New System to Help Protect Consumers

The Sankei shimbun has a story describing a new insurance scheme for consumers that partially insures should the language school or beauty salons they are using goes bankrupt. The system started this month and is expected to see a growing number of participants.

The impetus for the plan came about in wake of NOVA's bankruptcy in 2007 system which left the company owing some ¥56 billion to 300 thousand students. Last September, Shinjuku-based Human Academy got together with Ken School and two other businesses set up the Educational Assurance Corporation of Japan (EACJ).

The EACJ accepts 40% of course/service fees from member businesses and holds the money in a trust account at a bank. The remaining 60% is for reassurance contracts with an underwriter so that customers can be refunded the unused portions of their contracts in the event that an EACJ member business goes bankrupt.* The EACJ also helps students find new schools for those who wish to continue their studies.

The head of the EACJ, Toshikazu Iizuka, points out that there have been many caes where lesson fees that have been paid up front have been diverted for use as operating capital instead of being separately managed. Should that business go bankrupt, its customers will likely never see their money again. Iizuka says that his system brings consumers some peace-of-mind. The EACJ wants more schools to join and hopes that the system spreads among consumer affairs groups.

Nihon Beauty, which runs the esthetique salon Apple Mind, joined the EACJ in March. Fees paid-in-advance are held in a trust account, and if the company experiences any trouble in offering its services in the future, its customers can be refunded the unused portion of the fees. After NOVA collapsed, the salon switched from accepting all fees up front to a pay-as-go system due to customer concerns about entering into long-term contracts.

Other business are also doing things similar to that of the EACJ. Zwei, a wedding service company, offers insurance for some its services. From May, GABA will set aside half of unused lesson fees as a way of easing any concerns from its customers.

The article ends by noting that there is always risk with expensive contracts lasting more than a year. The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan points out that in addition to consultations about contract troubles with language schools, they've noticed inquires about bankruptcy (foreshadowing, perhaps?). Before signing up long-term, they recommend a short contract to begin with so that you can decide if the service is any good and is what you're looking for. As always, people need to find out about how refunds are calculated and the details of the plan they are paying for before signing on the dotted line.

Comment: This sounds like a good idea, but I don't see how it will work. First, it only protects its member businesses. NOVA gets mentioned a few time in the article because it was such a spectacular failure, but how do you protect consumers from future NOVAs if these businesses don't join the EACJ? The organization is apparently aware of this as Question 8 on their FAQ page admits that their insurance scheme only covers its members. As of this writing, the EACJ has 12 members, comprised mainly of fashion, design, and computer schools. No language conversation school has registered. With so few members, the organization has a long way to go before it garners any credibility.

*Question 9 of the FAQ describes how refunds are paid out if a member business goes bankrupt. If you paid 1.2 million yen for a one-year course running from April to March the following year, and the school goes bust in October, you would receive a refund of ¥500,000 (¥700,000 used for the April-October period less the ¥500,000 in unused fees for remainder of the contract).

Original article

英会話やエステ業界に拡大　前払い金、返還します

2009.4.6 08:11

■経営破綻時、保証制度で安心呼びかけ

語学スクールやエステなどの業界で、会社が破綻（はたん）した際に受講料などの返還を保証する取り組みが始まっている。英会話学校大手「ＮＯＶＡ」の経営破綻を機に消費者の不安が広がる中、安心して利用してもらうのが狙いだ。業界では「制度の有無をサービスを選ぶ際の目安にしてほしい」と呼びかけている。（中曽根聖子）

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「おたくは大丈夫？」

「倒産したら前払いした受講料はどうなるのか」

一昨年１０月にＮＯＶＡが経営破綻して以降、資格取得講座などを運営する「ヒューマンアカデミー」（東京都新宿区）には、受講生や保護者からの問い合わせが相次いだ。

ＮＯＶＡのケースでは約３０万人の受講生が前納した約５６０億円に上る受講料が返還されず、大きな社会問題になった。こうした中、安心して学べる仕組みを作ろうと昨年９月、ヒューマンアカデミーとパソコン教室「ＫＥＮスクール」（千代田区）など業界４社が共同で「学習保全機構」（中央区）を設立した。

同機構は、受講料の４割を預かり、銀行の信託口座に保管、残り６割は保険会社に保証料を支払うことで加盟社が破綻した際に、未受講分の代金を全額返還する。また、学習の継続を希望する人には機構が他校の講座を紹介。制度は今月から本格始動、順次対象講座を拡大していく予定だ。

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顔専門のエステサロン「アップルマインド」を展開する「日本ビューティコーポレーション」（中央区）も今年３月から、前払い金の保全措置を開始。顧客が一括払いしたコース契約代金を銀行に信託し、事業継続が困難になった場合でもサービス未提供分の料金が全額戻ってくるという。

同サロンでもＮＯＶＡの破綻以降、「長期契約は心配」と１回ごとに都度払いする新規顧客が増えた。

「肌質改善などを目的とするエステは、割安な長期プランで定期的に通っていただくほうが、お客さまにとってもメリットが大きい。不安を払拭（ふっしょく）して業界のイメージアップにつなげたい」。エステ業界初の制度導入に踏み切った同社の大町有利子さんは、その理由を説明する。

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同様の取り組みはすでに、結婚紹介サービス大手「ツヴァイ」（千代田区）など一部企業が実施。昨年５月から、未受講分のレッスン料の５０％を保全する個別英会話指導の「ＧＡＢＡ」（目黒区）は「利用者の不安を解消する材料になっている」と成果を強調する。学習保全機構は他校にも加盟を呼びかけており、消費者保護に向けた制度の普及に期待が高まる。

同機構の飯塚利和社長は「受講生から預かった前払い金は本来、経営資産とは別管理されるべきだが、実際には会社の運転資金などに使うケースも多く、倒産した場合には戻ってこない可能性がある」と指摘。「今回の取り組みは、万一の際に利用者の学びの機会を確保し、安心、安全を支えるのが目的。スクール選びの目安にしてもらえれば」と話す。

ただ、１年を超えるような長期、高額の契約にはリスクがつきものだ。

国民生活センター相談部の狐塚知子さんは「語学教室に関しては中途解約を巡るトラブルに加え、最近は倒産に関する相談もみられる。サービスの質や内容が自分に合うかどうか、まずは短期で試して見極めることも大切。契約時には、中途解約時の精算方法やプランの内容をしっかり確認して」と呼びかけている。