Customer Care Policy

Tutors are committed to providing an excellent standard of service to their clients. Tutors value feedback greatly because it helps them to continually improve their sessions and service. If you do not feel that you are receiving excellent client service, or that something could be improved, please do tell the tutor about it. If they have fallen short of the high standards they have set for themselves, then they would like the opportunity to learn from it and to put things right.

The role of the Sunbeam Education platform

The Sunbeam Education platform’s main service is connecting customers with tutors. Sunbeam Education is a separate business from the tutors, delivering a separate service. We also provide some services ourselves, such as our EHCP audits and consulting calls, and we take payments and make refunds on the tutors’ behalf. 

A separate contract applies between you and tutors when you book sessions, namely the Tutoring Services Contract Terms https://sunbeameducation.com/tutoring-services-contract-terms.

Sunbeam Education does not deliver the tutoring sessions, so the tutor, not Sunbeam Education, is responsible for the tutoring sessions they deliver to you. We are responsible for our own services: our platform, taking payments and making refunds, the checks we carry out on tutors, and our EHCP audits and consulting calls. You can complain to us about our own services (see Complaints about Sunbeam Education’s own services below).

Tutors have agreed with Sunbeam Education to follow this customer care policy. If a tutor doesn’t follow it, please tell us using the details below. Nothing in this policy affects your legal rights as a consumer, against the tutor or against Sunbeam Education, or limits any liability that cannot legally be limited. 

What if the tutor has done something really bad? 

If you think a child is in immediate danger, call 999. If you believe that the tutor has done something really bad, for example acted in a way that goes against our Acceptable Use Policy (https://sunbeameducation.com/acceptable-use-policy) please contact Sunbeam Education as soon as possible using any of the below details:

FAO: Alex Pagett
Email: info@sunbeameducation.com
Contact form: https://sunbeameducation.com/contact

Phone: +44 7557 308376
Address:
AP Tutoring Limited
Brook Cottage
Filkins
Lechlade, GL7 3JQ

Reporting content on our platform

You can use the same details to report any message, profile, video or review on our website or in our web app that you think is illegal or breaks our Acceptable Use Policy, or to complain about how we dealt with a report. Please tell us what the content is, who posted or sent it and roughly when. We will review it, remove it or take other action where appropriate, and tell you what we have done.

How to give feedback or make a complaint about a tutor

Please feel welcome to raise your concerns directly with the tutor, as a formal complaint under this policy, by sending them a message through your account on the Sunbeam Education platform (https://app.sunbeameducation.com/). If you would rather not contact the tutor yourself, if the tutor is no longer on the platform, or if you would find it difficult to put your complaint in writing, contact Sunbeam Education using the details above (you can call us on +44 7557 308376 to talk it through). We will pass your complaint to the tutor and keep you updated. 

How to make a formal complaint under this policy

To enable the tutor to investigate and provide a thorough response to your concerns, they will need to form a good understanding of the issues. The tutor would welcome hearing from you via the Sunbeam Education platform with a brief explanation of:

• Why you feel dissatisfied with the service you have received.
• If there is anything in particular that you would like the tutor to do to resolve your complaint.

What happens after I have made a complaint under this policy? 

The tutor has agreed that they will:

• Send a written acknowledgement of your complaint within five working days of receiving it.
• Investigate your concerns diligently, impartially and fairly. This may include reviewing your profile and related records.
• Let you know promptly if they need any further information from you to assist their investigation.
• Write to you to provide a formal Final Response to Complaint setting out the conclusion of their investigation and any proposals to rectify or resolve the matter. If they can’t resolve your complaint, the Final Response will say so, give you the name and website of the mediator named under Mediation below, and confirm that they will take part in mediation if you ask.
• Ask you to let them know whether they have succeeded in resolving your concerns and, if you accept any proposals made, fulfil the proposals promptly.

Do I have to pay for tutoring sessions if I am complaining?

Making a complaint does not cancel or pause your bookings. Sessions that stay booked are charged as usual, about 23 hours before each session starts (see When we charge you in our Terms of Service https://sunbeameducation.com/terms-of-service/). You can cancel or move future sessions, or cancel a Subscription or Course, in your online account. You won’t pay for a session you cancel more than 24 hours before it starts, or for any session not yet delivered that you cancel during your 14-day cancellation period. 

Making a complaint does not affect your legal rights. These include a full refund for any session the tutor cancels, is at least 15 minutes late to or doesn’t turn up to (if the tutor is late or doesn’t turn up, tell us using the details above and we will refund you within 14 days), and, where a session wasn’t delivered with reasonable care and skill, a repeat session or, if that isn’t possible, a full or partial refund.

If the tutor agrees to refund or reduce any fees, Sunbeam Education will make the refund on the tutor’s behalf, promptly, to the card or other payment method you paid with. It can then take 5 to 10 working days to reach your account.

How long will it take?

Tutors are expected to conclude their investigation and provide their Final Response as quickly as possible. Although they should always aim for sooner, the process may take up to eight weeks from receipt of your complaint.

In exceptional circumstances it may be necessary to extend these timescales. If this occurs, they should let you know in writing and will try to agree any variations with you first.

What might the outcome of my complaint be?

We regret any dissatisfaction which customers experience and, if the tutor’s investigation concludes that their service has fallen below their usual high standards, we expect them not to hesitate to apologise. They may also make any proposals that they consider appropriate to resolve or improve your situation. Depending on the circumstances this may include, for example, an offer of compensation, reduced fees, further assistance or other proposals. These are only examples and may not be relevant or appropriate in all cases. 

They should also take steps to try to stop any problems you have experienced happening again. 

What if I remain dissatisfied?

If you remain dissatisfied after receiving the tutor’s Final Response, or you have not received a Final Response within eight weeks of the tutor receiving your complaint (or by any later date you agreed to), you can ask for the dispute to be mediated (see Mediation below). Tutors have agreed with us to take part in mediation in good faith. You can also contact Sunbeam Education using the details above, and we will let you know if we can help. If the tutor doesn’t respond to your complaint, refuses mediation, or doesn’t do what they agreed to, please tell us: we may then refund or compensate you on the tutor’s behalf. 

Mediation

You can request that any dispute between you and tutors be referred to the TCM Group (https://thetcmgroup.com/), or any other mediator as you both agree. Any such requests should be made to the tutor through your account on the Sunbeam Education platform (https://app.sunbeameducation.com/). Please also let Sunbeam Education know at info@sunbeameducation.com. If you can’t message the tutor, tell us and we will pass your request on. Both you and the tutor must act in good faith when considering any requests for mediation and engaging in any mediation. Mediation is optional for you and doesn’t stop you going to court.

Complaints about Sunbeam Education’s own services

If you are unhappy with something Sunbeam Education has done, for example our platform, a payment or refund, our checks on tutors, our EHCP audits or consulting calls, or how we dealt with a report, please contact Alex Pagett using the details above. You can complain in writing or by phone, and there is no charge for making a complaint. We will:

• Acknowledge your complaint in writing within five working days of receiving it.
• Investigate it fairly and let you know promptly if we need any further information from you.
• Send you a full written response within eight weeks of receiving your complaint, setting out what we found and anything we will do to put things right.

If we can’t resolve your complaint, our response will say so and explain the options open to you, including going to court (see You have several options for resolving disputes in our Terms of Service https://sunbeameducation.com/terms-of-service/).