1. Are there any "hidden costs" in addition to my membership fees?

Your credit card is processed through a third party. We do not have access to it, so there is no way we can ever add any costs without your voluntary purchase. Furthermore, no other expenses are required.That said, you should also be aware that to get the most out of your learning there will be an assignment with most lessons. Learning to taste and appreciate chocolate requires experience, so some chocolate purchases will be recommended. In most cases these will be simple purchases at a local grocery store for just a few dollars at a time. Sometimes we will make other product or service recommendations that may enhance your experience. Of course you can always choose to forgo a tasting experience, and any other options, if the time or expense is inconvenient for you.

2. Does my membership include personal teaching?

It depends which membership(s) you select. If you are one of the elite students of our professional course then, yes, personal teaching is included for 3 months to help you get the most out of all of the material.

All other students will be exposed to our Primal Chocolate Club. Members of this club do get personal access to my expertise. This is an additional membership program and the number of members is strictly limited. To get the extra attention you can enroll in, or get on the waiting list for, the Primal Chocolate Club. You can get more details on the Primal Chocolate Club page and in your regular lessons.

Outside of the professional class and the Primal Chocolate Club I simply cannot dedicate the time to personally teach each member. Even if every member just asked ONE simple question, it would be impossible to handle all of the requests. If the extra level of service is something you would like, the cost of the Primal Chocolate Club is quite low making it a great value.

With that said, I will always be available to handle support requests (e.g. "I can't download this week's lesson"). Communications and technology glitches can happen and we're all dedicated to getting through these problems.

3. What if I miss a lesson?

Each lesson is delivered in an email that has a link to the lesson. Anytime after that you can use the link to retrieve the lesson. They are never deleted. In fact, each lesson also contains links to all the previous lessons. This way even if you lose or delete one of the emails you are still able to get to all lessons. Just wait for the next one to arrive.

So, whether you are out of town and can't get to your email, or you choose to let a few lessons accumulate before you turn your attention to them, the lessons are still there when you are ready. The flexibility is all yours!

4. I want to sign up for the weekly lessons. Do I have to commit to the entire 9 months?

No, certainly not. While I think you'll really enjoy the program, you may cancel anytime you want. You may either email me through the Contact Us link to the above left of this page or follow the link in the original payment confirmation email. You'll find instructions for a prompt and courteous cancellation. I don't think you'll want to cancel once you dive in to the training! But you can if you so choose.

Also if life gets in the way and you don't get to your lesson each week, that's not a problem. We're not grading you or keeping you on a schedule. Of course we're on a schedule so we'll continue to deliver your lessons, but you can let them pile up and get back to them as soon as you are able.

5. In the once/week lesson program, what day of the week will I receive my weekly emails?

There isn't a set "day" of the week when lessons will arrive to your inbox. The email system is set to send out your lesson approximately every 7 days (sometimes there is a 24-48 hour difference in delivery, but you'll always receive a lesson for each week). Sometimes there may be cumulative delays, causing the delivery day to slowly slip out. We compensate by sometimes scheduling the lessons at 6 day intervals. In any case, don't worry. You still only pay for 9 months and you will get all 40 lessons.

6. In the professional program I get 5 lessons/week. Will they arrive Monday through Friday?

Maybe, but not necessarily. You will receive the first lesson immediately when you sign up. The next 4 lessons will arrive on consecutive days and then there will be 2 days off. Theoretically if you start on a Monday then you can expect delivery each work day and no delivery on weekends. The reality is that the delivery technology sometimes adds a little delay so delivery may creep, getting a bit out of sync with the work days. Since you are not required to do the lessons the day they arrive you can let a few accumulate and do them at your convenience, whether that's once per day during the week or 5 at a time each Saturday.

7. Can I buy a membership as a gift for someone else?

Yes you can. Your favorite chocolate lover will really appreciate Chocolate University Online weekly lessons. To order as a gift click the order link and provide your information as the billing information. When the billing is completed you'll be asked for the name and primary email address of the recipient. In these boxes put in their information instead of your own so that they will be subscribed to the lessons. Note that you will be presented with a link to the first lesson, but they will get a follow up email with the link too. But you might want to present them with the link to the first lesson which includes some instructions on making their spam filter accept our emails.

If you don't want the recipient to get the lessons right away, you can use your own address in the recipient email address field. Then send me an email when you want me to change the delivery to new recipient. Of course you ought to provide them with the lessons that arrive before the email change.

8. Can I share a membership with someone else?

Please don't. It is copyrighted material. Your payment covers the class itself, not books that you can share. I have put countless hours into this work and charge such a low price that anyone can afford it. I understand it can be fun to work through the material with a friend. I would suggest that you each have your own membership though. Just like going to a class at a physical brick and mortar university, if you want to have fun with your friend, you both need to enroll in the class. Thank you.

If you have a group of friends let me know and we could put together a group rate package for you depending on the size. Chocolate, and chocolate lessons, are more fun in a crowd.

9. Can I get college credit upon completion of the coursework?

While Chocolate University Online is quite educational, it is not associated with any accredited university program so it does not provide any credits toward any degree. However, we'll send you a certificate of accomplishment (the Chocolate University Online diploma) which you can frame with pride and show off to your friends.

If you have any other questions that might produce beneficial answers for yourself and others, please email me at bryn(at)chocolateuniversityonline.com.

Best regards,