Service Guarantee

BridgeChile is committed to providing you with the best study abroad experience possible, and we back that commitment with our guarantee. If, for whatever reason you are not satisfied with the services we provide, and we are unable to resolve the issue to your satisfaction, we will promptly refund the unused portion of your language program in accordance with our policies.

How to Enroll

The first step to enrolling is to book online. Complete the booking process as far in advance as possible and be sure and reserve the dates, course and lodging option that works best for you. This begins the booking process. When we receive the registration, we will send you an e-mail confirming receipt of the application and payment of your course deposit. One of our Program Advisors will call you to confirm your course, lodging and start date preferences. You will then be able to log in to the secure section of our site using the login name and password you created and complete the requests for information on accommodation, course details, emergency contact, insurance, and airport arrival information. You can also pay the balance of the course through our secure site.

Once you have completed this information and paid your course in full, you will receive a course confirmation e-mail within 72 hours confirming that you are officially booked on the course of your choice. You will also receive specifics about the city and school you will be visiting, as well as insurance information, emergency phone numbers, etc. We recommend not purchasing your plane ticket until you have received your final confirmation.

Late Payments

Please remember that your lodging and classes with the school can not be confirmed until your have paid in full. Full payment must be received at least 14 days in advance of the course or accommodation start date to avoid a US$100.00 non-refundable late/rush charge.

Last-Minute Bookings

Course booking requests made within 14 days of the course/lodging start date are considered last-minute bookings. A US$100.00 non-refundable rush fee is added to all last-minute bookings.

Refund Policy

If you choose to cancel or postpone your program, you can do so by sending an e-mail to your Program Advisor. Your cancellation will become effective from the day Bridge receives this notification.

The following refund policy applies:

If you cancel or postpone 30 days or more before your start date, you will receive a full refund of all monies paid.

If you cancel or postpone between 30 and 15 days before your start date, you will receive 50% of the tuition paid and 50% of accommodation fees paid.

If you cancel or postpone 14 days or less before your start date, no refund will be issued.

If you cancel or postpone once your program has started, (either the first day of housing or the first day of class, whichever comes first) no refund will be issued. Similarly, if you choose to leave your program early, no refund will be issued.

Refund requests regarding the quality of your program will only be considered if the below complaint procedure is followed. BridgeChile reserves the right to investigate and validate the accuracy of the student’s claims. In the event that the student’s reasons for dissatisfaction are justified, a refund may be issued depending on school policies.

Complaint Procedure

In the event that you wish to submit a complaint about your language program or the services provided by BridgeChile, its partner organizations, and/or affiliates, you must notify the in-country director immediately in order to give him/her a chance to rectify the situation. In the event that you cannot obtain satisfaction from the in-country coordinator, a formal written complaint must be submitted to the in-country director, preferably by email (cmacguire@bridge.edu), or by fax (56-2) 234-1380. You may also submit your complaint by phone (56-2) 233-4356 or  (1-303-495-5963) if you do not have access to email or a fax machine. We will take all necessary steps to solve any problems you are having. No requests for refunds will be considered unless the above procedure is followed.

Course Changes & Postponements

Changes to your course can be made more than 30 days before the start date without any additional charges. Changes made after that time such as, but not limited to, changing locations, dates, course length or type, accommodation requests etc. are not guaranteed and are subject to the cancellation fees outlined above in our Refund Policy. Fees do not apply when adding additional services to the end of your program.

Best Price Guarantee

In the unlikely event that you find a lower rate for the tuition and lodging cost of your language course abroad from another U.S. – based language travel agency, within 7 days of your course start date, we will credit or refund to you the difference. This Best Price Guarantee is subject to the terms and conditions listed below.

Notifying BridgeChile of a Claim

You must contact BridgeChile within 7 days of your course booking to make a claim under the Best Price Guarantee. The lower rate must be available for booking at the time you contact us, as determined by our program advisors.

Must be “Apples to Apples” Comparison

The Best Price Guarantee is available only for exact itinerary matches, for example, specific school, course, lodging type, applicable refund policy, and the exact same dates and times of travel or service as booked through BridgeChile. For any stand-alone product booking (for example, lodging or tuition), the comparison must be to the same product purchased stand-alone through another U.S. based language travel agency (i.e., not part of a course + lodging package). Except as noted below, the Best Price Guarantee applies only to the cost of a booked program, as presented in the BridgeChile booking engine or web page, without including any taxes and fees. The Best Price Guarantee is not available for bookings on web sites where the course, lodging or similar booking details are unknown until after purchase. You must meet all requirements imposed on the lower price (if any), including, without limitation, residency, regional and age-related requirements.

Comparison Rates Must Be Available to the General Public Online

The Best Price Guarantee applies only to prices both advertised and available to the general public on a US-based web site. For example, this does not include rates offered on membership program web sites, corporate discounts or rates; group, charter, rewards program, incentive, meeting, convention, consolidator or interline prices; prices obtained via auction or similar process; or prices available only by using a coupon or other promotion not offered to the general public. The lower rate may not come from a web site where you call to get the rate, or from an e-mail that you received. The rate must be quoted and booked in US dollars (and without reference to currency converters).

Important Note Regarding Activities and Travel Packages

When you book an activity, or a travel package i.e., course + lodging, course + lodging + activity, etc., booked together as a package on the same itinerary with BridgeChile, the Best Price Guarantee applies to the cost of the activity or the travel package, respectively, plus all taxes and fees.

Verification of Claims

All requests, including receipts, are subject to verification by BridgeChile. BridgeChile will not accept screen shots or other purported evidence of a lower price that cannot be independently confirmed by BridgeChile personnel. Nor will BridgeChile verify any request that it believes, in its sole discretion, is the result of a printing or other error or is made fraudulently or in bad faith. Verified requests will receive a credit to the credit card used for the booking, within approximately 7-10 days of verification.

Changes

BridgeChile reserves the right in its sole discretion to modify or discontinue the Best Price Guarantee or to restrict its availability to any person, at any time, for any or no reason, and without prior notice or liability to you. The terms that are in effect at the time of your booking will determine your eligibility under the Best Price Guarantee. The failure by BridgeChile to enforce any provision of these Terms & Conditions shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

Fee-Free

This fee-free promotion ONLY applies to the registration fee of USD 95.00. All other fees, such as late fee, rush fee, book fees, pick up fees, etc. still apply to the course bookings.

Discounts for Returning Students

BridgeChile offers a 10% discount on tuition to students who have studied with us before. This applies to any of our study abroad schools. One-week courses and special programs are not included in the discount offer. This offer cannot be combined with any other discounts.

Special Offers and Promos

Special offers cannot be combined with any other offer or discount and is subject to availability. Regular course refund and cancellation policies apply. Special offer discounts apply to tuition only and do not apply to special courses.

Long-Term Courses

BridgeChile also offers discounts for long-term courses. A discount of 5% on tuition is available to students who register and pay in advance for courses of 12-23 weeks. A discount of 10% on tuition is available to students who register and pay in advance for courses of 24 weeks or more. This offer cannot be combined with any other discounts.

Holidays

Should a national holiday fall on a class day, group class hours cannot be recovered, nor are they refundable. Private classes, however, can be rescheduled at the majority of our schools. A list of national holidays can be found on the BridgeChile web site. BridgeChile will do its best to inform the student of these holidays. However, each school reserves the right to change its schedule if necessary. We are not responsible for missed class due to holidays.

We recommend that students not buy plane tickets or make other travel plans until the course has been paid in full and confirmed, as holidays and availability can change between the original invoice and the time of the purchase of the study abroad program.

Extra Fees for Activities, Books, Excursions and Airport Pickup

With most schools, weekly activities and excursions are provided to the student at no additional charge. However, some activities and excursions at some schools require the student to pay a fee, usually for (though not limited to) excursions outside the city of study. Please also note that books are not included in the majority of our programs. Our schools also require additional payment for airport pickup.

Student Behavior

It is understood that any participant in a BridgeChile program will obey the laws of the host country and behave in a respectful manner to both school employees and fellow students. BridgeChile reserves the right to expel (without refund) any student whose behavior violates the center’s policies or those of special program providers, tour operators, etc. Grounds for dismissal include abusive behavior, frequent tardiness or failure to attend class and illegal drug use. Any expenses incurred by the center in terminating the program of a student who violates the center’s policies will be the responsibility of the participant.

Documentation

It is the responsibility of the student to obtain all necessary documentation to enter the country and travel to, from, and within the program. Some countries have additional requirements for minors. You should check with the airlines and the embassy or consulate of the country to which you are traveling (www.embassyworld.com). When available, we will provide minimal visa information pertinent the school you have chosen. All requirements for visa acquisition including letters of invitation, applying for the correct visa, and timely application for visas should be verified by the student with the consular division of the appropriate embassy. In general students should request a standard tourist visa – not a student visa! Likewise, students should declare the purpose of the visit to be tourism, not study.

Release of Liability, Assumption of Risk, & Insurance Requirements

This document is a legally enforceable waiver of my legal rights.

I. Release of Liability and Assumption of Risks

I am voluntarily participating in a study abroad program as either a student or a volunteer, or have (has) enrolled in a teaching certification course, with Bridge™ /Bridge™-Linguatec, Inc. (“BL”). I acknowledge that travel to, from and within the foreign country in which the program is located, including at my chosen school, accommodations and any in-country excursions, have inherent risks and dangers that I may be exposed to and possibly harmed by. These include, but are not limited to, personal injuries, property damage, accidents involving motor vehicles, aircraft and other forms of transportation, sickness, diseases (including food, water or insect borne diseases that are not commonly encountered in the United States), riots, political instability, crime, acts of terrorism, detention by government authorities or individuals, burglary, assault, encounters with dangerous wildlife, natural disasters and other hazards. I acknowledge that as a participant in the program, I may travel to remote rural areas and will lodge and eat with the residents in those areas. As such, the accommodations, food and sanitary conditions may be below, or substantially below, the standard I am accustomed to in the United States. I also acknowledge that healthcare facilities, medical supplies and medical personnel on the program may be very limited and, if available at all, may be below or substantially below U.S. standards.
I understand that BL has contracted with independent local organizations, outfitters, suppliers and vendors for the provision of certain aspects of the program, including, accommodations, food and excursions (“Vendors”), and that BL does not own or operate any of these Vendors. While BL has used its best efforts to select reliable and safe Vendors, BL is not responsible for any negligent or willful act or omission of a Vendor or other third party, and I hereby release BL from all claims arising out of, or related to, the willful or negligent acts or omissions of these Vendors.

I represent to BL that, to the best of my knowledge, I am in good mental and physical health. I am voluntarily participating in the program, with knowledge of the risks and dangers involved. I expressly accept and assume all known and unknown risks on behalf of myself.

In exchange, and in consideration for participation in the program, I hereby release BL and its employees, agents, volunteers, officers, directors and representatives (each, a “Releasee”) from any and all injuries, deaths, losses, liabilities, damages, claims, actions, suits and judgments whatsoever including costs, expenses and attorney fees (collectively, “Claims”) that I may have now or in the future, directly or indirectly, arising from, connected with or related to my participation in the program, including with respect to the attached medical durable power of attorney, whether caused by any Releasee or some other person or cause. I agree that I will not, at any time, directly or indirectly, on behalf of myself, my child and my heirs, commence or prosecute any action, suit or other proceeding against any Releasee arising from, connected with or related to my participation in the program. I agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend each Releasee from and against any and all Claims whatsoever that the Releasee may suffer arising from, connected with or related to my participation in the program, whether inside or outside of the U.S.
Further, I hereby grant full permission to BL to use any photographs, videotapes, motion pictures, website images, recordings, comments I make in questionnaires or letters or any other record of the program for purposes of commercial advertising, marketing or promotional literature without the need for further consent from me.

II. Insurance Requirements

I acknowledge that I have been fully advised and warned by BL that it is compulsory that I purchase and maintain both personal travel insurance and health insurance which covers medical expenses, emergency medical evacuations, accidental death or dismembership and repatriation of remains for the period that I am traveling and participating in the program. It is my responsibility to make certain that the insurance covers such costs incurred outside of the U.S. BL may, from time to time, offer health or travel insurance coverage through selected insurance providers so that I can obtain a group rate, but they are under no obligation to do so. Should I choose to select any insurance package provided through BL, I acknowledge that I have independently verified the sufficiency of the coverage for my needs.

III. General; Signatures

*Governing Law. This document shall be governed by the laws of the State of Colorado, United States, and shall be honored in any jurisdiction where it is presented.

*Binding Effect; Modifications. This document shall be binding upon me and all persons having or claiming rights on my behalf. If any provision of this document is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of this document shall be not affected thereby and shall be valid and enforced to the fullest extent permitted by law. This document may not be modified orally.