Refund & Returns Policy

01Who handles refunds

Spoken Chinese Academy sells recorded lessons, video courses, e-books, reading materials and downloadable worksheets created by independent teachers. Every purchase is paid through the platform, so every refund is handled by the academy, not by individual teachers.

Because digital products cannot be returned in the usual way, “returns” under this policy means a refund of your payment together with the removal of your access to the product.

02Video courses and lessons

You can request a full refund for a video course or recorded lesson if both of the following are true:

• You ask within 7 days of purchase, and
• You have accessed less than 20% of the course content

Course progress is recorded in your learning dashboard, and we use that record to review requests.

03E-books, reading materials and worksheets

Downloadable products can be refunded if you ask within 7 days of purchase and have not yet downloaded the file.

Once a file has been downloaded it cannot be taken back, so downloaded e-books, reading materials and worksheets are generally non-refundable. We will still refund or replace a downloaded product if it is:

• Defective, for example the file is damaged, incomplete or will not open
• Not as described, meaning it differs in a meaningful way from its product page

Where a problem can be fixed, we may first offer a corrected file.

04When we cannot refund

Unless a product is defective or not as described, refunds are not normally available when:

• The request is made more than 7 days after purchase
• 20% or more of a course has been accessed
• A downloadable file has already been downloaded
• The purchase was made outside the platform. Payments made privately to a teacher are not academy purchases, and we cannot refund them
• There are signs of misuse, such as sharing, copying or redistributing content

05How to request a refund

Email support@spokenchineseacademy.com with the subject “Refund request” and include:

1. 1Your order numberYou can find it in My Account and in your order confirmation email.
2. 2Your account emailThe email address you used to buy the product.
3. 3The product nameThe course, e-book or worksheet you would like refunded.
4. 4The reasonA short note helps us improve, and is required if a product is defective or not as described.

We aim to reply within 2 business days. Please contact the academy rather than the teacher directly, so your request can be tracked and processed properly.

06How refunds are paid

• Approved refunds are issued through the platform, back to your original payment method. We cannot refund to a different card, account or person.
• Once we process a refund, your bank or payment provider may take several business days to show it on your statement.
• When a refund is issued, access to the course or download is removed from your account.
• If you have opened a payment dispute or chargeback, please contact us as well. It is usually the fastest way to resolve the issue.

07Refunds and teachers

When an order is refunded, the teacher’s earnings from that order are reversed. This is why teacher earnings become available only after a 30-day holding period: it allows refunds to be settled fairly before anyone is paid.

Teachers may not process refunds privately or guide students to request refunds outside the platform. Every refund goes through the academy. Teachers can read more in the Teacher Agreement.

This policy works together with our Terms of Service. We may update it from time to time, and the version on this page applies to purchases made after the date shown above.