Policies & Procedures

Our policies and procedures are designed to offer clear, reliable answers whenever questions arise. Each policy is intended to promote fairness, transparency, and a positive learning environment, so you can focus on developing your knowledge in wine and drinks.

If you’re ever unsure about a process or need clarification, this document is here to help – and our team is always available to offer further guidance. Just reach out.  

  • In the event that Wine and Drinks Academy cancels a course for any reason, students will receive a 100% refund.

    The policy for cancellations and refunds requested by students is accepted at purchase and varies by class.

    ·       For WSET Courses and other certification courses: Full course refunds – minus a 5% administrative fee – are available for cancellations received more than 15 days before the course start date. This refund does not include shipping fee, if materials have been shipped, nor materials fee, if materials have been opened.

    ·       For non-certification courses (such as Intro to Wine and single-session classes): In order to bring you small, interactive wine classes with top tier wines, we’re unable to accommodate refund and transfer requests. If life gets busy or things come up, we hope you’ll gift your registration to a friend or family member.

  • Any information we collect in order to ship your course materials, communicate with you, register you with WSET, or meet state requirements will only be used for those purposes. We will never share your personal information with any third party other than WSET or WA State. Data passed to WSET for the purpose of student record creation will be handled under WSET’s Privacy Policy.  

  • All accommodations for WSET exams require advance approval from WSET. Reasonable accommodations are intended to eliminate any disadvantages a candidate may face as a result of a disability but should not give them additional advantages over other candidates. 

     

    Reasonable accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis and require documentation. Please submit all requests for exam accommodation to cheers@winedrinksacademy.com at least 45 days before a WSET Diploma exams and at least 35 days before a WSET Level 1, 2, or 3 exam. 

  • In certain situations, exam re-sit fees may be waived if a candidate is unable to attend an exam or is unable to perform successfully on an exam because of circumstances beyond the control of the candidate including illness, accident, bereavement or exam conditions. Request for special consideration must be made to Wine and Drinks Academy within 3 days of the exam date via email to cheers@winedrinksaademy.com. Wine and Drinks Academy will then provide the candidate with a WSET Special Consideration Form, which must be completed and returned with supporting documentation within 5 days of the exam.

  • Students should bring any concerns or complaints to the attention of Wine and Drinks Academy via email to cheers@winedrinkacademy.com and expect a reply within 3 business days. All complaints will be kept confidential and will not jeopardize the student’s completion of their course. Once complaints have been acknowledged and addressed by Wine and Drinks Academy, any issues not resolved to the student’s satisfaction can be directed to WSET’s Quality Assurance Team, governance@winedrinksacademy.com.

  • All students will have equal opportunity to register for and attend classes at Wine and Drinks Academy and will be treated without bias. Any concerns should be addressed to Wine and Drinks Academy, cheers@winedrinksacademy.com.  

  • Should a WSET Candidate suspect or observe malpractice or maladministration by a staff member or instructor of Wine and Drinks Academy, they should contact Wine and Drinks Academy main contact, Mimi Martin at mimi@winedrinksacademy.com. Or, if the candidate feels the issue warrants it, they may reach out directly to WSET Governance directly at governance@wsetglobal.com. 

  • Any student concerns about instructor conflict of interest should be brought to the attention of Wine and Drinks Academy, cheers@winedrinksacademy.com.