Business Terms and Conditions

  1. These terms
    • What these terms cover. These are the terms and conditions on which we supply cookery courses to the person using our site to buy services from us (‘you’ or ‘your’).
    • Why you should read them. Please read these terms carefully before you book a course with us. These terms tell you who we are, how we will provide services to you, how you and we may change or end the contract, what to do if there is a problem and other important information. If you think that there is a mistake in these terms, please contact us to discuss.
  2. Information about us and how to contact us
    • Who we are. We are White Pepper Cookery Limited a company registered in England and Wales (‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’). Our company registration number is 07344208 and our registered office is at Bere Farm, Wareham Road, Lychett Matravers, Poole, Dorset BH16 6ER. Our registered VAT number is GB201295546.
    • How to contact us. You can contact us by telephoning our customer service team on 01202 280050, by writing to us at info@white-pepper.co.uk or by writing to us at the above postal address.
    • How we may contact you. If we have to contact you we will do so by telephone or by writing to you at the email address or postal address you provided to us in your booking.
    • “Writing” includes emails. When we use the words “writing” or “written” in these terms, this includes emails.
  3. Our contract with you
    • The contract. These terms together with the application form, enrolment form and admissions letter, comprise the contract between us for provision of the services.
    • How we will accept your booking. Our acceptance of your booking will take place at the pointing of sending the admissions letter, at which point a contract will come into existence between you and us. It is automatically assumed that once payment or part payment has been made by you, these terms have been accepted by you without amendment.
    • If we cannot accept your booking. If we are unable to accept your booking, we will inform you of this in writing and will not charge you for the services. This might be because, for example, we have identified an error in the price or description of the services, or because we are unable to meet a delivery deadline you have specified.
    • Your booking number. We will assign a number to your booking, which will also be your invoice number .This can be found on your invoice. It will help us if you can tell us the booking number whenever you contact us about your booking.
  4. Your rights to make changes
    • If you wish to make a change to the course you have booked please contact us. We will let you know if the change is possible. If it is possible we will let you know about any changes to the price of the services, the timing of supply or anything else which would be necessary as a result of your requested change and ask you to confirm whether you wish to go ahead with the change. If we cannot make the change or the consequences of making the change are unacceptable to you, you may want to end the contract (see clause 7, Your rights to end the contract).
  5. Our rights to make changes
    • Minor changes to the services. We may change the services, including our cookery courses, content and recipes:
      • to reflect changes in relevant laws and regulatory requirements, for example, there may be a change in laws surrounding good food practice such that we need to change some of the content of our courses; and
      • where necessary to accommodate the smooth operation of our business and portfolio of courses.
    • More significant changes to the services and these terms. If we need to make more significant changes to the services, we will notify you and you may then contact us to end the contract before the changes take effect and receive a refund for any services paid for but not received.
  6. Providing the services
    • We will deliver the course on the date(s) agreed with you during the booking process.
    • We are not responsible for delays outside our control. We will always follow Government guidelines to enable a Coronavirus-free environment. If an event outside our control prevents or delays performance by us of our obligations under our contract with you, our obligations shall be suspended for so long as the event means that the performance of our obligations is not possible or delayed.
    • Transferring onto another course. We are committed to ensuring that students booked on accredited courses (chef academy students) have an opportunity to complete their submission for the relevant qualification(s). If an event outside our control means that insufficient training has been provided by us, we will offer a free transfer to another/the remainder of the course. You will be required to submit evidence to support your claim for a transfer.
    • Ending the contract. If you do choose to treat the contract as at an end pursuant to clause 2, you can cancel the contract by contacting us using one of the methods set out in clause 2.2.
    • What will happen if you do not give required information to us. We may need certain information from you so that we can supply the services to you. If so, this will have been told to you over the telephone or set out on our website or told to you in the course of email exchanges. We may contact you to ask for this information. If you do not give us this information within 7/14 days of us asking for it, or if you give us incomplete or incorrect information, we may either end the contract (and clause 2 will apply) or make an additional charge of a reasonable sum to compensate us for any extra work that is required as a result. We will not be responsible for supplying the services late or not supplying any part of them if this is caused by you not giving us the information we need within a reasonable time of us asking for it.
    • Reasons we may suspend the supply of the services to you. We may have to suspend our courses to deal with technical problems or make minor technical changes. We will contact you in advance to tell you we will be suspending supply of the services, unless the problem is urgent or an emergency. If we have to suspend the services for longer than 4 weeks, you may contact us to end the contract. In that case, we will refund any sums you have paid in advance for the course.
    • We may also suspend services if you do not pay. If you do not pay us for the services when you are supposed to, and you still do not make payment within 7 days of us reminding you that payment is due, we may suspend supply of the services until you have paid us the outstanding amounts. We will contact you to tell you. As well as suspending the services we can also charge you interest on your overdue payments (see clause 5).
    • Dietary requirements, food allergies & illness. We cannot guarantee any protection from allergies. We will be happy to discuss any allergy concerns you have before you book a course, so that you can make an informed decision whether to attend at your own risk. It is always your responsibility to advise us at the time of booking, through our screening procedure, of any allergies or special requirements that may need to be taken into consideration for the duration of the course, such as diabetes. Attendance is at your own risk entirely. Subject to clause 15, we accept no liability for accidents or illness incurred during your visit.
    • Travel insurance. We would strongly recommend travel insurance, which may provide compensation in the event you are unable to attend or complete your courses, for reasons including but not limited to, weather, transport disruptions, personal or health issues, Coronavirus, illness, sickness, bereavement of an immediate relative or other.
  7. Your rights to end the contract
    • When can you cancel. You have the right to cancel this contract within 14 days of the contract coming into existence without giving any reason. However, you do not have the right to cancel if you requested for us to start providing the services during the cancellation period and you have attended all or part of a course during this period. This is further explained below. The cancellation period will expire after 14 days from the day that the contract comes into existence.
    • How to cancel. To exercise the right to cancel, you must inform us of your decision to cancel this contract by contacting us using one of the methods set out in clause 2. You may use the model cancellation form at the end of these terms, but it is not obligatory. To meet the cancellation deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right to cancel before the cancellation period has expired.
    • Starting your course during the cancellation period. You acknowledge that if you start your course during the cancellation period, you will lose your right to cancel this contract and will be required to pay an amount in proportion to the services performed up to that point in comparison with the full price under this contract, even if the cancellation period has not expired.
    • This does not affect the rights you have if your services are faulty. A summary of these rights is provided at clause 11
  8. Transferring your course
    • Short courses. Subject to your cancellation rights:
      • if there are 21 days or more remaining until the commencement of a cookery school course or short course, you may transfer to an alternative cookery school course or short course for free; and
      • if there are fewer than 21 days remaining until the commencement of a cookery school course or short course, a transfer fee of £25.00 per person will apply and the fee due under clause 3 shall also be payable.
    • Professional courses. Subject to our cancellation rights, the transfer fee to transfer between professional courses (i.e., chef academy and accredited courses), regardless of when the transfer request is received, is £240.00 per person.
    • Requesting a transfer. A request for transfer between courses (of whatever type) must be provided in writing. Please note that requests made within 8 weeks or less prior to the commencement of any professional course are very unlikely to be approved. Any transfer request is subject to availability and approval shall be at our complete discretion. You must start any course onto which you transfer, within 12 months of the original booking.
    • Transferring to another person. You may transfer your booking into the name of another person, provided that you have notified us in writing prior to the commencement of the course.
  9. How to end the contract with us
    • Tell us you want to end the contract. To end the contract with us at any time, please let us know by contacting us using one of the methods set out in clause 2.
    • How we will refund you. If you are entitled to a refund under these terms we will refund you by the method you used for payment. However, we may make deductions from the price, as follows:
      • for any cancellations made more than 21 days prior to the commencement of a cookery school course or short course, a full refund will be made, less an administration charge of £25.00 per person; or
      • for any cancellations made within 21 days or less prior to the commencement of a cookery school course or short course, we will relist your place through our normal marketing channels. If we are unable to resell your place prior to commencement of the relevant course, no refund will be paid. If we are able to resell your place, we will provide a full refund, less the administration fee of £25.00 per person; or
      • for any cancellations made more than 8 weeks prior to the commencement of a professional course (i.e. chef academy and accredited courses), a full refund will be made, less an administration charge of £240.00 per person; or
      • for any cancellations made within 8 weeks or less prior to the commencement of a professional courses (i.e. chef academy and accredited courses), we will relist your place through our normal marketing channels. If we are unable to resell your place prior to commencement of the relevant course, no refund will be paid. If we are able to resell your place, we will provide a full refund, less the administration fee of £240.00 per person.
    • Deposits, pre-payments and instalments. Subject to any cancellation rights, deposits, pre-payments and instalments shall not be refundable in any circumstances, notwithstanding that a course may not yet have commenced, or that part of a course to which any instalments relate may not yet have been delivered. We may, at our absolute discretion, offer to apply any non-refundable funds to another course that we agree to transfer you on to.
    • Failure to attend. If you fail to attend a course, for any reason, you will not be entitled to a refund or entitled to transfer to another course.
    • When your refund will be made. We will make any refunds due to you within 14 days of receipt of your cancellation or us determining, in accordance with these terms, that a refund is due.
    • Subject to your cancellation rights (and any transfer fee), you may transfer to another course of the same value. If you wish to transfer to a course of lesser value, you will not be refunded the difference in price. If you transfer to a course of higher value, you will be required to pay the difference before we can confirm a successful transfer.
  1. Our rights to end the contract
    • We may end the contract if you break it. We may end the contract for services at any time by writing to you if:
      • you do not make any payment to us when it is due and you still do not make payment within 7 days of us reminding you that payment is due;
      • you do not, within a reasonable time of us asking for it, provide us with information that is necessary for us to provide the services;
      • you do not comply with the Student Code which can be found on our website.
    • You must compensate us if you break the contract. If we end the contract in the situations set out in clause 1 it shall be entirely at our discretion as to whether we provide a refund for any payments made where a course or part of a course has not yet been delivered.
  2. If there is a problem with the services
    • If you have any questions or complaints about the services, please contact us using one of the methods set out in clause 2.
  3. Your rights in respect of defective services
    • We are under a legal duty to supply services that are in conformity with this contract. The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 say that in most cases, you can cancel within 14 days. If you agree the course you have booked on to will start within this time, you may be charged for part of the course. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 says:
      • You can ask us to repeat or fix a service if it is not carried out with reasonable care and skill, or get some money back if we cannot fix it.
      • If you have not agreed a price beforehand, what you are asked to pay must be reasonable.
      • If you have not agreed a time beforehand, it must be carried out within a reasonable time.

These are subject to certain exceptions. For detailed information please visit the Citizens Advice website www.citizensadvice.org.uk or call 0808 223 1133. Nothing in these terms will affect your legal rights.

  1. Price and payment
    • Where to find the price for the services. The prices of all courses (which includes VAT) are listed on our website.
    • We will pass on changes in the rate of VAT. If the rate of VAT changes between your booking date and the date we supply the services, we will adjust the rate of VAT that you pay, unless you have already paid for the services in full before the change in the rate of VAT takes effect.
    • Within 7 days of the commencement of a cookery school course or short course, an additional fee for ingredients will be charged. This is approximately £25.00 per person, though the actual ingredients fee is specific to the course type.
    • When you must pay and how you must pay. We accept payment with via our website, via our invoice (GoCardless link), over the phone (card terminal) and via your online banking (BACs). When you must pay depends on what type of course you have booked on to:
      • For cookery school courses and short courses, payment must be made in full at the time of booking;
      • For professional courses, a deposit is payable at the time of booking in order to reserve your place and thereafter, payment shall be made upfront, or in accordance with one of our payment plans.
    • Payment plans. We offer flexible payment plans to assist with financing payment of course fees. Speak to our admissions team to find out more. Any instalments due must be paid, in cleared funds by the 28th day of each month. A separate payment plan must be entered into by you and us in order for you to take advantage of a plan.
    • We will always send invoices via QuickBooks. It is important that you take care to verify that any instruction to pay to a bank account is genuine. If in any doubt, it is essential that you verify with our office on 01202 280050, before paying money. Please note, we will not accept responsibility if you make payment to an incorrect bank account because of a fraudulent notification without having taken suitable steps to verify its authenticity with us first. Please always include the invoice number as a payment reference.
    • We can charge interest if you pay late. If you do not make any payment to us by the due date we may charge interest to you on the overdue amount at the rate of 8% a year above the base lending rate of The Bank of England from time to time. This interest shall accrue on a daily basis from the due date until the date of actual payment of the overdue amount, whether before or after judgment. You must pay us interest together with any overdue amount.
    • What to do if you think an invoice is wrong. If you think an invoice is wrong please contact us promptly to let us know. You will not have to pay any interest until the dispute is resolved. Once the dispute is resolved we will charge you interest on correctly invoiced sums from the original due date.
  2. Gift vouchers
    • All gift vouchers shall be valid for a period of 9 months from the date of purchase. A request to extend the validity period of a gift voucher may be made by contacting us. We may approve an extension at our entire discretion, and if we do, an administration fee of £25.00 per gift voucher shall apply. Any request must be made within 1 week of expiry and extensions shall be made for a maximum of an additional 90 days. Gift vouchers cannot be exchanged for cash or refunded in any circumstances.
  3. Our responsibility for loss or damage suffered by you
    • We are responsible to you for foreseeable loss and damage caused by us. If we fail to comply with these terms, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of us breaking this contract or us failing to use reasonable care and skill, but we are not responsible for any loss or damage that is not foreseeable. Loss or damage is foreseeable if either it is obvious that it will happen or if, at the time the contract was made, both we and you knew it might happen, for example, if you discussed it with us during the booking process.
    • We do not exclude or limit in any way our liability to you where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors; for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; for breach of your legal rights in relation to the services as summarised at clause 1.
    • We are not liable for business losses. We only supply the services to you for domestic and private use. If you use the services for any commercial, business or re-sale purpose our liability to you will be limited as set out in clause 16.
  4. How we may use your personal information
    • How we may use your personal information. We will only use your personal information as set out in our Privacy Policy. You can find a link to our Privacy Policy on our website.
  5. Other important terms
    • We may transfer this agreement to someone else. We may transfer our rights and obligations under these terms to another organisation.
    • You need our consent to transfer your rights to someone else. You may only transfer your rights or your obligations under these terms to another person if we agree to this in writing.
    • Nobody else has any rights under this contract. This contract is between you and us. No other person shall have any rights to enforce any of its terms.
    • If a court finds part of this contract illegal, the rest will continue in force. Each of the paragraphs of these terms operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect.
    • Even if we delay in enforcing this contract, we can still enforce it later. If we do not insist immediately that you do anything you are required to do under these terms, or if we delay in taking steps against you in respect of you breaking this contract, that will not mean that you do not have to do those things and it will not prevent us taking steps against you at a later date. For example, if you miss a payment and we do not chase you but we continue to provide the services, we can still require you to make the payment at a later date.
    • Which laws apply to this contract and where you may bring legal proceedings. These terms are governed by English law and you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the services in the English courts. If you live in Scotland you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the services in either the Scottish or the English courts. If you live in Northern Ireland you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the services in either the Northern Irish or the English courts.

 

June 2023

 

Model Cancellation Form

(Complete and return this form only if you wish to withdraw from the contract)

To White Pepper Cookery Limited, Bere Farm, Wareham Road, Lytchett Matravers, Poole, Dorset BH16 6ER

I/We [*] hereby give notice that I/We [*] cancel my/our [*] contract for the supply of the following service:

Name of course [*],

Ordered on [*]/received on [*],

Name of consumer(s),

Address of consumer(s),

Signature of consumer(s) (only if this form is notified on paper),

Date

[*] Delete as appropriate