Preamble

The Di Pacci Coffee Company, RTO 45805, employs financial management strategies to ensure it has sufficient funds to fulfil its training and assessment commitments.  Di Pacci Coffee Company provides clients with clear and accurate information relating to fees and refunds prior to their enrolment in a training program.

Purpose

This Policy covers areas of Fees, Fee protection and Refunds.

This policy ensures compliance with standards 7 (7.3), 5 (5.3) of the Standards for Registered Training Organisations, (RTOs) 2015. The clauses are as follows:

Clause 5.3 Where the RTO collects fees from the individual learner, either directly or through a third party, the RTO provides or directs the learner to information prior to enrolment or the commencement of training and assessment, whichever comes first, specifying:

a) all relevant fee information including:                                                       

        i) fees that must be paid to the RTO                                                             

        ii) payment terms and conditions including deposits and refunds. 
b) the learner’s rights as a consumer, including but not limited to any statutory cooling-off period, if one applies 
c) the learner’s right to obtain a refund for services not provided by the RTO in the event the:
        i) arrangement is terminated early 
        ii) the RTO fails to provide the agreed services. 

Clause 7.3 Where the RTO requires, either directly or through a third party, a prospective or current learner to prepay fees in excess of a total of $1500 (being the threshold prepaid fee amount), the RTO must meet the requirements set out in the Requirements for Fee Protection in Schedule 6 (of the Standards for RTO 2015)

Definitions

Educational and support services may include, but are not limited to:

1. pre-enrolment materials;
2. study support and study skills programs;
3. language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) programs or referrals to these programs;
4. equipment, resources and/or programs to increase access for learners with disabilities and other learners in accordance with access and equity;
5. learning resource centres;
6. mediation services or referrals to these services;
7. flexible scheduling and delivery of training and assessment;
8. counselling services or referrals to these services;
9. information and communications technology (ICT) support;
10. learning materials in alternative formats, for example, in large print;
11. learning and assessment programs contextualised to the workplace; and
12. any other services that the RTO considers necessary to support learners to achieve competency.

Client means a learner, enterprise or organisation that uses or purchases the services provided by an RTO.

Services mean training, assessment, related educational and support services and/or any activities related to the recruitment of prospective learners. It does not include services such as student counselling, mediation or ICT support.

Third-party means any party that provides services on behalf of the RTO but does not include a contract of employment between an RTO and its employee.

Record means a written, printed, or electronic document providing evidence that activities have been performed.

Learner means a person being trained and/or assessed by the RTO for the purpose of issuing AQF certification documentation.

Principles

The enrolment form and pre-assessment brief for individual participants or the quotation and proposal for a business is the agreement to be signed and in that agreement there is a declaration of the fees and that the terms and conditions of enrolment have been read and are accepted. 

Participants or the business client are required to sign the acceptance of the terms and conditions. 

This may take the form of: 

• Paper- based signing on the enrolment form or quotation and proposal
• Acknowledged acceptance of the terms and conditions on the website enrolment process.

The Company reserves the right to change its policy regarding pricing, fees and refunds with due notice to customers. 

The Chief Executive Officer or his/her designated officer has overall responsibility for financial management.

The Di Pacci Coffee Company follows sound financial management practices to safeguard client fees paid in advance. These may include:

a budget for each training program

establishment of separate bank account for fees received 

maintenance of a separate ledger for fees received

accurate and up-to-date financial records 

regular monitoring of its financial position 

sufficient funds to cover expenses for each training program held in a deposit or trust account 

Clients are made aware that The Di Pacci Coffee Company employs financial management strategies to protect fees paid in advance through the following avenues:

Course information material

Code of Practice

The Di Pacci Coffee Company website

The Di Pacci Coffee Company also provides clients with accurate and up-to-date information regarding all fees and charges and information relating to refunds prior to their enrolment in a training program. These are as follows:

Fee Policy 

The Di Pacci Coffee Company must provide and make clear all relevant fee information including payment terms and conditions, deposits and refunds and the learner’s rights as a consumer to obtain a refund for services not provided prior to enrolment or commencement of training or assessment whichever is earliest. 

Fee information must include:

• all fees payable to the RTO, clearly describing all costs involved with the course 
• how and when fees must be paid 
• how to request a refund 
• the conditions under which a refund would be provided
• any debt that may be incurred
• any associated fees, indexation or interest                        

For courses where the total course fees are less than $1500, successful applicants must make full payment at the time of booking to secure their place. The full payment includes a 50% non-refundable deposit based on the course fee. Requests for rescheduling are only accepted if made more than 7 days prior to the date of course commencement and upon payment of a 50% administration fee based on the course fee. 

For courses where the total course fee exceeds $1500, The Di Pacci Coffee Company shall meet its learner fee protection obligations by one of the following means:

1. The RTO holds an unconditional financial guarantee from a bank operating in Australia where: 
1. the guarantee is for an amount no less than the total amount of prepaid fees held by the RTO in excess of the threshold prepaid fee amount for each learner for services to be provided by the RTO to those learners; and 
2. all establishment and ongoing maintenance costs for the bank guarantee are met by the RTO. 

Or,

1. The RTO holds current membership of a Tuition Assurance Scheme approved by its VET Regulator which, if the RTO is unable to provide services for which the learner has prepaid, must ensure: 
1. the learner will be placed into an equivalent course such that: 

• the new location is geographically close to where the learner had been enrolled; and
• the learner receives the full services for which they have prepaid at no additional cost to the learner; or 

if an equivalent course cannot be found, the learner is paid a refund of any prepaid fees for services yet to be delivered above the threshold prepaid fee amount.

                Or

               3. Any other fee protection measure approved by the VET Regulator

Refund policy 

A request for fee refund, less the non-refundable deposit of 50% of the course fee, may only be granted at the discretion of The Di Pacci Coffee Company Chief Executive Officer if there exists extenuating circumstances and if the client cancels before commencement of the course.

After commencement of the course, fees are non-refundable except at the discretion of the Chief Executive Officer of The Di Pacci Coffee Company. 

After booking, courses may only be rescheduled upon payment of a 50% administration fee based on the course fee and if the request for rescheduling is made more than 7 days prior to course commencement.

In the unlikely event of course cancellation by The Di Pacci Coffee Company or inability to provide services as agreed, a full fee refund including the non-refundable deposit is made to clients. 

Deferment of Course and Fee Credit

Deferment of course and fee credit only apply to courses where the total fee cost does not exceed $1500. For courses that exceed the $1500 threshold please refer to the relevant course information for that course.

Clients may only defer a course if the request is made more than 7 days prior to course commencement and upon payment of a 50% administration fee based on the course fee. The remaining fee credit may only be used for course rescheduling and is valid for six (6) calendar months from the original course commencement date. 

Specific actions to be taken

• Provide or direct clients to information prior to enrolment or the commencement of training and assessment, whichever comes first, specifying: 

         a) all relevant fee information including: 
                  i) fees that must be paid to the RTO
                  ii) payment terms and conditions including deposits and refunds. 
         b) the learner’s rights as a consumer, including but not limited to any        statutory cooling-off period, if one applies
         c) the learner’s right to obtain a refund for services not provided by the RTO in the event the: 
                    i) arrangement is terminated early 
                    ii) the RTO fails to provide the agreed services

• How to request a refund
• The conditions under which a refund would be provided
• Implement the appropriate fee protection strategy for prepaid fees in excess of $1500 in accordance with Schedule 6 of the Standards for RTOs 2015
• Ensure any third parties that collect fees on behalf of The Di Pacci Coffee Company comply with this fee policy.
• Ensure that any fee information disseminated or on marketing materials is true and accurate
• Ensure that clients are provided with the fee information upfront prior to finalisation of the payment
• Ensure that receipts or invoices clearly state the components of the fee

Performance indicators

The success of this policy may be measured in terms of:

• Positive audit outcomes
• Acceptance of terms and conditions by clients
• Fair and just implementation of the refund policy based on client feedback