Training Course in Questioned Handwriting & Document Examination – Terms and Conditions
By accepting these terms and conditions, Student (“Student”) is entering into a legal agreement with Reed Hayes, CDE (“Instructor”) for the Training Course in Questioned Handwriting and Document Examination (“Course”) as further identified on this website.
By proceeding to register for the Course, Student agrees to be bound by the terms of this agreement, including the disclaimers, limitations of liability and termination provisions below. If Student does not agree to the terms of this agreement, he/she should not register for the Course, but exit now.
Without prejudice to any other rights, Instructor may terminate this agreement if Student fails to comply with the terms and conditions of the agreement.
Tuition Payment Terms
Upon payment of Student’s tuition to Instructor (down-payment or payment in full), Student will be entitled to receive the course materials as defined herein.
Full tuition for the Course is $2,600.00 USD. Three payment options are available:
1. Tuition paid in full with a discount offered by Instructor as noted elsewhere on this site or otherwise agreed to between Instructor and Student
2. Down payment of $500.00 USD with 12 subsequent monthly payments of $175.00 USD
3. Down payment of $300.00 USD with 12 subsequent monthly payments of $191.67 USD
Student’s Certificate of Training will be issued only upon receipt of full and final payment according to the payment option agreed upon by Student and Instructor.
Course Material
Course material, which is provided to Student upon receipt of full payment or down payment according to the payment option agreed upon by Student and Instructor, includes:
• Training manual consisting of 31 lessons and exams and 15 supplemental cases
• USB Digital microscope
• Measuring devices
• DVD containing a fully searchable, color PDF version of the training manual, exams and supplemental cases, as well as various worksheets, report templates, etc. All exams and worksheets are provided on the DVD in MS Word format for ease of use and completion by Student. If Student wishes, all material can be accessed instead by a Dropbox link.
Requirements for Issuance of Certificate of Training
Upon successful completion of the Course, Student will receive a Certificate of Training. Student is required to successfully complete all 31 exams, with at least an 80% average score, and must work all supplemental cases according to the instructions for each individual case. The theoretical and practical portions of the final exam must also be completed successfully, with a score of at least 80% on each, before the Certificate of Training is issued. Instructor reserves the right to withhold issuance of the Certificate of Training until complete and final payment of tuition, as agreed to between Student and Instructor, is satisfied.
NOTE: The Certificate of Training does not equal “certification.” Certification must be obtained through such organizations as the Scientific Association of Forensic Examiners, National Association of Document Examiners, etc. Student may not ethically claim to be certified in forensic document examination upon receipt of the Certificate of Training, else he/she will risk impeachment when called to provide testimony at trial.
Copyright and Confidentiality
All copyrights related to the Course and other materials provided in connection with the Course (including, without limitation, any images, photographs and text) and all accompanying materials are owned by Instructor. Therefore, Student must treat the materials like any other copyrighted material, subject to the provisions of this agreement.
Student agrees to use any and all Course material for educational purposes only and agrees not to copy, reproduce, disseminate or otherwise publish any of the material, including the handwritings and individual case material, without express permission from Instructor. The exceptions to this are the blank handwriting worksheets and comparison charts which may be reproduced for use by Student during training and in Student’s own work following completion of the Course. However, Student may not disseminate said forms to any other individual or entity without Instructor’s prior consent.
Instructor will treat all correspondence, information and testing supplied by Student as confidential and private.
Cancellation or Discontinuance of Training
Cancellation by Instructor Instructor reserves the right to cancel training should Student not comply with terms of this agreement, if Student’s work is below the required average score of 80%, or if Student engages in egregious or unethical behavior.
Cancellation by Student Notice of Student’s intent to cancel or discontinue the Course must be made in writing to the Instructor. In the event Student cancels or discontinues training, Student will be required to fulfill payment commitment as noted above.
In the event of cancellation by Instructor or Student, Instructor will not reimburse any amount of tuition already paid, nor will any remaining balance be waived.
Disclaimer of Warranty
While the Course and related materials are designed according to theories and practices acceptable in the forensic document examination community, Instructor does not and cannot warrant the performance or results Student may obtain by utilizing the information and training provided by the Course and its related materials. Instructor makes no warranties, express or implied, as to infringement of third-party rights or fitness of the training and/or materials for any particular purpose. In no event will Instructor be liable to Student for any consequential, incidental or special damages arising from use or application of the Course material or information provided during training.
Note: This course meets the requirements for training adopted by the Scientific Association of Forensic Examiners. However, it does not meet requirements for application to the Board of Forensic Document Examiners, as it does not include a two-year apprenticeship program.