Terms and Conditions

This agreement applies as between you, the User of this Website, and Bruce Taylor, sole proprietor trading as rootsoflife.org, the owner of this Website. Your agreement to comply with and be bound by Clauses 1, 2, 4 to 11 and 15 to 25 of these Terms and Conditions is deemed to occur upon your first use of the Website. Clauses 3 and 12 to 14 apply only to the sale of Services. If you do not agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions, you should stop using the Website immediately.

No part of this Website is intended to constitute a contractual offer capable of acceptance. Your order constitutes a contractual offer and my acceptance of that offer is deemed to occur upon my sending a confirmation email to you indicating that your order has been accepted.

1. Definitions and Interpretation

In this Agreement the following terms shall have the following meanings:

Account: means collectively the personal information, Payment Information and credentials used by Users to access Paid Content and / or any communications System on the Website;

Content: means any text, graphics, images, audio, video, software, data compilations and any other form of information capable of being stored in a computer that appears on or forms part of this Website;

Course: means any self-paced or live online training programme made available through the Website, including but not limited to Shoden, Okuden and Shinpiden;

Facilities: means collectively any online facilities, tools, services or information that I make available through the Website either now or in the future;

Live Experience: means any retreat, pilgrimage or in-person training that I run or co-host, whether in Hong Kong (SAR), Japan, Peru, Europe or elsewhere;

Paid Content: means any Content, Course, Subscription or Live Experience for which payment is required;

Services: means the services available to you through this Website, including use of the rootsoflife.org e-learning platform, Courses, Subscriptions and Live Experiences;

Payment Information: means any details required for the purchase of Services from this Website. This includes, but is not limited to, credit / debit card numbers, bank account numbers and sort codes;

Premises: means my place(s) of business, which may change as rootsoflife.org offers global trainings and services;

Subscription: means any recurring paid access made available through the Website, including but not limited to the Reiki Share Library;

System: means any online communications infrastructure that I make available through the Website either now or in the future. This includes, but is not limited to, web-based email, message boards, live chat facilities and email links;

User / Users: means any third party that accesses the Website;

Website: means the website that you are currently using, rootsoflife.org, and any sub-domains of this site;

I / me / my: means Bruce Taylor, sole proprietor trading as rootsoflife.org, a business registered in Hong Kong (SAR).

2. Age Restrictions

My Courses and Services are intended for adults. Persons under the age of 18 should use this Website only with the supervision of an adult. Payment Information must be provided by or with the permission of an adult.

3. Business Customers

These Terms and Conditions also apply to customers procuring Services in the course of business.

4. Intellectual Property

4.1 Subject to the exceptions in Clause 5 of these Terms and Conditions, all Content included on the Website, unless uploaded by Users, including, but not limited to, text, graphics, logos, icons, images, sound clips, video clips, data compilations, page layout, underlying code and software is my property, that of my affiliates or that of other relevant third parties. By continuing to use the Website you acknowledge that such material is protected by applicable Hong Kong and international intellectual property and other laws.
4.2 Subject to Clause 6 you may not reproduce, copy, distribute, store or in any other fashion re-use material from the Website unless otherwise indicated on the Website or unless given my express written permission to do so.

5. Third Party Intellectual Property

5.1 Unless otherwise expressly indicated, all Intellectual Property rights including, but not limited to, Copyright and Trademarks, in product images and descriptions belong to the manufacturers or distributors of such products as may be applicable.
5.2 Subject to Clause 6 you may not reproduce, copy, distribute, store or in any other fashion re-use such material unless otherwise indicated on the Website or unless given express written permission to do so by the relevant manufacturer or supplier.

6. Fair Use of Intellectual Property

Material from the Website may be re-used without written permission only where a fair dealing exception or other permitted act under the Copyright Ordinance (Cap. 528) of Hong Kong, or an equivalent exception under the law that applies to you, applies.

7. Links to Other Websites

This Website may contain links to other sites. Unless expressly stated, these sites are not under my control or that of my affiliates. I assume no responsibility for the content of such websites and disclaim liability for any and all forms of loss or damage arising out of the use of them. The inclusion of a link to another site on this Website does not imply any endorsement of the sites themselves or of those in control of them.

8. Links to this Website

Those wishing to place a link to this Website on other sites may do so only to the home page of the site, www.rootsoflife.org, without my prior permission. Deep linking (i.e. links to specific pages within the site) requires my express written permission. To find out more please contact me by email at grow@rootsoflife.org.

9. Use of Communications Facilities

9.1 When using any System on the Website you should do so in accordance with the following rules. Failure to comply with these rules may result in your Account being suspended or closed:

9.1.1 You must not use obscene or vulgar language;
9.1.2 You must not submit Content that is unlawful or otherwise objectionable. This includes, but is not limited to, Content that is abusive, threatening, harassing, defamatory, ageist, sexist or racist;
9.1.3 You must not submit Content that is intended to promote or incite violence;
9.1.4 It is advised that submissions are made using the English language as I may be unable to respond to enquiries submitted in any other language;
9.1.5 The means by which you identify yourself must not violate these Terms and Conditions or any applicable laws;
9.1.6 You must not impersonate other people, particularly me or my representatives or affiliates; and
9.1.7 You must not use my System for unauthorised mass-communication such as “spam” or “junk mail”.

9.2 You acknowledge that I reserve the right to monitor any and all communications made to me or using my System.
9.3 You acknowledge that I may retain copies of any and all communications made to me or using my System.
9.4 You acknowledge that any information you send to me through my System may be modified by me in any way and you hereby waive your moral right to be identified as the author of such information. Any restrictions you may wish to place upon my use of such information must be communicated to me in advance and I reserve the right to reject such terms and associated information.

10. Accounts

10.1 In order to procure Services on this Website and to use certain other parts of the System, you are required to create an Account which will contain certain personal details and Payment Information which may vary based upon your use of the Website, as I may not require Payment Information until you wish to make a purchase. By continuing to use this Website you represent and warrant that:

10.1.1 all information you submit is accurate and truthful;
10.1.2 you have permission to submit Payment Information where permission may be required; and
10.1.3 you will keep this information accurate and up-to-date. Your creation of an Account is further affirmation of your representation and warranty.

10.2 It is recommended that you do not share your Account details, particularly your username and password. I accept no liability for any losses or damages incurred as a result of your Account details being shared by you. If you use a shared computer, it is recommended that you do not save your Account details in your internet browser.
10.3 If you have reason to believe that your Account details have been obtained by another person without consent, you should contact me immediately to suspend your Account and cancel any unauthorised orders or payments that may be pending. Please be aware that orders or payments can only be cancelled up until provision of Services has commenced. In the event that an unauthorised provision commences prior to your notifying me of the unauthorised nature of the order or payment, then you shall be charged for the period from the commencement of provision until the date you notified me.
10.4 When choosing your username you are required to adhere to the terms set out above in Clause 9. Any failure to do so could result in the suspension and/or deletion of your Account.

11. Termination and Cancellation of Accounts

11.1 Either you or I may terminate your Account. If I terminate your Account, you will be notified by email and an explanation for the termination will be provided. Notwithstanding the foregoing, I reserve the right to terminate without giving reasons.
11.2 If I terminate your Account, any current or pending orders or payments on your Account will be cancelled and provision of Services will not commence.

12. Services, Pricing and Availability

12.1 Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that all general descriptions of Services available from me correspond to the actual Services that will be provided to you, I am not responsible for any variations from these descriptions as the exact nature of the Services may vary depending on your individual requirements and circumstances. This does not exclude my liability for mistakes due to negligence on my part and refers only to variations of the correct Services, not different Services altogether. Please refer to sub-Clause 13.7 for incorrect Services.
12.2 Where appropriate, you may be required to select the required plan of Services.
12.3 I neither represent nor warrant that such Services will be available at all times and cannot necessarily confirm availability until confirming your order.
12.4 All pricing information on the Website is correct at the time of going online. I reserve the right to change prices and alter or remove any special offers from time to time and as necessary.
12.5 In the event that prices are changed during the period between an order being placed for Services and my processing that order and taking payment, then the price that was valid at the time of the order shall be used.
12.6 All prices on the Website are stated exclusive of taxes. As a business based in Hong Kong (SAR), I am not registered for VAT or GST and do not charge VAT or GST. Where your purchase is subject to any tax, duty or charge in your own country or region, you are responsible for that amount.

13. Orders and Provision of Services

13.1 No part of this Website constitutes a contractual offer capable of acceptance. Your order constitutes a contractual offer that I may, at my sole discretion, accept. My acceptance is indicated by my sending to you an order confirmation email. Only once I have sent you an order confirmation email will there be a binding contract between you and me.
13.2 Order confirmations under sub-Clause 13.1 will be sent to you before the Services begin and shall contain the following information:

13.2.1 Confirmation of the Services ordered including full details of the main characteristics of those Services;
13.2.2 Fully itemised pricing for the Services ordered including, where appropriate, taxes and other additional charges;
13.2.3 Relevant times and dates for the provision of the Services, including the payment schedule where a payment plan or Subscription applies;
13.2.4 User credentials and relevant information for accessing those Services.

13.3 If I, for any reason, do not accept your order, no payment shall be taken under normal circumstances. In any event, any sums paid by you in relation to that order will be refunded within 14 calendar days.
13.4 Payment for the Services is taken through your chosen payment method as follows: for a one-off purchase, in full at the time of purchase; for a purchase made under a payment plan, in the instalments set out in your order confirmation; and for a Subscription, in advance for each billing period until you cancel. The specific schedule for your order is set out in your order confirmation.
13.5 I aim to fulfil your order within 2 to 3 working days or, if not, within a reasonable period following your order, unless there are exceptional circumstances. If I cannot fulfil your order within a reasonable period, I will inform you at the time you place the order by a note on the relevant web page or by contacting you directly after you place your order. Time is not of the essence of the contract, which means I will aim to fulfil your order within any agreed timescales but this is not an essential term of the contract and I will not be liable to you if I do not do so. Where access to digital Content is to begin within any statutory cancellation period described in Clause 14, you will be asked to expressly request this and to acknowledge the effect on your statutory cancellation rights as set out in that Clause.
13.6 I shall use all reasonable endeavours to provide the Services with reasonable skill and care, commensurate with best trade practice.
13.7 In the event that Services are provided that are not in conformity with your order and thus incorrect, you should contact me immediately to inform me of the mistake. I will ensure that any necessary corrections are made within five (5) working days. Additional terms and conditions may apply to the provision of certain Services. You will be asked to read and confirm your acceptance of any such terms and conditions when completing your order.
13.8 I provide technical support via email. I make every effort possible to respond to support requests within 2 business days but I do not guarantee a particular response time.

14. Cancellation, Refunds and the Satisfaction Guarantee

I want you to be satisfied with what you buy from rootsoflife.org. If you need to talk to me about an order, contact me by email at grow@rootsoflife.org. This Clause sets out when a refund is and is not available. It is governed by the law of Hong Kong (SAR) as set out in Clause 25, and applies except where the mandatory consumer law of your own country of residence gives you rights that cannot be excluded by contract.

14.1 General position. rootsoflife.org sells digital learning Content, Subscriptions and access to live and recorded teaching. Once your order is confirmed and you are given access to the Content or platform, your purchase is final and non-refundable, except as expressly set out in this Clause 14 or where a refund is required by a law that applies to you and cannot be excluded.
14.2 Statutory cooling-off period. If you buy as a consumer and the law of your country grants a statutory cancellation or “cooling-off” period (for example, consumers in the European Union and the United Kingdom, and consumers elsewhere where such a right applies), that period is 14 calendar days and begins on the day your order is confirmed. To cancel within this period, email me at grow@rootsoflife.org before it ends.
14.3 Immediate access to digital Content and waiver of the cooling-off right. My Courses, Subscriptions and library Content are digital and are made available to you immediately or shortly after purchase. Where you ask for and are given access to the Content within the cooling-off period, you expressly consent to supply beginning at once and you acknowledge that, under the digital-content rules that apply to such sales, you lose the statutory right to cancel once supply has begun and the Content has been made available to you. You confirm this consent and acknowledgement at checkout before access is granted.
14.4 Satisfaction guarantee on self-paced online Courses. Separately from any statutory right, I offer a discretionary satisfaction guarantee on self-paced online Courses, whether you buy a single Course or a course package. If you complete the first five (5) lessons and, within thirty (30) days of your enrolment, you tell me by email at grow@rootsoflife.org that the teaching has not been right for you, I will refund that purchase in full. This is the main route to a refund on a self-paced Course. The thirty (30) day period runs from the date you enrol and is a single window for each purchase. Where the purchase is a package containing more than one Course, that window is not reset, extended or duplicated by the number of Courses in the package or by the order in which you take them, and the package is refunded only as a whole, not in part. A Course within a package that you have chosen not to begin does not create a separate or later refund window of its own. The guarantee does not apply where the first five lessons have not been completed, where more than thirty (30) days have passed since enrolment, or where the Course or package has already been completed in full.
14.5 Self-paced online Courses outside the guarantee. Outside the satisfaction guarantee in sub-Clause 14.4 and any statutory right under sub-Clauses 14.2 and 14.3, self-paced online Courses are non-refundable. A Course that has been completed in full is non-refundable in all circumstances. A Course that has been partly taken is non-refundable except where a refund is required by a law that applies to you and cannot be excluded. Course access does not expire and remains available in your Account, so a Course you are not yet ready to take is not lost.
14.6 Subscriptions and library access. Where you buy a Subscription, you are billed in advance for each period until you cancel. You can cancel at any time by emailing grow@rootsoflife.org, or through your Account where that option is available, which stops all future billing. Your access continues until the end of the period you have already paid for. Payments already taken for the current or past periods are not refunded.
14.7 Live but virtual Courses, mentorship and trainings. Live sessions delivered over distance by video (for example through Zoom or Skype) are recorded, and the recording is provided to all participants. Because the teaching is delivered and the recording supplied, these are non-refundable, including where you are unable to attend the live session.
14.8 Retreats, pilgrimages and in-person Live Experiences. Retreats, pilgrimages and other in-person Live Experiences are sold on their own cancellation and refund terms, which are set out clearly on the landing page for that specific experience. Those terms apply strictly and prevail over the rest of this Clause 14 for that experience. Deposits and payment-plan instalments for a Live Experience are non-refundable unless the landing-page terms for that experience expressly state otherwise.
14.9 How refunds are paid. Where a refund is due under this Clause 14, I will issue it to your original payment method within 14 calendar days of confirming that the refund is due.
14.10 Acknowledgement. By enrolling in, purchasing or subscribing to anything on rootsoflife.org, you confirm that you have read and agree to this Clause 14 in full.

15. Privacy

Use of the Website is also governed by my Privacy Policy which is incorporated into these Terms and Conditions by this reference. To view the Privacy Policy, please click on the link above.

16. How I Use Your Personal Information (Data Protection)

16.1 All personal information that I may collect (including, but not limited to, your name and address) will be collected, used and held in accordance with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486) of Hong Kong and, where it applies to you, the General Data Protection Regulation in the European Union or the United Kingdom, together with your rights under those laws.
16.2 I may use your personal information to:

16.2.1 Provide my Services to you;
16.2.2 Process your payment for the Services; and
16.2.3 Inform you of new products and services available from me. You may request that I stop sending you this information at any time.

16.3 In certain circumstances, and with your consent, I may pass your personal information on to third parties who help me provide the Services (for example, payment processors). These parties are bound to handle your personal information in accordance with applicable data protection law.
16.4 I will not pass on your personal information to any other third parties without first obtaining your express permission, except where I am required to do so by law.

17. Disclaimers

17.1 I make no warranty or representation that the Website will meet your requirements, that it will be of satisfactory quality, that it will be fit for a particular purpose, that it will not infringe the rights of third parties, that it will be compatible with all systems, that it will be secure, or that all information provided will be accurate. I make no guarantee of any specific results from the use of my Services.
17.2 No part of this Website is intended to constitute medical, psychological or other professional advice, and the Content of this Website should not be relied upon when making any decisions or taking any action of any kind. Reiki Ryōhō is a practice of self-care and is not a substitute for qualified medical or mental health care.
17.3 No part of this Website is intended to constitute a contractual offer capable of acceptance.
17.4 Whilst I use reasonable endeavours to ensure that the Website is secure and free of errors, viruses and other malware, you are strongly advised to take responsibility for your own internet security, that of your personal details and that of your computers.

18. Changes to the Facilities and these Terms and Conditions

I reserve the right to change the Website, its Content or these Terms and Conditions at any time. You will be bound by any changes to the Terms and Conditions from the first time you use the Website following the changes. If I am required to make any changes to these Terms and Conditions by law, these changes will apply automatically to any orders currently pending in addition to any orders placed by you in the future.

19. Availability of the Website

19.1 The Website is provided “as is” and on an “as available” basis. I use industry best practices to provide a high uptime, including a fault-tolerant architecture hosted on cloud servers. I give no warranty that the Website or Facilities will be free of defects and / or faults and I do not provide any kind of refund for outages. I provide no warranties (express or implied) of fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy of information, compatibility or satisfactory quality.
19.2 I accept no liability for any disruption or non-availability of the Website resulting from external causes including, but not limited to, ISP equipment failure, host equipment failure, communications network failure, power failure, natural events, acts of war or legal restrictions and censorship.

20. Limitation of Liability

20.1 To the maximum extent permitted by law, I accept no liability for any direct or indirect loss or damage, foreseeable or otherwise, including any indirect, consequential, special or exemplary damages arising from the use of the Website or any information contained therein. You should be aware that you use the Website and its Content at your own risk.
20.2 Nothing in these Terms and Conditions excludes or restricts my liability for death or personal injury resulting from any negligence or fraud on my part.
20.3 Nothing in these Terms and Conditions excludes or restricts my liability for any direct or indirect loss or damage arising out of the incorrect provision of Services or out of reliance on incorrect information included on the Website.
20.4 In the event that any of these terms are found to be unlawful, invalid or otherwise unenforceable, that term is to be deemed severed from these Terms and Conditions and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining Terms and Conditions. This term shall apply only within jurisdictions where a particular term is illegal.

21. No Waiver

In the event that any party to these Terms and Conditions fails to exercise any right or remedy contained herein, this shall not be construed as a waiver of that right or remedy.

22. Previous Terms and Conditions

In the event of any conflict between these Terms and Conditions and any prior versions thereof, the provisions of these Terms and Conditions shall prevail unless it is expressly stated otherwise.

23. Third Party Rights

Nothing in these Terms and Conditions shall confer any rights upon any third party. The agreement created by these Terms and Conditions is between you and me.

24. Communications

24.1 All notices and communications shall be given to me by email to grow@rootsoflife.org. Such notice will be deemed received the day of sending if the email is received in full on a business day, and on the next business day if the email is sent on a weekend or public holiday.
24.2 I may from time to time, if you opt to receive it, send you information about my products and / or services. If you do not wish to receive such information, please click on the ‘Unsubscribe’ link in any email which you receive from me.

25. Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms and Conditions and the relationship between you and me shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Hong Kong (SAR), and you and I agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Hong Kong (SAR). Where you purchase as a consumer, nothing in these Terms and Conditions deprives you of the protection of any mandatory provisions of the law of your country of residence that cannot be excluded by agreement; those mandatory protections apply in addition to the terms set out here, and the law of Hong Kong (SAR) governs in all other respects.