Effective from 8 September 2026. These terms govern the website, member platform, paid memberships and event-booking services provided by the Westcountry Association for Counselling (WAC). They should be read with the Privacy Notice, Cookie Policy and the price, benefits and cancellation information shown before a purchase.
1. About these terms
By creating an account or using the website, you agree to the parts of these terms that apply to that service. A paid contract is formed when WAC confirms the membership or booking after payment. Nothing in these terms removes rights that cannot lawfully be excluded, including rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
If you purchase wholly or mainly for purposes outside your trade or profession, you are a consumer. Some statutory consumer rights may not apply where a professional or organisation purchases principally for business purposes, but WAC’s express refund promises below still apply unless the checkout clearly states otherwise.
2. Accounts and acceptable use
You must provide accurate information, keep sign-in credentials secure and tell WAC promptly about suspected unauthorised access. Accounts are personal and must not be shared. You must not use WAC to harass, discriminate, impersonate, upload unlawful or infringing material, disclose confidential client information, send unsolicited promotions, probe security, disrupt the service or scrape member information.
WAC may restrict or suspend an account where reasonably necessary to protect members, comply with law, investigate misuse or enforce membership rules. Where appropriate, WAC will explain the reason and provide an opportunity to respond. Serious or urgent risk may require immediate action.
3. Membership eligibility and benefits
Each membership plan has its own eligibility, price and benefits. Professional or Partner features may require evidence, approval or a completed payment or payout setup. WAC may refuse or withdraw a professional listing that is incomplete, misleading or cannot be verified. Membership does not amount to WAC endorsing every service offered by a member, and directory practitioners remain responsible for their own professional work, insurance, registrations and legal duties.
4. Membership fees, changes and renewal
Membership is normally an annual subscription paid through Stripe. The checkout states the amount, billing period, start date and first renewal date. Automatic renewal can be turned off in Membership & Billing; membership then continues until the paid term ends. If renewal is resumed before that date, Stripe will continue the existing subscription.
A plan change takes effect immediately. Stripe may calculate a prorated charge or credit for the remaining part of the current term, and the amount is shown in Stripe’s payment or invoice record. WAC may change future prices or plan benefits on reasonable notice; a change will not retrospectively alter a completed one-off payment.
5. Fourteen-day membership cooling-off promise
WAC gives every person who buys a new paid membership online 14 calendar days from activation to change their mind. A cancellation submitted during that period ends paid membership immediately, returns the account to the free level and refunds the latest membership payment in full to the original payment method. This is WAC’s express promise and applies even where the purchaser’s statutory status is uncertain.
To cancel, use Membership & Billing in the dashboard or send WAC an unambiguous cancellation request through Contact WAC. You may use the model wording at the end of these terms, but do not have to. Keep confirmation of the request.
After the 14-day period, turning off renewal does not normally refund the current term; access continues until its end. Choosing immediate cancellation after the cooling-off period ends paid access at once and normally does not create a refund unless WAC agrees otherwise or the law requires one. This is different from the 30-day recovery period offered when an entire account is deleted.
6. Event booking contract
An event page identifies the event, organiser, date, delivery method, price and any ticket-specific conditions. A place is not guaranteed until WAC confirms the booking. Cash or externally collected payments remain subject to the organiser’s stated collection arrangements. For a Partner event, WAC provides booking and payment tools, while the named organiser remains responsible for delivering the event content and for information supplied about it.
7. Event cancellations and refunds requested by attendees
The exact cancellation schedule displayed on the event page before booking forms part of the booking contract. Unless that page states a different schedule, WAC’s current standard calculation is:
- 100% refund when cancellation is completed at least 168 hours (7 days) before the event starts;
- 50% refund when cancellation is completed at least 48 hours, but less than 168 hours, before the event starts; and
- no automatic refund when cancellation is completed less than 48 hours before the event starts or after it has started.
The event page may lawfully use different hours or a different partial-refund percentage; review it before paying. The platform calculates eligibility at the time the cancellation is submitted. A refund is returned to the original card where possible. WAC initiates an approved Stripe refund promptly, but the bank or card issuer controls when it appears and this can commonly take several working days.
The general 14-day distance-contract cancellation right does not apply in the same way to every dated event. In particular, the Consumer Contracts Regulations contain an exception for certain accommodation, catering, transport and leisure services supplied on a specific date. The application of that exception depends on the nature of the event. If consumer law gives you a right more favourable than the displayed schedule, that statutory right prevails.
Non-attendance is not itself a cancellation. WAC or the organiser may consider exceptional circumstances, transfers or credits, but is not obliged to depart from the displayed schedule unless the law requires it. Any external payment marked for manual refund must be returned by the person who collected it.
8. Cancellation or material change by WAC or an organiser
If an event is cancelled by WAC or its organiser, captured card payments are refunded in full. Externally collected or cash payments are referred to the organiser for manual reconciliation. WAC will notify booked attendees using their saved contact preferences.
If the date, delivery method, location or essential nature of an event changes materially, attendees will be told and may request cancellation and a full refund where they do not accept the replacement. WAC and organisers are not responsible for separate travel, accommodation, childcare or other consequential costs unless the law requires otherwise, so attendees should consider refundable arrangements.
9. Partner organisers and payouts
A paid Partner event cannot be published until the organiser has an eligible Partner membership and completes Stripe payout setup. If payout capability becomes unavailable, the event may return to draft and booking may be suspended. If an organiser ceases to be eligible, future Partner events may be cancelled and affected captured payments refunded in full.
Organisers must provide accurate event information, hold appropriate permissions and insurance, deliver the event with reasonable care and skill, protect attendee information and cooperate with refunds, complaints and reasonable accessibility adjustments.
10. Directory, member content and communications
Professional profiles are published only after the eligible member actively enables publication and selects public fields. Members are responsible for keeping their profile, qualifications, availability, links and event content accurate and lawful. WAC may moderate, correct, unpublish or remove content that breaches these terms, creates a safety concern or risks misleading the public.
Messages and support tools are for legitimate WAC and professional-community use. They are not suitable for clinical records, crisis support or emergencies. Users must not identify a client or disclose another person’s confidential information without an appropriate lawful basis.
11. Availability and third-party services
WAC works to keep the service secure and available but cannot promise uninterrupted operation. Maintenance, security incidents, internet failures or suppliers such as Stripe, Mailtrap, Twilio or Zoom may temporarily affect a feature. WAC will take reasonable steps to restore important services and will not treat a failed payment as complete until confirmed by the payment provider.
12. Responsibility and liability
WAC provides an association platform and does not provide counselling through this website. Members, organisers and linked websites are responsible for their independent services and statements. WAC does not exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of statutory rights, or any liability that cannot lawfully be limited.
Subject to those protections, WAC is not responsible for loss that was not reasonably foreseeable when the contract was made or for business loss suffered by a consumer. A business purchaser’s remedies may be limited to the amount paid for the affected service where it is fair and lawful to do so.
13. Account closure
You may request account deletion from account settings. The account is first deactivated for 30 days so it can be securely restored; after the recovery deadline, core contact and profile data is anonymised. An account with responsibility for a future event may need that event reassigned or cancelled first. Certain transaction, attendance and governance records may be retained as explained in the Privacy Notice.
14. Complaints, law and changes
Raise a booking, refund, membership or service complaint through Contact WAC or Help & Support in the dashboard, quoting the booking, invoice or ticket reference. WAC will investigate and explain its decision. These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. Consumers retain any mandatory right to bring proceedings in another UK court that applies to them.
WAC may update these terms for legal, security or service reasons. The version accepted at purchase continues to govern that purchase unless a change is required by law or is expressly agreed. Material changes affecting an active subscription will be brought to members’ attention.
Model membership cancellation wording
To: Westcountry Association for Counselling. I give notice that I cancel my contract for [membership plan], ordered on [date]. Name: [name]. Account email: [email]. Date: [date].