{"id":3763,"date":"2025-08-07T20:39:41","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T18:39:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ra-cocron.de\/news\/contract-for-online-tax-coaching-declared-invalid-refund-possible\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T15:43:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T13:43:09","slug":"contract-for-online-tax-coaching-declared-invalid-refund-possible","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/ra-cocron.de\/en\/news\/contract-for-online-tax-coaching-declared-invalid-refund-possible\/","title":{"rendered":"Contract for online tax coaching declared invalid \u2013 refund possible!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Higher Regional Court of D\u00fcsseldorf: No admission, no claim \u2013 repayment enforceable!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a ruling dated July 29, 2025, the Higher Regional Court of D\u00fcsseldorf decided that a costly online tax coaching program violates the Distance Learning Protection Act (FernUSG) and is therefore invalid. The decision strengthens the position of consumers who have booked such programs and sends a clear signal to the entire coaching industry.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>the Case: Unauthorized Distance Learning<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A participant in the &#8220;Next-Level Coaching&#8221; program was asked to pay a total of around \u20ac12,000 \u2013 including collection and late payment fees. He refused to pay, citing the Distance Learning Act (FernUSG). The court ruled in his favor: The coaching consisted almost entirely of digital content such as videos, webinars, learning materials, and a certificate of completion \u2013 characteristics of a distance learning program requiring licensing.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since the provider could not produce official authorization under the German Distance Selling Act (FernUSG), the Higher Regional Court declared the contract void. Therefore, all payment obligations are waived \u2013 including reminder and collection fees.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What does this mean for consumers?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anyone who has subscribed to expensive online coaching programs in recent years \u2013 for example, in the areas of finance, taxes, or business start-up \u2013 should check (or have checked) whether these programs constitute unauthorized distance learning requiring a license. According to current case law, such contracts are invalid.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Specifically, this means:<br\/> \u2705 No payment obligation<br\/> \u2705 Amounts already paid are refundable.<br\/> \ud83d\udeab No obligation to reimburse collection fees<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>When does a claim for reimbursement arise?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether a claim for reimbursement exists depends on the individual case. Decisive factors include, for example:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Digital Knowledge Transfer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No physical presence required<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Interactive Elements or Final Checks (e.g. Certificates)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No Approval According to the German Distance Learning Act (fernusg)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anyone who recognizes themselves in this description should seek legal advice.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br\/>The ruling shows that coaching providers must comply with legal requirements. Affected consumers can take action and, under certain circumstances, recover payments already made.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cocron Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH &amp; Co. KG, with offices in Berlin and Munich, offers an initial legal assessment. Further information can be found at <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/ra-cocron.de\/en\/\">www.ra-cocron.de<\/a> .<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Consumer tip:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br\/>Have costly online coaching contracts legally reviewed \u2013 especially if they involve extensive knowledge transfer or lack authorization.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Higher Regional Court of D\u00fcsseldorf: No admission, no claim \u2013 repayment enforceable! In a ruling dated July 29, 2025, the Higher Regional Court of D\u00fcsseldorf decided that a costly online tax coaching program violates the Distance Learning Protection Act (FernUSG) and is therefore invalid. The decision strengthens the position of consumers who have booked such [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","news-kategorie":[32],"class_list":["post-3763","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","news-kategorie-online-coaching"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ra-cocron.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/3763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ra-cocron.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ra-cocron.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ra-cocron.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-kategorie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ra-cocron.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-kategorie?post=3763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}