Course or Coaching Program Not as Promised? How to Get Your Money Back (Australia 2026)
Last updated · Reviewed by the Claim Done team · Not legal advice
Yes, you can often get money back from a course provider. If a training college, online course or coaching program misled you about what you would get (a qualification, a job, an income), failed to deliver the teaching or support it sold, or kept charging after you left, the Australian Consumer Law gives you a right to a refund and compensation. For a VET Student Loans debt there is a separate free ombudsman. Fastest route: write to the provider, send a formal demand, complain, send a final demand, then go to the tribunal.
Can you get your money back from a course provider?
Training, tuition and coaching are services. A provider selling them in trade, whether a registered training organisation (RTO), a private college, a business coach or an online course creator, is bound by the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). It must deliver with due care and skill (s 60). If you told the provider (or its salesperson) what you wanted the course to achieve, such as a licence you need for a job, it must be reasonably capable of achieving that result (s 61). And it must be delivered within the time promised, or a reasonable time (s 62).
Course refund claims usually rest on one of three foundations:
- The course was not what was sold. No trainer, missing modules, no assessments, a qualification that is not nationally recognised when you were told it was. That is a failure of the consumer guarantees. A serious one lets you cancel and recover what you paid for the parts you have not received (ss 267(3), 269(3)).
- You were misled into signing up. False claims about job placement rates, income, accreditation, or “only 3 places left” pressure can breach the ban on misleading conduct (s 18) and false representations (s 29). Promises about future results, such as “you will earn $10,000 a month within 90 days”, are treated as misleading if the provider had no reasonable grounds for them (s 4). You can claim the money you lost because of it (s 236).
- The provider took your money and did not deliver. A business must not take payment for a service it does not intend to supply, and must supply within the time it specified (s 36).
What a provider cannot do: hide behind a “no refunds” policy when it has failed to deliver, rely on a contract clause that removes your consumer guarantees (such clauses are void, s 64), or keep a one-sided cancellation penalty in a standard contract if a tribunal finds it unfair (s 23).
What a provider can usually do: hold you to a course you chose freely and that was delivered as described, even if you lost interest. The ACL does not give a general “change of mind” refund. The questions are always: what was promised, what was delivered, and what you were told when you signed.
The most common problems with course providers
1. Misleading claims about jobs, income or outcomes
“A job for every graduate”, “graduates earn six figures”, “100% pass rate” are common sales lines. If they were false, or made without reasonable grounds, you were misled. What you can claim: a refund of the fees and any other loss caused by relying on the claim.
2. The qualification is not what you were told
You were sold a “certificate” that turns out not to be a nationally recognised qualification, or not the one needed for your licence or job. What you can claim: a full refund, because a reasonable person would not have bought it knowing the truth, plus foreseeable costs such as re-enrolling elsewhere.
3. Poor or missing teaching and support
Trainers who never respond, assessments never marked, “one-on-one mentoring” that never happens, a coaching program that is a folder of old videos. What you can claim: the value of what was not delivered, or a full refund if the failure is major.
4. The provider closed, or cancelled your course
What you can claim: a refund for the part of the course not delivered (s 269(3)). If you used a VET Student Loan and the provider has closed, the VET Student Loans Ombudsman can take your complaint about the debt.
5. You were signed up after a cold call or a hard-sell visit
If a salesperson rang you, or approached you at home, in a shopping centre or another place away from the business, without you inviting them to discuss the course, and the price was over $100, it may be an unsolicited consumer agreement. You can cancel within 10 business days (for a phone sale, from when you got the agreement document), and longer if the seller broke the rules (ACL ss 69, 82).
6. Payment plans that keep debiting after you withdrew
What you can claim: any instalment taken after you validly ended the contract. Cancel the direct debit through your bank too: under the Banking Code of Practice, the bank will promptly process a request to cancel a direct debit from your account.
7. A big cancellation fee in the enrolment terms
A clause that charges you most of the course price if you withdraw, while the provider can cancel freely, may be an unfair term in a standard form contract (s 25(b), (c)). What you can claim: the part of the fee that is void.
8. A VET Student Loan debt you should not have
You were enrolled without understanding the loan, given wrong information about it, or charged after you stopped participating. This goes to the VET Student Loans Ombudsman, not a tribunal (details below).
9. An online course from a business you cannot find
Many online programs are sold through social media and charged by card. If you cannot get an answer, dispute the card charge with your bank promptly, and keep screenshots of the sales page before it disappears.
Training regulators, VET Student Loans and who does what
Course complaints get passed between agencies. Here is what each one actually does.
ASQA: the national VET regulator
The Australian Skills Quality Authority regulates registered training organisations. It says plainly: “ASQA cannot resolve disputes between students and training providers” and it does not act as a student advocate. You can report concerns about a provider’s quality or integrity through the ASQA Portal as a tip-off, and ASQA may use it in its regulation, but it will not usually tell you the outcome and it will not get your refund. ASQA’s own guidance sends refund questions to the consumer protection agency in your state or territory.
Fair Trading and Consumer Affairs
The consumer agency in the provider’s state can explain your rights about refunds and cancelling course fees and may help you negotiate with the provider. This is the regulator for private colleges, online courses and coaching businesses. It is free, but it cannot order a refund.
National Training Complaints Hotline: 13 38 73
If you are unsure where a training complaint belongs, the Hotline, run by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, refers it to the right authority.
VET Student Loans Ombudsman
Part of the Commonwealth Ombudsman (free service, 1300 362 072). It handles complaints about:
- a VET Student Loan debt you do not think you should have, or an incorrect loan amount;
- incorrect or misleading information from a provider or its representative about the course or the loan;
- unsolicited contact or inducements that led you to apply;
- being charged after you stopped participating, or having your enrolment cancelled;
- how the provider handled your complaint.
Be clear about its limits. It cannot deal with teaching quality, facilities or grades, and it says it “cannot re-credit student loan debts or require a provider to take action in the way a court can”. It usually expects you to complain to the provider first if the provider is still open. If the provider has closed, VET Student Loans complaints still go to the Ombudsman; old VET FEE-HELP debts go to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
Census date: to withdraw from a VET Student Loans unit without a debt or losing an upfront payment, you must complete the provider’s formal withdrawal process on or before the census date. Withdraw after it and you incur the debt for those units. Keep proof of your withdrawal.
International students and TAFE students
The Commonwealth Ombudsman investigates complaints from international students about private education and training providers. If you studied at a government-run provider such as a TAFE, ASQA says your state or territory ombudsman may help with fee and refund complaints.
What you can claim from a course provider
- Refund of fees for what was not delivered: units, sessions, mentoring or materials not supplied (s 269(3)).
- Full refund where the course was fundamentally not as sold: for example a qualification that is not recognised when you were told it was.
- Loss caused by misleading claims: the fees, and other money you lost by relying on the claim, such as equipment bought for the course or travel to required sessions (s 236).
- Instalments taken after you validly cancelled, and fees charged under an unfair cancellation term.
How to work out the amount: start with the total you paid. If you received part of the course properly, deduct a fair value for that part (for example by the proportion of units or sessions delivered). Then add other losses with receipts.
Example only, round numbers: you paid $6,000 for a 12-month “business coaching” program sold on the promise of weekly one-on-one calls. After 3 months the calls stopped and the coach stopped replying. You received about a quarter of what was sold. A reasonable claim: three-quarters of the price ($4,500), plus $300 for software you were told to buy for the program and can no longer use: $4,800.
Evidence to gather
- The enrolment agreement, terms and conditions, and refund policy as they stood when you signed.
- Screenshots or copies of the sales page, brochures, webinar slides and ads, especially claims about jobs, income, accreditation or support.
- Recordings or notes of sales calls: date, who called whom, what was promised.
- Payment records: receipts, card statements, the payment plan and any finance or “buy now pay later” agreement.
- Proof of what was not delivered: unanswered emails, cancelled sessions, a missing login, unmarked assessments.
- The national training register details or the provider’s statement about the qualification, if recognition is in dispute.
- Your withdrawal or cancellation notice and the date sent, and for VET Student Loans, the census dates and your withdrawal evidence.
- The provider’s complaint process and your complaint under it.
How to get your money back: 5 steps
Step 1. Tell the provider in writing what went wrong and what you want
Use the provider’s complaints process if it has one (ASQA says an RTO’s process should be in the student handbook or on its website), and email the business too. Say what you were promised, what was delivered, and what you want: a refund, a partial refund, or cancellation without penalty. Give a short deadline, such as 5 business days. If a salesperson called you uninvited, add that you are cancelling an unsolicited consumer agreement.
Step 2. No answer, a refusal or a runaround: send a formal demand
Send our Consumer Guarantee Letter. It sets out the guarantees and misleading-conduct rules the provider has broken, the refund you claim and a 14-day deadline. For RTOs it also doubles as your formal written complaint. If the provider has already agreed to a refund and not paid it, the general Letter of Demand ($49) works too.
Send your Consumer Guarantee Letter – $49
Step 3. Complain to the right body
All providers: lodge a complaint with Fair Trading or Consumer Affairs in the provider’s state (table below), attaching your letter. It is free, but it cannot order a refund.
A VET Student Loan is involved: complain to the VET Student Loans Ombudsman (free, 1300 362 072) once you have complained to the provider. Your letter is that complaint. The Ombudsman can investigate and push for a fix, but it cannot force the provider to act the way a court can, so keep your money claim moving too.
Quality or integrity of an RTO: report it to ASQA through its portal. Unsure where it goes: call the National Training Complaints Hotline on 13 38 73.
Step 4. Still unpaid: send a final demand
Quote your first letter, the provider’s response and any complaint reference numbers, and say you will file a claim if you are not paid.
Step 5. Take it to the tribunal or court
File a consumer claim in the state where the provider carries on business. Course claims are won on the sales material, so the screenshots and call notes matter. Our Hearing Bundle ($97, start here) arranges them with your contract and payment records.
Prepare your tribunal application – $97
In WA, SA and Tasmania this is a court claim in the Magistrates Court, and the same product prepares it.
Where your claim goes in each state
File in the state or territory where the provider carries on business. Coaching programs are often run by sole traders. If your claim would go to NCAT (NSW) or VCAT (VIC) and the coach or trainer is an individual or sole trader living in another state, that tribunal cannot decide it (Burns v Corbett [2018] HCA 15) and the claim goes to a court instead. QCAT in Queensland is a court of a State (Owen v Menzies [2012] QCA 170) and is not affected. Providers trading as companies are not affected.
| State | Where to file | Money limit | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), consumer claim | $100,000 | ncat.nsw.gov.au |
| VIC | Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), goods and services | No cap | vcat.vic.gov.au |
| QLD | Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT), minor civil dispute | $25,000 | qcat.qld.gov.au |
| ACT | ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT), civil dispute | $25,000 | acat.act.gov.au |
| NT | NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT), small claim | $25,000 | ntcat.nt.gov.au |
| WA | Magistrates Court of WA, consumer/trader claim | $75,000 (minor case up to $10,000) | magistratescourt.wa.gov.au |
| SA | Magistrates Court of SA, civil claim | $100,000 (minor claim up to $12,000) | courts.sa.gov.au |
| TAS | Magistrates Court of Tasmania (Civil Division) | $50,000 (minor civil claim up to $15,000) | magistratescourt.tas.gov.au |
Filing fees change each year and depend on how much you claim and whether you hold a concession card, so check the current fee on the tribunal or court’s own fees page (linked in the table) before you file.
In NSW, apply to NCAT within 3 years of when the problem began. A claim for loss caused by misleading conduct under the ACL must be started within 6 years (s 236). In SA, send a Final Notice or letter of demand and wait 21 days before filing.
Who to complain to:
| State | Consumer regulator | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | NSW Fair Trading | 13 32 20 |
| VIC | Consumer Affairs Victoria | 1300 55 81 81 |
| QLD | Office of Fair Trading | 13 QGOV (13 74 68) |
| ACT | Access Canberra | 13 22 81 |
| NT | NT Consumer Affairs | 1800 019 319 |
| WA | Consumer Protection WA | 1300 30 40 54 |
| SA | Consumer and Business Services | 131 882 |
| TAS | Consumer Affairs Tasmania | 1300 654 499 |
National: VET Student Loans Ombudsman (Commonwealth Ombudsman), 1300 362 072; National Training Complaints Hotline, 13 38 73; ASQA for concerns about an RTO’s quality or integrity.
After you win: getting paid
If the provider does not pay the tribunal or court order on time, the order can be enforced. In most states it is registered or filed with the court and enforced as a judgment: a garnishee order on the provider’s bank account or money owed to it, seizure and sale of its property, or an examination of the owner or directors about its finances.
Tribunals do not collect the money for you. In NSW, Victoria, Queensland, the ACT and the NT, an unpaid tribunal money order is first registered, recorded or filed with a court. In WA, SA and Tasmania the Magistrates Court decides the claim, so you already have a court judgment. Then you apply for the court’s enforcement tools.
| State | How the order becomes enforceable | Garnishee: bank account and wages | Other options |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Get a certified copy of the NCAT order (no fee) and register it with the Local Court (filing fee applies) | Yes: Form 69 with Form 70 (bank) or Form 71 (wages); no filing fee | Writ for the levy of property (Forms 65, 66); examination notice (Form 51 or 52) |
| VIC | Ask VCAT to have the order recorded at the Magistrates’ Court | Yes: attachment of debt (Form 71A or 71B); attachment of earnings (Forms 72A, 72B, with a hearing) | Warrant to seize property (Form 68A); oral examination (Form 67A); instalment order |
| QLD | File the QCAT order and an affidavit with a court (the Magistrates Court up to $150,000) within six years; free | Yes: enforcement warrant for redirection of debt (Form 76 or 77) or of earnings (Form 78), with Forms 9 and 74 | Seizure and sale (Form 75); enforcement hearing |
| ACT | File the sealed ACAT order and an affidavit in the Magistrates Court, serve Form 2.49, wait 7 days | Yes: debt redirection (Form 2.62 or 2.63); earnings redirection (Form 2.64) | Seizure and sale (Form 2.59); enforcement hearing (Forms 2.50, 2.51) |
| NT | Register the NTCAT order with the Local Court (certified copy and affidavit; no fee) | Yes: attachment of debts order; attachment of earnings order with a protected earnings rate | Warrant of seizure and sale; examination summons; charging order |
| WA | Already a court judgment; apply with Form 6 and the fee | Yes: debt appropriation order (Form 6, Form 2 affidavit); earnings appropriation order (individuals only, after an instalment order is broken) | Property (seizure and sale) order; means inquiry |
| SA | Already a court judgment; start through CourtSA, Enforcement tab | Yes: garnishee order (draft Form 148); wages protected to 90% of the weekly national minimum wage | Warrant of sale (Form 163); investigation or examination summons |
| TAS | Already a court judgment; file enforcement process at the registry ($49) | Yes: provisional, then final, garnishee order attaching a debt or earnings | Warrant to sell property; judgment summons and oral examination |
Questions people ask
Can I get a refund if a course was not as advertised?
Yes, often. If the course, coaching or support you received was materially different from what was advertised, the provider has failed the consumer guarantees and may have misled you. You can claim a refund for what was not delivered, or a full refund if the difference is fundamental, plus losses caused by relying on the ads.
Can I get my money back from an online coaching program?
If the coaching was not delivered as sold, or you were sold it on false income or results claims, yes. Online coaches are bound by the Australian Consumer Law like any business. Send a written demand with your screenshots. Our Consumer Guarantee Letter ($49) does this: claimdone.com.au/services/consumer-guarantee/.
The provider promised me a job. Can I claim if I did not get one?
If the promise was false, or made without reasonable grounds, it is likely misleading, and you can claim the loss it caused, usually the fees. A promise about the future is treated as misleading unless the provider can show it had reasonable grounds for it. Keep the ad or a note of exactly what was said.
Can I cancel a course I signed up for over the phone?
Possibly. If the provider called you without an invitation, or approached you away from its premises, and the price was over $100, it may be an unsolicited consumer agreement. You can cancel within 10 business days, counted from when you received the agreement document for a phone sale, and longer if the seller broke the sales rules.
Does ASQA give refunds?
No. ASQA regulates training providers but says it cannot resolve disputes between students and providers and does not act as a student advocate. It points refund questions to the consumer protection agency in your state or territory. You can still report a provider’s poor practices to ASQA.
Can the VET Student Loans Ombudsman cancel my debt?
Not directly. The Ombudsman investigates complaints about VET Student Loans, including misleading information and debts you should not have, but says it cannot re-credit student loan debts or require a provider to act the way a court can. It is free, and it usually expects you to complain to the provider first.
How do I avoid a VET Student Loan debt if I want to leave?
Complete the provider’s formal withdrawal process on or before the census date for each unit. Simply stopping attending does not count. If you withdraw after the census date, you incur the debt for those units. Keep written proof of your withdrawal and the date.
Is a “no refunds” policy on a course legal?
Not as a way to avoid your consumer guarantee rights. If the provider failed to deliver what it sold, a “no refunds” policy does not stop your claim, and a contract term that tries to exclude the guarantees is void. It may apply if you simply changed your mind about a course that was delivered properly.
The course provider closed down. What can I do?
Claim a refund for the part not delivered by writing to the business and its owners. If you paid by card, ask your bank promptly about disputing the charge. If you used a VET Student Loan, complain to the VET Student Loans Ombudsman, which takes complaints about closed providers.
Can I stop the payment plan on a course I have quit?
You can ask your bank to cancel a direct debit from your account, and under the Banking Code of Practice it will promptly process this. That stops payments but does not end the contract, so also cancel in writing with the provider and, if you are owed a refund, demand it.
Is there a time limit to claim a course refund?
Yes. NCAT in NSW requires you to apply within 3 years of when the problem began, and a claim for loss caused by misleading conduct under the Australian Consumer Law must start within 6 years. Card disputes and census dates are much shorter, so act early. Start your demand at claimdone.com.au/begin/?service=consumer-guarantee.
Sources
- Competition and Consumer Act 2010, Schedule 2 (Australian Consumer Law), ss 4, 18, 23, 25, 29, 36, 60-64, 69-70, 82-83, 236, 267-270
- ASQA: Concerns about training providers
- ASQA: Guidance and resources for students
- Commonwealth Ombudsman: VET student loan complaints
- Commonwealth Ombudsman: Contact us
- Department of Employment and Workplace Relations: National Training Complaints Hotline
- Department of Employment and Workplace Relations: VET Student Loans, withdrawing from study
- Banking Code of Practice 2025, paras 152, 157-158
- Tribunal, court and regulator pages listed in the tables above
Checked 19 October 2026 by the Claim Done legal content team.
Claim Done is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. This page is general information. For a complex or high-value matter, speak to a lawyer or a free community legal centre.