Terms of service

1. The service

I provide evidence-informed lactation education and support within the IBCLC scope of practice. The service may include discussion of feeding history and goals, observation of a feed with consent, practical suggestions, a written or verbal care plan, and agreed follow-up.

Lactation support does not replace assessment, diagnosis or treatment by a GP, midwife, health visitor, paediatrician or emergency service. I will explain when medical or other specialist assessment may be advisable. In an emergency, call 999 or seek urgent medical help.

My business correspondence address is 5 Brayford Square, London E1 0SG. This is a correspondence address only; consultations are not held there.

2. Booking and payment

For services paid within Calendly, a booking is confirmed when Calendly shows the appointment as confirmed and Stripe has accepted payment. Prices and the included appointment lengths are shown on the website and booking page at the time of purchase.

Ongoing WhatsApp Feeding Support uses a separate payment process. The slot chosen in Calendly remains provisional until Stripe confirms the £75 payment charged at booking. One Stripe authorisation covers that payment and sets up automatic weekly billing; the first £50 weekly charge is taken seven days after the consultation, then weekly until cancelled.

You are responsible for giving accurate contact, location and health-history information that is reasonably needed to provide safe, appropriate support. Home visits are normally available in N2, N3, N10, N12 and N20. A visit outside these areas is only agreed when I confirm it in writing.

3. Packages and follow-ups

Package components are for the named client and baby and cannot be transferred. Follow-up home and virtual appointments are reserved for existing clients and are booked using a private link supplied by me.

Included appointments must be used within 12 months of payment. For the Extended Package, the two included weeks of weekday WhatsApp support run consecutively from a start date you choose using the private Calendly option in your package page. That start date must be within 12 months of payment; the two-week period may finish after the package deadline. The included support does not renew automatically.

Any unused appointment, or WhatsApp support that has not started, expires at the end of the applicable 12-month period unless I agree an extension in writing because of birth timing, illness or other exceptional circumstances.

If you end a package after the statutory cancellation period, I will calculate any discretionary refund for unused elements reasonably by reference to the package price and what has already been supplied. Completed elements may be valued at their applicable standalone price, but the total deduction will not exceed the amount paid for the package.

4. Rescheduling, lateness and cancellations

To cancel or rearrange, use the link in your Calendly confirmation or email hello@sarahstrasberg.co.uk. The time I receive the request determines the notice period.

• At least 48 hours before the appointment: choose one free rescheduling or a full refund of the affected appointment.
• Between 24 and 48 hours before the appointment: choose one free rescheduling or a 50% refund of the affected appointment.
• Less than 24 hours before the appointment, or non-attendance: the appointment fee is normally non-refundable because the reserved time is unlikely to be filled.

I may make a reasonable exception for labour or birth, sudden illness, a medical emergency or another serious circumstance outside your control. Supporting information may be requested where proportionate. A rescheduled appointment remains subject to the original cancellation window and must take place within the package validity period.

If I need to cancel, I will offer a suitable alternative or a full refund of the affected appointment. Approved refunds will be made to the original payment method without undue delay and normally within 14 days.

If you are late, I will try to use the remaining appointment time but may not be able to extend the session. If you are more than 20 minutes late and cannot be contacted, the appointment may be treated as non-attendance.

For a home visit, please provide safe access and tell me about parking, pets, illness in the household or any other relevant risk in advance. I may stop or postpone a visit where I reasonably consider it unsafe.

The separate Cancellation and Refund Policy summarises these arrangements. Nothing in this section restricts the statutory rights set out below.

5. Your 14-day cancellation right

For services bought online, you normally have 14 days beginning the day after the contract is made to cancel without giving a reason. To cancel, send a clear statement to hello@sarahstrasberg.co.uk. You may use the model wording in the Cancellation and Refund Policy, but you do not have to use that exact wording.

If you ask for an appointment or support to begin during that 14-day period, you expressly request early performance. If you then cancel after the service has started, I may deduct a fair amount for the part already provided. Once the service has been fully performed following your express request and acknowledgement, the statutory cancellation right for that completed service may end. These rights are in addition to any rights you have under consumer law.

6. Virtual and messaging support

Virtual appointments are held on Microsoft Teams. You are responsible for a suitable device, internet connection and private environment. If technology prevents a meaningful session, I will act reasonably in deciding whether to continue by another method or rearrange.

WhatsApp support is not continuously monitored and is not an emergency service. The advertised response aim is Monday to Friday, 08:00–20:00, usually within two hours. Messages outside those hours will be handled in the next support period. Urgent medical concerns should be directed to the appropriate NHS or emergency service.

The automatic billing described here applies only to the separate Ongoing WhatsApp Feeding Support service, not to the two weeks included in the Extended Package, which do not renew automatically. The £75 payment made at booking covers the 60-minute virtual consultation and first week of support. The first automatic £50 weekly charge is taken seven days after the consultation, then £50 is charged each week until cancelled.

To stop the next weekly charge, email hello@sarahstrasberg.co.uk before it is due. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current paid week.

7. Consent, confidentiality and records

I will seek consent before observing a feed, touching you or your baby, taking photographs or videos, or sharing information outside the direct support relationship. You may withdraw consent for an activity at any time, although I may still need to retain clinical or financial records where law, insurance or professional obligations require it.

Personal information is handled as described in the Privacy Notice. Information may be shared without consent only where law requires it or where I reasonably believe this is necessary to protect a child or another person from serious harm.

8. Outcomes and responsibility

Feeding outcomes depend on many factors and cannot be guaranteed. I will provide the service with reasonable care and skill. You remain responsible for decisions about your own and your baby’s care and for seeking medical advice when recommended.

Nothing in these terms limits liability where it would be unlawful to do so, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or your statutory consumer rights.

9. Concerns and complaints

Please raise a concern with me at hello@sarahstrasberg.co.uk or by post to Sarah Strasberg IBCLC, 5 Brayford Square, London E1 0SG, so I have an opportunity to respond. I will acknowledge a formal complaint within five working days and aim to provide a substantive response within 20 working days.

If you remain dissatisfied after receiving my final response:

• A complaint concerning an alleged breach of the IBCLC Code of Professional Conduct may be submitted to the IBCLC Commission in accordance with its Disciplinary Procedures.
• A complaint concerning the handling of personal information may be made to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
• For an unresolved consumer, contractual or payment dispute, you may seek advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service. If an appropriate accredited alternative dispute resolution arrangement is available, I will provide details in my final response and explain whether I am willing or required to participate.

Nothing in this complaints procedure affects your statutory rights or your right to pursue any other available legal remedy.

10. Dispute resolution

If a dispute arises out of or in connection with these terms, either party may give the other written notice describing the dispute and the outcome sought. For at least 28 days beginning on the date the notice is received, you and I must use reasonable endeavours and act in good faith to seek to resolve the dispute through direct discussions. Neither party may start court proceedings relating to the dispute until that period has expired.

This section does not prevent either party from seeking urgent interim relief, taking steps required to prevent a claim becoming time-barred, or exercising any statutory right that cannot lawfully be restricted.

11. Governing law and jurisdiction

These terms, and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them, are governed by the law of England and Wales.

The courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with these terms.

12. General

If part of these terms is found unenforceable, the remaining parts continue to apply. No other person has a right to enforce these terms.