Returns, Refunds and Cancellation Policy
At Gerry O’Connor, I want you to be happy with what you purchase. At the same time, many of the products available through this website are specialist products, recordings, digital content and educational materials that cannot reasonably be returned after they have been accessed, downloaded, opened or used.
This policy explains how returns, refunds and cancellations are handled. Nothing in this policy affects your statutory rights under Irish or applicable EU consumer law.
Physical Products
Physical products may include violins, musical instruments, accessories, books, CDs, DVDs and other merchandise.
If you purchase a physical product online, you may have a statutory right to cancel your purchase within 14 days of receiving the goods, subject to the exceptions provided by law.
To exercise this right, you must contact me within the applicable cancellation period and clearly state that you wish to cancel your purchase.
Unless otherwise required by law, you are responsible for the direct cost of returning the item.
Returned products must be handled with reasonable care and returned complete, with all accessories, cases, documentation and other items originally supplied.
You may be responsible for any reduction in the value of a product resulting from handling beyond what is reasonably necessary to establish its nature, characteristics and functioning.
Violins and Musical Instruments
Please choose your instrument carefully before purchasing.
Photographs, descriptions and relevant information are provided to help you make an informed decision before placing your order. If you have questions about a violin or instrument, please contact me before purchasing.
Where a statutory cancellation right applies to an online purchase, that right will be respected.
A violin returned under the statutory cancellation right must be kept in appropriate condition. You should only handle or inspect the instrument to the extent reasonably necessary to assess it.
Damage, modification, excessive use, alterations, avoidable scratches, missing accessories or other handling that reduces the instrument’s value may result in a deduction from the refund where permitted by law.
This does not affect your rights if the instrument is faulty, damaged on arrival, not as described or otherwise does not conform to the contract.
CDs and DVDs
Please choose CDs and DVDs carefully before purchasing.
Where CDs, DVDs or other audio or video recordings are supplied sealed, the statutory right to cancel does not apply once the seal has been broken after delivery, where permitted by applicable consumer law.
Therefore, an opened or unsealed CD or DVD cannot normally be returned simply because you have changed your mind, decided you do not like the recording or no longer want it.
If you are unsure whether the music is suitable for you, we encourage you to listen to available samples or Gerry O’Connor’s publicly available recordings before purchasing. Once you decide that you would like to own a physical copy, you can then purchase the CD or DVD.
Your statutory rights remain unaffected if a CD, DVD or other physical product is faulty, damaged or not as described.
Faulty, Damaged or Incorrect Products
If you receive a product that is damaged, faulty, incorrect or not as described, please contact us as soon as possible.
Please provide:
- Your full name.
- Your order number.
- A description of the problem.
- Photographs or video showing the issue where appropriate.
Depending on the circumstances and your statutory rights, an appropriate remedy may include repair, replacement, price reduction or refund.
Damage caused after delivery through misuse, accidental damage, inappropriate storage, normal wear and tear or unauthorised modification is not considered a product defect.
Digital Downloads and Digital Products
Digital products may include downloadable music, audio recordings, video recordings, sheet music, PDFs, educational materials and other downloadable or immediately accessible digital content.
Because digital products can be accessed or copied immediately, purchases of digital content are generally final once supply has begun where you have expressly requested immediate access and acknowledged that doing so results in the loss of your statutory cancellation right.
Where applicable, at checkout you may be asked to expressly consent to the immediate supply of digital content and acknowledge that you will lose your cancellation right once supply begins.
A refund will therefore not normally be provided because:
- You changed your mind.
- You no longer want the product.
- You did not use the product.
- You do not like the music or material.
- You purchased the wrong digital product.
- You found similar material elsewhere after purchasing.
Please read the product description carefully before purchasing.
If digital content is faulty, inaccessible, materially different from its description or cannot be supplied as agreed, please contact us so that we can resolve the issue in accordance with your statutory rights.
Self-Guided Online Courses
The Bow with the Flow Self-Guided Course and other self-guided courses contain pre-recorded educational content and digital materials to which access is provided following enrolment.
Where immediate access is provided, you will be asked to expressly request that access begins immediately and acknowledge the applicable loss of your statutory cancellation right.
Once access to the course has begun on this basis, purchases are final and no change-of-mind refund is offered.
Please make sure the course is suitable for you before enrolling. Information about the course, its content, format, level, duration and teaching approach is provided before purchase.
Gerry also has publicly available performances and educational material that can help you understand his playing and teaching approach before enrolling.
A refund will not normally be provided because you:
- Change your mind after accessing the course.
- Decide you no longer have time to complete it.
- Stop practising or participating.
- Decide fiddle playing is not for you.
- Do not complete the course.
- Do not achieve the results you expected due to lack of participation or practice.
- Prefer another teacher or teaching style after purchasing.
If there is a genuine technical problem preventing you from accessing purchased course content, please contact us. We will make every reasonable effort to restore your access.
This does not limit any statutory remedies available where digital content or a digital service does not conform to the contract.
Live Mentored Courses
Live Mentored courses combine educational materials with scheduled live teaching and mentoring from Gerry O’Connor.
Please review the course description, schedule and requirements carefully before enrolling.
Once teaching or course access has begun, refunds are not normally offered simply because you change your mind, stop attending, decide not to continue or fail to make use of the sessions.
If Gerry needs to cancel or reschedule an individual live session, reasonable arrangements will be made to provide a replacement session or alternative date.
Rescheduling an individual session does not mean that the entire course has been cancelled.
If Gerry is unable to provide a material part of the Live Mentored course and cannot provide a reasonable replacement or alternative, you may be entitled to an appropriate remedy, including a refund where required by law.
Nothing in this section removes any statutory cancellation rights that may apply before the service begins or any other rights provided under applicable consumer law.
Live Mentored Course Deposits
Deposits paid to reserve a limited place on a Live Mentored course are used to secure that place specifically for the student.
Where permitted by applicable law, deposits are non-refundable if you later decide not to attend after your place has been reserved.
If Gerry O’Connor cancels the course and cannot provide a suitable alternative, you may choose one of the following:
- A refund of the applicable payment where required.
- Transfer to the next available course.
- Credit towards another Gerry O’Connor course.
Missed Live Sessions
If you miss a scheduled Live Mentored session for personal reasons, this does not normally create an entitlement to a refund.
Where possible, Gerry may try to help you catch up or provide an alternative arrangement, but this will depend on the course and circumstances and is not guaranteed unless specifically included in the course description.
Technical Issues
If you experience difficulty accessing your course, digital product or account, please contact us before requesting a refund.
We will make every reasonable effort to resolve genuine technical issues and restore access to content you have purchased.
A temporary technical problem does not automatically create an entitlement to a refund if the problem can be reasonably resolved and the purchased content or service can still be provided.
Payment Plans
Where a course or product is purchased using a payment plan, instalment arrangement or third-party payment service, this does not change the underlying refund and cancellation rules.
A payment plan divides the purchase price into payments. It does not convert the purchase into a pay-as-you-go arrangement unless expressly stated otherwise.
Where you have committed to purchasing the complete course, outstanding instalments remain payable subject to your statutory rights and the terms agreed at purchase.
Duplicate Payments
If you are accidentally charged more than once for the same purchase, any genuine duplicate payment will be refunded in full.
Change of Mind
Outside any statutory cancellation rights that apply to your purchase, Gerry O’Connor does not operate a general change-of-mind refund policy.
Please make your purchasing decision carefully.
A refund will not normally be provided simply because you later decide that you do not want, need or like a product, recording, instrument, course or other purchase.
We want every customer and student to be happy with their purchase. Product descriptions and course information are therefore provided to help you make an informed decision before purchasing.
Exceptional Circumstances
Where circumstances fall outside this policy, we may consider the situation individually. Any discretionary refund, credit or transfer offered in exceptional circumstances does not create an obligation to provide the same remedy in other cases.
How to Request a Return or Report a Problem
If you believe a product is faulty, damaged, incorrect or not as described, or you wish to exercise a statutory cancellation right that applies to your purchase, please contact us in writing.
Please include:
- Your full name.
- The email address used for your purchase.
- Your order number.
- The product or course purchased.
- A brief explanation of your request.
- Photographs or other evidence where relevant.
Please do not return a physical product before contacting us so that appropriate return instructions can be provided.
Consumer Rights
Nothing in this Returns, Refunds and Cancellation Policy is intended to exclude, restrict or override any rights you have under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 or other applicable Irish or European Union consumer protection legislation.
Where your statutory rights provide greater protection than this policy, your statutory rights will apply.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Returns, Refunds and Cancellation Policy, wish to report a problem or believe you are entitled to a return or refund, please contact us through the contact page on the Gerry O’Connor website or by email.
We aim to respond to enquiries within two business days.