Terms of payment
Payment
Under no circumstances may the merchant collect payment from you before beginning to perform his obligation, i.e. never before classes begin. Legally, he cannot ask you to pay for the services covered by the contract in a single lump sum payment. The law requires him to take payment in at least two, relatively equal instalments paid at regular intervals.
For example, if you are registered for a course and the merchant decides to collect the total contract cost in two instalments, he can ask you to make the first payment the day of the first class but cannot demand the second instalment before mid-session.
Exceptions
There are two exceptions when the merchant may ask for a single payment:
- when the consumer's total obligation does not exceed $100;
- when the services offered are spread over no more than three consecutive days, regardless of the contract cost.