Terms for BDA membership

About

This section sets out the terms and conditions of membership of the British Dental Association ('the Association', 'the BDA') and should be read in conjunction with the Articles of Association and the Membership Definitions which contain provisions relevant to the operation of the British Dental Association and your membership.

These terms and conditions and the content of membership packages (as defined in the Membership Definitions) are subject to variation from time to time. Members will be notified of variations via email and in BDJ In Practice, and the latest version of these terms and conditions and the Membership Definitions will be available here.

Both are available on request from the Membership Team: membership@bda.org or by calling 020 7563 4550.

Membership

Membership packages

The Association has different tiers of membership (which are reflected in 'membership packages') to meet the differing needs of its members. The current membership packages are listed on 'Membership definitions' along with a description of the services and benefits available in each package.

The ordinary privileges of trade union membership and copies of publications made available to the membership as a whole are available to all eligible members. In order to keep the benefits and privileges relevant there may be changes from time to time, which will be implemented only after notice to members through BDJ In Practice and the website.

A full definition of the membership packages, and the benefits and privileges available in each, is given in the Association's 'Membership definitions' (as the same may be amended from time to time).

Your BDA membership year

Your membership year starts on the date that you join the Association (subject to adjustment should you upgrade from one membership package to a more extensive one) (the 'Membership Start Date'). The initial membership year lasts for a period of 12 months (Minimum Membership Period) and becomes due for renewal on the yearly anniversary of the Membership Start Date (the 'Membership Anniversary').

In accordance with, and subject to, the Articles of Association, your membership will be continued unless a written cancellation (via letter or email) is received by the Membership Team or payment is not received. If no cancellation notice is received, and you pay by Direct Debit, you will be moved onto a monthly rolling contract.

Shortly before your Membership Anniversary we will send you notification of the renewal of your membership for the forthcoming year (see 'Renewing your membership' below) and the relevant fees.

Service will commence and you will have access to all package benefits and privileges from acceptance of your application and you will lose the right to cancel your membership as soon as the service has commenced.

Minimum membership period

In order to allow the Association to plan its resources and thereby offer a reliable service to members we require that all members maintain their membership for a minimum period of 12 months from joining (or upgrade if applicable) (the 'Minimum Membership Period').

The Minimum Membership Period runs for 12 months from the Membership Start Date as defined above.

After your Minimum Membership Period, you move onto a monthly rolling contract.

Moving from one membership package to another

Members may move from their current membership package to a more extensive membership package (if such a package exists) at any time. At the point of so doing, your Membership Start Date will be reset, a new Minimum Membership Period will begin. Your new package will be available from the date of your move.

Once the Minimum Membership Period has elapsed, you may move from your current membership package to a cheaper package at any time with no Minimum Membership Period.

In order to allow for the necessary arrangements to be made the Association requires one month's notice to do this (notice may be given 30 days before the end of the Minimum Membership Period to move to a cheaper membership package on the Membership Anniversary.)

Changes to your membership package can be made by accessing the 'Managing your membership' section, or by contacting the Membership Team: membership@bda.org.

Compliance with service policies

Access to certain services within the membership packages will be governed by policies (see 'Membership definitions') as published on the Association's website. Members wishing to access those services must abide by the relevant policies as amended from time to time. The Association reserves the right to refuse continuing access to a service if the terms of the relevant service policies are broken.

The Association reserves the right to place restrictions on access to certain services (see 'Membership definitions') as it determines from time to time. Whether these restrictions apply to any particular case or member will be assessed by the team providing the service. In the event of a dispute with regard to the applicability of the restrictions the matter may be referred to the Complaints Panel whose decision will be final.

Pre-existing issues

To protect the interests of members we do not give advice to dentists with issues that they became aware of before they joined.

Cancellation policy

Within the Minimum Membership Period of 12 months cancellations are not permitted. To the extent payment has not been received at the relevant anniversary, any outstanding balances must be paid on cancellation.

You may cancel your membership by notifying the Membership Team, such notice to expire after the Minimum Membership Period has elapsed. The Association requires at least one month's notice for membership cancellations.

The notice period will be calculated from the point of receipt of the cancellation instruction by the Membership Team and our aim is to acknowledge membership cancellations within one week of receipt. For this reason, if you have not received a response to your resignation within two weeks, it is essential that you contact the Membership Team to ensure that your letter or email has been received.

If you pay for your subscription by monthly or quarterly Direct Debit payments, the Direct Debit instruction will be cancelled by the BDA from the effective date of the expiry of the notice period no further payments will be taken, providing that no outstanding amounts are owed.

Please note that if you cancel your Direct Debit instruction this will not automatically cancel your membership. It is therefore important that you contact the Membership Team as soon as possible if you wish to resign from membership.

If you decide to leave the Association, we would appreciate it if you would tell us why. The Membership Team may ask you to complete a short survey, which will help us improve our services and better meet your needs in the future.

Right to Cancel - "Cooling Off Period"

Our cooling off period is valid for 7 days from the date you join or upgrade your membership. You will only be allowed to cancel if you have not accessed or made use of any of the services which are available to BDA members.

If you upgraded your membership, you will revert back to your original level and the usual terms and conditions will apply for continuing your membership.

Termination of membership

The Association may terminate your membership according to the provisions of Article 17 and 18 of the Articles of Association. If membership is terminated by expulsion no refund of membership subscriptions will be made and any balance due for the Minimum Membership Period shall remain due and payable.

On cancellation taking effect or on other termination the benefits of the membership package will cease and you will not be entitled to the benefit of any part of the package to be provided or fulfilled after the date of cancellation/termination.

Payment

Subscription fees

Subscription fees for all BDA membership categories. Membership fees vary depending on the membership package selected, payment method, and eligibility for any concessionary rates that may be made available from time to time.

The subscription fees will be subject to annual review and the website updated accordingly.

Concessionary rates and eligibility criteria

The Association may, at its discretion, make concessionary rates of membership available from time to time.

Assessment of eligibility for concessionary rates is based solely on the published criteria and the Association's decision in this matter is final. We reserve the right to request documentary evidence if necessary in order to make this assessment.

Eligibility for a concession in one membership year does not necessarily imply continuing eligibility for future membership years.

Membership offers

From time to time the Association may make special offers to encourage member recruitment. These offers may include incentives that vary the terms and conditions as laid out here (for example, by offering '13 months for the price of 12') for those eligible for and who accept such offers ('Eligible Acceptances').

These terms and conditions will be varied only as regards the Eligible Acceptances and only to the extent specified in the material accompanying the membership offer in question, all other aspects of these terms and conditions remain in force as regards all members (including Eligible Acceptances) unless otherwise notified.

The Association regularly runs a 'three months free Essential membership trial' offer, normally to foundation dentists/vocational trainees at a relevant event. Those who take up this offer may do so only once. When you continue membership at the end of the trial period the fee owing will be that which is current, see Annual Membership Fees.

Paying for your membership

You can pay for your BDA membership by Direct Debit, debit or credit card or cheque. Many members appreciate the convenience of Direct Debit, as this allows membership to be renewed at the relevant rate automatically at your membership anniversary.

Changes to your payment method can be made by contacting the Membership Team.

Claiming tax relief

The BDA is an Inland Revenue approved (list 3) professional body. If you are a UK tax-payer, your membership fee may be tax deductible (eligible for tax relief). Illustrations of the savings that may be made by claiming tax relief are available. If in any doubt, you should contact your tax advisor.

When you first join the Association, or on renewal of membership, you will be provided with a 'Confirmation of payment or renewal' receipt. Please keep this safe as it can be used as evidence when reclaiming your tax.

Unpaid subscription fees

The BDA is a 'not-for-profit' organisation, and membership subscriptions form the majority of the income for the Association. Unpaid subscription fees therefore impact directly on our ability to plan and provide services for members. Consequently the Association reserves the right take necessary steps to recover unpaid subscription fees, including legal action where necessary.

In any circumstance where the subscription fees remain unpaid following the due date for payment, the Association specifically reserves the following rights:

to demand immediate payment of any outstanding sums due
to withdraw the facility to make subsequent payments by instalment
to charge an administration fee of £25 plus any costs of recovery
to add interest to any outstanding amounts at 4% above Bank of England base rate.

If you anticipate any problems with the payment of your subscription, please contact the Membership Team at the earliest opportunity to discuss. In particular, please ensure that you contact the Membership Team if you intend to cancel your Direct Debit instruction and/or use another form of payment, otherwise the BDA will incur bank charges for seeking a Direct Debit payment without an active mandate.

If you have asked us to collect from a specific account and our request is returned by your bank as 'unpaid' on more than two occasions, we will ask you for details of another bank account from which the BDA can successfully collect your payment and reserve the right to pass on any administration charges that may have been incurred as a result.

You agree that any outstanding amounts on your membership account must be cleared on termination (and for the avoidance of doubt) before you can be re-admitted to membership of the Association.

Refunds

On cancellation of membership or a change in membership package, members who have paid in advance may have a credit on their membership account. In this situation (once any applicable notice periods have been applied or any other outstanding sums deducted) a refund may be due. This can be paid either by cheque or held on the membership account to defray future membership subscription fees.

Renewing membership

In accordance with, and subject to, the Articles of Association, your membership will be continued unless a written cancellation (via letter or email) is received by the Membership Team.

The amount due from you in respect of the next membership year will be included in your renewals notice prior to your Membership Anniversary. If you pay by Direct Debit, fees will be taken at the new rate unless we receive notice of change of membership or termination.

Payment for renewed membership

If you pay your membership subscription by cheque, credit or debit card, it is essential that your payment reaches the Association one week before the Membership Anniversary, to ensure that your membership is not cancelled by us due to default. For your convenience, you will be offered the option to pay by Direct Debit. This has the advantage that your membership can be renewed automatically each year without the need for you to contact the Membership Team.

If you have elected to pay by Direct Debit, we will continue to endeavour to collect your subscription fees for each year from the account notified.

Future subscription fees

Subscription fees will be determined in accordance with the Articles of Association and prior to the Membership Anniversary we will write to you to inform you of the subscription fees for your membership package for the forthcoming year, which will be the fees in force at the time of the Membership Anniversary.

Using our material

We are the owner of all intellectual property rights on our website, and in all the material, advice documents, templates published on it, unless otherwise stated. Those works are protected by copyright laws and treaties around the world. All such rights are reserved.

Provided you are a BDA Member, you may use, copy and print our advice or any page(s) from our website for the purpose of

Running and / or managing any dental practice you work in, own (either in its entirety, or in partnership, or a share in) or of which you are a director,
Setting up a dentally related working arrangement between you and another person, or
Managing your own dental career and/or practice.

You must not use any part of the materials on our website for commercial purposes, other than as set out above, without obtaining a written licence to do so from us.

If you breach these terms of use, your right to use our website will cease immediately and you must, at our option, return or destroy any copies of the materials you have made.

Membership preferences

How we communicate with you

When you join the Association, you provide us with your personal details, including your address and email. By giving us this information you are agreeing that the Association may contact you from time to time (by email, SMS text message or post), with information related to services, products and events.

You may, at any time, opt out of receiving communications from the Association, change your contact details or set your email preferences, by visiting My BDA or by contacting the Membership Team: membership@bda.org.

Privacy

We take your privacy very seriously. Occasionally, in order to enhance your membership, we may provide selected information (excluding 'sensitive personal data') to other organisations. This will only be done, however, when we have approved by licence or other agreement the way in which those organisations will use the information, with a view to improving the value of membership.

If you do not wish other organisations to receive any information about you, please visit My BDA to opt-out, or email: membership@bda.org.

Complaints procedure

We aim to provide all members with a high level of service and to deliver the benefits and privileges of membership as laid out in the Membership Definitions.

However, there may be times when, for whatever reason, the service provided does not meet members' expectations. Should this occur, in the first instance we encourage members to contact the particular department of the Association in question to discuss the matter and to give us the opportunity to investigate and assess the complaint.

There is also a formal complaints procedure that may be followed.

Contact us

Tel: 020 7563 4550

Email: membership@bda.org

We may record telephone conversations to offer you additional security, resolve complaints, for regulatory compliance and to improve our service standards. Conversations may also be monitored for staff training purposes. You will be alerted to this when you call.