Refund policy
Last updated: 1 October 2026
Courses, Classes & Workshops
Our classes are intentionally small, so every student gets real time on the machines. Many of our students also travel from out of town or overseas, so a change to a class affects their plans as much as ours. That is why the timings below matter — and why we would almost always rather move you to another date than lose you.
Changing your date
If you can't make your class, tell us as early as you can. There are three ways to change it, and one of them is free.
- Send someone in your place — free. If a friend, family member or colleague can use your seat on the same date, we'll simply put their name on it. No fee.
- Pass your credit on. If you'd rather give the value to someone else for a different date, we can move your credit to them to use toward any CBI course. Credits are valid for 12 months from the date you registered and are subject to the date-change fees below.
- Move to a different date. What this costs depends on how much notice you give us:
| Notice before your class | Fee to move |
|---|---|
| 7 or more days | $55 |
| 72 hours to 6 days | $99 |
| Less than 72 hours | 25% of your course fee (maximum $399) |
| Each additional move | add $30 |
New dates depend on availability, and students already enrolled in a future class get first choice of seats.
Refunds
The refund window runs from the moment you register and pay — not from your class date.
- Within 48 hours of registering: refunds are available on written request through our contact form. A 25% administration fee and a $40 processing fee apply to all refunds.
- More than 48 hours after registering: refunds are no longer available — change your date or transfer your registration instead (see above).
- Discounted or promotional purchases are final sale and cannot be refunded or returned.
- Tuition is final at the time of registration. We can't adjust for later price changes or promotions.
How refunds are paid. An approved refund goes back to the card or account used to pay, usually within 5–10 business days of us processing it. Where someone else paid for your registration — an employer, or a gift — the refund goes to whoever paid, not to the student.
Books and equipment are not covered by this policy; see our Shipping Policy for returns of physical goods.
If you miss part of a multi-day course
Our courses are taught and priced as a whole, and each day builds on the one before. If you attend part of a course and miss the rest, we can't refund the days you missed — but tell us and we'll do our best to fit you into the missing days on a later date, subject to availability. Rejoining the missing days is treated as a date change and charged at the rates above. Your certificate is issued once you've completed the full course.
Travel disruption
Many of our students fly in. Cancelled flights, weather and border delays are outside everyone's control — but they don't fill the empty seat either. Let us know as soon as you know: we'll treat it as a date change rather than a no-show, and the applicable change fee will apply.
No-shows
If you don't attend your class and don't tell us in advance, you may re-book based on availability by paying 50% of the original course fee, up to a maximum of $599. A seat we were never told about is the one seat we couldn't offer to anyone else, which is why re-booking after a no-show costs more than moving your date. A second no-show forfeits your registration entirely. Because our classes are small, instructors hold the start time only briefly — please let us know if you expect to be late.
Cancellations by CBI
On rare occasions a class may be cancelled due to equipment issues, instructor illness, force majeure or other extraordinary circumstances. We'll notify you by email or phone as soon as possible, and you may choose between re-booking at a later date or a full refund.
Minimum age
Our classes are designed for students 16 and older. The minimum age is 14 when accompanied by an adult who is also registered and paid for the same class. A student who has not reached the age of majority cannot register themselves: a parent, guardian or other adult must complete and pay for the registration, accept our Terms of Service on the student's behalf, and remain responsible for it.
Consulting & Foster Barista
These terms apply to consulting and Foster Barista engagements. Where you have signed a written agreement with us for a specific engagement, that agreement governs, and these terms fill any gap it does not address.
Unlike our courses — where students come to us in an environment we control entirely — Foster Barista and consulting work happens inside your business. We enter your space, work with your team, and operate around your equipment, your permits, your timelines and your readiness. That is a fundamentally different commitment for our staff, and it carries real risk on our end, so the terms below exist to protect that commitment fairly for both sides.
Refunds
- Within 48 hours of signing: cancel for a refund through our contact form. A 25% administration fee and a $40 processing fee apply.
- After 48 hours: no refunds — re-book for a later date, or transfer your credit to a staff member, friend or family member toward any CBI course.
- Promotional or discounted contracts are final sale.
- Fees are fixed at the time of signing; no adjustments for later price changes.
- Packages expire 12 months from signing. Unused hours after that are forfeited and can't be refunded, transferred or extended without written agreement from CBI.
Travel & non-refundable confirmed sessions
Unlike a classroom setting, every on-site session requires our trainer to travel to you — whether ten minutes away or a flight across the country. Once a session is confirmed and a trainer has been assigned, our commitment is real and our costs begin.
- All confirmed on-site sessions are non-refundable once a trainer has been scheduled — regardless of the reason for cancellation on the client's end.
- When a session requires travel and/or overnight accommodation, the full session fee plus all travel and accommodation costs incurred are due in full — whether or not the trainer has yet departed.
- Rescheduling is not available once travel has been committed to.
There are no exceptions based on circumstances at the client's location, including but not limited to: equipment not working or not yet installed; electrical, utility or infrastructure issues; city permits, approvals or inspections not completed on time; construction delays or fit-out not ready; or staff unavailability on the client's side. We'll always do our best to re-book at the earliest available date, but the financial commitment for that confirmed session remains.
Cancellations and disruption on our side
If we need to cancel a session — consultant illness, force majeure, or other circumstances genuinely outside our control — we'll notify you as soon as possible and make it right: your choice of re-booking at a date that works for you, or a full refund for the affected session. The same applies if our consultant can't reach you because of a cancelled flight, weather or a border delay on our end — we hold that risk, not you.
If disruption on our side shortens a session rather than cancelling it, you choose: we complete the remaining hours another day at no charge, or we refund the hours we didn't deliver. Where we cancel or cut short, you're never charged for travel or accommodation costs we incurred.