Terms and Conditions

By registering for a course via the online order form and the subsequent confirmation from Sankofa (in writing or by e-mail), a contract is concluded between the customer and Sankofa. Registration can be made via the online forms or via the written registration form.

Cancellation policy

Right of cancellation

Consumers have the right to cancel this contract within fourteen days without giving any reason. The cancellation period is fourteen days from the date of conclusion of the contract.

To exercise the right to cancel, you must inform us (Sankofa Lingua Academy, Inh. Akwasi Badu-Aning, ℅ Hope Foundation e.V. Petersburgerstr. 92, 10247 Berlin, E-Mail: info@sankofa-lingua.com) of your decision to cancel this contract by a clear statement (e.g. a letter sent by post or e-mail). You can use the attached sample cancellation form, but this is not mandatory.

To meet the cancellation deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of cancellation before the cancellation period has expired.

Consequences of cancellation

If you withdraw from this contract, we shall reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (with the exception of the supplementary costs resulting from your choice of a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us), without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract. For this repayment, we will use the same means of payment that you used for the original transaction, unless expressly agreed otherwise with you; in no case will you be charged any fees for this repayment.

If you have requested that the services should commence during the cancellation period, you must pay us a reasonable amount corresponding to the proportion of the services already provided up to the time at which you inform us of the exercise of the right of cancellation with regard to this contract compared to the total scope of the services provided for in the contract.

In accordance with Section 312g (1) BGB, the right of cancellation only applies to consumers and not to entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the above-mentioned right of cancellation for consumers only applies to contracts concluded outside of business premises and in the context of so-called distance contracts, i.e. contracts in which the organisation or a person acting in his name or on his behalf and the consumer use exclusively means of distance communication for the contract negotiations and the conclusion of the contract, unless the contract is not concluded within the framework of a distribution or service system organised for distance selling (Section 312c (1) BGB). Means of distance communication are all means of communication that can be used to initiate or conclude a contract without the contracting parties being physically present at the same time, such as letters, catalogues, telephone calls, faxes, e-mails, messages sent via mobile phone service (SMS) as well as broadcasting and telemedia (Section 312c (2) BGB).

Special note on online programmes
In the case of digital learning solutions that are not provided on a data carrier, the right of cancellation expires as soon as the contract is executed - for example, when the login to a portal has taken place and the first course unit has begun. Customers agree to this point in these GTC.

Sample cancellation form
(If you wish to cancel the contract, please complete and return this form).

To

Sankofa Lingua Academy
Owner Akwasi Badu-Aning
℅ Hope Foundation e.V. Petersburgerstr. 92
10247 Berlin

E-mail: info@sankofa-lingua.com

• I/we (*) hereby cancel the contract concluded by me/us (*) for the purchase of the following goods (*)/the provision of the following service (*)

• Ordered on (*)/received on (*)

• Name of the consumer(s)

• Address of the consumer(s)

• Signature of the consumer(s) (only for notification on paper)

• Date

(*) Delete as appropriate

4.1 The prices stated on the website and in the online order form at the time of the order apply to the respective services and/or products of Sankofa. The course fees are listed again in the booking confirmation.

4.2 The prices stated on the website and in the online order form are final prices. Due to the VAT exemption pursuant to § 4 No. 21a and b UStG, we do not charge VAT on our services. This applies to both face-to-face and online lessons. Accordingly, VAT is not shown on invoices.

4.3 The applicable prices are set out in the respective service or product description. Customers undertake to pay this price. Payment is due when the service or product is ordered. We reserve the right to assert claims for higher damages caused by delay.

4.4 Payment methods

PayPal

To pay with PayPal, enter PayPal as the payment method in the online order form and enter the information for your PayPal account. If you want Sankofa to save your information, tick the Remember me box.

If you do not have a PayPal account, you can register on the PayPal website.

Instant bank transfer

After you have selected Sofortüberweisung as the payment method in the online order form, you will be redirected to a pre-filled bank transfer form. Check the payee and transfer amount and select your bank by sort code.

In the next step, enter your usual access data for online banking in a secure payment form. From there, the data will be forwarded to your bank. As usual, you will receive a one-time valid TAN from your bank, for example via smartphone.

If you confirm the transfer by entering the TAN, you will receive a summary of all the data from the checkout process or a direct confirmation of purchase from the shop.

Bank direct debit

A bank direct debit is an instruction to the bank by which you authorise Sankofa to collect the course fees from your account. The prerequisite is that we inform you in advance of the amounts and the time of collection. The instruction to the bank is known as a direct debit mandate.

Once you have issued the direct debit mandate in the online order form, payments are automatically debited from your account on the due date without you having to do anything.

4.5 Terms of payment

Depending on the programme booked, Sankofa may charge a flat-rate service fee to cover staff and administrative costs. The amount of this fee is shown under ‘Service fee’ at the time of booking.

Customers are obliged to pay the tuition price stated in the online order form and in the booking confirmation in addition to the service fee at the latest before the start of the programme. In the case of an instalment payment agreement, the first instalment is due for payment at this time. From the day of booking, further instalments shall be paid in accordance with the contractually agreed due dates. The contract concluded between the customer and Sankofa shall also be deemed to be a (standing) invoice.

Incoming payments are always offset against the oldest claim, unless otherwise agreed at the time of payment. Lessons that have already been paid for but not used expire 3 years after the end of the year in which the entitlement to the lesson arose, unless the term of the contract or programme is specified otherwise (see clause 5).

5.1 Scope of Application
The specific terms and conditions applicable to the courses can be found on the website and contain important information relevant to concluding the contract. These include, among other things, payment conditions, the scope and duration of the programme, the number of participants (group size), the duration of each lesson (possibly including teaching-free breaks), notice periods for termination and withdrawal, information about potential cancellation fees or refunds, and details about contract duration, orientation sessions, the definition of the individual learning plan, possible course conversions if minimum participant numbers are not met, and other product-specific features.

5.2 Special Notice on Termination
For courses that have already commenced (whether in-person or online group courses), the following applies: if customers are unable to attend lessons (e.g. due to illness, holiday, professional obligations, etc.), the course fees still need to be paid. Customers who were unable to attend will receive a voucher as outlined in section 5.3.

Immediate termination without notice by either party is only possible for good cause. If customers fail to meet their payment obligations and fall into arrears, Sankofa is entitled to terminate the contract without notice.
Separate or deviating written agreements between the customer and Sankofa are possible. Refunds for unused but already paid course units after the statutory limitation period has expired are excluded. Likewise, there is no refund for paid and issued teaching materials or the service fee.Customers are entitled to demonstrate that, due to their termination, the expenses saved justify a substantially lower or no cancellation fee.All terminations must be made in written form (text form) to be valid. Terminations given to teaching staff, particularly during an ongoing lesson, are not permitted.

5.3 Special Conditions for Rebookings and Cancellations
Process for rebookings and cancellations
For rebooking, a prior cancellation of the lesson is required. Cancellation can be made up to 24 hours before the scheduled lesson. Cancellation after the start of the lesson is not possible.

Cancellations can only be made via the Sankofa Lingua Academy website or through the Academy’s customer service. Changes or cancellations through the teacher, particularly during an ongoing lesson, are not permitted.

If the booking includes both single lessons and weekly courses, the cancellation applies to all booked lessons.

Validity of cancellation vouchers
In the event of cancellation, a cancellation voucher will be issued. This voucher is valid for 12 months from the date of issue and entitles the learner to make a new booking of the same value within that period. If the price of the new booking is higher than the voucher value, the difference must be paid. If it is lower, the remaining balance will remain on the voucher and can be used for a future booking. Deviations from these conditions may apply during time-limited promotional offers. Further details can be found in the special terms and conditions for promotions on the Sankofa Lingua Academy website.If a cancellation voucher is used for a new booking, the same cancellation rules and conditions will also apply to that new lesson.

Cancellation fees
Each cancellation and subsequent rebooking is subject to a cancellation fee per cancelled lesson. The cancellation voucher is issued for the value of the lesson minus the cancellation processing fee. In the event of a name change of the learner, any price difference due to price increases in the meantime must be paid. Changes to contact information are free of charge.

Cancellations by Sankofa Lingua Academy
All processing fees, cancellation fees, and any transfer fees are waived if the cancellation is due to circumstances for which Sankofa Lingua Academy is responsible. Refunds of course fees will only be made to the account provided by the learner when placing the order, or in the case of credit card payments, to the learner’s credit card account. If legally permissible processing or transfer fees must be deducted, this will be done through offsetting against the credit.

5.4 Special Notices for In-Person and Online Group Lessons

Start dates
The start dates are based on the information available on the website, particularly the timetable, which can be downloaded from the website.

Learning progress
In consultation with and with the consent of the course participant, a transfer to a different group may take place for educational reasons if this appears to be beneficial for optimising the learning progress of the group or individual participants.

5.5 Special Notices for All Online Programmes

Technical requirements and responsibility
Customers are responsible for ensuring that they meet the technical requirements for accessing and using the services they have booked. This applies in particular to the hardware and operating system used, the internet connection, firewall settings (if applicable), and the browser software in use. Customers are responsible for carrying out necessary and reasonable adjustments and for covering the cost of the internet connection needed to access the online course.

7.1 Sankofa shall only be liable for damages in cases of intent or gross negligence. Furthermore, Sankofa is liable for negligent breaches of essential contractual obligations (cardinal obligations), i.e., obligations whose breach endangers the purpose of the contract and on whose compliance a contractual partner regularly relies. In cases of damages caused by slight negligence, Sankofa and its vicarious agents shall only be liable for the breach of an essential contractual obligation, and only up to the amount of foreseeable damages typical to the contract at the time of conclusion.

Sankofa uses and processes customers’ personal data for its own marketing purposes by sending customers information regarding similar goods or services that they have previously ordered or booked. Customers can object to the use of their data for this purpose at any time by sending their objection under the keyword "Data Protection" via email to: info@sankofa-lingua.com.

We are obliged to inform you, as part of our online offering, about the European Commission’s platform for online dispute resolution (ODR). This can be accessed via the following internet address: www.ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr

Version: August 2023