General Business Conditions

I. General

1. The following terms and conditions apply to the business relationship between the company "Privates Sprachinstitut Treffpunkt GmbH" (hereinafter referred to as TREFFPUNKT) and the participants (hereinafter referred to as participants) of the language courses and examinations offered and conducted by TREFFPUNKT. The terms and conditions apply accordingly to cooperation partners who register participants for the courses and examinations at TREFFPUNKT and who thus book the corresponding services with TREFFPUNKT. 

2. TREFFPUNKT is a completely private company. TREFFPUNKT is a member of the Fachverband für Deutsch als Fremdsprache (fadaf), the Fachverband Deutscher Sprachschulen und Sprachreise-Veranstalter e.V. (FDSV), and the International Association of Language Centres (IALC). TREFFPUNKT has been accredited as examination center by the TestDaF Institute and telc GmbH. 

3. Participants must be at least 18 years of age. A divergence from this is possible after prior consultation with TREFFPUNKT. 

4. Registration for a language course or language examination must be made in writing. If registration takes place via our online store, by e-mail, fax or post, it is binding even without a signature. 

5. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the following shall apply: booked contingents must be utilized within 24 months; otherwise, these hours shall expire, whereby TREFFPUNKT shall be entitled to offset the value that it saves as a result of not providing the service or acquires through other use of its services. 

6. The scope of the contractual services is based on the service descriptions in the brochure and on TREFFPUNKT's homepage, the services booked in each case and on the corresponding booking confirmation (= invoice) from TREFFPUNKT. It is the responsibility of participants and the companies booking on their behalf to check whether the booking confirmation contains all the services booked (e.g. course, accommodation, meals). Any errors must be reported to TREFFPUNKT immediately. Agreements that change the scope of the contractual services must be confirmed in writing by TREFFPUNKT. Should the information in the brochure and on the homepage differ, the information on TREFFPUNKT's homepage shall prevail.

7. The registration fees and course fees for German courses include the lessons as booked, the respective teaching material (including a textbook), placement and final tests, as well as a certificate of course participation. There is the opportunity to participate in activities offered by TREFFPUNKT three times a week as part of the cultural program. Any costs incurred (e.g. for food, drink or admission) are to be borne by the participant. 

8. If fewer than four participants are registered for a course one week before the commencement of the course, TREFFPUNKT reserves the right to make changes to the program/course or reduce the number of lessons. 

9. A standard lesson lasts 45 minutes. When booking individual lessons, it is possible to choose between 45-minute lessons and 60-minute lessons.

10. The maximum number of participants in group courses is 10. 

11. There are no lessons on public holidays. Individual lessons will be made up. 

12. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from language courses and examinations. 

13. Participants are obliged to comply with the house rules of the respective accommodation, as well as the house rules of the school and the code of conduct published on the notice board and on the homepage.

14. Participants are obliged to immediately report and compensate for any damage they cause to the school, accommodation or other property belonging to the lessor. 

15. Booking the accommodation alternative, "single room in a private home," is only possible with a course duration of at least two weeks. 
This accommodation is made available to participants exclusively for the duration of the respective course. Unless otherwise agreed upon in writing, the date of arrival is the Sunday immediately preceding the start of the course, and the date of departure is the Saturday immediately following the end of the course. 

16. The booking of half board includes: breakfast from Monday to Sunday and a hot meal at lunchtime or in the evening five days a week.

17. Insurance is not included in the course fees and examination fees, or in the cost of accommodation. It is strongly recommended that you take out necessary insurance in good time. On request, health insurance can be booked as an additional service when booking the language course. 

18. We request that TREFFPUNKT is permitted to take photos during courses and leisure activities, which may be published on advertising material or on the TREFFPUNKT website. This requires a declaration of consent from you, which you can obtain and sign via the emergency contact form.

19. If the participant has no general place of jurisdiction in the Federal Republic of Germany, the city of Bamberg, Germany shall be the non-exclusive place of jurisdiction for disputes arising from this contractual relationship with TREFFPUNKT. If the participant moves his domicile or habitual residence outside Germany after the conclusion of the contract or if his domicile or habitual residence is not known at the time the action is filed, the place of jurisdiction for actions against the participant shall be Bamberg, Germany. 
Otherwise, the statutory places of jurisdiction shall apply. Exclusive places of jurisdiction, e.g. for judicial dunning proceedings, remain unaffected. 
German law shall apply. The place of performance is Bamberg, Germany. The exclusive place of jurisdiction for disputes arising from this contractual relationship with TREFFPUNKT is Bamberg, Germany, if the customer is a merchant or a legal entity under public law. Otherwise, the statutory places of jurisdiction shall apply. 

II. Payment and Due Date 

1.    In addition to course fees, a registration fee must be paid, the amount of which depends on the course booked. This fee must be paid only once within a calendar year, irrespective of the duration of the course booked.

2. Upon conclusion of the contract, at the latest upon receipt of the booking confirmation or invoice, the course fees, as well as the costs of additionally booked services, are due immediately and in full.
For intensive German courses, a deposit of 10% of the invoice amount must be paid to TREFFPUNKT no later than 10 days after receipt of the booking confirmation or invoice. The respective total amount or remaining amount must be received by TREFFPUNKT no later than seven days before the start of the course. Otherwise, the booking will be canceled by TREFFPUNKT. 

3. Any transfer and other bank charges incurred shall be borne by the participants or the companies booking on their behalf.

4. In the case of last-minute bookings (less than seven days before the start of the course), an individual agreement will be made with TREFFPUNKT regarding the due date and the ability to pay the fees. 

5. Individual payment agreements with TREFFPUNKT are possible, especially for long-term stays in intensive German course (starting at 13 weeks).

6. You can register for telc examinations (telc gGmbH, Basler Straße 7, 61352 Bad Homburg) via TREFFPUNKT. telc examinations must be paid for no later than three days after booking and at least 16 days before the start of the examination.
Otherwise, the registration will be canceled. A fee of €40.00 will be charged for arranging telc examinations. In the event of non-attendance at the examination, the examination fees will be charged in full, unless the absence is excused by a medical certificate, in which case only the arrangement fee of € 40.00 will be charged. The examination regulations of telc gGmbH apply.

III. Liability

1. The participants or the companies booking for them are liable for any damage they cause to the school, accommodation or other property belonging to the landlord or TREFFPUNKT. 

2.    If a participant repeatedly violates the respective house rules or the respective code of conduct or willfully causes damage to the school or accommodation, TREFFPUNKT may terminate the contractual relationship immediately. With regard to remuneration, § 628 II BGB (partial remuneration and compensation in the event of termination without notice) shall apply.

3. TREFFPUNKT is not liable for the loss of private items or for damage resulting from an accident caused by participants themselves. 

4. Participants take part in the offered leisure activities at their own risk. TREFFPUNKT is not liable for the behavior of the independent persons carrying out the leisure activities. These persons are not vicarious agents of TREFFPUNKT. 

5. TREFFPUNKT is not liable for damage caused by slight negligence on the part of its employees, except in the case of bodily injury. 

6. TREFFPUNKT cannot be held liable for service failures or damages caused by force majeure, the behavior of independent third parties or the behavior of a participant themselves. 

7. Liability for claims for damages, with the exception of physical injury, is limited to three times the trip price, unless TREFFPUNKT has caused the damage through gross negligence or intent.

IV. Cancellation

1. Unless otherwise agreed and recorded in writing, the consequences of cancellation are regulated as follows:
a) Cancellation fees for group language courses as well as individual and pair lessons are as follows if the entire course is canceled before the start of the course:

• Cancellation more than four weeks before the start of the course: none. 
• Cancellation 11 to 28 days before the start of the course: 20 % of the course and accommodation fees for a maximum period of four weeks. Alternatively, the course can be postponed to another available date. 
• Cancellation less than 11 days before the start of the course: 50% of the course and accommodation fees for a maximum period of four weeks. 
• Cancellation less than five days before the start of the course: 100 % of the course and accommodation fees for a maximum period of four weeks. 

b) Cancellation fees for individual and pair lessons for individual lesson days are as follows- Cancellation more than 24 hours before the start of the lesson: none. Cancellation less than 24 hours before the start of lessons: all lessons scheduled for that day. 
c) In the case of group language courses, those who do not attend individual lesson days will not receive a pro rata refund.
Cancellation shall only be deemed to have been made in due time if it has taken place in such a way that TREFFPUNKT could, under normal circumstances, become aware of the cancellation in due time. 

2. If the cancellation is due to a visa not being granted, TREFFPUNKT will refund the payments already made, minus the deposit, if the participant presents the official notice of rejection no later than three days before the start of the course. Without presentation of the official notice of rejection, the general cancellation regulations under section IV. No. 1 of these GTCs apply. Any bank charges incurred as part of the refund shall be borne by the participant. 

3. Costs for services booked from third parties (e.g. examination fees, insurance fees, transfer costs) cannot be reimbursed. The participant is free to prove that TREFFPUNKT has incurred no or less damage. 

4. It is generally possible to transfer the registration for a specific course date to another person. If the participant finds a replacement person to take the course to be canceled, no cancellation fees will be charged.

5. The deposit of 10% of the invoice amount will always be retained in the event of withdrawal and cancellation after expiry of the withdrawal period. The withdrawing party is free to prove that TREFFPUNKT has incurred no or less damage.

6. If a course is canceled by TREFFPUNKT, the participant will be refunded any payments already made. Further compensation can only be paid if the participant can prove that the damage claimed is solely due to the fact that TREFFPUNKT has canceled the course. 

V. Special Conditions 

1. For all former TREFFPUNKT participants the registration fee is reduced by 25%. 

2. If participants book further courses with TREFFPUNKT within a calendar year the registration fee is waived. 

Our Address

Sprachinstitut TREFFPUNKT
Hauptwachstraße 19
D-96047 Bamberg
Germany
E: post(at)learn-german(dot)com
T: +49 951 3027989
F: +49 951 3017524