Terms of Service

1. What Spooniversity is

Spooniversity is an independent online learning platform operated by Roi Shternin, an individual based in Austria. It is not an accredited institution of higher education. No academic degrees are conferred. All credentials issued are professional learning certifications from Spooniversity.

These terms form the contract between you and Spooniversity when you create an account or subscribe.

2. Your account

To create an account and subscribe, you must be at least 18 years old. Under Austrian law (ABGB), individuals under 18 require parental or guardian consent to enter into contracts. If you are 16 or 17, you may create an account with the consent of a parent or legal guardian.

You are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure. Accounts are for individual use — you may not share your account with others. Each subscription covers one person.

3. Payment options

Tracks may be purchased as a one-time payment or through an instalment plan. Both options are offered at checkout. The total amount and payment schedule are always shown in full before you confirm your purchase.

All prices are in EUR and include applicable VAT where required. If you are located outside Austria, your local VAT rate may differ and will be applied at checkout as required by EU regulations on digital services (EU VAT Directive 2006/112/EC).

An optional Alumni subscription (billed monthly or annually) is available separately after completing a track. It is not required to access purchased track content.

3a. Instalment plans

When you purchase a track on an instalment plan, your access begins immediately on receipt of your first payment. You do not need to complete all payments before accessing the course.

Completing a track — finishing the lessons — and completing your payment plan are separate things. You may finish the course content while still having instalments outstanding. Your access to content you have already enrolled in continues throughout your payment plan, regardless of where you are in your learning.

Instalments are charged automatically on the same day of each month. The total number of instalments and the amount of each are shown at checkout. The total amount payable via instalments is slightly higher than the equivalent one-time price, which reflects the flexibility of spreading payment.

If an instalment payment fails, we will notify you by email and retry after 7 days. If payment remains outstanding after 30 days, your account will be paused — you will not lose content or progress, but active cohort features will be suspended until your account is brought up to date. We will contact you before any pause takes effect.

If you are unable to make a payment due to illness, a medical crisis, or financial hardship, email hello@spooniversity.org. You may request one payment pause per plan, for up to 60 days, with no questions asked. We will extend your plan accordingly.

If an account remains unpaid after 90 days without communication, we may archive it. Archived accounts can be reinstated for up to 12 months by contacting us — all content and progress is preserved.

Instalment plans are a payment arrangement directly with Spooniversity. They are not a credit agreement with a financial institution.

4. Your right to withdraw (Widerrufsrecht / Right of Withdrawal)

Under the EU Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU), as implemented in Austria by the Fern- und Auswärtsgeschäfte-Gesetz (FAGG), you have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days of your purchase, without giving a reason.

To exercise this right: • Email hello@spooniversity.org within 14 days of purchase, or • Use the withdrawal option in your account settings within 14 days.

For one-time purchases: if you withdraw within 14 days, we will refund your payment in full.

For instalment plans: if you withdraw within 14 days of your first payment, we will refund your first instalment in full and cancel all remaining scheduled instalments. If you have made more than one instalment payment within the 14-day window (unusual, but possible), we will refund all amounts paid.

Note: If you explicitly request immediate access to digital content before the 14-day period expires, and we provide it, you may lose your statutory right to withdrawal for that content. We will ask you to acknowledge this at checkout in accordance with Article 16(m) of the Consumer Rights Directive.

We understand that chronic illness doesn't follow tidy timelines. If you missed the 14-day window because of a flare or a health crisis, email us anyway — we look at these as humans, not as a policy document. Our general refund policy (below) provides additional flexibility.

5. 14-day full refund policy

In addition to your legal withdrawal right, we offer a simple refund policy: if you purchase a track and decide within 14 days that Spooniversity isn't right for you, email hello@spooniversity.org and we will issue a full refund. No questions asked.

For instalment plans: within the 14-day window, we will refund all amounts paid to date and cancel remaining instalments. After 14 days, instalments already paid are non-refundable, but you will retain access to all track content you have enrolled in. Remaining scheduled instalments can be paused or discussed with us if circumstances change.

After 14 days, purchases are non-refundable except at our discretion. If life happened — a crash, a hospitalisation, something unexpected — email us. We will look at it fairly.

6. Course content and intellectual property

All course content — lessons, materials, frameworks, and curricula — is the intellectual property of Spooniversity and Roi Shternin. You may use what you learn in your own work and life. You may not reproduce, distribute, or resell course materials without written permission.

Content may be updated, improved, or restructured at any time. Core track content and your learning progress are always preserved.

7. Community conduct

Spooniversity is a space for chronically ill people. Community members are expected to treat each other with dignity and respect.

We reserve the right to remove content or suspend accounts that are abusive, discriminatory, or harmful to the community. We do not apply these standards lightly or without warning. If you receive a warning or suspension and believe it was an error, email us — we will listen.

8. Medical disclaimer

Nothing on Spooniversity constitutes medical advice. Course content is for educational purposes only. Always consult your own healthcare providers for medical decisions.

Spooniversity does not claim to treat, cure, or improve any medical condition. "Healing modules" within the curriculum refer to self-knowledge, emotional skills, and adaptive strategies — not medical treatments.

9. Availability

We aim for consistent availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. We may temporarily suspend access for maintenance. We will notify you in advance where possible. Planned maintenance periods do not entitle you to a refund for the period affected.

10. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Spooniversity is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages.

Important: Under Austrian consumer protection law (KSchG §6), we cannot exclude liability for intentional acts, gross negligence, or personal injury. This limitation applies only to the extent permitted by mandatory consumer protection rules in your country.

11. Governing law and EU consumer rights

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Austria.

If you are a consumer in an EU or EEA member state, you retain all mandatory consumer protections granted by the laws of your country of habitual residence, regardless of this governing law clause. These terms do not take away any rights you have under mandatory local consumer law.

12. Online Dispute Resolution (EU)

The European Commission provides an Online Dispute Resolution platform for consumers and online traders in the EU: https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr

We are required to provide this link. We are not obligated to participate in dispute resolution through this platform, but we are always willing to resolve concerns directly — email hello@spooniversity.org first.

13. Contact

Questions about these terms: hello@spooniversity.org