General terms and conditions for private customers

1. Scope

These terms govern contracts between Esra Medik, a sole trader under the HIER ANKOMMEN brand, and consumers under section 13 BGB for monthly memberships, individual online lessons and other private German learning services. Businesses are subject to separate terms for businesses. Individual agreements take precedence.

2. Contracting party and contact

Your contracting party is Esra Medik, sole proprietorship, Fährstraße 217, 40221 Düsseldorf, Germany. Email: info@hierankommen.de; phone: +49 179 1474777. Further details in the Legal notice (Impressum).

3. Courses and membership plans

HIER ANKOMMEN offers private live online German lessons for adults. Monthly memberships include the following: Ankommen: an open community conversation with Esra every Monday, 18:00–19:00; no entitlement to individual lessons or a fixed small group. Wachsen: Ankommen benefits plus focused exam speaking practice on the first two Tuesdays of every calendar month, 18:00–19:00; specific dates appear in the member area. Mentoring: Wachsen benefits plus two personal one-to-one sessions with Esra of 45 minutes per monthly billing period, arranged individually. All times are German local time (Europe/Berlin). Lessons are in German.

Group sessions last 60 minutes. Specific times, content and participation requirements follow the service description shown when booking. No particular learning outcome or exam success is guaranteed.

These are not state-funded integration courses. HIER ANKOMMEN has no BAMF accreditation, is not an examination centre and does not conduct official language exams. Exam preparation is teaching, not an official exam.

4. Booking and contract formation

To book a membership online, choose a plan and register or log in. Before the paid order, you see the plan, price and essential terms. You may correct entries or cancel before completion. Clicking the final button clearly marked as incurring payment submits a binding offer to contract.

We accept the offer by activating the booked membership after successful payment processing. Redirection to the payment page alone is not acceptance. Within a reasonable time, and no later than before teaching begins, you receive an email confirmation containing contract information, these terms and withdrawal instructions.

For separately agreed individual lessons or other individually booked services, the contract is formed by acceptance of the specific offer. The contract language is German. You may save or print these terms using your browser.

5. Prices

Current monthly prices: Ankommen €9.99, Wachsen €29.99, Mentoring €149.99. The price shown and agreed before ordering applies. All are final prices. Under section 19 UStG (small-business exemption), VAT is neither charged nor shown.

Prices for separate services are agreed before contracting. Changes to website prices do not automatically change an existing contract's price.

6. Payment and monthly billing

Membership payments are processed by Stripe using a method offered at checkout. Fees are collected monthly in advance using the agreed method. Your next payment date and membership status appear in the member area.

The monthly billing period follows your subscription start, not the calendar month. Upgrades follow section 16. Retrying a booking alone does not cancel outstanding payments. We or the payment provider contact you about payment problems; statutory rights and conditions for suspension or termination remain unaffected.

7. Delivery of lessons

Lessons are live online via Microsoft Teams. Group sessions take place at agreed times published on the website; one-to-one sessions are arranged individually. Access is through the member area or a personal invitation.

Membership scope depends on the booked plan. Changes to agreed essential services require your agreement; changing a website description alone is not sufficient.

8. Technical requirements

You need a sufficiently stable internet connection, an internet-enabled device suitable for Teams and a microphone; a camera for video. You bear your internet/mobile costs. Check access before your first session.

Problems solely with your device or connection are generally your responsibility. Section 23 and your statutory rights remain unaffected.

9. Online participation

Please be punctual and follow the lesson rules communicated beforehand for your format. You activate your own camera and microphone. Contact us about technical or personal difficulties so we can agree a suitable way to participate.

10. Conduct in lessons

Everyone must treat others respectfully. For serious disruption, the teacher may take proportionate steps to protect lessons. Permanent exclusion or extraordinary termination follows statutory conditions, including any required warning. This does not exclude all refund claims as a blanket rule.

11. Personal sessions and individual lessons

A personal session lasts 45 minutes. Mentoring includes two per monthly billing period. Arrange them in good time. Additional sessions or separate individual lessons are charged only under a separate agreement.

These terms do not automatically forfeit or exclude statutory rights because a date has not yet been arranged. If a session is impossible for reasons within our responsibility, section 15 applies.

12. Group sessions

Group sessions follow your plan. Mondays are weekly; a calendar month has four or five Mondays, so the number per billing period varies. Wachsen and Mentoring Tuesday training is on the first two Tuesdays of each calendar month, not weekly. Those agreed dates govern. There is no unannounced general holiday or public-holiday exception to the agreed service.

13. Minimum number of participants

These terms introduce no extra minimum attendance for ongoing membership sessions. For a separate course, a minimum applies only if expressly disclosed and agreed before booking, including cancellation conditions and deadline. If we cancel, fees already paid for it are refunded; accepting an alternative is voluntary.

14. Rescheduling

Individually arranged lessons may be moved free of charge to an available alternative by agreement up to 24 hours before they start. Tell us as early as possible.

For later cancellation or absence, any fee claims follow statutory requirements. Saved expenses and other earnings that must be credited are considered. You may prove no loss or a substantially smaller loss. Statutory withdrawal and termination rights are not restricted.

15. Teacher cancellation

If a session is cancelled for reasons within our responsibility, we promptly offer a suitable replacement. If impossible or unreasonable for you, we refund the fee attributable to the missed service. Being part of a membership alone does not exclude a refund. Further statutory rights remain.

16. Plan changes: upgrades and downgrades

You may request a plan change on the website and expressly confirm it after reviewing the summary. It shows the new plan, amount due today, future monthly price and effective/next payment date. With a saved payment method, a new redirect to Stripe is not always needed.

Upgrade: A change to a higher-priced plan starts a new monthly billing period when effective. Unused prepaid time on the old plan is credited proportionately against the new full period's price. The change date becomes the monthly billing day. The displayed amount is charged to the saved payment method. If further confirmation is needed or payment is outstanding, the upgrade is not yet complete.

Downgrade: A cheaper plan is scheduled for the end of the current prepaid period. Until then, the existing plan and benefits continue. The new plan and price apply from the next period. Scheduling alone causes neither immediate extra payment nor a prorated refund of the current period. Statutory refund and withdrawal rights remain.

Changing plans is not cancellation. Existing scheduled changes or cancellations are considered in the summary; contact us before confirming if anything is unclear.

17. Membership duration and cancellation

Membership is indefinite with monthly billing and continues until effective cancellation. There is no annual minimum commitment.

You may cancel at any time effective at the end of the current monthly billing period, with no additional advance-notice period. Benefits remain until then; billing then stops. Receipt of your notice determines cancellation. Our approval is not required.

You may cancel in the member area or linked customer portal, or without logging in on “Cancel contracts here” . You may also cancel in text form, for example by email to info@hierankommen.de. Provide enough information to identify your contract. If you use the cancellation form, we acknowledge receipt electronically and notify you of the exact end date after matching your contract.

Extraordinary termination for good cause and statutory withdrawal remain unaffected. Ordinary cancellation alone does not refund the period up to contract end; statutory refund claims remain. Cancelling membership does not automatically cancel separately booked individual sessions.

18. Non-attendance and separate cancellations

Missing a properly offered group session for personal reasons generally gives no extra entitlement to an individual replacement or reduced membership fee. Statutory claims, especially for service failures within our responsibility, remain.

Section 14 applies to individual sessions. Cancellation of separate bookings beyond statutory rights and these terms may be agreed individually.

19. Course materials

Materials may be used for personal learning. Further sharing, publication or reproduction needs the rights holder's consent unless legally permitted.

20. Copyright

Copyright in teaching materials and other protected content remains with the rights holders. Booking grants no exclusive usage rights. Legally permitted uses remain unaffected.

21. Recording lessons

We do not record or transcribe lessons. Participants may not record or capture screens without prior express consent from affected persons and the teacher.

22. Data protection

Information about processing your personal data, especially accounts, payments and Microsoft Teams, is in our Privacy policy.

23. Liability

We have unlimited liability for intentional or grossly negligent damage and for injury to life, body or health caused by intentional or negligent breach by us, our legal representatives or agents. Mandatory statutory liability, particularly under the Product Liability Act, and liability under an expressly assumed guarantee remain unaffected.

For other damage caused by slight negligence, we are liable for breach of an essential obligation enabling proper contract performance and on which you may normally rely. Liability is then limited to foreseeable damage typical of the contract at conclusion. Otherwise, liability for other slightly negligent damage is excluded. These limits also protect our representatives and agents.

24. Right of withdrawal

Consumers have a right of withdrawal when statutory conditions are met. Details and the model form are in the Right of withdrawal. Withdrawal and ordinary cancellation are different rights.

Agreeing to these terms alone neither waives withdrawal nor separately requests early performance. Compensation for services or early expiry of withdrawal is governed by law and the withdrawal instructions.

25. Final provisions

German law applies excluding the UN Sales Convention. For consumers habitually resident elsewhere, that state's mandatory consumer protections remain applicable to the extent provided by law.

If a provision is invalid, the rest remain effective. Statutory rules replace invalid provisions. Information on consumer arbitration is in the legal notice.