Refund & Cancellation Policy

1. Educator-Defined Cancellation & Refund Policies

1.1 Where Educator Policies Appear

Every educator on BOWER is required to publish their cancellation and refund terms. These terms appear in three places:

• On their educator profile (applies to all engagements with that educator)
• On each class or session listing (may include terms specific to that offering)
• In the engagement terms when an educator is hired directly by a family (the educator sets terms at the time of engagement, and the family accepts before payment is authorized)

By booking a session or engaging an educator, you agree to that educator's stated cancellation and refund terms.

1.2 What Educator Policies Must Include

BOWER requires each educator's policy to address, at minimum:

• What happens if the family cancels before the session (with any applicable timing tiers)
• What happens if the family does not attend a scheduled session (no-show)
• What happens if the family withdraws mid-series from a recurring or multi-session engagement
• What happens if the educator cancels or cannot attend

If an educator has not published a policy, BOWER's default terms (Section 2) apply.

1.3 Educator Autonomy

Educators have full discretion over their refund and cancellation terms, within these boundaries:

• Policies must be stated before the family commits to payment.
• Policies cannot contradict BOWER's platform-level protections (Section 3).
• Policies cannot require families to waive their right to dispute unauthorized or fraudulent charges.

Beyond these boundaries, educators may set strict, moderate, or flexible policies as they see fit. Some educators may offer no refunds for any family-initiated cancellation. Others may offer full refunds up to a certain notice window. This is between the educator and the family.

2. BOWER Default Terms

If an educator has not published their own cancellation and refund policy, the following defaults apply.

2.1 Payment Timing

Payment is captured (charged) when you pay, after the educator approves your request. If you cancel more than 24 hours before your scheduled session, a full refund is issued to your original payment method.

For sessions booked less than 24 hours before the scheduled start time, bookings are non-refundable under the default policy.

2.2 Family-Initiated Cancellations

• More than 24 hours before session: Full refund to original payment method.
• Within 24 hours of session: Non-refundable. The educator held this time for you.
• Family no-show: Non-refundable. The educator prepared for and was available for the session.

2.3 Mid-Series Withdrawal

If a family withdraws from a recurring or multi-session engagement and the educator has not set a withdrawal policy:

• Unused future sessions that have not yet been charged are cancelled with no further charges.
• Sessions already charged are non-refundable.
• The educator may, at their sole discretion, offer a partial refund (up to 50%) for charged but undelivered sessions. BOWER does not require this.

2.4 Educator-Initiated Cancellations

If the educator cancels a session under the default policy, the family is not charged for that session. If payment was already captured, a full refund is issued to the family's original payment method.

3. BOWER Platform Protections

Regardless of any educator's individual policy, BOWER provides the following platform-level protections. These cannot be overridden by an educator's terms.

3.1 Educator Account Suspension or Removal

If BOWER suspends or removes an educator's account (for a failed background check renewal, Terms of Service violation, or any other cause), all prepaid sessions with that educator that have not yet been delivered are refunded in full to families' original payment methods.

3.2 Duplicate Charges and Processing Errors

If you are charged more than once for the same session, or if a processing error results in an incorrect charge amount, BOWER will correct the error and refund the excess to your original payment method. Contact frontdesk@educateprivately.com. These corrections are processed within 5–10 business days.

3.3 Unauthorized or Fraudulent Charges

If a charge appears on your account that you did not authorize, contact frontdesk@educateprivately.com immediately. BOWER will investigate and, if the charge is confirmed as unauthorized, issue a full refund. You may also report unauthorized charges to your bank or card issuer at any time.

3.4 BOWER Platform and Education Sessions

BOWER does not provide the technical infrastructure for education sessions. Educators and families are responsible for establishing their own communication channels and meeting arrangements. BOWER's governance frameworks encourage families and educators to exchange contact information early in their engagement so that sessions can proceed independently of the BOWER platform.

A BOWER platform outage does not constitute grounds for a session refund, because sessions are not delivered through the BOWER platform. If a platform issue prevents you from booking or managing your account, contact frontdesk@educateprivately.com and we will assist you.

4. Pod Dissolution and Long-Term Engagements

4.1 When a Pod Dissolves

Learning pods are formed by families and may dissolve for any number of reasons. When a pod dissolves mid-engagement with an educator, the following applies:

Short-term engagements (month-to-month or per-session):

Families are responsible for sessions already charged. Uncharged future sessions are simply cancelled. The educator's cancellation policy governs any refund of charged but undelivered sessions.

Long-term engagements (semester or academic year contracts):

If an educator was hired for a defined long-term period, pod dissolution does not automatically terminate the engagement. The educator committed their professional availability based on the agreed term.

• The educator's engagement terms govern. Most long-term engagement terms should include a dissolution or early termination clause.
• If no early termination clause exists, the following BOWER default applies: the educator is entitled to compensation equivalent to one (1) additional month of the agreed rate beyond the last session delivered, as a notice period. This provides the educator time to replace the lost income.
• Families in the dissolved pod split the notice-period payment proportionally based on their share of the original engagement.
• If the educator is able to fill the time with a new engagement before the notice period ends, the remaining notice-period obligation is waived.

4.2 Educator Departure Mid-Engagement

If an educator voluntarily leaves a long-term engagement before the agreed term ends, the educator must provide notice per their own stated terms (or, if no term is stated, at least 2 weeks' notice). All prepaid, undelivered sessions are refunded in full to families.

5. Featured Educator Subscription ($29/month)

• The Featured Educator subscription renews monthly. No trial period. No refund for any completed or in-progress billing period.
• You may cancel at any time. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period. You retain Featured status until the period expires.
• No long-term contracts. No cancellation fees.
• Cancel through your Educator Dashboard (Account Settings) or by emailing frontdesk@educateprivately.com. BOWER will never require you to call a phone number, navigate multiple screens, or complete a survey to cancel.
• If BOWER suspends your educator account for cause, the subscription is cancelled immediately with no refund for the current period. If BOWER terminates your account without cause, you receive a pro-rated refund for the unused portion of the current billing period.

6. Governance Documents & Digital Resources

BOWER offers governance frameworks generated specifically for your pod based on your Compass assessment results (a free preview, then $39 for the Pod Agreement or $99 for the Pod Operating System).

These are custom-generated digital products. Under California Civil Code Section 1723, customized goods received as ordered are exempt from the default 30-day return right. Governance documents are non-refundable once generated.

If you receive a document with a technical defect (corrupted file, missing sections, content that does not reflect your Compass inputs), contact frontdesk@educateprivately.com within 14 days. BOWER will re-generate the document at no charge or issue a full refund, at your choice.

7. Who Bears the Cost of a Refund

BOWER's payment structure: the price families pay includes the applicable BOWER platform fee (20% for individual educators, 10% for camps and organizational educators), and the educator receives the rest. When a refund is issued:

• The educator's portion is refunded by the educator (reversed from the educator's Stripe balance or future payouts).
• The BOWER referral fee is refunded by BOWER.
• Each party bears the cost of refunding its own share. BOWER does not deduct refund costs from educators, and educators do not absorb BOWER's referral fee on refunded transactions.

If a refund is triggered by a BOWER error (duplicate charge, processing error), BOWER absorbs the full cost including the educator's portion if the educator has already been paid out.

7.1 Refund Destination and Timing

• Refunds are issued to the original payment method. If your card has expired or the account is closed, your card issuer typically routes the refund to your replacement card or bank account.
• Processing time: 5–10 business days from the date the refund is approved.
• BOWER may offer account credit as an alternative. You are never required to accept credit in lieu of a refund to your payment method.
• If applicable sales tax was collected, the tax amount is also refunded.

8. Disputes and Chargebacks

8.1 How to Raise a Dispute

If you have a disagreement about a charge or a refund with an educator:

Step 1: Contact the educator directly through BOWER's messaging system. Most issues can be resolved between families and educators.

Step 2: If you cannot resolve the issue with the educator, or if the issue involves a BOWER platform protection (Section 3), contact frontdesk@educateprivately.com.

Step 3: BOWER will acknowledge your request within 5 business days and investigate. We may request documentation from both parties. BOWER will issue a determination within 10 business days of acknowledgment.

8.2 Chargebacks

We strongly encourage you to contact BOWER before filing a chargeback with your bank. Chargebacks are adversarial proceedings that take 60–90 days to resolve, and filing a chargeback does not guarantee a faster or better outcome than working with BOWER directly.

If you file a chargeback, BOWER will respond to your card issuer with documentation of the transaction, the applicable refund policy, and relevant communications. The disputed amount may be held from the educator's account during the investigation. Stripe may assess a chargeback fee ($15–$25), which is borne by the party responsible for the dispute.

8.3 Fraud

If you believe a charge is fraudulent, contact frontdesk@educateprivately.com and your bank simultaneously. BOWER will cooperate with the investigation and take steps to secure your account.

9. Refunds Upon Account Termination

9.1 Families

• Voluntary closure: Complete or cancel active bookings first. Any prepaid, undelivered sessions are handled per the educator's refund policy. Uncharged future sessions are simply cancelled.
• BOWER terminates for cause: No refund for outstanding prepaid fees.
• BOWER terminates without cause: Prepaid, undelivered sessions are refunded within 30 days.

9.2 Educators

• Voluntary closure: Complete or cancel all scheduled sessions per your stated refund policy. Earned fees for completed sessions are paid out on the normal schedule. Outstanding balances settled within 30 days.
• BOWER terminates for cause: Earned fees are still paid out. Featured Educator subscription is not refunded.
• BOWER terminates without cause: Earned fees paid out, Featured Educator subscription pro-rated and refunded, 30 days' notice provided.

10. Changes to This Policy

BOWER may update this Policy. When we make material changes, we will post the updated Policy with a revised date and notify active users via email at least 15 days before changes take effect. Changes do not apply retroactively. Transactions completed before a policy change are governed by the policy in effect at the time of the transaction.

11. Contact

Email: frontdesk@educateprivately.com

Acknowledgment: Within 5 business days of your request.

Resolution: Within 10 business days of acknowledgment for standard requests.