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Plain-English summary
Lingoda's terms include clauses where your liability for damages is limited, credits are non-refundable in money, and credits can be lost if you're late for class or excluded for "good cause." The company also reserves the right to cancel your contract and account if you object to changes in their terms, and they are not obligated to keep a log of your user account data. Monthly subscriptions automatically renew, and free trials convert to paid subscriptions if not cancelled.
92% confidence
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Follow up on findings with grounded answers from this review. Not legal advice.
Risk Flags
7 findings
Critical issues that may lead to significant user harm. These are often buried in dense legal prose and can be difficult to find. High severity means a direct and severe risk; medium severity implies a significant but less immediate threat; low severity indicates a potential minor inconvenience or low-stakes risk.
high95% confidence
Liability for damages is limited
Lingoda's liability for damages is limited to the amount typically foreseeable for slightly negligent breaches of material obligations, and they are not liable for slightly negligent breaches of non-essential obligations.
Why it matters: This means that if Lingoda's slight negligence on non-essential obligations causes you harm, they may not be liable to compensate you for it. For material obligations, their liability is capped at foreseeable damages.
(1) Subject to the following paragraph of this section 9, Lingoda's legal liability for damages is limited as follows: Lingoda's liability is limited to the amount of damages typically foreseeable at the time of the conclusion of this contract for the slightly negligent breach of material obligations arising from the contractual relationship (i.e. such contractual obligations, the fulfilment of which is essential for the proper performance of the contract, the breach of which jeopardises the achievement of the purpose of the contract and the fulfilment of which you regularly rely on, so-called "cardinal obligations").
Company can cancel contract and account for objecting to T&C changes
If you object to the application of changed General Terms and Conditions (GTC), Lingoda may cancel your contract and user account with two weeks' notice.
Why it matters: Objecting to changes in the terms of service can result in your account and contract being terminated by the company on short notice.
If you object to the application of the changed GTC, Lingoda may cancel the contract and your user account by giving you two (2) weeks’ notice.
**13. **Changes to the GTC****, paragraph 2 · Citation strength: strong
high95% confidence
Credits are used up without refund if excluded from a lesson for good cause
Lingoda and language teachers can exclude you from a lesson for good cause, and in this event, the credits for that lesson will be used up and not refunded.
Why it matters: You risk losing credits for a lesson if you are excluded for a "good cause" as determined by Lingoda or the teacher, with no refund provided.
(4) Lingoda and the language teachers reserve the right to exclude you from a lesson at any time for a good cause. In this case, the credits for the lesson in question will be used up and will not be refunded.
**5. **Online Language Courses****, paragraph 5 · Citation strength: strong
high95% confidence
Credits are used up without refund if late for class
If you are more than 10 minutes late for a class, the language teacher may close the course or deny access, and the credits for that class will be used up and not refunded.
Why it matters: If you are more than 10 minutes late for a class, you will lose your credits for that class and will not receive a refund.
(7) If you arrive more than 10 minutes late for a class, the language teacher is entitled to close the course and not conduct it anymore or deny access. In this case, the respective credits will be used up and will not be refunded.
**5. **Online Language Courses****, paragraph 9 · Citation strength: strong
high95% confidence
Credits are not refundable in money
Purchased credits are not refundable in money.
Why it matters: You cannot get a monetary refund for purchased credits; they can only be used for online language courses.
Purchased credits are not refundable in money.
**5. **Online Language Courses****, paragraph 3 · Citation strength: strong
high95% confidence
No log of user account data
Lingoda is not obligated to keep a log of your user account or any data or information stored through the user account and/or services.
Why it matters: If your account data or information is lost, Lingoda is not obligated to provide a log or means of recovery.
(3) Lingoda is not obligated to keep a log of your user account or any data or information you may have stored through the user account and/or the Services.
**4. **Use of the Service, Duties of Care for User Data, Failure of the Service****, paragraph 4 · Citation strength: strong
medium90% confidence
Company can delete your user account for good cause
Lingoda may delete your user account under the same conditions that allow them to terminate the contract for good cause, which includes violating usage restrictions, transferring the account to a third party, or culpably violating contractual obligations.
Why it matters: Your user account can be deleted if you violate certain terms, which may result in loss of access to services and data.
(8) Under the same conditions as the previous paragraph, Lingoda may also delete your user account.
How personal information is collected, processed, and shared. Findings in this section identify potential privacy risks, such as broad data collection, sharing with third parties without explicit consent, or inadequate data security measures. The severity of these findings reflects the extent of potential privacy impact on the user.
medium90% confidence
User content responsibility
You are responsible for the content you post on the Website (e.g., in forums and chat rooms). Lingoda is not responsible for such content or for messages you send to other customers.
Why it matters: You bear full responsibility for the content you post and any messages you send, and Lingoda disclaims responsibility, which could expose you to liability.
(1) You are responsible for the content you post on the Website (e.g. in forums, and chat rooms). The opinions and messages you post on the Website do not represent or endorse the views of Lingoda or its employees. Lingoda is not responsible for the content of any messages you send to other customers you have located through Lingoda.
**11. **Your Special Duties****, paragraph 1 · Citation strength: strong
Cancellation and Renewal
2 findings
Terms related to subscription, cancellation, and renewal. Findings here highlight clauses that might lead to unexpected charges or difficulties in terminating services. Severity depends on the financial impact and the clarity and fairness of the cancellation process.
medium95% confidence
Monthly subscriptions automatically renew
If you order a monthly subscription, the contract is for four weeks and automatically extends for another four weeks unless terminated before the ongoing subscription period ends.
Why it matters: Your monthly subscription will automatically renew every four weeks unless you actively cancel it before the current period ends, which could lead to unintended charges.
(2) If you order a monthly subscription to an online language course, the contract is concluded for four weeks and is automatically extended each time for another four weeks, unless you or Lingoda terminate the contract before the end of the ongoing subscription period.
Unterminated free trial converts to paid subscription
If you do not cancel a free trial period within the trial period, it will be converted into a paid monthly subscription.
Why it matters: If you forget to cancel your free trial within the specified period, it will automatically convert into a paid monthly subscription, leading to charges.
If you do not cancel the free trial period within this period, the free trial period will be converted into a paid monthly subscription in accordance with para. 2 of this section 7.
Unexpected or less-favorable terms for the user, often hidden in the fine print. These can range from one-sided clauses to limitations on user rights and may affect user experience or control.
medium90% confidence
Credit card issues can lead to subscription cancellation
Your subscription may be cancelled if your credit card expires, is cancelled, lost, or invalidated. Lingoda will contact you to offer an opportunity to change your registration details, but your subscription will be terminated if the card is not successfully recharged or renewed.
Why it matters: Service disruption may occur due to credit card issues or failure to recharge, necessitating manual update of payment details to maintain continuous access.
(6) Your subscription may be cancelled after enrolment in the event that your credit card expires, is cancelled, lost or invalidated. Lingoda will then contact you and you will be given the opportunity to change your registration details. Your subscription will be terminated in the event that your credit card is not successfully recharged or your subscription is not successfully renewed.
**6. Fees and Payments for Online Language Courses**, paragraph 7 · Citation strength: strong
Protections
3 findings
Advantageous clauses or commitments for the user. These include features like strong data privacy, clear refund policies, or guaranteed notice for changes. This section highlights how the service protects user rights and provides transparency.
Protection95% confidence
Cancellations of courses retain credits under certain conditions
If you cancel an online language course at least 72 hours before its scheduled start, you will retain your credits.
Why it helps: You can retain your credits for future use if you cancel an online language course with sufficient advance notice.
If you cancel at least 72 hours before the scheduled start of the online language course, you will retain your credits.
**5. **Online Language Courses****, paragraph 7 · Citation strength: strong
Protection95% confidence
Clear cancellation period for free trial
For subscriptions with a free trial period, you have the right to cancel the free trial week within the trial period starting from the conclusion of the contract.
Why it helps: You have a clearly stated right to cancel a free trial within its duration, allowing you to avoid charges if you decide not to continue.
(5) Certain subscriptions to online language courses are offered with a free trial period. In this case, you have the right to cancel the free trial week within the trial period beginning with the conclusion of the contract.
You have the right to withdraw from the contract within 14 days without giving any reason, if you are a consumer in the sense of § 13 BGB (German Civil Code).
Why it helps: You have a 14-day window to cancel the contract without needing to provide a reason, offering flexibility and recourse if you change your mind.
If you are a consumer in the sense of § 13 BGB (German Civil Code), you are entitled to a right of withdrawal for the contracts with Lingoda in accordance with the statutory provisions, about which we inform you in this section 8. Consumer in this sense (and in the sense of these GTC) is any natural person who uses the services of Lingoda for a purpose that cannot be predominantly attributed to his commercial or independent professional activity.
**8. **Right of withdrawal****, paragraph 1 · Citation strength: strong
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