​Cancellations and Changes to Bookings

Cancellations & Changes to Bookings

• For cancellations up to 2 weeks before course commencement, full fees will be refunded except the non-refundable deposit of €150.
• For cancellations of 14 days or less, the deposit will be retained and the following percentages of the fees (full package: course, accommodation, registration fees, any additional extras, etc.) will be refunded:
• • 7–14 days: 50% of course fees will be refunded.
• • Less than 7 days: 30% of course fees will be refunded.
• Once the course has commenced fees will not be refunded irrespective of the circumstances. This includes late arrival/early departure or days missed during the course.
• Fees / tuition weeks are non-transferrable and non-refundable irrespective of the circumstances

Additional Administration Fee

• There is an additional administration fee of €35.00 charged for each booking change after the initial booking. This applies but is not limited to changes of dates, changes of accommodation & courses.  
• Additional services that are added after the initial booking (for example, special diet, halal, vegetarian, coeliac, special preferences, additional or reduced number of nights, health insurance etc.) will incur this fee.
• It will not apply to upgrades in bookings – i.e. adding a significantly longer course; adding the FIRST transferafter the initial booking.
• Changing from General English to Exam Preparation Programmes is possible as we encourage and support your language achievements, but these changes are subject to availability and are at the complete and sole discretion of Management.

Refunds (including visa refusals) 

All changes between one course and another, including changing from General English to Exam preparation programmes, are subject to availability and are at the complete and sole discretion of Management.

Students may not change from group to private tuition or opt for less intensive courses, or shorten their course regardless of the reason.

Fees / tuition weeks are non-transferrable. Once the course has commenced, refunds and credit notes are only given in extenuating and exceptional circumstances and are at the sole discretion of Management.

Fees will not be refunded if a visa is denied due to submission of false or inaccurate information.

The timeline for refund processing is typically within 14 working days of receiving the refusal letter and appropriate refund form completed with correct bank details. The method of refund is always the same as the initial payment route (e.g. TransferMate reversal where applicable).

More information on visa and refunds policy here. 

Do you have a complaint?

If you have any question or problem - we are here to help!

We cannot fix everything - remember that new students are responsible for the weather!

The first point of contact is Reception.

We can then help you by referring you to the appropriate person

For all more serious matters, a formal meeting can be organised with either the DOS or ADOS. For the more serious complaints or problems, the Director is always personally involved. GCI is committed to excellence in teaching and service provision, therefore it aims for the highest standards of quality . It takes legitimate learner complaints seriously and aims to resolve them in a clear, fair and timely manner. The guiding principles are:

• To provide learners with a clear framework in which to raise complaints

• To respect all the individuals involved in a complaint

• To support improvements through regular reporting and reviewing of issues raised

The Formal Complaint Process

Learners should understand that when they make a complaint certain procedure will follow and complainants must be clear on the grounds for their complaint. They are required to provide full and accurate information and to cooperate with the investigation, including providing any additional information as requested. A learner making a complaint will not be discriminated against or suffer any recrimination as a result of making a legitimate complaint. Where a complaint is deemed to be malicious or vexatious or where false information is submitted, disciplinary action may be taken against the complainant.

GCI seeks to handle all complaints with discretion. It is important that all parties involved take care to ensure that confidentiality is respected. As far as is practicable, confidentiality will be preserved at all stages in the procedure, in the interests of both the student making the complaint and the individual members of staff involved. Where a complaint involves an individual member of staff that member of staff has a right to respond as part of the investigation. All information received and considered as part of the investigation of a complaint will be retained for record purposes.

Stage 1

1. Formal complaints should normally be made within one month of the last related incident occurring.
2. The complaint will first be assessed by the Academic Dept. to confirm that local or informal processes have been exhausted before the formal complaint process is initiated.
3. The learner will receive acknowledgement of receipt of the complaint and will be informed of the next steps and, where appropriate, the timescale.
4. If the complaint is to be investigated, Academic Dept. will investigate the complaint or designate an investigator to carry out an investigation into the issues raised. The investigator will normally be an experienced member of staff from the area who is not implicated in any way in the complaint and does not have any close relationship with any of the parties involved. Should the complaint refer to an individual, that person should be informed at this stage of the complaint.
5. The appointed investigator will examine the issues raised in the complaint and will seek to establish:

• the nature and circumstances of the complaint
• whether the complaint has merit
• what actions (if any) are needed to resolve the issue

As part of the investigation, the investigator may conduct individual interviews with the complainant, with those against whom the complaint is made and with any relevant third party. On completion of the investigation, the investigator will provide a written report to the parties concerned recommending measures to be taken to resolve the complaint to the parties concerned. Once approved by the Managing Director a copy of the report will be sent to the complainant. This will set out the outcome of the investigation and ask the learner to respond to the outcome of the investigation within 15 working days.

Possible outcomes

• A mutually acceptable outcome is reached.
• A mutually acceptable outcome is not reached but the Registrar considers that the complaint has been heard fairly and that the appropriate actions have been taken
• The learner appeals the outcome

Complaint Procedures

In the event of a dispute, GCI / GBS will endeavour to resolve the issues in a fair and ethical manner. Once this process has been exhausted, GCI / GBS will follow the Dispute Resolution Procedure/Complaints Procedure of IALC / EAQUALS, and the complaint will be referred to the appropriate Ombudsman.

In the event of legal action, the court case must be taken where the bulk of the service provided by GCI / GBS has taken place, i.e. Ireland.