The Anger Over Gateway21's Bankruptcy

Reporting on companies that go bankrupt follows a predictable script. First, the shocking news of the bankruptcy is announced followed by a few more details. Next, are the stories about the people who lost their money, which are then followed by the stories of anger from the people who lost their money. The Chugoku Shimbun brings us a story about the anger.

Its been two weeks since Gateway21's collapse and so far, there's no hint of any help for those who have lost their money. The Hiroshima office in Teppocho was closed on September 20. The sign is still on the building but the floor is empty.

An unemployed woman from Minami-ku grumbles that she wasn't worried because Gateway21 was a big company. She paid Gateway21 ¥1 million to study in Sydney, Australia for a year starting from October 25. After graduating from university, she saved up money by working as a high school English teacher. Calling public consultation services gets her no answers and she is a lost for what to do.

Since Gateway21 went bankrupt the prefectural and city consumer affairs centers have handled 9 cases about the company. Calling them yields two responses from the centers:

• They tell people who are paying in installments by credit card how to stop the payments, or
• People are referred to the Japan Association of Travel Agents to consult with them about how to get a refund.

Unfortunately, getting a refund depends on Gateway21 having assets of value, and right now the odds of seeing a refund don't look good.

Comment: It seems that Gateway21's clients are screwed. They felt safe with Gateway21 because it was a large company. However, no company is too big, too established, or too high-profile to fail. Japan's largest English conversation school and now its largest travel abroad agency are gone.

The lack of consumer education in Japan should not be forgotten in this story. I'm sure that many of Gateway21's clients felt that in studying abroad they were making an investment in themselves and in their futures but found out the hard way that language learning in Japan is closer to gambling than it is to investing. Seeing how the travel abroad and language learning sectors are poorly regulated and the consumers are poorly protected, I expect to see lawsuits filed against Gateway21. That's the only recourse they have.

Original article

ゲートウェイ破たんで憤り

留学仲介大手「ゲートウェイ21」（東京）が経営破たんし、２週間以上がたった。しかし、留学費用を前払いしていた利用者を救済する道筋は、不透明なままだ。広島県内の若者も憤りと失望を深めている。

広島市中区鉄砲町のオフィス内にあった広島支社は、経営破たんが表面化する前の９月20日に閉鎖された。看板は残るが、フロアには立ち入れない。

　

「大手だから安心していた」。南区の無職女性(25)は途方に暮れる。今月25日から１年間、豪州・シドニーに語学留学する予定で、100万円余りを支払った。大学卒業後、高校の英語専任講師として働いてためた貯金の大半。公的な相談窓口に電話したが、答えに納得はしていない。「どうすればいいのかわからない」。言葉に怒りがにじんだ。

ゲートウェイ21が営業を停止した９月26日以降、県生活センターに３件、市消費生活センターには６件の相談があった。両センターの助言は主に２つ。分割払いの被害者がいったんは支払いを停止できる手法と、契約次第では費用の返還窓口になる日本旅行業協会（東京）の紹介だ。しかし、返還には、ゲートウェイ21にそれに見合う資産があることが条件で、関係者の多くが厳しい見通しを示す。