TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR TUITION AT GOODTIME MUSIC ACADEMY
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR TUITION AT GOODTIME MUSIC ACADEMY
As of Term 2 - 2nd May, 2022
The following Terms and Conditions apply to all lesson agreements made between Goodtime Music Academy (“GTMA”) and its students and the parents / carers of its students (“the customer”).
1. Term Dates
1a. Teaching weeks at GTMA On-Site lessons, roughly adhere to the New Zealand Ministry of Education School Terms. However, there are occasional differences and our term dates are sent out before every term begins.
1b. At all times it is the responsibility of the customer to be aware of the first and last dates of term at GTMA.
1c. Schools Music Lessons are charged out at $225 a term, for 9 lessons per term.
2. Communications
2a. All customers are required to have a valid email address.
2b. All correspondence is sent out to the customer by email.
2c. It is the responsibility of the customer to make GTMA aware of any changes to their contact details. GTMA will not be held responsible for any missed communications, late / overdue payments, missed lessons, etc. if this is due to incorrect contact information.
3. Timetabling of Lessons
3a. The customer will be informed of the lesson day, time and the date of their first lesson before their teaching commences, via email.
3b. In-Studio based lessons - if the agreed lesson times or days need to be changed, the customer will be contacted as far in advance as possible and alternative arrangements will be made.
3c. School-based / School Programme lessons –
3.c.i. If the agreed lesson day needs to be changed, the customer will be contacted as far in advance as possible and alternative arrangements will be made with the school and the customer for a suitable new lesson time.
3.c.ii. If the agreed School Programme lesson time needs to change to a new time, on the same day of the week and within school hours, the customer will not be informed in advance and the student will instead be collected at the new time by the tutor.
3.c.iii. Students scheduled for lessons on a rotating timetable will be given the details of the varying lesson times, as will the tutors and the school, so that attendance at the School Programme lessons is not impacted adversely.
4. Absences
4a. Site-based and School Programme lessons –
4.a.i. No catch-up lessons or credits will be provided for an individual's absence from a School Programme / group lesson / band class / choir / or any other group-based (more than one per class) Goodtime Music Academy offering.
4.a.ii. Where a Goodtime School Programme tutor is not able to teach, due to illness or a vehicle / mechanical failure, GTMA will arrange for the missed lessons to be caught up at a time that suits the affected school and will endeavour to notify the customers of the catch up lesson.
4.a.iii. (Site-based individual lessons only) - If at least 48 hours’ notice is given by the individual, the tutor will present the customer with a suitable catch-up lesson time, however no credit will be given if new times do not suit.
4b. Tutor Absences (Site-based lessons) –
4.b.i. If the student's tutor is unavailable to teach, GTMA will attempt to arrange a cover tutor.
4.b.ii. If we are unable to arrange cover, a catchup lesson will be offered in the first week of the term holiday break on the usual day/time.
4c. Unavoidable cancellations (Schools Programme only) –
4.c.i. GTMA diligently attempts to exclude all events planned by the school that conflict with lessons at the start of each term, however customers agree to inform GTMA of clashing events to the best of their knowledge.
4.c.ii. No refunds or credits will be given for any students who have missed lessons in schools if there is a school event clash or student sickness of any kind.
4.c.iii. GTMA Guarantees 9 lessons a term. Any less than this will be credited to your account at a rate of $19 per missed lesson.
4d. Ongoing absences –
4.d.i. If a student will be absent for more than three weeks due to medical reasons, some arrangements may be made at the discretion of GTMA management.
4e. Emergency Plan
4.e.i. Online lessons are a full replacement for lessons missed due to any closures outside of GTMA’s control. These lessons will be a full replacement, and no credit or refunds will be given instead of.
4.e.iii. Customers and staff will be asked to refrain from coming to lessons if in anyway unwell during any Government mandated restrictions. No refund or credit will be given if a student is not attending or asked to leave if at all unwell.
5. Duration of the Lesson Agreement - ongoing
5a. The lesson agreement between GTMA and the customer is a rolling agreement that continues into each new term and new year unless written cancellation is received.
5b. The customers are emailed their invoices towards the end of each term for the following term’s lessons, until a cancellation notice is received, as discussed below.
6. Cancelling the Lesson Agreement – the customer must opt out of the Lesson Agreement with GTMA
6a. Verbal notice given to the tutor and or a phone call will not be acted upon and is not considered sufficient.
6b. No refund or credit will be given for any cancellations part way through a term for all group lessons at GTMA.
6c. If GTMA has to cancel a lesson agreement it will endeavour to give two weeks’ notice to the customer. Any lessons remaining after the lessons’ end date will be credited to the customer's account if payment has already been made.
6d. If, in exceptional circumstances, GTMA has to cancel the student's lesson due to damage of GTMA property or harassment of GTMA staff by the student, this may be done with no notice.
7. Payments at GTMA’s Alicetown Office – 50 Victoria Street, Alicetown, Lower Hutt
7a. An EFTPOS machine is available for processing EFTPOS, VISA and MasterCard payments. All credit card payments will incur an additional fee of 3.5%.
7b. Credit or debit card details can be phoned through to our office on – 04 568 2237 or email us and GTMA will contact you. All credit card payments will incur an additional fee of 3.5%.
7c. CASH payments may be made in person – but are discouraged for the safety of our students, tutors and admin team.
8. Tuition Fees and Accounting
8a. GTMA School Programme tutors cannot accept payments in any form at schools.
8b. The customer will be billed for each future term in full in advance towards the end of the preceding term.
8c. Full payment must be received before the new term starts, unless an agreed instalment plan has been put into place.
8d. GTMA’s bank details are – ANZ Account number – 06-0730-0395630-00. Please use the customer’s surname as the particulars and the invoice number (found at the top of the GTMA invoice) as the reference.
8e. If the student commences lessons part way through a term, the remainder of that term will be billed in full and payment must be received or an Instalment plan needs to be agreed, within one week of the invoice being issued.
8f. Payments per lesson (weekly payments) are not acceptable (unless a payment plan has been set up) as the full invoiced fee is payable by the due date on the invoice.
8g. A discount of 15% will be applied to all lessons where three or more lessons / activities are attached to a single family record on the GTMA database. This discount will not be applied retrospectively for any lessons already billed.
9. Penalties
9a. Overdue accounts can accrue penalties of $33 when overdue for 28 days and $20 for every following 14 day period.
9.a.i. LATE PAYMENT Penalties will be added to accounts that are 28 days in arrears. If the account remains overdue, further penalties will be added every 14 days.
9.a.ii. The customer is responsible for any and all charges that their bank may levy for rejecting any payment to GTMA.
9b. GTMA does reserve the right to fully suspend students from lessons with unpaid term fees during term time. A full suspension means that GTMA has the right to fill the students lesson time slot with another student from the waitlist.
9c. Debt Collection details.
9.c.i. Payments more than 42 days in arrear may be handed over to Credit Consultants Group NZ Ltd for debt collection.
9.c.ii. All costs incurred for sending an account for debt collection are added to the customers outstanding balance.
10. Photography & Filming
10a. GTMA owns and reserves the right to use any film/media/still photographs of students for appropriate promotional purposes both in New Zealand and overseas, this also includes for use in Social Media.
10b. The customer must inform GTMA in writing at anytime if you will not allow the use of such images.
11. Changes to the Terms and Conditions
11a. The Terms and Conditions described above are agreed to upon enrolment and may be changed at any point by GTMA without providing notice to the customer. A copy of the Terms and Conditions will always be available on our website and may be emailed to the customer on request.
12. Promotions
12a. Promotions run by Goodtime Music Academy involving free lesson giveaways must be used only if the receiver of the voucher signs up for at least one term worth of lessons.
12b. If the receiver of free music lessons or a discount to music lessons cancels out of lessons for whatever reason after the free promotional offer ends, Goodtime Music Academy’s full cancellation policy as stipulated under item 6 and 6a in Goodtime Music Academy’s terms and conditions applies..
Contact Details
For all general enquiries, free phone: 04 568 2237
For all email general enquiries including resources/instrument purchases and term fees email: info@gtma.co.nz
For all GT Music schools programme enquiries email: info@gtma.co.nz
For all GT site based tuition enquiries email: info@gtma.co.nz
To find us on facebook: Facebook.com/goodtimemusic
To call us Ph: 04 568 2237 (available during office hours only)
Alicetown Venue: 50 Victoria Street, Alicetown, Lower Hutt
Please note our Alicetown main office is only staffed from 10-3:00pm Monday to Thursday.