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Top court rules Nova policy illegal / School must fully refund cancelers
The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that major English school Nova Corp.’s method of settling early cancellations of its courses by using a higher unit price than when the contract was signed is illegal and violated the Specified Commercial Transaction Law. The ruling followed a case brought by a 39-year-old man from Kita Ward, Tokyo, who…
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Top court: Nova’s refund tactic illegal
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal filed by Nova Corp., saying the refund system of the nation’s largest English conversation school is invalid and violates the specified commercial transaction law. The decision finalized the rulings of two lower courts that ordered Nova to refund about 310,000 yen to a former student, the full…
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NOVA ordered to repay English tuition fees to man who cancelled contract
The top court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal by prominent English language school NOVA and ordered the group to return about 300,000 yen in prepaid tuition fees to a student who cancelled a contract. NOVA’s tuition policy of selling classes on a point basis, with lessons becoming cheaper the more students buy, was at the…
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Bigger is not always better for Japan’s English teachers
Different-sized schools pose varied challenges for foreign employees While exact figures are unavailable, but it is fair to assume that a large number of foreigners who work in Japan will spend at least some of their time teaching in a language school. But should you lose yourself in the facelessness of a large company, or…
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Students at ‘McEnglish’ schools taste the spit in the burger
“We’re supposed to have 10 minutes between classes, but get none. We’re not allowed to talk to students away from the classroom. We have to move around our building via the emergency exit stairwell,” one former English teacher tells Weekly Playboy. “The pay is 250,000 yen a month. At first I thought it wasn’t bad,…
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Nova searched in contract row
Offices of English-conversation school operator Nova were searched over allegations the company was cheating students who canceled their lesson contracts, sources said. The searches at Nova’s head office in Osaka and some of its schools were conducted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Tokyo metropolitan government, the sources said Thursday.Nova is…
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Nova probed over refunds, deception
Big English school faces sales ban Government authorities have rapped the knuckles of private English school chain Nova Corp. for allegedly shortchanging students on refunds and providing false accounts of its cancellation policy. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government inspected Nova’s headquarters in Osaka and several schools Wednesday. The…
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NOVA raided after complaints over missing tuition fees
This is not the first time the eikaiwa giant has been pulled up for dishonest business practices. A court ruled against NOVA in a lawsuit filed by a student seeking the return of 700,000 yen in lesson fees in May 2003, and the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan said that it has received 7,750…
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Nova offices searched over contract disputes
Nova is suspected of refusing to refund the correct amount to students and lying to them about the cancellation process, sources said.If Nova is found to have violated the law on certain business transactions, the industry ministry could impose disciplinary measures, including a temporary ban on collecting new students, they added. A public relations official…
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English school chain operator Nova inspected over class cancellation trouble
Private English school chain operator Nova Corp has been inspected by government authorities for allegedly requiring high cancellation costs from students and having provided them with false accounts on its cancellation policy, government officials said Friday. Several schools of the chain featuring outlets located near railway stations have refunded canceling students the remaining value from…