Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing and using SimTuts ("the Service"), you accept and agree to be bound by the terms and provisions of this agreement. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the Service.

2. Description of Service

SimTuts provides a platform connecting students with experienced flight simulation tutors for personalized instruction in flight simulators including DCS World, MSFS 2024, and X-Plane. The Service facilitates booking, scheduling, and payment processing for tutoring sessions.

3. Simulation Only Disclaimer

All content, instruction, guides, tutorials, and materials provided through SimTuts relate exclusively to flight simulation software and virtual environments. Nothing on this platform constitutes real-world flight training, aviation instruction, or operational guidance.

• SimTuts is not an approved training organisation (ATO) and does not provide any form of real-world pilot training or certification
• Tutoring sessions, guides, and all other content are intended solely for use within flight simulation software such as DCS World, MSFS 2024, and X-Plane
• Procedures, techniques, and information discussed on this platform may differ significantly from real-world aviation practices and must not be applied to real aircraft operations
• SimTuts, its tutors, and its content creators accept no responsibility for any consequences arising from the application of any material from this platform to real-world aviation or any other real-world activity
• If you require real-world flight training, you must seek instruction from a qualified flight instructor at an approved training organisation

By using this platform, you acknowledge and agree that all material is for simulation purposes only and that you will not rely on it for real-world flight operations.

4. User Accounts

To use certain features of the Service, you must register for an account. You agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information
• Maintain the security of your password and account
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account
• Be responsible for all activities that occur under your account

5. Tutoring Sessions

All tutoring sessions are conducted between students and independent tutors. SimTuts acts as a platform facilitator and is not directly responsible for the quality or content of tutoring sessions.

• Sessions must be booked through the platform
• Cancellations must follow our cancellation policy
• Students and tutors are expected to conduct themselves professionally
• Recording of sessions requires consent from all participants

5.1 Lesson Start Time Window

Tutors may start lessons within the following time window:

• Early Start: Tutors can begin a lesson up to 30 minutes before the scheduled start time
• Late Start: Tutors can begin a lesson up to 2 hours after the scheduled start time
• Expired Lessons: Lessons that have not started within 2 hours of the scheduled time cannot be started and should be rescheduled

Students will be notified when the tutor starts the video session and can join at that time.

6. Payment and Billing

All payments are processed securely through Stripe. Prices are displayed in the platform currency and are subject to applicable VAT where required.

6.1 Free Lessons

SimTuts supports free lessons to help tutors build their reputation and allow students to try the platform:

• No Payment Required: Free lessons do not require a payment method from the student
• Duration Limit: Free lessons are limited to a maximum of 15 minutes per session
• Monthly Limit: Students may book up to 5 free lessons per month (across all tutors)
• New Tutors: Tutors who have not yet completed Stripe payment onboarding offer free lessons. Once onboarding is complete, tutors can set their hourly rate and accept paid bookings
• Established Tutors: Tutors with active Stripe accounts may choose to offer free lessons at their discretion

Free lessons are subject to the same conduct and cancellation policies as paid lessons.

6.2 Payment Method (Paid Lessons)

Students must add a valid payment card to their account before booking paid lessons.

• Your card is securely stored with Stripe and is not accessible to SimTuts or tutors
• You can add, remove, or change your payment method at any time in Settings
• We reserve the right to refuse or cancel transactions

6.3 Authorization and Billing

SimTuts uses a "pay for what you use" billing model where you are only charged for the actual lesson duration:

• No Charge Until You Join: No authorization or charge is placed on your card until you join the video call. You can cancel at any time before joining without any payment being taken.
• Authorization at Join: When you join the video call, a temporary authorization (hold) is placed on your card for up to 130% of the estimated lesson cost. This is a hold, not a charge—no funds are taken at this point.
• 30-Minute Minimum: All lessons have a 30-minute minimum billing. Lessons shorter than 30 minutes are billed at the 30-minute rate.
• Charge at Completion: When the lesson ends, you are charged only for the actual lesson duration (with 30-minute minimum applied). The authorization hold is then released.
• Billable Time: Billable time is measured from the moment you join the video call, not from when the tutor starts the session. You are not charged for any time before you enter the call.
• Overtime Protection: The 130% authorization buffer ensures lessons can run slightly over the estimated time without payment issues.

6.4 Direct Payments to Tutors

Payments go directly to your tutor's Stripe account. The tutor is the merchant of record for your lesson:

• Your payment appears on your statement as a charge from the tutor (via Stripe)
• Tutors receive 80% of the lesson cost directly into their Stripe account
• SimTuts takes a 20% platform fee that covers payment processing, video infrastructure, and support

6.5 Authorization Expiry

Card authorizations expire after 7 days due to payment network rules. Because authorization occurs when you join the lesson, expiry is rarely an issue—capture typically happens the same day. In rare cases (e.g., a lesson not completed promptly), we will notify you if reauthorization is required.

6.6 Cancellation Policy

• Before Joining: Students may cancel accepted bookings at any time before joining the video call. Because no authorization is placed until you join, there is nothing to charge or release.
• After Joining: Once you have joined the video call and the authorization has been placed, the 30-minute minimum applies. You will be charged for the actual duration (minimum 30 minutes) at completion.
• Tutor Cancellation: If a tutor cancels before the lesson, no charge is applied. If the tutor cancels after you have joined, the authorization is released and no charge is made.
• Refunds: For completed lessons, refunds are processed through Stripe back to your original payment method

7. Premium Subscription

SimTuts offers an optional Premium subscription, separate from tutoring bookings. Premium is sold by SimTuts (not by a tutor) and is billed through Stripe.

• Price: £6.99 per month, or £49 per year. Prices include VAT where applicable.
• Free trial: New subscribers receive a 7-day free trial. Unless you cancel before the trial ends, your subscription will automatically convert to a paid subscription and your chosen payment method will be charged at the price above.
• Auto-renewal: Premium renews automatically at the end of each billing period (monthly or annual) at the then-current price, until you cancel. We will charge your saved payment method at the start of each renewal period.
• How to cancel: You can cancel at any time in your account settings, or via the Stripe customer portal linked from your settings. Cancellation stops future renewals; you keep access until the end of the period you have already paid for. We do not provide pro-rata refunds for partial periods except where required by law.

7.1 Your 14-Day Right to Cancel (Consumers)

If you are a consumer, you normally have a statutory right to cancel a purchase of digital content within 14 days, without giving a reason, under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

7.2 Immediate Access and Waiver of the Cancellation Right

Premium is digital content that is supplied immediately. By starting your subscription or free trial and accessing Premium features, you expressly request and consent to the supply of Premium beginning immediately, and you acknowledge that you will lose your 14-day right to cancel once supply has begun. If you have neither accessed any Premium feature nor (where a trial applies) allowed the trial to convert, your statutory cancellation right is unaffected and you may cancel for a refund within 14 days. This does not affect your other legal rights, including in respect of digital content that is faulty or not as described.

8. Tutor Requirements

Tutors using the platform agree to:

• Provide accurate information about their qualifications and experience
• Maintain professional conduct during all sessions
• Honor scheduled sessions or provide adequate notice of cancellation
• Comply with all applicable laws and regulations

8.1 Payment Onboarding (Anti-Money Laundering)

To comply with anti-money laundering (AML) regulations, tutors must complete Stripe payment onboarding before receiving any payouts. This is a legal requirement and applies without exception.

• Identity Verification: Tutors must complete Stripe's identity verification process, which may include providing government-issued identification and proof of address
• No Payouts Without Onboarding: Under no circumstances will SimTuts process payouts to tutors who have not completed the full Stripe onboarding process
• Earnings Held: Any earnings accrued before onboarding completion will be held until the tutor successfully completes all verification requirements
• Accurate Information: Tutors must provide truthful and accurate information during onboarding. Providing false or misleading information may result in account suspension and forfeiture of earnings
• Ongoing Compliance: Tutors must keep their payment information current and respond promptly to any additional verification requests from Stripe or SimTuts

These requirements exist to protect all users and ensure SimTuts operates in full compliance with UK financial regulations and international anti-money laundering standards.

9. File Sharing

Users may share files (such as mission files, documents, and images) during lessons using third-party cloud storage services (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive).

• External Services: SimTuts does not host user-shared files. All files are stored on third-party platforms subject to their own terms of service.
• User Responsibility: Users are solely responsible for the content of files they share. You must ensure you have the right to share any files and that they do not contain malware, illegal content, or copyrighted material you don't have permission to distribute.
• No Liability: SimTuts is not responsible for the content, security, or availability of files shared via external links. We do not scan, moderate, or verify files shared between users.
• Reporting: If you receive suspicious, malicious, or inappropriate files or links, please report them to us immediately. We reserve the right to suspend users who share harmful content.

Safety Recommendation: We recommend scanning downloaded files with antivirus software before opening them.

10. Prohibited Activities

Users may not:

• Use the Service for any illegal purpose
• Harass, abuse, or harm other users
• Attempt to bypass payment systems or security measures
• Share account credentials with others
• Scrape or data mine content from the platform
• Circumvent the platform to conduct transactions off-platform
• Request or accept payment outside the SimTuts platform
• Share personal contact details (email, phone, Discord, social media) to arrange sessions or payments outside the platform
• Share files containing malware, viruses, or malicious code
• Share copyrighted material without proper authorization
• Share illegal, obscene, or harmful content

11. Platform Safety

To ensure a safe environment for all users, the following policies apply:

11.1 Payments

All payments between students and tutors must be made through the SimTuts platform. Off-platform payments are strictly prohibited. This protects both parties by ensuring proper records, dispute resolution, and accountability.

11.2 Communication

For your safety, all communication between students and tutors should remain within the SimTuts platform. We strongly discourage sharing personal contact information or moving conversations to external platforms. Keeping communication on-platform allows us to assist with any disputes and helps maintain a safe learning environment.

11.3 Video Call Recording

Video calls conducted through the SimTuts platform may be recorded and reviewed for safety, quality assurance, and dispute resolution purposes. By using the video call feature, you consent to the possibility of recording. Any recordings are handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws.

12. Intellectual Property

The Service and its original content, features, and functionality are owned by SimTuts and are protected by international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

13. Affiliate Links

Some guides and content on SimTuts contain affiliate links to third-party retailers such as Amazon. When you click these links and make a purchase, SimTuts may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

• Affiliate links are clearly disclosed on any page that contains them
• We only recommend products we genuinely believe improve the flight simulation experience
• Affiliate relationships do not influence the editorial content or opinions expressed in our guides
• SimTuts is a participant in the Amazon Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon

14. Privacy

Your use of the Service is also governed by our Privacy Policy. We collect and process personal data in accordance with GDPR and applicable data protection laws.

15. VAT and Taxation

SimTuts is registered for VAT in the United Kingdom (VAT Number: GB288460464).

Platform Fees: SimTuts charges a platform commission on tutoring services facilitated through the platform. VAT on platform fees is handled as follows:

• UK tutors: UK VAT applies to platform fees (domestic supply)
• EU tutors: Reverse charge mechanism applies (tutor accounts for VAT)
• Non-EU tutors: Outside the scope of UK/EU VAT

Tutoring Services: Under our Direct Charges payment model, tutors are the merchant of record for tutoring services. Students pay tutors directly via Stripe Connect, and tutors are responsible for their own tax obligations including:

• VAT registration and remittance (if applicable in their jurisdiction)
• Income tax reporting
• Cross-border VAT compliance (for EU tutors selling to EU customers)

SimTuts does not collect VAT on tutoring services sold by tutors to students. Tutors should consult with tax professionals regarding their specific obligations.

16. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not guarantee that the Service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free.

17. Limitation of Liability

In no event shall SimTuts be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or relating to your use of the Service.

18. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. We will notify users of any material changes via email or through the Service. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the new terms.

19. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

20. Contact Information

If you have any questions about these Terms, please use our contact form.