Refund Policy

1. Overview

Clark Strickland Piano Lessons offers three categories of purchasable services: (1) pre-recorded video course licenses ("Video Courses"), (2) privately scheduled, one-on-one live piano lessons conducted via Zoom ("Lessons"), and (3) recurring memberships that provide lesson credits and related perks ("Memberships"). Registered user accounts may also receive one free 30-minute trial lesson. Different refund terms apply to each category, as detailed in Sections 2 through 4 below. We are committed to transparency and compliance with all applicable federal and state consumer protection laws, including but not limited to the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. § 41 et seq.) and the consumer protection statutes of all fifty states and the District of Columbia.

Nothing in this Policy is intended to limit, supersede, or waive any consumer right that cannot be contractually waived under the law of your state of residence. Residents of states that provide broader statutory refund rights than those described herein are entitled to those statutory rights to the extent they cannot be waived.

2. Video Course and Membership Purchases

Video Courses are pre-recorded digital content products. Upon completing your purchase and receiving access credentials or a confirmation of access, your license to view that content is granted immediately. Because digital content is delivered and made accessible instantaneously upon purchase, and because access cannot be revoked in a manner that restores the parties to their pre-purchase positions, all Video Course purchases are final and non-refundable once access has been granted.

This no-refund policy for digital content is consistent with the consumer protection frameworks of all U.S. states when a consumer has been clearly informed prior to purchase that digital content becomes non-refundable upon access. By completing your Video Course purchase, you expressly acknowledge and consent to the immediate delivery of digital content and the consequent loss of any applicable withdrawal or cooling-off right.

Exception — Pre-Access Requests: If you have purchased a Video Course but have not yet accessed, streamed, or viewed any portion of the content, you may submit a written refund request to clarkstrickland7@gmail.com within 48 hours of the time of purchase. Such requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis at our sole discretion and are not guaranteed. Once any portion of the content has been accessed, no refund will be issued under any circumstance except as required by applicable law.

Defective or Inaccessible Content: If a purchased Video Course is technically defective, fails to play, or is otherwise inaccessible through no fault of your hardware, software, or internet connection, please contact us at clarkstrickland7@gmail.com within 7 days of purchase. We will use commercially reasonable efforts to resolve the technical issue. If the issue cannot be resolved within a reasonable time, we will issue a full refund.

Permanent Discontinuation: If we permanently and irrevocably remove a Video Course you have purchased from the platform, we will use commercially reasonable efforts to provide reasonable advance notice and may, at our discretion, offer a prorated credit or refund based on your remaining access period.

2.1 Membership Purchases — No Refunds

Membership purchases and renewals are non-refundable. This includes cancellations made immediately after purchase or renewal, cancellations made because you did not use some or all membership credits, and cancellations made before the end of the current billing period, except where a refund is required by applicable law.

When you cancel a Membership, cancellation stops future renewals but does not end your current paid access immediately. You will keep the Membership and all perks included with it through the end of the then-current paid billing period, which is the next scheduled renewal or pay period. We do not issue prorated refunds, credits, or cash equivalents for any unused portion of a Membership billing period.

3. Private Lesson Cancellations

You may cancel a scheduled Lesson at any time prior to its start. The amount of any refund issued depends solely on how far in advance of the scheduled Lesson start time your written cancellation request is received by us, as measured in whole calendar days. Partial days are not counted; only complete 24-hour periods between the time of receipt of your written cancellation and the scheduled Lesson start time are considered.

Example: If your Lesson is scheduled for Friday at 2:00 PM, a cancellation request received at any time on or before Thursday at 1:59 PM of the preceding week (i.e., at least 14 full calendar days before) qualifies for a full refund. A request received after that point but no later than Friday at 1:59 PM of the week prior (i.e., at least 7 full calendar days before) qualifies for a 50% refund. Any cancellation request received within 6 full calendar days of the scheduled start time results in no refund.

Cancellation requests must be submitted in writing by email to clarkstrickland7@gmail.com. The timestamp of receipt of your email by our mail server constitutes the official cancellation time. We are not responsible for email delivery failures, spam filtering, or delays caused by third-party email service providers. We recommend requesting a read receipt or delivery confirmation when sending cancellation requests.

Failure to attend a scheduled Lesson without submitting a written cancellation ("no-show") results in forfeiture of the full Lesson fee with no refund or credit issued, regardless of the reason for absence.

Late arrival to a scheduled Lesson does not entitle you to a refund, credit, or extension of the lesson time. Lessons will conclude at their originally scheduled end time regardless of when the student joins.

3.1 Free Trial Lessons

Each registered user account is eligible for one free trial lesson. The free trial lesson is limited to a single 30-minute lesson and may not be split, transferred, exchanged for cash, or applied to any other purchase. Trial lessons are non-refundable.

If you cancel a trial lesson at any time, regardless of how far in advance of the scheduled start time you cancel, the trial remains non-refundable and will be treated as used. No refund, credit, cash value, or replacement free trial will be issued unless required by applicable law.

3.2 Lessons Booked with a Membership Credit

If a Lesson was booked by redeeming a membership credit rather than by direct payment, a different cancellation threshold applies. The membership credit will be returned to your account in full provided that your written cancellation request is received at least 24 hoursbefore the scheduled Lesson start time. If your written cancellation request is received fewer than 24 hours before the scheduled start time, or if you fail to attend the Lesson without submitting a written cancellation ("no-show"), the membership credit used to book that Lesson will be forfeited and will not be restored to your account.

All other requirements in Section 3 apply equally to membership credit cancellations: requests must be submitted in writing by email to clarkstrickland7@gmail.com, verbal or informal requests will not be honored, and the timestamp of receipt of your email constitutes the official cancellation time.

4. Lesson Cancellation Refund Schedule

The following refund schedule applies to student-initiated cancellations of Lessons purchased by direct payment (credit card or other payment method). All time periods are measured in whole calendar days between the time of receipt of your written cancellation request and the scheduled Lesson start time. Lessons booked by redeeming a membership credit are governed by Section 3.2 rather than this schedule.

The cancellation fees described above represent a reasonable pre-estimate of damages incurred by the instructor due to lost scheduling opportunity, preparation time, and reserved capacity. These fees are not a penalty; they constitute liquidated damages that are proportionate to and reasonable in light of the anticipated harm from late cancellation. Courts in all U.S. jurisdictions have generally upheld tiered service cancellation policies of this nature when the amounts are reasonable and disclosed clearly in advance.

4.1 Extraordinary Circumstances

We recognize that genuine emergencies arise. In the event of a documented medical emergency, hospitalization, serious illness, death of an immediate family member, or other extraordinary circumstance that prevents your attendance, you may submit a written exception request to clarkstrickland7@gmail.com as promptly as reasonably practicable, together with any available supporting documentation (e.g., a brief description of circumstances; formal documentation such as a medical note is not required but may assist our review). Exception requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis entirely at our sole discretion. The granting of an exception in one instance does not obligate us to grant exceptions in future instances.

4.2 Rescheduling

Rescheduling a confirmed Lesson is treated as a cancellation of the original booking and creation of a new booking for the same or equivalent service. The refund schedule in Section 4 applies to the original booking date when determining whether a rescheduling request is penalty-free. Rescheduling requests must be submitted in writing and are subject to instructor availability. Rescheduling is not guaranteed and is granted at the instructor's sole discretion.

5. How to Submit a Cancellation or Refund Request

To cancel a Lesson or submit a refund request, you must:

1. Send a written email to clarkstrickland7@gmail.com from the email address associated with your account;
2. Include in the email: your full name, the date and time of the scheduled Lesson you wish to cancel, and a clear statement that you are requesting a cancellation and/or refund;
3. Retain a copy of your sent email and any confirmation response you receive from us for your records.

We will acknowledge receipt of your cancellation request within 2 business days. If you do not receive an acknowledgment within that period, please follow up to ensure your request was received, as undelivered emails do not toll any cancellation deadlines.

Cancellation requests submitted through any method other than written email (including but not limited to: phone calls, text messages, social media messages, or verbal communication during a Lesson) will not be recognized as valid cancellations and will not trigger any refund obligation.

6. Instructor-Initiated Cancellations

In the event that the instructor cancels a scheduled Lesson for any reason — including illness, emergency, or other unforeseen circumstances — you will receive a full 100% refund of the Lesson fee to the original payment method, or at your election, a full credit applied to a rescheduled Lesson at a mutually agreed time. This full refund applies regardless of how close to the scheduled Lesson start time the cancellation occurs. The cancellation tiers and notice periods described in Sections 3 and 4 apply only to student-initiated cancellations and have no bearing on instructor-initiated cancellations. We will notify you of instructor-initiated cancellations as promptly as reasonably practicable. We are not liable for any additional costs, expenses, losses, or damages arising from instructor-initiated cancellations, including but not limited to costs associated with travel, accommodations, or other preparations made in anticipation of a Lesson.

7. Refund Processing

All approved refunds will be issued exclusively to the original payment method used at the time of purchase, via Stripe, Inc. We do not issue refunds by check, cash, alternative payment method, or transfer to a different card or account. Once we approve your request, Stripe initiates the refund promptly on our end. However, the time it takes for the funds to actually appear in your account is controlled entirely by your payment provider and typically falls within 5 to 10 business days, though many customers see it sooner. Actual timelines by payment method are as follows:

• Credit or Debit Card — 5 to 10 business days is the most common range. Some banks post the credit in as little as 2 to 3 business days.
• ACH / Bank Transfer — Typically 3 to 5 business days once Stripe initiates the transfer.
• Buy Now, Pay Later (Affirm, Afterpay, Klarna) — Generally 5 to 10 business days, though the exact timeline varies by provider. Contact your BNPL provider directly if your refund has not appeared after 10 business days.

Your card or bank statement may continue to show the original charge until the refund fully settles — this is normal and does not indicate a problem. Stripe will send a refund confirmation email to the address on your account once the refund is initiated. We are not responsible for any delay in posting caused by your financial institution or payment provider.

For 50% partial refunds, the refund amount will be calculated based on exactly 50% of the gross Lesson fee paid, exclusive of any applicable taxes collected on your behalf, which will be refunded or adjusted in accordance with applicable tax law.

Pending Payments: If your payment is still in a pending or unsettled state at the time you cancel a Lesson and that cancellation qualifies for a full or partial refund under Section 4, we will void the pending charge rather than process a standard refund. A voided payment is cancelled before it fully settles and will never actually post to your account. However, your bank or card issuer may temporarily display the charge as a hold or pending transaction for approximately 5 to 7 business days before it clears automatically. We have no ability to accelerate this clearing process, as it is controlled entirely by your financial institution. The amount will not be debited from your account once the hold clears.

In the event that your original payment method is no longer valid (e.g., the card has expired or the account has been closed), please contact us at clarkstrickland7@gmail.com so we can work with Stripe to identify an appropriate resolution.

8. Chargebacks and Payment Disputes

If you initiate a chargeback or payment dispute with your financial institution or card network without first submitting a written cancellation or refund request to us in accordance with this Policy, we reserve the right to contest the chargeback by submitting documentation of this Policy and your agreement to it at the time of purchase, including records of purchase confirmation and any applicable refund policy disclosures. We strongly encourage you to contact us directly at clarkstrickland7@gmail.com before initiating any chargeback, as we are committed to resolving disputes fairly and in accordance with this Policy.

A chargeback filed for a Video Course purchase where access was granted, or for a Lesson cancelled with insufficient notice under Section 4, may be contested as unauthorized. Accounts subject to an open or unresolved chargeback dispute may be suspended pending resolution.

9. State-Specific Consumer Rights

Certain states provide statutory refund and consumer protection rights that may supplement or supersede the terms of this Policy to the extent they cannot be waived by contract. The following provisions apply to residents of the identified states. This list is not exhaustive; other states may also provide additional rights not enumerated here. Nothing in this Policy limits any non-waivable consumer right under applicable state law.

California

Under California Civil Code § 1723, a seller must conspicuously post its refund policy. This Policy constitutes such disclosure. California residents are also entitled to the protections of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA), as described in our Privacy Policy. California Business and Professions Code § 17538 requires online retailers to disclose their refund policies, which we do herein. California consumers may also have rights under the Consumers Legal Remedies Act (Cal. Civ. Code § 1750 et seq.) and the Unfair Competition Law (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200 et seq.) that may not be contractually limited.

New York

New York General Business Law § 218-a requires retailers to post their refund policies. This Policy satisfies that requirement. New York consumers may contact the Office of the Attorney General at ag.ny.gov or (212) 416-8000 for information about their consumer rights.

Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin

Residents of these states have consumer protection rights under their respective state consumer protection or unfair trade practices acts. This Policy is intended to comply with the refund disclosure requirements of all such state laws. Residents of these states retain all non-waivable statutory rights and may contact their respective state attorney general or consumer protection office for additional information.

All Other States

Consumers in all other U.S. states and territories retain all non-waivable rights under applicable state and federal consumer protection law. This Policy is intended to be consistent with all applicable state refund disclosure requirements. If you believe any provision of this Policy conflicts with a mandatory consumer protection right in your state, please contact us and we will work with you to honor your applicable legal rights.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Refund Policy, please contact us:

We will make reasonable efforts to respond to all refund and cancellation inquiries within 2 business days.