Terms of Business
By purchasing an online course place and/or submitting an application form, you are agreeing to the following Terms of Business.
ONLINE COURSE
• No refunds or part refunds are possible once you have completed and submitted an application form, or attended a free session and then request refund for online courses
• 1 voucher place per person
• Valid for new clients only
• Participants must be 18 years or older, or under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian
• Participants will need access to their own DSLR digital camera, computer with internet connection, and webcam for online chat (via Google+ account)
• PhotoSchool London Ltd t/a PhotoSchool ("PhotoSchool", "the Online Course") reserves the right to change the form and structure of the course and website hosting, site design and availability of the lessons pages, without notice
Application for Online Course places and location workshops is by online means only.
Enrolled students on the online course may complete the course in their own time and at their own pace, though we reserve the right to terminate students' access to the course if there is no activity on their part (in the form of submission of work or participation in group chat sessions) for a period of 12 consecutive months.
Please do not share usernames and passwords – we track your access by ISP and will restrict your access to the course content if your username and password accesses the website from more than 3 devices – this should allow you to access the files from, for example, a computer, your phone, and an iPad.
Online Course Access You receive access to the online course lessons by completing the booking form. Booking forms must be completed and submitted well in advance of any voucher expiry dates - we are not responsible for vouchers expiring if you submit your course application close to any voucher expiry date - in general it is prudent to allow 7 days' processing time for applications to be processed, and you should note that our office hours are 9am - 5pm UK time. Applications received after 5pm and before 9am are deemed to have been received on the subsequent working day. On receipt of your application, which must contain any details of discount voucher codes, security codes etc, we will process your application and email you details of how to access the site. Access to the course content is not limited by expiry date (other than any discount voucher expiry date) and students gain lifetime access to the course materials. Lifetime access is defined as continuing access to the course materials whilst the product and service is offered by PhotoSchool London Ltd, and subject to the other terms of business set out on this page.
Customers purchasing access to online course or workshops through discount voucher companies: we reserve the right to cancel your appointment for location workshop tuition and/or temporarily limit your access to online materials should payment to us from your voucher provider for our share of voucher price fail to reach us within the contractually agreed period. Furthermore we reserve the right to withold online access or workshop places until such payment has been received. We reserve the right to permanently terminate access to online materials or permanently exclude from access to location workshops customers whose voucher providers do not pay PhotoSchool London Ltd. within their contractually agreed time frames.
Submitted work (online course only)
If you wish to take advantage of the option to submit work for feedback, please follow the instructions in the relevant lesson for details of how to submit work. Work is submitted through 3rd party sites and social networks such as Google+ and we are not responsible for the correct operation or functioning of such sites on your own computer. We are not liable for any interruption in service or data corruption resulting from the use of any such 3rd party sites, or for any interruption in service due to the hosting service provided to us by the hosts of this website.
We endeavour to review work submitted for feedback promptly, but at particularly busy times of year this is simply not possible. We do not normally enter into protracted correspondence concerning technical issues, though we will always do our best to resolve any problems you have.
Video Chat & Online Participation (online course only)
Please note that participation in online chat sessions is limited to those over 18 years of age. Chat availability is subject to availability and scheduling. PhotoSchool London Ltd will not be held liable for any interruption in service or data corruption resulting from the use of any such 3rd party sites such as Google+, or for any interruption in service due to the hosting service provided to us by the hosts of this website.
By entering into online chat or discussion with PhotoSchool London Ltd tutors or other participants of the online course, you are bound by the terms of business and user agreements of any such 3rd party sites. In addition, you agree not to harass or participate in any action that is unacceptable to other students or PhotoSchool London Ltd. We reserve the right to terminate your access to the online course and such 3rd party services if you behave in an abusive or threatening manner. We will report any such behaviour to the 3rd party site in question, and/or the police.
Please note PhotoSchool London Ltd is not liable for the incorrect functioning or lack of access to video chat sessions hosted on Google+. It is your responsibility to configure your own video chat system and equipment correctly in order to access the video chat sessions. Any help or technical queries should be addressed to the online Google+ help page.
Free Location Workshops for Online Course Students From time to time, PhotoSchool London Ltd offers participants of the online Digital Photography Course for Beginners' the chance to attend workshops, photo walks or other offline events.
Places on any FREE occasional workshops, when they are held, are offered as free additional extras to anyone having purchased the online course and are subject to availability. There is normally no charge to students to attend such FREE events (unless otherwise noted on this website or in your invitation to the event), but participants should note that offline events are very popular and there is only a limited number of places (usually less than 10) available at each event. No-charge offline workshops or events are scheduled in our tutor’s own free time and as such we cannot guarantee to be able to offer a workshop place to every applicant. Participants keen to attend free workshops should make their applications as soon as possible, after completing the required initial lessons.
OTHER LOCATION WORKSHOPS
Discount Vouchers: PhotoSchool London Ltd t/a PhotoSchool also offers places on paid, regular, scheduled Beginners' Location workshops through our company websites and various partner discount voucher providers. Attendance at these workshops is by prepayment for individual workshop places and subject to the terms of business published on this page and/or on the terms of business page of the website you purchased your vouchers. Please see individual vouchers or websites for details of voucher expiry dates. Please note we reserve the right to refuse access to materials and that we are not obliged to offer workshop places to you if you submit an application form after a discount voucher's expiry date. If you are submitting an application form close to or on a voucher's expiry date you should always make contact with PhotoSchool, ideally by phone, to ensure that your voucher is still valid.
Direct Purchases: Purchases made direct to PhotoSchool for Online Course access are valid for as long as PhotoSchool provides an Online Course service. Purchases made direct to PhotoSchool for location workshop places or other courses are subject to availability. You should make a booking for location workshop places within 6 months of the date of your initial purchase. Whilst we will always endeavour to provide products and services you purchase, we reserve the right to refuse requests for refunds or part refunds of any kind if you do not submit a workshop or course application form within 12 months of the date of your original purchase.
Correspondence with you: We endeavour to keep you informed of any factors affecting your booking. Workshop places are allocated on a first come, first served basis, via submitted discount vouchers/codes (where applicable). Submitting an application form to access the Online Course does not constitute acceptance on a workshop or an offer of a place at an offline event – you must wait to receive a written invitation and confirmation by email. Similarly, submitting a discount voucher code before its expiry date does not guarantee that we will be able to offer you a course place before the expiry date or even within the current promotional period covered by the voucher. Course places and voucher processing are subject to availability - so please note that submitting a voucher code close to its expiry date may mean that there is not enough time to process your voucher before it expires. For this reason you should always submit application forms and discount codes as soon as possible after purchase.
We will contact you using the email and phone information you submit on the application form for the event in question. It is your responsibility to ensure the contact information you submit on your application form is correct and free from errors. It is your responsibility to enter the details of your location workshop appointment into your diary and be aware of the time and location of your workshop, as communicated to you in your confirmation email from us.
Booking Workshop Places: All students are required to complete and submit an application form to attend a location workshop. We ask you for your contact details (inc mobile phone number) so that we can keep you informed of workshop plans, send reminders, and make you available of other PhotoSchool courses and workshops. You must opt-out of our mailing list if you no longer wish to receive correspondence from PhotoSchool. We do not sell or laon your personal data to third parties.
Our workshops are very popular and places are booked up very quickly following any of our special promotions. When submitting your application form, you stand a better chance of receiving an offer of a place on a sooner workshop if you give us a range os available dates. If you simply submit a single available date it's very unlikely that you will receive an offer of a workshop place on that date!
Please note that we also place students on workshops by assessing their level of experience and the photographic equipment used. First and foremost we attempt to place people with similar levels of experience and simialr camera systems together on workshops, and our offer to you of a workshop date will be goverened by these considerations. If you are unable to accept our inital offer of a workshop place, you may find yourelf booked on a workshop with students whose experience and equipment do not match your own. For this reason we strongly advise you to attend the workshop date we offer you in the first instance.
Once we've found a workshop where the other students match your own experience, we'll write to you with details of an allocation of a workshop place. When you receive your allocated workshop place email from us, you must comfirm asap, and certainly within 7 days of receiving your allocated workshop place. If we don't hear from you within 7 days, we will assume you are going to attend the workshop place as allocated. Should you then miss your allocated workshop place or not attend, without first having let us know no later than 72 hours before the start of the workshop, your voucher / ticket will be deemed used / expired.
No refunds or part refunds or claims for any other compensation of any sort will be considered for Participants purchasing multiple workshop places (for example, through discount voucher websites) who are unable to attend some or any of the scedules or remaining sessions they have purchased and for which they have been offered dates, for whatever reason. All multiple session vouchers must be used within the timeframe stipulated on the original voucher, or in your correspondence from PhotoSchool, on scheduled, available workshops.
Students attending multiple workshops must attend workshops in the advised order and book subsequent workshops AFTER attending previous workshops.
You must have a genuine extremely important reason that prevents you from attending a workshop, to request a booking cancellation or refund. We review and consider all cancellation requests on a case by case basis.
It is your responsibility to confirm your attendance at a workshop with PhotoSchool and to check with us that the workshop you intend to attend will be held at the scheduled time and place. Any reminders or confirmations we provide to you relating to your workshop booking are as a courtesy to you - we are not responsible for reminding you to attend your workshop.
NB ALWAYS CONTACT US BY EMAIL IF YOU ARE EXPECTING TO ATTEND A WORKSHOP AND HAVE NOT RECEIVED EITHER AN EMAIL THE DAY BEFORE OR A TEXT ON THE DAY OF YOUR WORKSHOP WITH YOUR APPOINTMENT DETAILS - YOUR PLACE ON THAT WORKSHOP MAY NOT BE CONFIRMED. DO NOT simply turn up for a workshop without having received confirmation of your place from us, or a reminder email / text.
Equipment Hire: Tripods and Digital SLR cameras are available to hire for PhotoSchool Workshops, at additional cost (see the workshop application form for the costs payable for equipment hire on your workshop). We normally request a financial deposit and/or some other form of security (e.g. credit card, passport, driving licence) be left with your tutor whilst you are in posession of any hire equipment. Your deposit or other form of security will be returned to you on safe and undamaged return of the equipment you have hired. In the event of part or total damage or loss of the equipment you have hired, you will be held liable. Please see the hire agreements for exact terms of liability re. the equipment you have hired.
Workshop Postponments From time to time any of our exterior workshops may need to be rescheduled due to poor weather, restricted location access, sickness, or other commercial commitments, and we reserve the right to do so at any time. In such cases we endeavour to contact you as soon as possible to rearrange your workshop place and will always keep you up to date with plans if/as and when they need to be changed, but you should realise that sometimes we need to cancel workshops at short notice due to bad or severe weather or conditions that are beyond our control and will negatively impact on the enjoyment of the scheduled workshop for the majority of participants. At times, even more than one workshop that you are booked to attend may need to be rescheduled. In the unlikely event of finding yourself in such a situation we ask for your patience and understanding and you acknowldge that such matters are beyond are control. We will always honour discount vouchers used on workshops that have had to be postponed doe to matters beyond our control (including, but limited to weather, sickness, industrial action, natural disasters etc). No requests for refunds will be considered if we need to postpone a place on a location workshop or workshops due to weather conditions or other matters beyond our control - in such cases we will always offer you an alternative workshop place or tuition to a similar value.
Very occasionally we receive last minute cancellation from multiple students - as we have a minimum number of students required to be able to hold a workshop, regretfully we sometimes need to reschedule workshops if cancellations bring a workshop's registered attendance below the minimum number required to hold the workshop. In such cases we endeavour to contact you as soon as possible to rearrange your workshop place and will always keep you up to date with plans if/as and when they need to be changed, but you should realise that sometimes in such circumstances we need to cancel workshops at short notice. Our policy of not approving requests for rescheduling / refunds (see below) is designed to avoid this taking place, but from time to time, regratfully, this does happen.
No requests for refunds will be considered if we need to postpone a place on a location workshop due to minimum workshop numbers not having been reached - in such circumstances we will always offer you an alternative workshop place or tuition to a similar value.
No requests for refunds will be considered if we offer you a place on a workshop and you then confirm that you are able to attend. We need a minimum number of students to attend in order to run workshops and it's not fair on other students already booked on a workshop date if one student pulls out of a booking which means we need to reschedue or cancel the workshop in the event of the minimum number not being reached. We think this is a fair way to handle bookings for both students and us - it encourages students to stick to committments they make to attend workshops and helps to avoid disappointments.
If refunds of purchases are requested the value of the refund is limited to the value of the original price paid for the workshop, and in most cases this request must be made direct to the voucher issuer. No requests for refunds or compensation of any other kind (eg. travel or other expenses / costs) will be considered.
We will always offer you an alternative date to attend a workshop if, in exceptional circumstances, we need to reschedule your appointment to attend a workshop. If students are unable, in exceptional circumstances, to attend a workshop at any date in the future we will of course consider a refund request - these cases are reviewed on a case by case basis.
EU Distance Selling Directive 2014 & 14 day Cooling Off Period
In all instances and for all products, refunds / cancellation should be requested within 14 days of the original purchase date of your workshop / course. Please be aware that if you submit an application form to attend a workshop within 14 days of purchase, or attend a workshop within 14 days of purchase, you acknowledge that PhotoSchool's services to you have commenced and that you lose your right to cancel your order under the current EU legislation.
Once you have received confirmaiton of a workshop place, please note we cannot offer refunds or entertain requests for cancellations or rescheduled appointments to workshop appointments if you do not contact us with a genuine reason for not attending sooner than 72 hours before the scheduled workshop start time. If your workshop or online course purchase included access to online tuition materials or preparatory notes of any kind, we reserve the right to withold refunds once you have been given access to these materials (you may not simply access the materials and then request a refund for your purchase, either directly from us or to your voucher issuer).
Mailing List By completing an application form and agreeing to these terms of business you agree to your name and email details being subscribed by default to our newsletter. You may unsubscribe from this list at any point in the future. Any special offers promoted direct through the mailing list are not connected with any other PhotoSchool fees and cannot be used in conjunction with other offers or discounts.
POSSESSIONS & CONDUCT & DISCLAIMER:
Please note that you attend any location workshops as a private individual at your own risk and you are responsible for the safe custody and insurance of your own photographic equipment whilst you are on the course. By accepting an offer of a place and by attending any offline workshops, courses, or events, you are agreeing to hold harmless PhotoSchool London Ltd or any of the locations visited from any liability due to damage to or loss of your photographic equipment or digital files, or due to personal harm, however caused, that may occur whilst you are attending or whilst you are in transit to and from any location workshops or during the operation of your camera and photographic equipment at home.
Any advice given on this website relating to the operation of your camera or lenses or associated accessories or computer equipment or digital files is offered purely as advice and neither PhotoSchool London Ltd, its staff or parent company will be held liable for any damage to your photographic or computer equipment or digital media/files that may occur as a result of your operation of your equipment, however caused.
You acknowledge that we are not required to inform you of any update or alteration to these terms of business.
By purchasing an online course place and/or submitting an application form, you are agreeing to the above Terms of Business.
E & OE, London 15/9/12, Updated 24/9/14, 17/9/15.
PhotoSchool Terms of Business
When you purchase access to PhotoSchool photography courses, you are agreeing to the following terms of business. All our online promotions and course web pages contain a link to our Terms page. We assume you have read and are in agreement with these terms before you make any purchase from PhotoSchool.
If you'd like to discuss any of the points
covered on this page, please email us through the Contact page.
TERMS UPDATE 15/9/12
Here's a brief update and answers to some FAQs:
1) If you haven't received a reply to your application for a place on a workshop, don't bombard me with calls or emails. My workshops are very popular and if there's a slight delay in getting back to you it doesn't mean you've been forgotten about, it's probably a result of your application being further down the queue than other students submitting their applications before yours! If you haven't heard back from PhotoSchool within 14 days, though, there's a chance that your email wasn't received for technical reasons. In that case, again, there's no need for rudeness or threats of legal action, as it will probably be the first time I have heard from you. Simply send me a polite covering email and resubmit your application.
2) I will do all I can to accommodate your availability to attend workshops, but you should be aware that courses are offered on weekdays and weekends, subject to availability. As much as I'd ike to, I'm afraid I can't give special treatment to everyone who writes 'only available on weekends' or 'I work during the week' on their applications - quite simply because there are only so many weekend places available, and more places available during the weekday sessions.
3) If you're rude or hassle / irritate other students when you attend your workshop, you'll find yourself on the bus home. Or in the river.