals, the school was informed that Mariden USA plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and all 15 students will not be reimbursed for the cost of the trip of $3500 each. Let's see...If my calculations are correct, that's $52,500 that Mariden USA walks away with. If they are doing this with a few schools, there is no way that they are filing for Chapter 11. Plus, if there company is failing and maybe it would be a good idea to take your site down, so that people won't get the wrong idea that you're in business. Their site seems to be up and running just fine!

In addition to this whole mess, the group insurance policy that was issued by Travel Guard for the students does not cover financial failures by the tour company. Gee, thanks for your help Travel Guard! What the hell did students pay for the extra protection for? Trust me; if you dig deeper, there are no financial failures here. That company walked away with almost $53,000. Like I said, if they're doing this to a few schools, they are not crying poverty! Oh, and it gets even worse! The school board is claiming the school organized trip was "not board approved" due to the fact that the trip was to take place in the summer when school was closed. Well, did they rather the students go to Paris during the school year and miss a couple of weeks of school? Or do it in the summer, where they can learn and be cultured while they're not in school? To me it sounds like this whole thing is a sham and everyone is in cahoots including the school board, the travel agency and the insurance company. If you're planning a school trip to another country, steer clear of Maridenusa.com! I'm sure they will be keeping their site up to rip off even more people than they already have!