Last Updated: October 19, 2025
At Hartsford Academy, operating through our websites hartsford.co.uk and hartsford.org, we are committed to providing a fair, transparent, and compliant approach to payments and refunds for our online courses, including those in financial trading analysis, market research, and related disciplines. This Refund and Payment Policy outlines the terms governing payments for course enrollments, subscriptions, and related services, as well as the conditions under which refunds may be requested. Our policy is designed to comply with the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 and the Consumer Rights Act 2015, ensuring your rights as a consumer are protected while maintaining clarity in our financial transactions.
We encourage you to read this policy carefully before enrolling in our courses or making any payments. By purchasing a course or service from Hartsford Academy, you agree to be bound by this policy.
This policy applies to all financial transactions related to Hartsford Academy’s services, including course enrollments, subscription plans, and any additional fees for services such as webinars, one-on-one coaching, or downloadable resources. Our goal is to ensure that payments are processed securely and efficiently, and that refund requests are handled fairly and in accordance with UK consumer protection laws. We offer a variety of payment methods to accommodate our students, and we provide clear guidelines for requesting refunds, particularly within the statutory 14-day cooling-off period for online purchases. This policy also addresses special considerations for our financial trading courses, which are digital products with specific refund limitations due to their nature.
We strive to maintain transparency in all financial dealings, ensuring you understand the costs associated with our services and the conditions under which you may seek a refund. If you have any concerns or need clarification, please reach out via our Contact Us page.
Hartsford Academy offers secure and convenient payment options to facilitate course enrollments and subscriptions. You may pay for our services using credit or debit cards, bank transfers, or other methods supported by our trusted third-party payment processors, such as Stripe and PayPal. All payment transactions are encrypted using industry-standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to ensure the security of your financial information.
Course fees and subscription costs are clearly displayed on our websites at the time of purchase, inclusive of applicable taxes such as Value Added Tax (VAT) as required by UK law. If you choose a subscription plan, you will be charged periodically (e.g., monthly or annually) until you cancel your subscription. For installment plans (if available), you agree to make regular payments as outlined in the payment schedule provided at checkout. Failure to make timely payments may result in suspension of your course access until your account is brought up to date.
We reserve the right to modify course fees or subscription prices at any time, but any changes will not affect existing enrollments or subscriptions unless you are notified at least 30 days in advance and provided with the opportunity to cancel. If a payment fails due to insufficient funds, expired card details, or other issues, we will notify you and attempt to process the payment again. Persistent payment failures may lead to suspension of your account, and we may charge interest on overdue amounts at a rate of 4% above the Bank of England base rate, as permitted by UK law.
Hartsford Academy offers refunds in specific circumstances to ensure fairness while respecting the digital nature of our courses. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, you have a statutory right to cancel your enrollment and request a full refund within 14 days of purchase (the “cooling-off period”), provided you have not accessed a significant portion of the course content. Due to the digital nature of our courses, accessing significant content (e.g., watching more than 10% of course videos or downloading resources) is considered an express request to begin the service, which may waive your right to a full refund during the cooling-off period.
We also offer refunds in the following cases:
Refunds are not available in the following situations:
Our financial trading courses are designed for educational purposes only, and we do not guarantee specific outcomes or financial success. As such, dissatisfaction with course results or failure to achieve expected outcomes does not qualify for a refund.
If you believe you are eligible for a refund, you must submit a request through our Contact Us page within the applicable timeframe (e.g., within 14 days for cooling-off period refunds). Your request should include:
We will review your request within 7 business days and notify you of the outcome. If approved, refunds will be processed to the original payment method within 14 days of approval, in accordance with UK consumer laws. For installment plans, refunds will be calculated based on the payments made and the portion of the course accessed. In cases of partial refunds, we will prorate the amount based on the remaining course access period or content not consumed.
Some of our courses or services may be offered through subscription plans, allowing you to access content on a recurring basis (e.g., monthly or annually). Subscription fees are charged automatically to your chosen payment method until you cancel your subscription. You can cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings or by contacting our customer support team.
Cancellations take effect at the end of the current billing cycle, and you will retain access to the subscribed content until that period ends. Refunds for subscription payments are subject to the same conditions as course refunds (e.g., within the 14-day cooling-off period for new subscriptions). Partial refunds for unused subscription periods may be offered at our discretion, depending on the circumstances. For example, if you cancel a yearly subscription after 6 months, we may refund a portion of the remaining months if you have not accessed significant content.
If a subscription payment fails, we will attempt to process the payment again and notify you of the issue. Persistent payment failures may result in suspension of your access until the outstanding balance is cleared. We encourage you to keep your payment details up to date to avoid interruptions.
Our courses in financial trading analysis are digital products delivered instantly upon enrollment, providing access to videos, quizzes, and downloadable resources. Due to their digital nature, these courses are subject to specific refund limitations under UK law. By enrolling in a financial trading course, you acknowledge that accessing the content (e.g., watching videos or downloading materials) constitutes an express request to begin the service, which may waive your right to a full refund during the 14-day cooling-off period, as permitted by the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.
We emphasize that our financial trading courses are for educational purposes only and do not guarantee financial success or specific outcomes. The strategies and information provided are intended to enhance your knowledge, but financial trading involves significant risks, and you should consult a licensed financial advisor before applying any course content. Refunds will not be granted based on dissatisfaction with trading outcomes or failure to achieve expected results, as this is outside the scope of our educational services.
In the rare event that Hartsford Academy is unable to deliver a course or service due to circumstances within our control (e.g., platform failure or course discontinuation), we will offer appropriate compensation. This may include:
Hartsford Academy welcomes students from around the world. However, international payments may be subject to additional fees, such as currency conversion charges or international transaction fees, imposed by your bank or payment provider. These fees are not controlled by Hartsford Academy and are non-refundable. We recommend checking with your payment provider for details before enrolling.
Refunds for international students follow the same policies outlined above, with payments returned to the original payment method in the original currency. Exchange rate fluctuations may affect the refund amount received, and we are not liable for such variations. For international payment or refund inquiries, please visit our Contact Us page.
If you have a concern about a payment or refund, we encourage you to contact us first to resolve the issue amicably. Please submit your complaint through our Contact Us page, providing details of the issue, your account information, and any relevant documentation. We will respond within 7 business days and work to find a fair resolution.
If we are unable to resolve your complaint, you may escalate the matter to the EU Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Platform, which provides a mechanism for resolving disputes related to online purchases. Additionally, you retain your statutory rights under UK consumer laws, including the right to seek redress through the courts of England and Wales if necessary.
We may update this Refund and Payment Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or service offerings. Updates will be posted on our websites with a revised "Last Updated" date, and significant changes will be communicated to enrolled students. Your continued use of our services after such updates constitutes acceptance of the revised policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed.
For any questions, refund requests, or concerns regarding this Refund and Payment Policy, please visit our Contact Us page. Our team is available to assist you and will respond to inquiries within 48 hours, with refund requests processed within 7 business days.