Refund Policy

This Refund Policy applies exclusively to lesson fees paid to Merit Education Foundation for one-to-one Quran teaching sessions. It does not apply to charitable donations (which are governed by separate terms outlined in Section 6 below).

Merit Education Foundation is committed to providing a fair, transparent, and family-friendly refund process. We understand that life circumstances change, and we aim to handle all refund requests with empathy and common sense within the framework below.

If Merit Education Foundation or your assigned tutor cancels a lesson for any reason, you will receive a full refund of the lesson fee or a lesson credit — whichever you prefer. We will notify you as early as possible and offer alternative times where available.

In addition to the standard cancellation policy, refunds may be issued in the following circumstances at Merit's discretion:

• Technical Failure: If a lesson cannot proceed due to a verified technical failure on Merit's platform or tutor side, a full refund or rescheduled session will be offered.
• Medical Emergency: If a student or immediate family member experiences a medical emergency, we will consider a lesson credit upon receipt of appropriate evidence.
• Bereavement: In cases of bereavement affecting the student or their immediate family, Merit will handle requests with sensitivity and discretion.
• Unsatisfactory Service: If you believe a lesson was significantly substandard, please contact us within 48 hours with specific details. We will investigate and, where appropriate, offer a credit or partial refund.
• 14-Day Cooling-Off Period: For new students, if you cancel all future lessons within 14 days of your first paid (non-trial) session, you may request a full refund of any unused pre-paid lessons.

Once a refund is approved, here is what to expect:

The following are not eligible for refund under any circumstances:

• Completed lessons: Any lesson that has taken place, regardless of outcome or satisfaction, is non-refundable.
• Free trial sessions: No financial consideration is exchanged for trial lessons, therefore no refund applies.
• Lessons cancelled with less than 6 hours' notice without exceptional circumstance.
• Student no-shows: If a student fails to attend a scheduled lesson without prior notice, the session fee is forfeited.
• Accounts suspended due to conduct violations: No refund is issued where access is revoked due to breach of our Terms & Conditions or Safeguarding Policy.

Charitable donations made to Merit Education Foundation are generally non-refundable, as they are immediately allocated to fund children's education programmes upon receipt.

• Donations processed via Gift Aid cannot be refunded once submitted to HMRC.
• Monthly donation subscriptions can be cancelled at any time, but amounts already collected are non-refundable.
• Zakat donations are subject to Islamic jurisprudence and cannot be redirected once allocated to eligible recipients.

To request a refund, please contact us using one of the following methods:

If you are unhappy with the outcome of your refund request, you may escalate the matter to our senior management team at info@meriteducation.org, marked "Refund Dispute".

If you remain unsatisfied, you may seek independent advice from Citizens Advice (citizensadvice.org.uk) or the Charity Commission if the matter relates to a donation. UK consumer rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 are not affected by this policy.