A party room on four wheels. The colorful boxes roll around throughout May. On the outside, only the pounding bass is heard. Inside the bus, the Russian dances. Russetida, on the other hand, is not just a party for graduating students, it is also a big industry. And even if the young people are in upper secondary school, some of the contracts they receive are for advanced students. – We regularly receive inquiries from russ or guardians who have questions about the contracts, since the russ period is something that is planned for years, says senior legal advisor Thomas Iversen at the Consumer Council. news has spoken to several bus operators. Many did not want to answer, but Igor Draskovic, general manager of Redbuss AS, believes the matter is more nuanced than the Consumer Council would like it to be. Read his answer further down in the article. Problematic advance payment On Wednesday, it became known that Russebuss.no is shutting down operations to avoid bankruptcy. They had contracts with 19 groups that are Russian next year. The company believes and hopes they will be able to repay the money these Russian groups have transferred. The Consumer Council tells news that everyone should read the contracts carefully. – The advance payment is the biggest challenge with these contracts. Young people have to transfer large sums of money long before the rush hour starts. Then you have no security, if the company were to fail financially, says Iversen. Several of the groups the Consumer Council has spoken to have agreements far in advance. – The groups have entered into agreements several years before they themselves are Russekull, about a bus to be used by another group before them. Thomas Iversen is senior legal adviser at the Norwegian Consumer Council. Photo: Erlend Dalhaug Daae / news Responds Igor Draskovic in Redbuss AS believes that they do not take very large sums in advance. He still believes that it is essential for the companies that the customer pays in advance. – The contract itself is based on a two to three year collaboration with regular dialogue with the customer. A Russian bus is a big project where everything is tailored from scratch, he says. – We cannot wait until the rental period is over, but are dependent on advances to cover ongoing costs. – What are the costs of a Russian bus that will not be taken over until two years from now? – From the time they sign the contract until the Russian time starts, we have contact with the Russians almost every week to plan as they want, which leads to employee costs. This is in addition to craftsmen, electricians and others who have to come in to make the bus the best it can be. Draskovic believes that the Russian bus operators have been needlessly painted black in recent years. Secret contracts – As the bus is often a bit old and used quite hard, and sometimes originally built on a voluntary basis, it is not 100 per cent certain that it will be approved season after season. Then you will be able to do without a bus, says Iversen in the Consumer Council. Some players have a so-called rolling guarantee, where the company offers a replacement bus, but then the opportunity for concept development and special adaptation disappears – which is an important thing for the Russian groups. Iversen also highlights problematic and illegal points in several contracts that require confidentiality and secrecy. Before, most of the buses were sold privately between the coals, but in recent years, several professional players have taken a bigger place in the market. – Seen in isolation, it should have been positive, since a professional player should have led to fewer conflicts and lower risk, but there have been a number of disagreements between bus groups and companies, says Iversen. Some of the players have over 20 buses in the garage – and a lease, including various equipment, can quickly amount to NOK 1.5 million. Some drunks are voluntary wandering drunks, while others can suddenly become so – if their bus is segregated. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news Making contact on social media The Consumer Council has also registered a commercial pressure on young people, long before the Russian era. – We hear about sellers who make direct contact with the students on social media, preferably when the students are approaching the end of secondary school. The young people are eager to get out on the road, and spend several years planning the roll. – It is a vulnerable group without much experience, and they are also not allowed to commit to such contracts at that age. Therefore, parents have to sign the contracts, often in a stressful situation with short deadlines, says Iversen. news has given several of the companies the opportunity to answer whether they make contact with young people via, among other things, Instagram. The companies that did not want to respond to this are Russebuss.no, Din Buss and Russebussmarked.no Don’t rely on discounts The Consumer Council has the following advice for Russians and their guardians: Enter into a good agreement within the Russe group. Involve parents, and preferably no earlier than two hours before the contract is to be signed. In a large group of 20–30 students, you will usually find at least one parent who has some experience with contracts or negotiations, who can assist. Collect offers from several players, at least two. Don’t be blinded by discounts. Almost all bus contracts have a discount, or a reduction in the price. And it can be in the hundreds of thousands of kroner range. “If you sign during this week, you will receive NOK 250,000 in rebates.” It can easily be a sales ploy. Also be aware that a coach, whether rented or bought, can never be fully insured. It is only possible with liability insurance, which means that all additional equipment rented and placed in the bus is not insured against damage, fire and the like. Thomas Iversen says he would normally advise people to check user reviews, but does not do so here. – We have received feedback from several groups who have been offered a discount if they give good user reviews, and who have been paid to delete bad reviews. It is not allowed. This means that you cannot immediately trust the reviews that exist, possibly except for the bad ones, says Forbrukerrådet’s Thomas Iversen. – Instead, make direct contact with students on the blocks above you, who have been on that bus or used that company.
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Warns against such moves in Russian contracts – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
