Terms of Service

Last updated: November 9, 2026. This is a plain-language draft.

The service

Surprise Piano Lessons is a marketplace. We provide the platform where independent teachers list online lessons and students book and pay for them. Teachers are independent — they are not our employees — and each teacher is responsible for their own lessons, schedule and teaching.

Accounts

You must give accurate information when you sign up and keep your password private. You are responsible for activity under your account. Lessons for children are booked by a parent or guardian.

How booking and payment work

A student sends a booking request with a proposed time. Nothing is charged at that point. If the teacher accepts, the student pays the listed price for a one-hour online lesson through Stripe. When payment is confirmed, the booking is confirmed and both sides receive a confirmation email. If the teacher declines, no payment is taken.

Fees

The platform fee is 10% of the lesson price, taken from the payment before the teacher is paid — the teacher keeps 90%. There are no other platform fees. Payment processing is handled by Stripe under Stripe's own terms.

Teachers and Stripe

Before a teacher's lessons can be listed or booked, the teacher must connect and activate a Stripe account, because that is how students pay and how teachers receive their earnings.

Cancellations and refunds

If a teacher cannot teach a confirmed lesson, the student is entitled to a refund of that lesson's price or to reschedule with the teacher. If a student cannot attend, they should contact the teacher as early as possible to reschedule. Refund decisions are handled fairly and in line with these terms; contact us if you cannot resolve an issue with the other party.

Online lessons

Lessons take place online between the teacher and the student. Each side is responsible for their own device, internet connection and any video-call tool they agree to use.

Acceptable use

Do not misuse the platform: no fraud, no harassment, no using the site to move payments off-platform for bookings arranged here, and no unlawful content. We may suspend accounts that break these terms.

Liability

The platform is provided "as is". To the extent the law allows, we are not liable for a teacher's or student's actions, for lesson quality, or for indirect losses. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law.

Changes

If we change these terms, we will update this page and the date above. Continuing to use the site after a change means you accept the updated terms.