Terms and Conditions - One's Word Online

Terms of use

One’s Word Inc. (hereafter referred to as “One’s Word”, “us”, or “we”) provides services through One’s Word Online (collectively hereafter referred to as “Services” or “Service”) to registered or pre-registered Users and those considering registration (hereafter referred to as “User”, “Users”, or “you”). One’s Word provides the Services subject to the following conditions. By accessing or using our Services Users agree to them. If the User is a minor, he or she may use our Services only with the approval of their legal guardian.

1. The Scope of the Conditions of Use and the Term of Their Revision

1.1

The scope of the Conditions of Use covers the Services as defined in our website including any information One’s Word sends to the Users via e-mails or any other ways of communication.

1.2

One’s Word can revise, change, or add a provision to the Conditions of Use at our discretion without notice to the Users. Even if a User began use of our Services prior to the revision, the User agrees to abide by the revised or updated Conditions of Use.

2. Registration to our Services

2.1

The User will register for our Services according to the procedure set forth by One’s Word. In registering for our Services, the User agrees to the following conditions.

The User will register with our Services only after having carefully read and agreed to our Conditions of Use.
The User will install Skype and make sure he or she has access to Skype prior to registering. The User must have available the use of Skype prior to the use of our Services.
The User will register true and accurate information as demanded in the registration process (name, e-mail, etc.). The User will be responsible for handling and storing his or her User information (password, etc.) with care.
The User will be responsible for making sure that his or her internet connection is good and stable for the use of our Services.
The User will pay the usage fees by the method designated by One’s Word.

2.2

The registration to the Services is considered complete when One’s Word emails to the User a notice accepting the registration. However, until One’s Word verifies reception of the payment from the User, One’s Word can limit the use of the Services by the User.

3. Handling of Private Information

3.1

One’s Word will not disclose the private information of the User without the User’s prior consent to a third party except in the following circumstances:

When it is required by law, or when it is demanded by a government agency at the national or regional level, or by an agent delegated by such agency based on the law.
When getting a consent promptly is deemed difficult in case of an urgent necessity to protect the life, safety, and property of a person
When processing private information with an affiliate company of One’s Word.

3.2

The User will handle and store his or her registered information securely. The User will be solely responsible for any damage caused by his or her loss or mishandling of his or her registered information. One’s Word will take no responsibility for that. Also, once the User suspects or knows that his or her registered information is being misused by another, the User must report this immediately to One’s Word and promptly follow the instruction given by One’s Word.

4. Details of Services

4.1

The Services are centered on private English lessons with a teacher using Skype via internet connection. To use the Services a headset is necessary while a web camera is optional. The User must each prepare his or her own headset (a must) and web camera (optional).

4.2

By paying the fee indicated by One’s Word using the below specified method, a User can use the Services during the below noted effective period.

Payment of a monthly fee via PayPal.
*The “effective period” of the Services is 30 days. This means that the paid-for Services will be available during 30 days counting from the “date of settlement”.

*The initial “date of settlement” is considered to be the date of registration and not the date of actual payment.

4.3

Intention judgment of this service use

Once the User completes the payment as defined in the clause 4.2(1), as long as the User does not complete the membership withdrawal process as defined in Section 7, the User will be considered as willing to continue the use of the Services, consequentially the User’s membership will be renewed, and the applicable fee for the continued use of the same Services will be withdrawn on the same date the subsequent month (same date as the precedent month).
However, if the initial payment was made on a 29th, 30th, or 31st, and if this date does not exist in a subsequent month, the payment will be made on the final day of that month.

4.4

One’s Word may record the information from the lessons to provide adapted Services to the Users.

4.5

The recorded information as mentioned in the previous clause may include the User’s private information.

4.6

The recorded information as mentioned in clauses 4.4 and 4.5 will only be used for the purpose of providing the Services to the User.

4.7

One’s Word may monitor the Services to provide better Services. The User agrees in advance that the lessons the User participates in may be monitored by One’s Word.

4.8

The Services will be provided on the date(s) set by the relevant course except when this day is a pre-designated holiday in any country of residence of our staff or an inoperable day as defined in Section 10.

4.9

The reservation of a lesson is possible until 12 hours before the lesson’s starting time. The cancellation of a lesson is possible until 1 hour before the lesson’s starting time. Lessons cancelled after the 1-hour point prior to the lesson’s starting time will not be rescheduled and will not be refundable. If the User is late to a lesson due to any reasons, the teacher will wait only up to 30 minutes from the scheduled starting time.

4.10

If the teacher with whom the User made a reservation becomes unavailable anytime prior to the lesson, One’s Word will contact the User and provide a substitute teacher. For Users who do not wish to be provided a substitute teacher when their desired teacher becomes unavailable, or when a substitute teacher can not be found, One's Word will offer a rescheduling ticket instead.

4.11

Once a lesson starts, if it must be cancelled due to any reasons on the teacher’s side, we will provide you with a ticket to schedule a substitute lesson valid from 12 hours after the starting time of the cancelled lesson. (Reasons can range from problem with the teacher’s internet connection, a sudden malaise, or any personal urgency or circumstance on the teacher’s side that forces the lesson to stop or that the teacher feels is reason enough to cancel the lesson.)

4.12

Once a lesson starts and it must be cancelled due to reasons on the teacher’s side not limited to personal circumstance but of regional or national nature (such as political upheaval, natural disaster, blackouts, etc.), we will not offer you a rescheduling ticket.

4.13

As described in the clause 4.2, payments are made via PayPal on a monthly basis. Once the paid-for month begins, no refund of the corresponding payment is possible. Also, we will not refund in the event we are unable to continue providing our Services due to political circumstances or natural disasters or such emergencies in any country of residence of our staff.

5.Change in Conditions of Use

One’s Word can change the Conditions of Use without prior notice. The changes will be effective once they are uploaded on our Website. By accessing or using the Services, the User accepts the modifications and the modified Conditions of Use.

6.Change in Registered Information

The User will update their registered information for One’s Word without delay if any relevant change occurs in the corresponding information. One’s Word will assume no responsibility whatsoever for any damages or burden that may occur to the User due to the User’s failure in properly updating their registered information.

7. Membership Termination

7.1

A User can terminate their membership by submitting the termination form no later than 2 days prior to the end of their current Service period. However, regardless of termination, if the User has unused lesson tickets, the User can reserve lessons from the login page until past the expiration date of the tickets.

7.2

If One’s Word judges that a User corresponds or may correspond to the any of the following cases, One’s Word can immediately terminate the User’s membership without notice or warning. One’s Word will make no refunds for Users whose membership was terminated as such.

In the case the User
violates the Conditions of Use.
is found to be a minor using our Services without the approval of the User’s legal guardian.
has registered false or inaccurate information.
has registered an e-mail account that has turned inactive.
is using another person’s information or account to use our Services.
has received a petition for bankruptcy, a commencement of rehabilitation proceedings, corporate reorganization proceedings, or special liquidation.
receives an order of provisional attachment, provisional disposition, seizure, public auction, compulsory execution or tax delinquency.
commits any violations as described in Section 9.
is not reachable.
has deceased.
is deemed inadequate as a member by One’s Word.

8.Intellectual Property and Other Rights

8.1

All rights (ownership, intellectual property rights, image rights, etc.) to the component materials of our Services (textual, visual, auditory, etc. hereafter collectively referred to as “Materials”) belong to One’s Word. The User can not gain any rights over the Materials. The User must not violate any of these rights.

8.2

In the event a problem occurs by a User’s violation of the preceding clause, the User will be responsible for paying for any damages and for resolving the problem without causing any trouble or damage against One’s Word.

9. Prohibited Matters

9.1

In using our Services, a User shall not commit, attempt, or seem to attempt any of the following actions:

In using our Services, a User shall not commit, attempt, or seem to attempt any of the following actions:
Infringe any intellectual property rights, image rights including ownerships and copyrights belonging to One’s Word.
Obstruct the conduct of our Services.
Act counter to public order or moral.
Cause a loss or inflict damage against other members, One’s Word, or a third party.
Damage or denigrate the credibility of One’s Word.
Register false information.
Engage in commercial activity with other members else than by a method approved by One’s Word.
Harass the teacher or any act that obstructs a lesson.
Inquire about the teacher’s personal information beyond reasonability.
Contact/meet or attempt to contact/meet a teacher personally or via a representative in a way that may be deemed harmful against the regular operation of our Services.
Act in anyway that One’s Word may judges as inappropriate.

9.2

If One’s Word suffers any damage through any of the violations described in the previous clause, the User must pay One’s Word the compensation for that damage.

10. Suspension or Discontinuance of Services

10.1

For any reasons stemming from the occurrence of the following events, One’s Word can suspend or discontinue any part or the entirety of its Services. One’s World will not be responsible for any damage that the User may incur due to such suspension or discontinuance.

Natural disasters, fires, power outages, or any such “force majeure” emergencies that render impossible the operation of our Services.
Wars, civil strife, riots, labor disputes, strikes, or any such “force majeure” emergencies that render impossible the operation of our Services.
A legislative measure or any legal measure that renders impossible the operation of our Services.

10.2

If the Services are interrupted by the events described in the previous clause, One’s Word will notify the Users beforehand via e-mail or other means possible. However, depending on the nature of the emergency, this notification will not be guaranteed.

11. Disclaimer

11.1

One’s Word shall not be liable for any damages to the computer, hardware, network, software, and so forth that may have been incurred during or outside the use of our Services by the use of our Services or any software, file, or virus that may have been used or downloaded during or through the use of our Services.

11.2

One’s Word shall not be liable for any trouble (such as actions against the law or public order or morality, slanderous actions, and so forth) caused by the User in relationship to our Services.

11.3

Regarding the Services, the main means of communication of One’s Word is the e-mail. The User is responsible for reading the e-mails sent from One’s Word. One’s Word will not be liable for any damage incurred by the Users due to failure of checking their e-mail.

11.4

One’s Word can revise or change the information in this Conditions of Use, the system of our Services, and the Services such as lesson fee and etc. without notice to Users.

12. Discussions and Court of Jurisdiction

12.1

Each time an issue or a conflict arises between One’s Word, the User, and/or a third party regarding the Services, the concerned parties will consult each other with good intent to try to settle the matter.

12.2

In the event the issue or conflict is not resolved by consultation as described in the previous clause, each party agrees that the tribunal of first instance exclusively responsible for the matter will be the one which has jurisdiction over the location of the head office of One’s Word.

Governing Law

The laws of Japan shall govern these Conditions of Use. Additional Clause: These Conditions of Use are effective from December 15th in 2009.
One’s Word Online is a website that provides quality contents designed in consultation with English education professionals and world-class online English teachers.
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