General Terms & Conditions for the International Writers’ Collective

You can download a copy of these terms & conditions for your records here.

Identity & contact information

International Writers’ Collective

Director, Sarah Carriger

Sarphatistraat 213-IV

1018 GJ Amsterdam

The Netherlands

info@InternationalWritersCollective.com

Tel: +31 6 45950359

Amsterdam Chamber of Commerce number: 34235666

VAT identification number: NL002447328B08

Registration and payment

2. To enroll in a course, event or transact with the International Writers’ Collective, you must use our online registration or order form. By completing such form, you acknowledge that you agree to our Terms and Conditions. Once approved and when we have received the agreed payment, you will be enrolled or have your order accepted and you will receive an email receipt for your records.
3. Payment can be made by the methods indicated on your registration / order form and normally include bank transfer (including iDEAL) and credit card. Payments made via our website are processed by our payment service provider (at the time of this version of the terms, Mollie B.V.). No cash payments are accepted. For direct bank transfers, if no payment is received within five business days of submitting the order or registration form, your registration will be automatically cancelled. Payment must be received before the start of any course or event.
4. With the prior agreement of International Writers’ Collective, you can pay the tuition for multi-week core courses in two instalments. The first instalment is due at the time of registration. The second instalment is due before the second half of the course begins (e.g., before the fifth class in an eight-week workshop) and must be paid even if you decide not to participate in the second half of the course. Students eligible for instalment payments will be sent separate payment instructions.
5. All prices are as stated on the website and include any applicable taxes. Sometimes we offer special discounts, for example for newsletter subscribers or for enrolled students. To receive the discount, you must enter the offered discount code at the time of registration or order. Discounts only apply to private individuals. If your course is paid for by your employer, the regular course price applies.
6. Some courses do use a textbook as noted in the course description. You are responsible for procuring the required textbook(s).

Cancellation and refund

7. All cancellations or withdrawals from a course or event must be made unambiguously and in writing or by email. We will confirm receipt or acceptance by email.
8. Under Dutch law, consumers have a right to a reflection period of 14 days during which they can withdraw from an online purchase agreement without giving any reason and receive a full refund. The 14-day period is counted from the day after you complete your order or, in the case of physical goods, you receive the product. To exercise this right, you must provide us with an unambiguous statement in writing of your decision to withdraw from the agreement. You can use the standard form for withdrawal provided in Appendix I if you choose. Your notice of withdrawal must be sent by email or post within the 14-day period or, if the period ends on a weekend or public holiday, on the first business day thereafter. The right to reflection does not apply in the case of service agreements after full performance of the service, for example, the completion of a manuscript review, or in the case of agreements with companies or corporate bodies. If you enroll in a course or event with the International Writers’ Collective that starts within the 14-day reflection period, then you are explicitly agreeing that the course or event can commence prior to the end of the reflection period, and you declare that you waive your right to terminate the agreement with effect from that start date. The International Writers’ Collective offers additional protections for students as described below in clauses 9 and 10. These additional protections do not apply to agreements entered into by companies or corporate bodies.
9. Refund policy for events, classes and courses: you can cancel free of charge up to 72 hours prior to the start of the course and receive a refund of tuition paid. For courses of 6-weeks or more, if the cancellation takes place less than 72 hours before the start of the course but within 24 hours after the first class (whether attended or not), you will receive a refund of the tuition paid for the course less a pro rata fee for the first class at list price (e.g., one-eighth of the full course tuition for an eight-week course). If you cancel more than 24 hours after the start of the course, you are not eligible for a refund. There is no right to a refund for missed classes or if you choose not to attend or continue to attend a course.
10. For multi-session private coaching packages, you may cancel within 24 hours after the first session and receive a refund less a fee for the first session calculated at the single-session rate stated on the website. If you wish to cancel thereafter, there is no right to refund, however further sessions may be postponed as long as all sessions are completed within six months of registration for four-session packages and one year from registration for eight-session packages.
11. For courses purchased as a discounted package (e.g., The Novel Part I and Part II) or purchased using any discount coupon, any such discounts (including possible ‘early-bird coupon’ or ‘member discount’ discounts) will be voided before any refund if you cancel any course part or cancel the course giving rise to the discount entitlement in the first place.
12. We reserve the right to cancel a course if there are insufficient registrations (the minimum listed in the course description on the website). In the case of a multi-week courses, this usually means less than six students. If we cancel a course, you will be informed as soon as possible and your tuition refunded in full.
13. All refunds will be initiated within 14 days of cancellation by transfer to the bank account, credit card or payment service from which we received payment.
14. Any international bank or transaction fees associated with the refund will born by you, except in the case of courses cancelled due to insufficient registrations, in which case the International Writers’ Collective will cover all reasonable associated fees.
15. The refund policy applicable to retreats will be as stated in the terms for that particular retreat.

Courses

16. All course details such as dates, times, locations, teachers, etc. may be subject to change. Students will be notified of any changes by email as soon as possible before the scheduled start of the course. In the case of permanent changes, i.e., not temporary changes due to unforeseen circumstances (such as teacher illness), you will be given the option to cancel up to 24 hours before the start of the course. From 24 hours before the start of the first class, our standard refund policy applies. In the event of changes announced within 24 hours of the first class, you may cancel anytime up to the start of the first class.
17. If one or more classes cannot take place due to unforeseen circumstances (such as teacher illness), any cancelled class will be made up on a date to be communicated to you. If you are unable to attend the make-up class and would like compensation, you’ll need to let your teacher know in writing within 72 hours of being notified of the new date or adjusted schedule. For in-person courses, you are entitled to a pro rata refund or credit of the tuition paid if you are unable to participate in the make-up class (e.g., for an eight-week course, one-eighth of the tuition paid). In the case of online courses, where classes are recorded and any critiquing takes place outside of class, you are entitled to a €25 credit that can be applied to another course within a year.
18. Code of conduct: To maintain a safe and productive learning environment, students are expected to be polite and respectful to the teacher and other students and to follow the teacher’s instructions and respect deadlines. We reserve the right to remove any student from a course at our discretion if we deem that the student’s continuation in the course would compromise the safe and productive learning environment we strive to foster. Students so removed will receive a pro rata refund based on the tuition paid and the proportion of the course remaining when participation was cancelled.

Private coaching

19. Private coaching sessions shall be carried out at the time(s) agreed between the student and instructor. All private coaching sessions are one hour. Four-session coaching packages must be completed within six months from the time of registration and eight-session coaching packages must be completed within one year from the time of registration.
20. If it becomes necessary for the student or instructor to reschedule a private coaching session, they must notify the other party at least 24 hours before the scheduled session. If a student fails to attend the session without notifying the instructor at least 24 hours in advance, the student will forfeit the session. If the instructor is unable to notify the student of the need to reschedule at least 24 hours before the agreed session, the student is entitled to cancel their participation and receive a full refund in the case of a single-session or a pro rata fee based on the amount paid and the number of sessions remaining in the case of a multi-session package.

Privacy and confidentiality

21. In order to process your registration or order, your personal data will be incorporated into our administration. See our privacy policy for more detail.
22. All information of a personal nature as well as the artistic products created or submitted by students during a course shall be treated as confidential by the International Writers’ Collective and not shared by us with any third party other than at the express request or consent of the student unless required by law or judicial instruction or ordered by a competent authority.
23. By enrolling in a course, students agree to adhere to the same standards of privacy and confidentiality as stated in clause 22 above with regard to fellow students and the work submitted by them and the materials provided by the International Writers’ Collective.
24. We regard our newsletters as an integral part of our services and tuition. When you register for a course, you will be added to our mailing list for these newsletters. You can, at any time, opt out of these mailings by unsubscribing yourself or notifying us.
25. At some events and courses we may take photos or shoot video that we publish on our website, share via social media and use in our marketing materials. By attending our events and courses, you agree to the use of your image without compensation. We will not name or tag you without your explicit permission.

Intellectual property rights

26. The International Writers’ Collective uses sample texts excerpted from published works. The intellectual property rights to those works belongs to the respective authors.
27. We provide notes, exercises and other handouts. The International Writers’ Collective holds the intellectual property rights to all those course materials, and students are to treat them as private and confidential and not to share them outside their course.
28. The copyright to work submitted by a student to a course or event shall be retained by that student.

Complaints procedure

29. Any complaint shall be submitted in writing or by email to the director of the International Writers’ Collective within 14 days of the end of the course. The student shall fully and clearly describe the nature of the complaint.
30. The director will respond to the complaint in writing within 14 days following receipt of the complaint. Should a complaint require a foreseeably longer time for handling, the director shall respond within 14 days with a notice of receipt and an indication of the reason and when the student can expect a more detailed reply. We will handle any complaints within a maximum of 30 days.
31. If the complaint cannot be resolved in joint consultation, the student can submit their complaint in writing to Ms. Hanneke Mohring, Groenesteeg 10, 2312 TL Leiden, The Netherlands within three months of the initial complaint. Ms Mohring is an independent mediator and her judgment is binding for the International Writers’ Collective. Any measures required will be completed with 14 days.
32. All complaints are treated confidentially and are recorded and stored for a period of 12 months or as required by any applicable law.

Measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission

Our published procedures and measures available here are hereby incorporated by reference.

Terms Version: 27 October 2022

Appendix I: Standard Form for Withdrawal

(Use the format of this example form and return it only when you want to revoke your agreement with the International Writers’ Collective)

To:

Sarah Carriger, Director

The International Writer’s Collective

Sarphatistraat 213-IV, 1018 GJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands

info@internationalwriterscollective.com

I hereby inform you that I wish to revoke our agreement on the sale of the following product: [specification of the product]*

the delivery of the following digital content [specification of the digital content]*

the performance of the following service [specification of the service]*

• Ordered on* [date of ordering the services or receiving products]*
• [Consumer’s name]
• [Consumer’s address]
• [Consumer’s signature] (only when this form is submitted on paper)

*) Delete and/or complete where appropriate.