Dr Paul Lam Tai Chi for Health Institute Incorporated (TCHI)

ABN 57 939 736 232 • Registered Office: Suite 2E/6-10 Tooronga Terrace, Beverly Hills NSW 2209 Australia

Membership Terms & Conditions

Effective: 15 October 2025, 9:00 a.m. Sydney time (14 October, 6:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern)

1. Who we are & scope

These Terms govern recurring TCHI memberships (“membership”). TCHI is a not for profit association in NSW, Australia. Merchant of record: TCHI (NSW). Currency: AUD.

2. Membership options & benefits

  • Standard Membership (AUD 99 / 2 years)
    • All Board Certification inclusions:
      • License to teach Tai Chi for Health programs under Dr Lam and the Tai Chi for Health Institute
      • Digital certificates (available only when the underlying qualification is current)
      • Instructor directory listing (profile & photos) while membership is current
      • Member discounts on instructional materials, online lessons, and workshops
      • Use of official logos, business cards, brochures, and banners
      • Administrative support
  • Premier Membership (AUD 169 / 2 years)
    • Everything in Standard, plus:
      • Extra visibility in the Instructor Directory
      • Greater discounts on resources
      • Support the Institute’s worldwide mission
  • Senior Trainer / Master Trainer
    • Tiered membership and benefits for STs/MTs (details provided to those roles).

Important: Membership and Qualifications are separate. Some membership benefits (e.g., discounts, support) may continue even if a qualification has expired; however, digital certificates are not available for expired qualifications, and the directory listing requires an active membership.

3. Eligibility, purchase, and transfer

  • Who can buy: Individuals, and agencies purchasing on behalf of multiple instructors.
  • Ownership: For agency paid memberships, the agency owns and controls the membership (including cancellation).
  • Non transferable: Memberships are not transferable between people.

4. Term, billing & renewal

  • Term: 2 years, auto renews by default to align with the two year qualification cycle.
  • Renewal notice: We send a reminder 7 days before renewal.
  • Changing your mind about renewal: Turn off auto renew anytime in your account or by emailing support; cancellation applies at end of term.

5. Prices, discounts & tax

  • Prices: Standard AUD 99 / Premier AUD 169 per two year term. We may run promotions from time to time at our discretion.
  • Tax: TCHI is not registered for Australian GST. No GST is charged.
  • Invoices: Include TCHI legal name and ABN.

6. Certificates & directory linkage

  • Certificates: Accessible only when both (a) the membership is current and (b) the underlying qualification is current.
  • Directory listing: Shown only while membership is current. If membership lapses, the listing is removed until renewed.

7. Failed payments & access (no grace policy)

  • If payment fails at renewal, membership becomes inactive immediately and access/benefits stop.
  • Stripe may retry the payment automatically (Smart Retries). If a retry succeeds, we reinstate access immediately. The renewal anchor date stays the same (no extension for inactive time).
  • We generally keep the subscription open in past_due while retries run (not cancelled).
  • Bank debits (e.g., BECS/SEPA/ACH): While funds are processing, we treat the account as inactive until the debit successfully settles.
  • No reactivation fees.

8. Pauses (by request)

We may grant a temporary pause on request via your MT or ST (e.g., parental leave/hardship). During a pause, billing and access stop, and the membership term may be extended by the paused time at TCHI’s discretion.

9. Cancellations & refunds (summary)

  • Cancel anytime via the Customer Portal or by email; cancellation takes effect at end of the current term.
  • Cooling off: 14-day full refund window after purchase/renewal (see policy for details).
  • After cooling off: No refunds except for the specific cases listed in the Cancellation & Refund Policy.
  • Price changes: If prices change, we’ll give ≥30 days’ notice; if you don’t agree, turn off auto renew before the effective date (membership runs to end of term).

10. Conduct & acceptable use

11. Privacy & data

  • We use Stripe to process payments; card data is tokenised by Stripe and not stored on TCHI servers.

12. Communications

  • Transactional emails (receipts, renewal reminders, payment issues) are required to run the service.
  • Marketing emails are opt in; you can unsubscribe via link in any email or by contacting service@taichiforhealthinstitute.org.

13. Support

14. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms; material changes take effect with at least 30 days’ notice. If you don’t accept changes, turn off auto renew; your membership will continue until end of term under the previous Terms where required by law.

15. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia, and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of its courts.

Cancellation & Refund Policy

Effective: 15 October 2025, 9:00 a.m. Sydney time (14 October, 6:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern)

TL;DR

  • Cooling off: 14 days after purchase/renewal → full refund (if benefits not substantially used).
  • After 14 days: No refunds, except for: duplicate charges, confirmed unauthorised payment (fraud), TCHI service failure, or approved hardship.
  • Cancel anytime: Takes effect at end of term.
  • Failed payments: Immediate inactivation, retried automatically; access restored when paid; no reactivation fee.
  • Chargebacks: Access pauses during a dispute; if dispute resolves for you, we refund; if resolved for TCHI, the charge stands.

1) Cooling off period (14 days)

You can cancel for a full refund within 14 days of a new purchase or renewal. We may consider benefits “substantially used” if, for example, a certificate has been issued/verified, significant members only resources were downloaded, or a member only discount was used.

2) No refunds after cooling off (standard rule)

After the 14 day window, we don’t offer refunds for the remainder of a term, except for the specific cases listed in Section 3.

3) Refunds we will grant (outside cooling off)

We provide a full refund when:

  • Duplicate charge or accidental multiple purchase.
  • Unauthorised/fraudulent payment (after investigation).
  • TCHI service issue that prevents you from accessing paid benefits and we can’t fix it within a reasonable time.
  • Hardship (illness, bereavement, financial hardship) approved via the fee waiver process (see below).

4) Mistaken sign up (no benefits used)

If you signed up by mistake and haven’t used benefits, we’ll grant a full refund on request—even if more than 14 days have passed—at TCHI’s discretion.

5) How to cancel

6) Failed payments (no grace)

If a renewal payment fails, your membership becomes inactive immediately; access/benefits stop. Stripe may retry the charge automatically. When payment succeeds, access is restored immediately. No reactivation fee applies. We usually keep the subscription in past_due (not cancelled) during retries.

7) Chargebacks (card payment disputes)

A chargeback is when you ask your bank/card issuer to reverse a charge.

  • On a chargeback, we pause access while we provide evidence to the bank.
  • If the dispute is resolved in your favour, we refund the charge and restore access.
  • If resolved in TCHI’s favour, the charge stands, and access remains subject to payment.
  • Repeated or abusive chargebacks may lead to membership denial.

8) Special purchase situations

  • Agency paid memberships: The purchasing agency controls cancellation and account management.
  • Gifts: We do not offer gift memberships.
  • Transfers: Memberships are non transferable.

9) How to request a refund

Email service@taichiforhealthinstitute.org with: name, email on the account, invoice number(s), and a short description. We’ll aim to respond within 24 hours (Sydney business hours, Mon–Fri, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.).