Inclusion Policy

PVWW welcomes writers of all genres, backgrounds, races, colors, national or ethnic origins, ages, religions, disabilities, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, ability levels, and veteran statuses. We prohibit all discrimination against and harassment of any instructor or student on the basis of any of the above.

Class and Workshop Policies

Requirements for Attendance: Basic Computer & Zoom Literacy

• For all virtual PVWW workshops, all participants must be comfortable attending a Zoom event, including muting and unmuting themselves, turning on and off their cameras, using and checking the "chat" box, and adjusting their own device's audio so that they can hear. We can and often do give a very quick Zoom orientation at the start of each class, though we do not provide private tech assistance to attendees. We suggest you get help from a friend or family member before the start of your workshop if you are new to Zoom and virtual classes.
  
  
• For multi-week workshops, all participants must be comfortable with basic computer use, including frequent emailing and attaching of documents. If you are not comfortable with this, we recommend seeking help from friends, family, or local libraries or universities before applying or signing up for a workshop.
  
  
• For multi-week workshops or workshops that require handing in or distributing your work, all participants must be able to type up and correctly format all work related to the class. If you need help with this, we recommend seeking out friends, family, local libraries or universities, or investigating certain voice-recognition software before applying or signing up.
  

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Payment for Classes and Workshops

• Payment is due in full before arriving at any class or workshop. We do not consider you registered in any class or workshop unless and until we receive full payment. 

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• We do not allow payment in multiple installments except in rare occasions if arranged separately. 

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• Gift Certificates: If you'd like to redeem a gift certificate, simply let us know which class you'd like to apply it toward, and we will register you for that class. 

Credit and Refund Policy

• ​If you withdraw from a workshop ten days or more before the start of the class: You'll receive a full refund OR full credit toward another workshop or class of equal value, if there is another class you are interested in. (Note: We no longer hold on to credits, so this kind of equal-value exchange happens only if there is another class you're interested in at the time of withdrawal.)  
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• If you withdraw from a workshop nine days before the start of the class up until 48 hours before: You'll receive a refund minus 20%. 

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• If you withdraw from a workshop less than 48 hours before the start of class or after the class has begun: We are not able to offer you credit toward another class or any refund. In the event of illness or a personal emergency, please contact us and let us know about your situation, as this will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Contact Joy at joy@pioneervalleywriters.org.

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• Unforeseen Circumstances/Emergencies During Multi-Week Workshops: If there is an unforeseen emergency (such as instructor illness or medical leave) that causes the workshop to end mid-session, all students will be refunded a pro-rated amount based on the number of classes left that will be canceled. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer refunds if students must drop out of the workshop mid-session due to personal reasons or emergencies.

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• Other scenarios: We know there are all kinds of scenarios that might bring you to request a refund. There are certain scenarios where we cannot offer refunds, regardless of the situation or timeframe. We are unable to offer a refund in the following instances: ​​If you have been provided with materials from the workshop; if the instructor has devoted significant amounts of time to you and/or worked with you via email in any way; if you are requesting a refund while a class is currently running.

Class Cancellation Policies

• One-Day Craft Classes: If a one-day craft class is canceled or rescheduled due to circumstances outside our control (ie. weather, instructor illness, other emergency, etc.) all enrolled participants will have the option of either receiving a full refund or putting their credit toward another PVWW one-day craft class. 

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• Multi-Week Workshops: If circumstances outside our control (i.e. weather, instructor illness, emergency, etc.) require that a particular day (or days) in a multi-week workshop be canceled, PVWW and the instructor will make sure that the missed class is rescheduled at a time that works best for as many participants as possible. We are unable to offer any type of refund to those who cannot attend the rescheduled classes. 
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• If we have to cancel a class for any reason, we will give you a full refund or, if you choose, a credit in the amount of your payment, to be used for any future PVWW class. Anyone who does not specify whether they would like a refund or a credit for a cancelled class will automatically receive a refund. 
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Gift Certificates

• Gift certificates do not expire and can be used directly by the recipient at any time, for a workshop for a workshop of equal value, or applied to a workshop of greater value.
  
  
• If you are enrolled in a class and plan to use a gift certificate, you are still subject to the normal refund policies. 

In-Class Disputes and Problems

• If any disputes, problems, offensive content, or issues arise within the workshop or class setting, our goal is to resolve tensions in as professional and helpful a manner as possible. As writers tackling often-difficult subjects, we cannot fully control the topics that may come up in workshops. However, we aim to establish a safe and open space for communication and discussion of any issue that may arise. If you do not feel safe discussing an issue in the group, please reach out to your instructor, or to Joy Baglio (Founder/Director).

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• Any student who behaves in a loud, unruly, and/or disrespectful manner to any other student(s) and/or instructor(s) will be asked to leave and will not be entitled to a refund. This includes, but is not limited to, derogatory or discriminatory language, harassment, inappropriateness, threats, and/or undermining the group or instructor. 

Disability Access

We do everything we can to accommodate students who need extra assistance. As most of our workshops are virtual, if we are alerted to your needs before the workshop, we can let the instructor know and things like close captioning can be used during Zoom lectures, or extra breaks can be taken if needed. While we are not able to offer assistance outside of a class, such as typing services or direct computer or tech support, please let us know if you need extra help, and we're happy to make suggestions and brainstorm possibilities.

Consulting & Coaching Policies

Payment for Consulting, Coaching, Editing Services

• Payment for consulting, editing, and coaching services is due in full before any services are rendered. Once we receive payment, your consultant and/or coach will be in touch with you. 

• Currently, we can only accept payment via our secure online payment system, Square (similar to PayPal). We send out an emailed invoice, though we are happy to take your payment over the phone if that's easier. Just let us know!
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• All paid-for consulting, coaching, and/or editing hours must be used in the calendar year of purchase. 

Refund and Customer Satisfaction Policy

While we are committed to making sure you're satisfied with the services you receive, we unfortunately cannot offer refunds or credit for consulting, editing, or coaching work after the work has begun, nor can we change or alter an invoice or the paid-for hours. Because of this, we suggest those interested in working with a one-on-one consultant, coach, or editor begin with a smaller number of hours to start, if you are unsure. In the event that you're unhappy with the services you receive from your coach or consultant, please let us know, and we can discuss with the consultant/coach and see what went wrong and how we might fix it.