Terms and Conditions
1. Who We Are
These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern access to and use of the website tuneful.live and any related services (together, "Tuneful", "the Platform", "we", "us", or "our"), operated by a company registered in England and Wales ("the Company").
Tuneful is an online marketplace that allows independent music tutors ("Tutors") to create profiles and be found by students and other users seeking music tuition ("Students", and together with Tutors and any other registered user, "Users", "you"), to communicate through the Platform, and to arrange and pay for lessons.
By creating an account, browsing tutor profiles, sending a message, or making or receiving a payment through Tuneful, you agree to be bound by these Terms, our Privacy Policy, and our Cookie Policy. If you do not agree, you must not use the Platform.
2. What Tuneful Is — and Is Not
This section is one of the most important in these Terms. Please read it carefully.
2.1 We are a marketplace, not a tuition provider
Tuneful provides a technology platform that connects Tutors and Students. We do not employ, supervise, train, manage, or control any Tutor. Tutors are independent, self-employed individuals who set their own rates, availability, teaching methods, and lesson content.
We are not a party to, and accept no responsibility for, the tuition agreement or relationship formed between a Tutor and a Student. Any lesson arranged through the Platform is a contract directly between the Tutor and the Student (or, where the Student is under 18, the Student's parent or guardian, as set out in Section 6).
2.2 We do not vet, qualify, or guarantee any Tutor
- We do not conduct DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks on Tutors unless a Tutor has completed our optional Verification programme (see Section 8) and this is clearly displayed on their profile.
- We do not verify teaching qualifications, references, insurance, or safeguarding training unless explicitly stated on a Tutor's profile as part of a completed Verification.
- A profile that is not marked as "Verified" has not been independently checked by Tuneful beyond the basic identity information collected at sign-up.
You are responsible for carrying out your own checks on any Tutor or Student before arranging or attending a lesson, and for exercising your own judgement about who you choose to engage with.
2.3 No guarantee of outcomes
We do not guarantee that any Tutor will be available, that any lesson will take place, that a Student will find a suitable Tutor, or any particular teaching outcome, standard, or result.
3. Eligibility and Your Account
3.1 Age requirement
You must be 18 years of age or older to register for and hold a Tuneful account. Tuneful does not currently offer accounts to, or knowingly collect personal data directly from, individuals under the age of 18. If a Student is under 18, please see Section 6 (Under-18s and Safeguarding).
If we become aware that an account has been created by or on behalf of someone under 18 other than in accordance with Section 6, we will suspend or terminate that account.
3.2 Accurate information
- Provide accurate, current, and complete information when you register, including your real name, a working email address, and (where requested) a verified phone number.
- Use a genuine photograph of yourself on your profile, not a logo, stock image, or image of another person.
- Keep your account information up to date.
- Not create more than one account, and not create an account on behalf of someone else without authorisation (except where a parent or guardian is creating a Student account for a minor as permitted under Section 6).
3.3 Account security
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us immediately at hello@tuneful.live if you suspect unauthorised use of your account.
3.4 Suspension and termination
We may suspend or terminate your account, with or without notice, where we reasonably believe you have breached these Terms, where a safety or legal concern has been raised about you, where you have provided false information, or where required by law. Section 12 (Reports, Investigations, and Enforcement) sets out how this works in practice.
4. Terms Specific to Tutors
4.1 Independent contractor status
If you register as a Tutor, you confirm that you are acting as a self-employed independent contractor and not as an employee, worker, partner, or agent of the Company. You are solely responsible for your own tax, National Insurance, and any other statutory obligations arising from income earned through the Platform.
4.2 Your listing
- You set your own hourly rate. This is the amount you will receive per lesson, before any payment processing deductions described in Section 5.
- You are responsible for the accuracy of everything on your profile, including your qualifications, experience, availability, and the subjects/instruments you teach.
- You must not misrepresent your qualifications, experience, or identity.
4.3 Fees
Maintaining an active Tutor listing requires payment of the fee set out on our Payments, Cancellations & Refunds page, which forms part of these Terms by reference. If your listing fee lapses or is cancelled, your profile is removed from search results and you cannot receive new bookings through the Platform until it is renewed.
4.4 Conduct towards Students
As a Tutor, you agree to conduct yourself professionally at all times, to attend lessons you have accepted (or to give reasonable notice under Section 5's rescheduling and cancellation terms), and to comply with Section 6 where a Student is, or may be, under 18.
5. Payments, Fees, Rescheduling, and Cancellation
Full details of how pricing, payment, rescheduling, and cancellation work on Tuneful — including Tutor and Student fees, refund timelines, and what happens when a lesson is rescheduled or cancelled by either party — are set out on our Payments, Cancellations & Refunds page. Those terms are incorporated into these Terms by reference and form part of the agreement between you and us. Where there is any inconsistency between this document and the terms displayed on the Platform, the terms displayed at the time of booking apply.
All payments are processed by Stripe, a third-party payment processor; Tuneful does not store your card details. If a Tutor and Student disagree about whether a lesson took place, its quality, or whether a cancellation was handled correctly, you should first attempt to resolve this directly with the other party. If you cannot reach agreement, you may raise the matter with us at hello@tuneful.live and we will review the available information and make a decision. Our decision on the allocation of a specific refund is final, though it does not affect your other legal rights.
Tutors are solely responsible for determining and paying any tax due on income earned through the Platform. Nothing in these Terms constitutes tax advice.
6. Under-18s and Safeguarding
6.1 No independent accounts for under-18s
Tuneful does not currently permit individuals under the age of 18 to create or hold their own account. If you are under 18 and wish to find a Tutor, a parent or legal guardian must create and manage the account, book and pay for lessons, and communicate with Tutors on your behalf.
By creating an account and arranging lessons on behalf of a minor, a parent or guardian confirms that they are the child's parent or legal guardian and accepts full responsibility for the child's use of the service, including attendance, communication, and safety at lessons.
6.2 Our approach to safety
Tuneful is not a substitute for a parent or guardian's own judgement and diligence. We strongly recommend that parents and guardians:
- Attend or closely supervise a child's first lesson with any new Tutor.
- Arrange first lessons online or in a public, well-lit location.
- Check whether a Tutor holds Verification (see Section 8) and consider what level of check that represents.
- Never share financial information with a Tutor outside of the Platform's payment system.
- Tell someone else where a lesson is taking place and when it is expected to end.
- Consider arranging a short video call with a Tutor — using your own phone or device (e.g. FaceTime, WhatsApp, or similar) — before meeting for a first in-person lesson, as an extra way to confirm who you'll be meeting. This is not a feature of the Platform; it is something you arrange directly with the Tutor.
6.3 Reporting concerns
Any concern about the safety, conduct, or suitability of a Tutor or Student — including any concern relating to a child — can be reported using the report function on a profile or conversation, or by emailing hello@tuneful.live. We treat all safeguarding-related reports as urgent and will suspend an account pending investigation where there is a credible concern. Where we identify or are notified of illegal content, including content relating to the sexual abuse or exploitation of a child, we will report this to the National Crime Agency and/or the Internet Watch Foundation and cooperate fully with law enforcement.
A full Safeguarding Policy governs how we handle safety concerns involving minors and forms part of these Terms.
7. Messaging and Acceptable Use
7.1 Prohibited conduct
When using Tuneful, including in messages sent through the Platform, you must not:
- Use the Platform for any unlawful purpose, or to promote, facilitate, or arrange any illegal activity, including the sale or supply of controlled substances.
- Send, request, or share sexually explicit, obscene, or otherwise illegal content.
- Harass, threaten, abuse, stalk, or attempt to intimidate another User.
- Attempt to lure, deceive, or manipulate another User into meeting under false pretences.
- Misrepresent your identity, age, qualifications, or affiliation with any organisation.
- Circumvent the Platform's payment system for a booking originated on Tuneful in a manner intended to avoid the Service Fee (see Section 7.3).
- Scrape, harvest, or systematically collect data from the Platform or other Users.
- Upload viruses, malicious code, or attempt to interfere with the operation or security of the Platform.
7.2 Message monitoring and retention
We do not routinely read private messages between Users. We may access and review specific messages where a report has been made, where required to investigate a breach of these Terms, or where required by law or a valid law enforcement request.
7.3 Arranging lessons off-platform
Once you have been introduced to another User through Tuneful, we ask that you keep booking, payment, rescheduling, and cancellation for that relationship on the Platform. This allows both parties to benefit from our cancellation protections, dispute resolution, and (for Students) the ability to leave a review. Users are free to communicate as they wish once a relationship has been established, but repeatedly using the Platform purely to solicit off-platform arrangements in order to avoid fees may be treated as a breach of these Terms.
8. Verification (Optional)
Tuneful may offer optional Verification services to Tutors, which could include identity document checks and/or facilitation of a DBS check via a third-party provider, for an additional fee disclosed at the time. A Tutor holding Verification will display a badge on their profile indicating the level of check completed and the date it was carried out.
Verification is a point-in-time check and is not a continuous background monitoring service. It does not constitute a guarantee of a Tutor's ongoing conduct or suitability, and we make no warranty as to the accuracy of information provided by any third-party verification provider.
9. Reviews and Ratings
- Only a Student who has booked and paid for a lesson with a Tutor through the Platform may leave a review of that Tutor.
- Reviews must be honest, based on genuine experience, and must not contain content that is defamatory, abusive, or that breaches Section 7.1.
- We may remove a review, or suspend the reviewing account, where we reasonably believe it breaches these Terms or was not left in good faith.
- Tutors may not offer incentives in exchange for a positive review, and may not create or solicit fake reviews.
10. Promotions and Discount Codes
Tuneful does not currently run any promotional offers, discount codes, referral bonuses, or free trial periods. This section is included so that, if we introduce any such promotion in future, it is already governed by clear terms without requiring a full re-issue of this document.
Where any promotion, discount code, referral incentive, free trial, or reduced introductory fee (a "Promotion") is introduced, the following will apply in addition to the rest of these Terms:
- Each Promotion will have its own specific terms, published on the relevant landing page, email, or in-app notice, including its eligibility criteria, validity period, and any redemption limits. Those specific terms take precedence over this Section 10 where they conflict.
- Promotions are limited to one redemption per person/account unless expressly stated otherwise, and may not be combined with any other Promotion unless expressly stated.
- We reserve the right to withdraw, amend, or end any Promotion at any time, and to refuse or cancel a Promotion where we reasonably suspect abuse, fraud, or a breach of these Terms.
- A Promotion has no cash value, is non-transferable unless expressly stated, and does not entitle the holder to a refund of the difference if unused.
- Where a Promotion affects the Service Fee, Membership Fee, or any other pricing referenced in Section 5, the discounted terms apply only for the period and scope stated in the Promotion; standard pricing resumes automatically thereafter unless stated otherwise.
11. Intellectual Property
The Tuneful name, logo, website design, and underlying software are owned by the Company or its licensors and are protected by copyright, trade mark, and other intellectual property laws. You may not copy, reproduce, or create derivative works from the Platform without our written permission.
By posting content on the Platform (including your profile text, photographs, and any other material you upload), you grant the Company a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, display, reproduce, and distribute that content for the purpose of operating and promoting the Platform. You confirm that you own or have the necessary rights to any content you post.
12. Reports, Investigations, and Enforcement
Where we receive a report about a User, or otherwise become aware of a potential breach of these Terms, we may investigate, and may suspend the account in question while we do so, without that suspension implying any finding of wrongdoing. We aim to review reports promptly, and to prioritise reports involving a safety concern.
Following investigation, we may take any action we consider proportionate, including issuing a warning, removing content, permanently terminating an account, withholding funds pending resolution of a dispute, and/or reporting the matter to the police or another relevant authority. We are under no obligation to disclose the details of an investigation to the person who was reported.
13. Liability
13.1 Nothing in these Terms limits liability we cannot lawfully limit
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under English law.
13.2 What we are not liable for
Subject to Section 13.1, and to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company is not liable for:
- The conduct, acts, or omissions of any Tutor or Student, on or off the Platform, including at or around any lesson.
- The quality, safety, legality, or outcome of any lesson arranged through the Platform.
- Any loss or damage arising from a User providing false or misleading information.
- Any indirect, special, or consequential loss, including loss of income, arising from your use of the Platform.
13.3 Cap on liability
Subject to Section 13.1, our total liability to you arising out of or in connection with these Terms or your use of the Platform, whether in contract, tort, or otherwise, is limited to £40.
13.4 Notice of billing errors
If you believe you have been incorrectly charged, double-charged, or otherwise billed in error by the Platform, you must notify us at hello@tuneful.live within 30 days of the date the disputed charge occurred. We are not liable for, and are not obliged to investigate or refund, any billing or payment error first reported to us after this 30-day period has passed. This Section 13.4 relates specifically to platform billing and payment processing errors, and does not affect the separate lesson cancellation, rescheduling, and refund timeframes set out in Section 5.
14. Data Protection
We collect and process personal data to operate the Platform, connect Tutors and Students, and process payments. This includes your name, email address, phone number, messages, and payment-related records. Payment data is handled directly by Stripe; we do not store your card details. We process personal data in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. To ask what data we hold about you, or to request its deletion, contact hello@tuneful.live.
15. General Terms
15.1 Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time, for example to reflect a change in the law, our services, or our pricing. Where a change is material, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you (such as by email or an in-app notice) before it takes effect. Continued use of the Platform after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
15.2 If part of these Terms is found unenforceable
If any provision of these Terms is found by a court or regulator to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.
15.3 No waiver
Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms is not a waiver of our right to do so later.
15.4 Governing law and jurisdiction
These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms or your use of the Platform will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, save that if you are a consumer resident elsewhere in the UK, you may also bring proceedings in your local courts.
15.5 Contact
Questions about these Terms can be sent to hello@tuneful.live.