Frequently Asked Questions
How many members belong to Vistas Lifelong Learning?
Our membership currently hovers around 350.
I would like to volunteer to bring cookies to a class. How can I arrange this?
Thank you! Vistas relies on volunteers to help in many ways, and this one is always appreciated! We have a Hospitality Committee, and they take turns bringing the goodies and setting up all the accoutrements for coffee service as well. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please email the business manager at vistas@vistaslifelonglearning.org.
Does it matter if I show up late to a class?
Yes, although if it’s unavoidable, it is better to be late than not show up at all. But please note that it can be disruptive to the presenter and the class. When planning to attend a class, try to allow enough time for traffic, parking, checking in, and finding a seat. Note too that when arriving early, you have a little extra time for socializing and a cup of coffee.
Can I bring food and eat during the class?
Please don’t. It can be very disruptive, even if just to your surrounding seat mates. Also, remember that some venues do not allow food in the classroom area.
Can I use an address sticker or stamp on my membership or reservation form?
YES – Absolutely! In fact some people keep their address stickers with them to stick onto a reservation form right away – so they don’t have to fill out as much information on the form. Note too that stickers or stamps are almost always legible!
Will I receive an email to confirm my registration for a seminar?
If you register in a timely manner, you can consider yourself enrolled in the class. We try but are not always able to acknowledge reservations for our classes and events. Please do not sign up for a course if the first session is less than 3 business days away without emailing or calling Nichole LaViola, our Business Manager. If you have not received any email about a course you registered for and it is less than three days away, contact Nichole.
An exception to this policy is our theater events. In order to qualify for discounted group rates, Vistas must order and pay for all the tickets at the same time, by the deadline date. After that date, when our business manager receives all of the tickets from the theater, she will mail yours to you at the mailing address she has on file. Please be sure to keep her up to date on any mail address changes.
Would you please give me detailed instructions on sending my reservations in by mail?
1. Please PRINT when filling out all the forms you send in. If your name, phone number, and email address are hard to decipher, it may be difficult for us to contact you should it become necessary.
2. Be sure to make note of the registration deadline. If you send in your form close to that date, we advise that you contact our business manager to be sure there is still room in the class.
3. If you mail your check and registration form a few days before the class, it may not be received in time to include you on the list of attendees. So, if the “check is in the mail,” please contact the business manager so she can include you in the head count for the class.
4. Please double-check your addition before writing the check.
5. Be sure that all areas of the check are completed and that it’s signed. It’s appreciated if you enter seminar title(s) in the memo area of the check, if there’s room. Abbreviations are fine. This is helpful if we ever have to go back and verify what a check was for.
6. If using the course flyer, please include the registration portion of the flyer for each course you’re registering in. If you can’t print the flyers, write the course titles on a piece of paper to accompany your check. Be sure to enter the date and your check number on the form as well.
7. If using the registration form from within the catalog, be sure to use the entire registration form, with each appropriate item entered for quantity, cost, and total. You may either tear the page out of the catalog or make a copy of it so you can keep the original. If reserving for more than one person, please write in the name of each additional person beside each class name.
Why didn’t you have me on your roster when I arrived at the class?
It might be helpful if you research your payments when you get home, to make sure that you actually registered for the class. If you think you registered by mail, be sure that the envelope is not still sitting at home waiting to be mailed (it can happen!). Or if you registered online, check to see that the item is not still in your PayPal cart, which would mean that the transaction wasn’t completed.
Our business manager will also search our records and will let you know if omitting your name from the registration list was our mistake.
If I’m not able to attend all sessions of a seminar, can I just pay for individual sessions?
No. Vistas relies on a head count for the entire seminar. Everything is based on that count, from coffee and cookies to seating arrangements, handouts, and more. We realize that sometimes life gets in the way and you may not be able to attend all sessions of a seminar, but we ask that you pay for the entire seminar. If you wish, you may send a friend in your place for the missed date, and they can bring you up to date on what you missed. If doing so, please email our business manager at at vistas@vistaslifelonglearning.org with that person’s name.
Something came up and I need to cancel my registration. What can I do?
If you’re cancelling at least a week in advance of the seminar, the business office will refund your purchase in full, as there is still time to make adjustments to the course’s allotted seating, handouts, and refreshments. In general, our policy is to offer no refund for cancellations made as late as the final week prior to a class. However, under some circumstances, exceptions may be made. Email the business office with specific details if this situation arises.
Please send the business manager an email with your request to cancel, noting if you want credit for a future class, to make the class fee a donation, or to request a refund. If asking for a refund please advise how you made your original payment for the refund to be issued appropriately. Please put all information in one email with your request:
Name of class
How you paid for it (Check or PayPal)
When you paid for it
Your preference for credit for a future class, donation or a refund
Why did PayPal charge me for more than I thought I had purchased?
Every time you click on the Add to Cart button, the item is placed in your cart, and even if you back out of the PayPal page, that item remains in your cart unless you delete it. Always be sure to check the number of items in your cart before finalizing your purchase. You can edit the cart to remove any extra items that you accidentally left there.
Neither Vistas nor PayPal has the ability to add items to your cart. Everything in your cart is what you entered yourself, even if not intended. So please be sure to check your cart and edit it if necessary before checking out.
Oh no! It’s too late and I accidentally purchased more items than I intended. How do I get a refund?
Please contact our business manager and explain what happened. She will be able to process your refund through PayPal right away. Please do not contact PayPal directly to make a claim, as our own business manager will process your claim faster than PayPal can, and going through her avoids the fee Paypal would otherwise charge Vistas.
I paid with PayPal, then forgot and also sent in a check, or vice-versa. What should I do?
It is recommended that you keep a record of your payments and what they are for. You might choose to note your payment information in your Vistas catalog or on your calendar.
But if you do find that you paid twice, send the business manager an email at vistas@vistaslifelonglearning.org with the relevant information on both payments. She will verify the information and send you an email offering the following three options:
1. Apply the funds as credit for a future class;
2. Make a tax-deductible donation to VISTAS; or
3. Receive a refund
I forgot which classes I signed up for. Would you please look me up and let me know all the details?
The business manager will confirm the seminars that you have registered for when necessary. However, if you need more than the title of the seminar, please refer to the web site, under Current Courses, for up-to-date information on the dates, times, venue, and speaker.
The "preferred registration deadline" shown on the course flyer has already passed. Can I still enroll in the class?
Yes, in most cases. We include that deadline on the flyers to encourage people to register as early as possible, which helps us with planning for seating, refreshments, handouts, and other considerations. Also, if a course becomes over-enrolled, those who register by that deadline receive priority. Nevertheless, if you wish to register for a class after that date, you may email our business manager to check on availability. If there is still room for you, you may either register online or bring a check to the first session.
I waited too long and a class I wanted to register for is now sold out. Do you keep a wait list in case of cancellations?
Yes, we may have a wait list going for a sold-out class. It is best to email the business manager at vistas@vistaslifelonglearning.org as soon as possible to ask to be put on this list.
Please don’t call the office to be placed on the list, as an email will be date- and time-stamped to confirm your priority on the list.
When a seat becomes available, the business manager will contact you and let you know what to do to confirm your attendance.
The PayPal button has been removed from the website and I can’t register for a class.
Please note that when a class is scheduled to start within a few days, the link will be removed from the website in order to have an accurate final list of registered attendees. The list needs to be checked for accuracy, and this can take a little time.
The PayPal link will generally be removed two business days before the event, so be sure to get your registration in as far in advance as possible. In doing so, you will be on the list early enough to get any pre-seminar materials, if any, emailed to you ahead of the class.
ZOOM Meetings
Please register for seminars, at least two business days before the event if doing so electronically. If mailing a check to register, please do so at least a week before the event, to be sure it is received in time to be included. (Note: Post Office pick ups are only twice a week, not daily.)
You will receive the Zoom Invitation the day/evening before the class. The reason we wait till then, is there is less chance for your invitation to get lost among your other emails, and to be sure that everyone is included in the same list.
Sign on to the Zoom meeting shortly before the class is supposed to begin. You will be in a Zoom Waiting Room until accepted for the class.
Vistas has a limited number of ‘screens’ that can attend, so it is very important to 1. Register in a timely manner, and 2. Do not share your Zoom link. If it is shared and we are at our limit, then perhaps someone that already paid will not be able to attend.
Some tips for getting ready to start your Zoom session:
1. Eliminate distractions so you can focus on the meeting,
2. If you find it necessary to do other things during the meeting, it might be best to join without video, as getting up and down and moving about is a distraction to others. Keep in mind, if your video is on, everyone can see you.
3. Be aware of your audio and video settings, you will be muted by the host when the meeting begins, please do not un-mute yourself until the host offers it at the break and at the end of session.
Each class will be recorded and the link to that recording will be forwarded to all that registered for the class within a day or so. Note that the recordings are meant only for people that registered and not to be forwarded to anyone outside of the group.