Clients of the educational platform GeekBrains received a refund for canceling a course

As Kommersant learned, students of the educational platform GeekBrains managed to receive 23.5 million rubles from it. as part of a class action lawsuit. Its participants demanded compensation because the company did not refund money for online courses if they refused, even at the beginning of training. As a result, GeekBrains changed the rules of the offer, and other market participants will do the same in order to avoid lawsuits, lawyers say. But the number of similar cases will grow, experts believe: for example, DestraLegal.ru is already preparing a class action lawsuit against the online school Like Center.

DestraLegal.ru, which represents the interests of students on the GeekBrains platform, told Kommersant that more than 23.5 million rubles were paid to the participants in the class action lawsuit against the educational platform. Most of the claims, the service clarified, were settled before the court made a decision, since the platform signed settlement agreements. In total, 155 cases were won.

The class action lawsuit against GeekBrains was accepted by the Savyolovsky District Court of Moscow on December 22, 2022. The total amount of claims was 4.5 million rubles. The plaintiffs wanted to receive compensation due to the fact that the company does not refund money for online courses if the student decided to withdraw at the beginning of training (see “Kommersant” dated January 26, 2022). Thus, the rules of the GeekBrains offer stated that the student will be refunded 100% of the cost within three days from the date of purchase, 30% within 14 days, 15% within 14–30 days and 0% if more than 30 days.

The company settled the first class action out of court, paying about 2 million rubles. But in July, a class action lawsuit was filed for 25.7 million rubles, Vedomosti wrote.

As a result, Geekbrains changed the offer (now 50% is returned within 30 days), and many students in court received more than the original damages, they say in DestraLegal.ru: “The cost of training was returned in its unexplored part, compensation for moral damage, consumer fines and legal expenses.” The service clarified that “they formed a group of plaintiffs for the online school “Like Center”” (100% from Shabutdinov Ayaz Rifatovich).

GeekBrains emphasized that if a particular course is not suitable for a student, the company always provides “an alternative option for free.” Otherwise, the money is returned. The Like Center did not respond to Kommersant’s request.

There have been more and more disputes with educational services in the last three years, notes Roman Lukyanov, managing partner of Semenov & Pevzner. This is influenced by the general increase in the popularity of digital platforms and their number, “the competitive environment and consumer discernment.”

Clients are often dissatisfied with the quality of services, the discrepancy between expectations and reality, which is why conflicts arise, adds Ekaterina Erova, senior lawyer in the Dispute Resolution and Arbitration practice of the law firm Melling, Voitishkin and Partners. The lawyer notes that many platforms are now checking agreements for conditions that infringe on the rights of users. In particular, the need for such a check was also pointed out by the civil panel of the Supreme Court in its ruling dated August 8, 2023, Ms. Yerova clarifies.

Participants in any market always carefully monitor the legal situations of their colleagues and, depending on this, adjust the legal position and documentation, says Dmitry Shevchenko, managing partner of the Zamoskvorechye legal bureau. The story with Geekbrains is indicative of other platforms, “which will now try to close all similar issues with clients,” the lawyer believes: “As a rule, problems are easier to resolve pre-trial, since it is cheaper for the defendant to enter into a settlement agreement than to lose the case.”

This applies not only to Russian practice, but also to global practice, clarifies Ekaterina Yerova. In parallel, she believes, platforms “will certainly adapt the terms of contracts to eliminate litigation, the payment of fines and legal fees, as well as negative media coverage.”

Yulia Yurasova, Anna Zanina