Cancellation & Refund Policy

Effective Date: May 23, 2026

At Rubicon Tutors, we strive to ensure that all scheduled educational sessions are productive, reliable, and beneficial for both our Tutors and Students. We understand that circumstances may change, and we have established this policy to ensure that cancellations are handled fairly and transparently. In the event of any conflict between this Cancellation & Refund Policy and our Terms and Conditions, the Terms and Conditions shall take precedence.

1.1 Advance Booking Requirement

Every instructional interaction, individual lesson, group class, or class package must be scheduled and authorized in advance using the Platform interface.

1.2 Timely Cancellations (Standard Booking Window)

Because the Platform operates a post-session processing model, the Student's card is not billed in advance. If a Student cancels a booking within the appropriate advance notice window, no payment will be processed from their card, and no administrative fees apply. The notice criteria are as follows:

Individual One-to-One Lessons: A minimum of twenty-four (24) hours' notice prior to the scheduled start time is required.

Group Classes and Class Packages: A minimum of seventy-two (72) hours' notice prior to the scheduled start time is required.

1.3 Late Cancellations (Under Standard Window but More Than or Equal to 6 Hours)

• If a Student cancels a booking less than the required standard window (under 24 hours for individual lessons, or under 72 hours for group classes and class packages) but with at least six (6) hours or more remaining before the scheduled start time, the applicable lesson charge is subject to the Tutor's sole discretion via the Platform interface. In this scenario, the Tutor may choose to instruct the system to adjust the session billing to either 50% or 100% of the standard booking value. No extra platform cancellation fee is levied during this notice window, and processing occurs in accordance with the post-session billing timeline.

1.4 Short-Notice Cancellations (Less Than 6 Hours Notice)

• If a Student requests a cancellation with less than six (6) hours' notice remaining before the scheduled start time, the transaction is handled according to the Tutor's choice among three options. These parameters apply uniformly to individual lessons, group classes, and package classes, with adjustments applied directly to the card on file:
• Full Waiver: The Tutor may choose to completely waive the late notification adjustment. In this scenario, the Student's card is not charged for the tuition portion, but a fixed £5.00 late cancellation administrative fee remains applicable and will be billed to the Student's card by the Platform.
• 50% Late Notice Fee: The Tutor may choose to apply a 50% partial billing rate for the scheduled session. In this scenario, the 50% late fee along with a fixed £5.00 late cancellation administrative fee will be billed to the Student's card.
• 100% Late Notice Fee: The Tutor may choose to apply a 100% billing rate for the scheduled session. In this scenario, the standard booking value is billed to the Student's card, and no platform administrative fees or processing surcharges are levied.
• The fixed £5.00 late cancellation administrative fee referenced above represents a genuine pre-estimate of the administrative costs incurred by Rubicon Tutors in processing short-notice cancellations, including system rescheduling, payment adjustment handling, automated notifications to affected parties, and associated support overhead. This fee is not intended as a penalty and has been calculated to reflect the actual operational cost to the Platform of managing late cancellation workflows.
• All calendar updates must be processed strictly through the Platform interface. Notifying a Tutor via phone, email, or third-party text message does not constitute an officially tracked cancellation and will automatically trigger standard session billing parameters.
• Upon receiving a late cancellation notice from a Student, the Platform will notify the Student of the Tutor's elected charge option within 2 hours of the cancellation request being received (or before the automated billing window opens, if earlier). Where the Platform has not received the Tutor's election within 12 hours of the cancellation request, the default charge applied shall be 50% of the lesson fee. The Student will receive confirmation of the final charge by email before their card is debited.

1.5 Multi-Stage Lesson Issue Resolution and Escalation Framework

To secure balanced transaction integrity, the Platform implements an explicit, multi-stage issue resolution sequence following the conclusion of any scheduled session:

Stage 1 — Student Issue Reporting Window (72 Hours): If a Student encounters a technical failure, tutor attendance delay, or service issue, they must log a formal 'Report Issue' flag via the Platform dashboard within seventy-two (72) hours after the scheduled lesson time. Logging an issue immediately pauses the automated post-session billing flow.

Stage 2 — Tutor Review and Direct Resolution Option: Once a report is submitted, the relevant Tutor is notified to review the Student's claim. If the Tutor and Student mutually reach an agreement or the Tutor handles the adjustment internally via the interface to the Student's satisfaction, the issue is resolved and marked closed.

Stage 3 — Administrative Escalation Window (Up to 72 Hours): If a direct resolution cannot be achieved between the parties, the Student retains the explicit right to escalate the matter to Platform Admin for official arbitration at any point within seventy-two (72) hours of the original lesson end time. Upon escalation, Platform Admin will conduct a final review of server records, logs, and user statements. Admin will issue a binding decision, fully settle the account balance, and permit the underlying automated financial split-transaction to safely execute or cancel based upon the formal decision rendered.

1.6 Student No-Shows

If a Student fails to attend a scheduled session or join the online interactive classroom workspace within fifteen (15) minutes of the designated start time, the session is treated as an unfulfilled attendance. The Student's card will be automatically billed for 100% of the scheduled session value twenty-four (24) hours later, and no platform administrative fee or issue resolution rights are applicable.

1.7 Cancellation by Tutor

If a Tutor cancels a session prior to its scheduled start, the Student faces no charge, and the card on file will not be processed. No platform administrative fees are applied. Frequent tutor-led cancellations remain subject to administrative account audit.

1.8 Unscheduled Bookings

If a lesson, group session, or package hour has been authorized but not yet officially locked into a specific time slot on the platform scheduling calendar, it is classified as an unscheduled booking. No charges are processed against the Student's card for unscheduled bookings, and they can be deleted from the dashboard at any time without incurring any administrative adjustments.

1.9 Group Classes and Class Packages

For the purposes of this policy, a "Lesson" includes any educational session, whether individual, group, or part of a class package, arranged and delivered via the Platform. The following rules apply specifically to group classes and class packages:

Advance Cancellation Window: A minimum of seventy-two (72) hours' notice prior to the scheduled start time is required for cancellation of any group class or class package session without charge, as set out in Section 1.2 above. This is in contrast to the twenty-four (24) hour notice window applicable to individual one-to-one lessons.

Late Cancellations (Under 72 Hours but More Than or Equal to 6 Hours): If a Student cancels a group class or class package session with less than seventy-two (72) hours' but at least six (6) hours' notice before the scheduled start time, the Tutor may, at their sole discretion via the Platform interface, elect to charge the Student at either 50% or 100% of the standard booking value. No extra platform cancellation fee is levied during this notice window.

Short-Notice Cancellations (Less Than 6 Hours): The short-notice cancellation rules set out in Section 1.4 above apply uniformly to group classes and class packages. The Tutor may elect a Full Waiver, 50% Late Notice Fee, or 100% Late Notice Fee, with the same administrative fee structure as applies to individual lessons.

Student No-Shows: The no-show policy set out in Section 1.6 applies equally to group classes and class packages. If a Student fails to attend within fifteen (15) minutes of the designated start time, the Student's card will be billed for 100% of the scheduled session value twenty-four (24) hours later.

Cancellation by Tutor: If a Tutor cancels a group class or class package session prior to its scheduled start, no Student in the group will be charged, and no platform administrative fees are applied. Frequent tutor-led cancellations remain subject to administrative account audit.

1.10 Refund Processing

Where a refund is due to a Student, Rubicon Tutors will process the refund to the original payment method within 14 days of the decision to refund being made (or such shorter period as is technically practicable). In most cases, refunds are processed within 5 to 7 working days. Where a Student is entitled to a statutory refund under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, the refund will be made within 14 days as required by law. Rubicon Tutors does not charge a fee for processing refunds.

1.11 Example Scenarios (£25.00 Lesson):

To assist in understanding how our late cancellation and no-show policies are applied, please refer to the following examples based on a standard £25.00 lesson fee:

• 50% Adjustment (< 6hrs notice): If a Tutor chooses to apply a 50% late notice fee, the Student pays £12.50 (Tutor portion) + £5.00 (Platform administrative fee) = £17.50 total.
• Waived Fee (< 6hrs notice): If a Tutor chooses to waive the late notification adjustment, the Student pays £5.00 (Platform administrative fee only).
• Full Charge: If a Tutor chooses to apply a 100% billing rate, the Student pays £25.00. In this scenario, all platform administrative fees are waived.
• Student No-Shows: If a student fails to attend a session (with a 15-minute wait time for tutors), the 100% session fee remains payable and will be processed 24 hours later.

1.12 Statutory Consumer Rights

Under the UK Consumer Contracts Regulations, a Student generally possesses a 14-day statutory right to cancel a digital service agreement. However, by explicitly booking and scheduling any lesson, class, or package session to occur within this 14-day window, the Student formally requests the immediate performance of the service and acknowledges that their statutory right to cancel that specific lesson is waived once delivery has occurred. Where you cancel your Rubicon Tutors account within 14 days of registration without having booked any sessions, you are entitled to a full refund of any platform fees paid. This right is separate from your cancellation rights in respect of individual booked sessions which have already been delivered.

1.13 Contact and Support

If you have any questions regarding this policy or require assistance with a refund or cancellation, please contact our billing team at billing@RubiconTutors.com.