DOINEL CHINESE ACADEMY

Course terms
& refunds

Version 7 · 21 September 2026

1. Who you contract with

Doinel Chinese Academy is a standalone trading brand of Doinel Limited, registered in England and Wales under company number 07563110. VAT registration: GB125809216.

The academy is an independent course provider. It is not Chinese Testing International, an official HSK test centre, or a university. We do not issue official HSK qualifications.

2. The course and your place

These initial cohorts are for adults aged 18 or over. HSK 1 accepts complete beginners. HSK 2 requires HSK 3.0 Level 1 knowledge or equivalent; completion of the HSK 1 exam is preferred. HSK 3 requires HSK 3.0 Level 2 knowledge or equivalent; completion of the HSK 2 exam is preferred. We check current knowledge and the exam version studied before accepting a booking. Previous exam completion is preferred evidence, not a substitute for the required knowledge, and equivalent knowledge may be assessed without a certificate. All three course plans target HSK 3.0. An older-format certificate may require additional preparation to meet the entry level. HSK 3 includes preparation for the corresponding Level 3 speaking test. HSK 2 and 3 lesson materials are being prepared before paid enrolment opens. The course page states the target exam format, start and end dates, weekly timetable, teaching hours, holiday breaks, homework expectations and full fee.

When enrolment opens, an order is your offer to buy the specified course. Your contract begins when we accept it and send a booking confirmation. A calendar download, enquiry or placement check does not reserve a place. If we cannot accept an order, we return any payment in full. We send your course details and a copy of these terms by email for you to keep.

Groups have 3–6 learners. If a cohort cannot run, we tell you before it begins and offer a different cohort or a full refund. You choose whether to accept an alternative.

3. Fees and payment

Doinel Mandarin Foundations (HSK 1) costs €888 for 16 teaching weeks and 32 live one-hour lessons, including applicable taxes.

The advertised euro price is the full course fee, including applicable taxes, listed live lessons, course materials, set homework feedback, mock practice, 12 months of full HSK 1 practice-tool access from confirmation, and the conditional pass-support promise below. The tool contains all 300 vocabulary entries in the HSK 3.0 Level 1 examination syllabus across 16 units; HSK 2 and 3 practice banks are not included or advertised as already available. Official HSK registration and exam fees are not included. You register and pay the official test provider separately. Your bank may charge currency conversion fees.

Payment is a single course purchase. There is no automatic renewal or subscription. Stripe checkout is planned but is not connected yet. We will never ask you to send card details by email or messaging app.

4. Teaching and attendance

Lessons take place live online on Zoom or Tencent Meeting. You need a stable internet connection, a suitable device, audio and access to the agreed platform. Each lesson lasts 60 minutes. The timetable remains fixed in UTC, so daylight saving may change the time shown in your country. Check the full calendar before booking.

Attend punctually, complete the set practice and treat classmates and teachers respectfully. Your own missed classes do not ordinarily receive a separate replacement or refund, but lesson materials remain available. If we cancel a lesson, we offer a reasonable replacement or refund that lesson’s share of the fee. If we make a material timetable or course change that you cannot reasonably accept, you may cancel the affected undelivered part for a proportionate refund.

We teach with reasonable care and skill. We do not guarantee an HSK score, a pass, fluency, university admission, a scholarship, a job or any other third-party outcome. Exam formats and centre requirements can change. If a change makes our course materially unsuitable for the advertised target exam, we discuss an appropriate update or cancellation and refund for undelivered teaching.

4a. Pass-Support Guarantee

The promise: if you complete the course requirements below and fail the agreed official HSK level, we provide a live online exam-preparation group at that level at no additional teaching fee until you pass, while you continue meeting the practice and retake requirements. This is a promise of continued teaching support, not a guaranteed score or a refund of exam fees.

• Complete the course: attend every scheduled lesson or complete catch-up work agreed with your teacher; submit all set homework; and complete the course’s mock practice. Tell your teacher promptly about illness, disability or other circumstances so reasonable adjustments or catch-up arrangements can be agreed.
• Take the agreed exam: register for and sit the official HSK level and format covered by your booking within 90 days after the course finishes. Keep the booking and result documents.
• If you fail: send the result to the academy within 30 days of receiving it. We check the course records and explain eligibility within 10 working days. If something is missing, we explain it and give you a reasonable chance to provide it.
• Keep going: attend the support sessions or complete agreed catch-up work, complete the assigned practice, and book and sit the next available exam within 90 days of each unsuccessful result. We extend these timeframes where documented availability of the agreed HSK version at your test centre, cancellations, illness or agreed reasonable adjustments prevent compliance. Contact us as soon as reasonably possible.

What the free support includes: one 60-minute live online group session a week, relevant practice tasks and feedback. We arrange a suitable group starting within 30 days after confirming eligibility. It may have a different teacher and timetable from your original cohort; we agree a reasonable schedule with you. There is no fixed limit on eligible retakes or support duration. Full HSK 1 tool access is extended while you receive support.

What you pay: official exam registration, retake fees, travel, accommodation, internet and personal equipment remain your responsibility. The support does not cover a higher HSK level, a speaking test not included in your original course (the corresponding HSK 3.0 Level 3 speaking test is included in our HSK 3 preparation), or an unrelated exam format.

Support ends when you pass, withdraw, or stop meeting the agreed practice and retake requirements. Before ending support for non-compliance, we give written notice explaining the issue and at least 14 days to respond or agree a reasonable remedy. No attendance or homework condition limits your statutory remedies for a service that was not provided with reasonable care and skill. The terms supplied with your confirmed booking govern that booking; we cannot remove this promise retrospectively.

5. Cancellation and refunds

Before your first class: you may cancel for a full refund at any time before the scheduled course start. This is our course cancellation policy and is additional to your statutory rights.

Your cooling-off right: as a consumer buying online, you normally have 14 days beginning the day after the contract is made to cancel without giving a reason. Tell us with a clear written statement. You may use the cancellation form below, but you do not have to.

We do not begin paid teaching during that 14-day period unless you expressly request it. If you request an early start and then cancel within the cooling-off period, you pay only a proportionate amount for teaching actually supplied before cancellation, calculated using the full course fee divided by the advertised teaching hours. We do not deduct this amount without the required request and information. You lose the service cancellation right only after full performance where you expressly requested early performance and acknowledged that consequence.

Any separate early supply of downloadable digital content requires the legally required express consent and acknowledgment. We will not treat attendance, silence or a pre-ticked box as that consent. Course materials do not carry a separate cancellation charge under this offer.

After the cooling-off period and after classes start: you may withdraw. We refund 50% of the fee attributable to scheduled lessons that have not begun when we receive your cancellation. Lessons already delivered, and lessons you missed before cancellation, are not refundable under this voluntary policy. More favourable statutory rights, including rights where our service is faulty, take priority.

For example, if you cancel a €888 course with 16 of its 32 lessons still to run, our voluntary refund is €222. This example does not restrict a statutory right to a larger refund.

We make refunds due under these terms within 14 days after we receive your cancellation, or confirm a service-related refund, using the original payment method unless you agree otherwise. We do not charge a refund administration fee.

Model cancellation form

To: Doinel Limited, at the registered address above, or the customer support email supplied with your booking.

“I give notice that I cancel my contract for the following course: [course and cohort]. Ordered on: [date]. Booking reference: [if available]. Consumer’s name: [name]. Consumer’s address: [address]. Date: [date]. Signature: [only if sent on paper].”

6. Materials, privacy and recordings

The public vocabulary, homework, starter-plan and revision PDFs are free to download without a purchase. You may use supplied materials for your own study. Full practice-tool access requires a confirmed cohort place; the academy issues an individual private access code after confirmation. Waitlist sign-up alone does not unlock it. Keep your code private and contact us if it is lost or shared. Do not resell them, publish them, share class links publicly, or record classmates without permission. You retain ownership of your own work and allow us to use it only as needed to teach you and give feedback.

Classes are not recorded by default. Any proposed recording will require advance information about its purpose, access, retention and an appropriate lawful basis. We will provide a way to participate without an optional recording. Our privacy notice explains the current website and the information required before teaching begins.

7. Conduct, problems and complaints

We may remove someone from a class to protect others from harassment, discrimination, threats or serious disruption. Where reasonable, we first explain the problem and give an opportunity to resolve it. We do not impose automatic forfeiture of all fees. Any deduction must fairly reflect services supplied and a legally recoverable loss.

Contact the academy using the customer support email in your booking confirmation, or write to the registered office, with your course, booking reference and the outcome you seek. We aim to acknowledge complaints within 2 working days and provide a substantive response within 10 working days. If more time is needed, we explain why and give an update date.

8. Your rights and these terms

Nothing here excludes liability for fraud, death or personal injury caused by negligence, or any liability or consumer right that cannot lawfully be excluded. If services do not meet applicable legal standards, your statutory rights to repeat performance, a price reduction or other remedies remain available.

English law governs these terms, without depriving consumers of mandatory protections in their country of habitual residence. Courts with jurisdiction under applicable consumer law remain available. Changes to these terms apply to future bookings unless we agree a change with you or the law requires it. If a provision is unenforceable, the remaining terms continue to apply.

Information sources: UK government guidance on online selling and the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.