Terms and Conditions
1. Introduction
Welcome to Advancing Academics. These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your use of our website and services. By accessing or using our platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree with these Terms, please do not use our services.
2. Services
Advancing Academics provides an online platform offering educational services, including tutoring, coaching, mentoring, and courses. These services are provided by third-party educators ("Instructors") who are independent contractors, not employees of Advancing Academics.
3. User Accounts
To access certain services, you may need to create an account. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account. You agree to provide accurate and complete information when creating your account.
4. User Responsibilities
- Eligibility: You must be at least 18 years old to create an account and use our services. If you are under 18, you may use our services only with the involvement of a parent or guardian.
- Conduct: You agree not to use our platform for any unlawful or prohibited activities. You will not engage in any behavior that could harm our platform, users, or third parties.
- Content: You are solely responsible for any content you post or share on our platform, including reviews, comments, or any other information. You grant Advancing Academics a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, reproduce, and display your content.
5. Payments and Refunds
- Pricing: Prices for services are listed on our website and may be subject to change. Payment is required at the time of booking or enrollment in a course.
- Refunds: Refund policies vary depending on the service. For tutoring sessions, cancellations must be made at least 24 hours in advance for a full refund. For courses, refunds are only available within the first 7 days of the course start date. No refunds will be provided for coaching or mentoring sessions once they have commenced.
6. Intellectual Property
All content on the Advancing Academics platform, including text, graphics, logos, and software, is the property of Advancing Academics or its content suppliers and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may not use, reproduce, or distribute any content from our platform without our express written permission.
7. User Submissions
Advancing Academics does not claim ownership of the materials you provide to our platform (including feedback and suggestions) or post, upload, input, or submit to any Advancing Academics site or our associated services (collectively, "Submissions"). However, by posting, uploading, inputting, providing, or submitting your Submission, you are granting Advancing Academics, our affiliated companies, and necessary sublicensees permission to use your Submission in connection with the operation of their Internet businesses, including, without limitation, the rights to:
- Copy, distribute, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, reproduce, edit, translate, and reformat your Submission.
- Publish your name in connection with your Submission.
You understand and agree that no compensation will be paid with respect to the use of your Submission, as provided herein. Advancing Academics is under no obligation to post or use any Submission you may provide and may remove any Submission at any time at its sole discretion.
You are solely responsible for your Submissions and must ensure that your content does not infringe on the intellectual property rights or any other rights of third parties.
8. Electronic Communications
By using Advancing Academics, you consent to receive electronic communications from us. These communications may include notices about your account, transactional information, updates regarding our services, promotional materials, and other information related to your use of our platform.
- Consent to Electronic Communications: When you visit our website, create an account, or send emails to us, you are communicating with us electronically. You consent to receive communications from us electronically, such as emails, SMS, or notices and messages on our website or through the services, and you agree that all agreements, notices, disclosures, and other communications that we provide to you electronically satisfy any legal requirement that such communications be in writing.
- Opt-Out: You may opt out of receiving promotional communications by following the unsubscribe instructions provided in those communications. However, you may still receive transactional or account-related communications, which are necessary for the management and operation of your account.
- Record Keeping: We may retain electronic communications for record-keeping purposes as required by law or our internal policies.
9. Cancellation and Refund Policy
At Advancing Academics, we strive to provide a flexible and fair cancellation and refund policy to accommodate our users’ needs. Please read the following guidelines carefully to understand your rights and obligations regarding cancellations and refunds.
9.1 Tutoring Sessions
- Cancellation: You may cancel a scheduled tutoring session up to 24 hours before the session start time for a full refund or to reschedule without penalty. Cancellations made within 24 hours of the session start time will not be eligible for a refund but may be rescheduled at the discretion of the tutor.
- Refunds: If you cancel a tutoring session more than 24 hours in advance, you will receive a full refund. Refunds will be processed within 5-7 business days and will be issued to the original payment method.
9.2 Coaching and Mentoring Sessions
- Cancellation: Coaching and mentoring sessions can be canceled up to 48 hours before the session start time for a full refund or rescheduling. Cancellations made within 48 hours of the session start time will not be eligible for a refund but may be rescheduled at the discretion of the coach or mentor.
- Refunds: If you cancel a coaching or mentoring session more than 48 hours in advance, you will receive a full refund. Refunds will be processed within 5-7 business days and will be issued to the original payment method.
9.3 Courses
- Cancellation: You may cancel your enrollment in a course within the first 7 days of the course start date for a full refund. After this period, no refunds will be provided.
- Refunds: If you cancel your enrollment within the 7-day window, you will receive a full refund. Refunds will be processed within 5-7 business days and will be issued to the original payment method. Please note that if you have accessed or downloaded significant course materials, the refund may be subject to a prorated deduction.
9.4 Subscription Services
- Cancellation: If you are subscribed to a recurring service (e.g., monthly coaching sessions or access to educational resources), you may cancel your subscription at any time. The cancellation will take effect at the end of the current billing cycle.
- Refunds: Subscription fees are non-refundable, and no partial refunds will be provided for cancellations made in the middle of a billing cycle. You will retain access to the service until the end of the current billing period.
9.5 General Refund Policy
- Processing Time: Refunds are typically processed within 5-7 business days of the cancellation request. The time it takes for the refunded amount to reflect in your account may vary depending on your bank or payment provider.
- Payment Method: Refunds will be issued to the original payment method used at the time of purchase. If the original payment method is no longer available, please contact us to discuss alternative refund options.
- Non-Refundable Fees: Certain fees, such as processing fees or third-party transaction fees, may be non-refundable.
9.6 No-Show Policy
- Tutoring, Coaching, and Mentoring: If you fail to attend a scheduled tutoring, coaching, or mentoring session without prior notice, the session will be considered a "no-show" and will not be eligible for a refund or rescheduling.
10. Third-Party Services
Advancing Academics may integrate with or provide access to third-party services and products as part of our platform. These third-party services are provided for your convenience and are not controlled or operated by Advancing Academics.
10.1 Use of Third-Party Services
- Access and Interaction: When you use third-party services available through our platform, you agree to comply with the terms and conditions of those third-party providers. Your interactions with these services are solely between you and the third party, and Advancing Academics is not responsible for any issues arising from your use of third-party services.
- No Endorsement: The inclusion of third-party services on our platform does not imply endorsement or approval by Advancing Academics. We do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, quality, or reliability of any third-party services.
- Third-Party Payments: Any payments for third-party services or products are made directly to the third party. Advancing Academics is not responsible for any payment disputes or refunds related to third-party services.
10.2 Third-Party Links
- External Links: Our website may contain links to third-party websites. These links are provided for your convenience and do not signify endorsement of the content, products, or services on those websites. Advancing Academics is not responsible for the content or practices of any linked third-party websites.
10.3 Liability
- Limitation of Liability: Advancing Academics is not liable for any damages or losses arising from your use of or reliance on third-party services, including any transactions or interactions you have with third parties.
11. Disclaimers
- No Guarantee of Results: Advancing Academics does not guarantee specific results from the use of our services. Educational outcomes may vary depending on individual effort and circumstances.
- Instructor Responsibility: Instructors are independent contractors and are responsible for the content and quality of their services. Advancing Academics is not liable for any issues arising from the services provided by Instructors.
12. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, Advancing Academics and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or relating to your use of the platform or services.
13. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Advancing Academics, its affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, or expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of or in any way connected with your use of the platform, your violation of these Terms, or your infringement of any intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity.
14. Class Action Waiver
By using the Advancing Academics platform and services, you agree that any disputes or claims that you may have against Advancing Academics must be resolved on an individual basis and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, consolidated, or representative proceeding.
14.1 Waiver of Class Action Rights
- Individual Claims Only: You agree that you will not bring any claim or dispute as a class action, a general public action, a private attorney general action, or as a representative or collective action, and you will not participate as a member in a class, collective, consolidated, or representative action, even if such action is initiated by someone else.
- No Consolidation: If any court or arbitrator determines that this class action waiver is unenforceable or invalid, then the entire arbitration agreement (if any) shall be null and void. However, the remainder of these Terms and Conditions shall continue to apply.
14.2 Binding Arbitration
In the event of any dispute between you and Advancing Academics, you agree to submit to binding arbitration, as outlined in the arbitration section of these Terms and Conditions (if applicable). This means that your claims will be resolved through arbitration on an individual basis and not through any court proceeding.
14.3 Opt-Out Option
You may opt out of this class action waiver by sending written notice to [info@advancing-academics.com] within 30 days of your initial acceptance of these Terms. If you do not opt out within this 30-day period, you agree to waive any ability to participate in a class action.
15. Termination/Access Restriction
Advancing Academics reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate your access to the site and the related services or any portion thereof at any time, without notice.
15.1 Grounds for Termination
We may terminate or suspend your account and access to our platform if we believe that you have violated these Terms and Conditions, engaged in any illegal or harmful activity, or otherwise misused our services. This includes, but is not limited to, activities that:
- Violate any applicable laws or regulations.
- Infringe upon the rights of others, including intellectual property rights.
- Breach any of the provisions of these Terms and Conditions.
- Involve fraud, abuse, or illegal conduct.
15.2 Effect of Termination
Upon termination, your right to use the site and services will immediately cease. We may also delete any of your content or data stored on our platform, though we have no obligation to do so. Termination of your account does not relieve you of any obligations to pay any outstanding fees or charges incurred prior to termination.
15.3 Governing Law
To the maximum extent permitted by law, this agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Washington, and you hereby consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of courts in Washington in all disputes arising out of or relating to the use of the site.
15.4 Jurisdictional Limitations
Use of the site is unauthorized in any jurisdiction that does not give effect to all provisions of these Terms, including, without limitation, this section. If you access the site from outside of the United States, you are responsible for compliance with all local laws.
16. Changes to Terms
Advancing Academics reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to change the Terms under which the platform is offered. The most current version of the Terms will supersede all previous versions.
16.1 Notification of Changes
We will post the most current version of these Terms on our website, and any changes will be effective immediately upon posting. We encourage you to periodically review the Terms to stay informed of our updates.
16.2 Continued Use
Your continued use of the site and services following the posting of changes constitutes your acceptance of those changes. If you do not agree to the modified Terms, you must stop using our platform and services immediately.
16.3 Versioning
Each version of these Terms will have an effective date. The version of the Terms that was in effect at the time you engaged in a particular activity or transaction will generally govern that activity or transaction.
17. Contact Us
If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at [info@advancing-academics.com].
