Terms of Service
1. Who we are
My Simple Mandarin ("we", "us", "our") provides live online Mandarin Chinese lessons through the website mysimplemandarin.com and third-party booking and video tools. We are operated by Chalky AI Inc., a business registered in Ontario, Canada. You can reach us at mysimplemandarin@gmail.com.
By booking a lesson or using our website you agree to these terms. If you are booking for a child, you agree to these terms on the child's behalf.
2. Our services
- Consultation class. A 40-minute live one-on-one lesson with a Mandarin teacher, followed by a written personalized learning plan delivered by email within two business days.
- Single lessons. 40-minute live one-on-one lessons with your assigned teacher. A 25-minute format is available for children aged 5 to 7.
- Lesson packs. Bundles of 10 or 20 lessons, sold at a reduced per-lesson price, with a written progress report every 10 lessons.
- Travel Pack. A bundle of 12 lessons of everyday conversational Mandarin for travellers, built around your departure date.
- Learning coordinator. A named English-speaking contact who explains your learning plan and teacher feedback, handles scheduling and billing questions, and replies within one business day (Monday to Friday, excluding Canadian statutory holidays).
Lessons are delivered by video call (currently Zoom or Google Meet). You are responsible for having a device with a camera and microphone, a stable internet connection, and a quiet place to learn. We are not responsible for lesson time lost to problems with your equipment or connection.
We do not guarantee any particular result, exam score or timeline. Progress depends on attendance and practice between lessons.
3. Booking and eligibility
Lessons are booked through our scheduling provider (currently Cal.com). You must provide accurate contact details and, for children, the child's age. You must be at least 18 to book. Learners under 18 must be booked by a parent or legal guardian, who remains responsible for the booking.
A booking is confirmed only when payment has been received. Unpaid bookings are not held.
4. Prices and payment
- All prices are in Canadian dollars and include applicable taxes (HST/GST will be shown at checkout where applicable).
- Payment is taken at the time of booking through our payment processor (currently Stripe). We do not store your full card details.
- The consultation class costs $45. If you go on to buy a lesson pack, the $45 is credited in full against that first pack. The credit is applied once and cannot be exchanged for cash.
- Single lessons cost $45 for 40 minutes. Prices may change; the price shown at the time of booking is the price you pay.
- We do not sell subscriptions and nothing renews automatically.
5. Lesson packs
- A 10-lesson pack costs $400, a 20-lesson pack costs $760, and the 12-lesson Travel Pack costs $480. The Travel Pack follows the same rules as other packs.
- Pack lessons are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase. Unused lessons expire at the end of that period.
- A pack may be shared between siblings in the same household. It may not be resold or transferred to anyone else.
- Packs are non-refundable once the first pack lesson has been taken, except where a refund is required by law.
6. Rescheduling, cancellations and no-shows
- You may reschedule or cancel any lesson free of charge with at least 24 hours' notice, using the link in your booking email or by contacting your learning coordinator.
- Every class, including the initial consultation class, that is cancelled with less than one business day's notice is charged the full class fee, because the teacher's time has been reserved for you. The same applies to lessons you do not attend. For pack lessons this means one lesson is deducted from your pack.
- If you join a lesson late, the lesson still ends at the scheduled time.
- If we or your teacher must cancel a lesson, we will offer a new time. If no new time works for you, that lesson is refunded or returned to your pack.
- If a lesson cannot take place because of a technical problem on our side, we will reschedule it at no charge.
7. Teachers and teacher changes
We match you with a teacher after your consultation class. If you do not feel it is the right fit, tell your learning coordinator after the consultation class or within your first two lessons and we will match you with a different teacher at no charge. We aim to keep you with the same teacher every week, but we may need to change your teacher because of availability, illness or a teacher leaving. If that happens we will tell you in advance and your plan and progress notes will pass to the new teacher.
8. Student conduct
We expect students and parents to treat teachers and staff with respect. We may end a lesson, or decline further bookings, in cases of abusive, discriminatory or inappropriate behaviour. In that case remaining paid lessons will be refunded. Lesson links are personal and must not be shared.
9. Recording of lessons
Lessons are not recorded unless you ask, or unless we tell you in advance and you agree. Where a lesson is recorded, the recording is used only for your own review and for teacher training. You may not record a lesson without the teacher's consent.
10. Lesson materials
Learning plans, practice sheets, progress reports and other materials we give you are for your personal use. You may keep and use them for your own learning, but you may not resell or publish them.
11. Limitation of liability
To the extent permitted by law, our total liability to you for any claim arising from our services is limited to the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim. We are not liable for indirect losses, such as lost income or missed exams. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited under the laws of your province, including consumer protection laws.
12. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada that apply there. Any dispute will be handled in the courts of Ontario, unless consumer protection law gives you the right to bring a claim elsewhere.
13. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms from time to time. The date at the top shows the current version. Material changes will be emailed to active students at least 14 days before they take effect, and will not change the price or validity of lessons you have already paid for.
14. Contact
Questions about these terms: mysimplemandarin@gmail.com.