Terms and Conditions
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Courses
1. Fees
1.1 – Full payment of the course fees must be received prior to commencement of your course. Your place on the course cannot be guaranteed until full payment is received.
1.2 – All fees stated are inclusive of VAT at the prevailing rate.
2. Minimum age requirement
2.1 – You must be at least eighteen years old at the time of booking.
3. Methods of payment
3.1 – Fees can be paid by credit card by telephone, post, or online. Payment by cheque is also accepted except in the two weeks prior to the course start date. Please make all cheques payable to: The Covent Garden Academy of Flowers Limited.
3.2 – Fees can be paid by cash if payment is made in person.
4. Payment by cash
4.1 – If you wish to pay for your course in cash, and the amount is over £500, you will be required to provide photo ID at the time of booking. This ID should be either a driving licence or passport, which we will photocopy and attach the copy to your booking form.
4.2 – If you subsequently require a refund (under the terms of our booking conditions, points 8 & 9) you will need to bring the same photographic ID to collect the cash refund. This will be checked against the original ID provided before any cash is refunded.
Please note that cash refunds can only be collected on weekdays between 10am and 4pm.
5. Late applications
5.1 – If there are places available on a course we will accept bookings until the course commences.
5.2 – Late applicants will usually have their place on the course confirmed by telephone or email. If, however, you have not received confirmation within 24 hours of your application it is your responsibility to check the status of your booking.
6. Overseas applications
6.1 – As we may need to contact you in the two weeks prior to the course start date, please ensure you include your UK contact details when making your booking.
6.2 – Please ensure that your place is confirmed and the course is running before you make any travel arrangements. We do not offer refunds for travel or accommodation costs in accordance with Clause 9.4.
7. Visas
7.1 – If you do not hold a UK / EU / EEA passport you will need a visa that allows you entry to U.K. in order to take one of our courses. For information please see the Home Office website at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration . It is your responsibility to determine how far in advance you need to apply for a visa, and to allow sufficient time to obtain a visa. We will not allow you to join the course if you do not have a visa that allows you entry to U.K. and in these circumstances you will not by right be eligible for any refund of your course fees.
7.2 – If you cannot attend a course because you have not obtained a visa to enter the UK no refund will be offered, although we will offer you a transfer (subject to the conditions contained in Clause 11) if your visa is delayed.
7.3 – You will need to present your passport, including visa, to us at least two working days in advance of the start of your course. In other words, if your course starts on a Monday, you must present yourself by the Thursday before.
8. Cancellations by you
8.1 – You may cancel your place on a course up to one month before the course start date. Under these circumstances you will be entitled to a refund of the course fees, less an administrative charge of £20 to cover our costs.
8.2.1 – If you wish to cancel within one month of the course start date you will not be entitled to any refund unless a replacement student can be found for your place.
8.2.2 – If a replacement student is found you will be entitled to a refund of the course fees, less an administrative charge of £20.
8.3 – If you have booked a course within one month of its start date, conditions 8.2.1 and 8.2.2 will apply.
8.4 – Cancellation requests must be made in writing.
Please note that refunds can take up to three weeks to process.
9. Cancellations by us
9.1 – Please note that courses have minimum attendance levels and may be cancelled if too few bookings are received.
9.2 – We reserve the right to amend or cancel courses.
9.3 – If we cancel a course we shall endeavour to give you at least one week’s notice and you will have the option of transferring to another course or of having a full refund of the fees, which we will return to you within three weeks.
9.4 – We will not be liable for any losses (including, but not limited to, travel and accommodation costs) arising as a consequence of any modification or cancellation of courses or timetabling constraints as set out above and beyond the cost of the course fee.
10. Class postponement by us
10.1 – If a class is postponed for reasons for which we are responsible, including staff illness, we will make every reasonable effort to reschedule the class or to add the missed hours onto the remaining course classes. We apologise for this inconvenience and urge you to ring us if you have any concerns.
11. Transfers
11.1 – You may transfer onto another course up to one month before the course start date. Under these circumstances, you will be permitted to transfer subject to an administrative charge of £20 to cover our costs.
11.2.1 – If you wish to transfer within one month of the course start date you will not be permitted to transfer unless a replacement student can be found for your place.
11.2.2 – If a replacement student is found prior to the course start date, you will be permitted to transfer, subject to an administrative charge of £20.
11.3 – If you have booked a course within one month of its start date conditions 11.2.1 and 11.2.2 will apply.
11.4 – Students can transfer a maximum of two times.
11.5 – Transfer requests must be made in writing.
11.6 – You may not transfer to another course once it has started.
12. Substitutions
12.1 – If you are unable to attend a course you are permitted to transfer your place to a substitute student up to one week before the start date.
12.2 – We must be notified in writing of the substitute student’s name and there is a £20 administration charge for each substitution.
12.3 – Substitutions cannot be accepted after the course has started.
13. Non-attendance
13.1 – Non-attendance of classes due to illness or for personal or professional reasons does not create any right to a refund, extra tuition or a transfer.
13.2 – However, in such an event we will consider all the circumstances and take such action that we consider to be fair and reasonable.
13.3 – Please note that if alternative options are offered there may be an additional charge.
14. Force majeure
14.1 – We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in the performance, in whole or part, of any of our obligations arising from or attributable to acts, events, omissions or accidents beyond our reasonable control including, but not limited to, strikes, lock-outs or other industrial disputes (whether involving our workforce or the workforce of any other party), act of God, war, riot, civil commotion, terrorism, malicious damage, compliance with any law or governmental order, rule, regulation or direction, accident, breakdown of plant or machinery or heating, lighting, air conditioning or telecommunications equipment, fire, flood, storm, pandemics, epidemics or other outbreaks of disease or infection, or failure in the external supply of electricity, water or telecommunications (including internet) connections.
15. Certificates
15.1 – To achieve a certificate of attendance you must attend at least 80% of the course. You will be presented with a certificate at the end of the course. The name given on the booking form will be the one that appears on the certificate. If you miss the last session due to reasons for which we are not responsible then a replacement certificate can be sent. If for any reason you do not receive a certificate for reasons for which we are responsible then a replacement will be sent in the post free of charge. You may also collect a certificate from the Academy by prior arrangement. Replacement certificates can be produced up to one year after completion of your course but will incur a fee of £20.
16. Materials and equipment
16.1 – The course fee includes the cost of basic materials and flowers.
16.2 – Please see the course description in our brochure and website for details of any additional materials which you will need.
16.3 – Failure to bring the required materials will delay your progress on the course.
16.4 – Unless otherwise agreed in advance, the course facilities are only available for use during the course hours and not at other times.
17. Student conduct
17.1 – Students are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and to recognise that other students also require support and assistance. If a student becomes persistently disruptive we reserve the right to issue an oral or written warning and, if this does not resolve the situation, we may, at our discretion, ask the student to leave the course.
18. Bank holidays
18.1 – Normally there are no Monday classes on bank holiday weekends and published course dates reflect this.
19. Recording
19.1 – For legal reasons, and to respect other participants, the use of audio and/or visual recording is not permitted during any course.
20. Health & Safety
20.1 – Students are asked to wear appropriate clothing and footwear. This will be discussed with you on the first day of your course or else will be referred to in the materials list. Students who fail to comply with health and safety rules will be unable to participate.
21. Course location
21.1 – You will be advised of your course location in your booking confirmation letter. Please be advised that course locations may occasionally change due to operational reasons.
22. Applicable law
22.1 – These terms and conditions shall be read and construed in accordance with English law and any dispute between us will be dealt with by the English Courts.