Safety and Respect Policy

Last updated: 9 November 2026

A note from Russ

VINEdots is a safe space for everyone, and we have zero tolerance for harassment. Everyone should feel free to speak up and share their thoughts and opinions, as long as they do it with respect.

— Russ

If something makes you feel unsafe or disrespected, tell us. We will listen, keep it private, and act on every report.

1. Who and where this covers

This policy is for everyone at VINEdots: students, teachers, staff and guests at trial classes. It also covers how people treat our teachers and staff.

It covers:

  • Live classes, including small-group speaking time and breakout rooms
  • The app: the Class Notes wall, posts, replies, photos, files and recordings
  • Assignments and feedback
  • Contact outside class with someone you met through VINEdots, such as on LINE, Instagram, email, by phone or in person

2. What is not OK

These are harassment, and they break this policy:

  • Sexual comments, jokes, questions or images, or any touching or advances someone doesn't want
  • Insults or jokes about someone's race, nationality, accent, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, body or disability
  • Laughing at someone's English or accent to make them feel small
  • Contacting someone again after they ask you to stop, or following them online
  • Sharing someone's photo, recording, contact details or private information without their permission
  • Threats, shouting, bullying, or making someone feel afraid
  • Teachers or staff asking a student for a date or a personal relationship, or using their role to pressure a student
  • Punishing or getting back at someone because they reported something

One serious act is enough. It can be harassment even if it was "only a joke" or the person didn't mean harm. What matters is how it affects the other person.

What is still OK

Learning a language means making mistakes and hearing about them. These are part of class, not harassment:

  • A teacher or classmate correcting your English
  • Honest feedback on your work, including your speaking and pronunciation
  • Disagreeing with someone politely in a discussion
  • Talking about culture, news or difficult topics with respect

3. If it happens to you, or you see it

You can tell us in any of these ways:

  • On a post or reply in the app: tap Report.
  • In the app: Profile → Message Us → Safety concern.
  • By email: info@vinedots.com, with URGENTREPORT in the subject line.
  • If your report is about Russ: email Ting Su at ting@vinedots.com.

In a live class, you can leave the breakout room or the class at any time. Leaving doesn't count as a missed class. Tell your teacher if you feel comfortable, or tell us afterwards.

You don't need proof. Screenshots, dates and names help, but you don't need them. You can report something that happened to someone else, and you can tell us even if it happened a long time ago.

4. Who reads your report, and what happens next

Only Russ Jaimes reads reports. Your teacher and our other staff don't see them. If a report is about Russ, Ting Su reads it instead.

  1. Within 2 working days, we reply to say we have your report.
  2. We talk with you about what happened and what you would like to happen.
  3. We talk with the other person, and with anyone who saw it, only as much as we need to. Everyone gets a fair chance to explain.
  4. We decide what to do, usually within 10 working days.
  5. We tell you what we decided, as far as we can without sharing the other person's private details.

If you need to stop having classes with that person right away, we can arrange that while we look into it.

5. Your privacy, and no punishment for reporting

  • We keep your report private. Only the people who need to know to handle it will hear about it.
  • No one is punished for reporting honestly, or for helping us look into a report. Getting back at someone for reporting breaks this policy.
  • Company group classes: your classmates may also be your coworkers. We won't tell your employer about your report without your permission, unless the law requires it.
  • We keep a record of each report and what we did for 3 years, then delete it. Our Privacy Policy explains how we protect it.

6. What we may do

Zero tolerance means we act every time someone breaks this policy. What we do depends on how serious it was and whether it happened before. We may:

  • Talk with them and give a written warning
  • Remove their posts, replies or files
  • Move them to a different group, class or teacher
  • Remove them from a class or program, or close their account (Terms of Service, section 7)
  • For teachers and staff: action under their contract, up to ending our work with them
  • Tell the police if someone may be in danger, or if the law requires it

For serious harassment, we can close an account right away, without a warning first.

If you were harmed

We can:

  • Move you to a different group, class time or teacher, at no cost
  • Remove the other person from your group
  • Pause your program without losing the classes you paid for

7. Emergencies, false reports and changes

If you are in danger now, call the police first: 110 in Taiwan, or your local emergency number. Then tell us. In Taiwan, the 113 protection hotline also gives free help, 24 hours a day.

False reports: making a report you know is untrue, to hurt someone, breaks this policy. An honest report that we can't confirm is never a false report.

Changes: we may update this policy. We will change the date at the top, and tell you in the app if anything important changes.

Contact: for a safety report, email info@vinedots.com with URGENTREPORT in the subject line, or ting@vinedots.com if it is about Russ. For anything else, email info@vinedots.com as usual.