Proofreading Copyediting Ireland
Standard Terms and Conditions
Scope and Status
1. These terms and conditions apply to any work done for the Client by Proofreading Copyediting Ireland, also referred to in this document as “PCI”, “we”, “our” and “us”.
2. The Client is under no obligation to offer PCI work; neither is PCI under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client.
3. Any work agreed and carried out by PCI will be under a Contract for Services and is not intended to create an employment relationship between any PCI representative and the Client.
4. We strongly advise you to read these Terms and Conditions carefully as they will apply in each and every instruction and will operate in conjunction with the agreed Contract for Services.
5. If any of these Terms and Conditions conflict with the Contract for Services, then the Contract for Services will take priority.
Services and Costs
6. PCI will provide service(s) as mutually agreed, confirmed in writing by the Client.
7. The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by PCI, using PCI’s own equipment.
8. Completed work will be provided with all changes clearly marked using the “track changes” feature (found in up-to-date versions of Word and Pages).
9. The Client will pay PCI a fee per hour OR per word OR per slide (for presentations) OR an agreed flat fee for the job. Our fees per word are usually based on a standard price per 1,000 words, rounded up to the nearest 100 words.
10. PCI agrees to attend the Client’s or other premises for necessary meetings; the time spent and agreed reasonable expenses incurred are to be reimbursed by the Client.
11. The Client will reimburse PCI for agreed reasonable expenses over and above usual expenses incurred in the process of editorial work.
12. A deadline for the completion of the work will be agreed in writing.
13. The completed work will be delivered on or before the date agreed, for the agreed fee, which will be based on the description of the work required and the brief, both supplied by the Client.
14. If, however, upon receipt of the item to be worked on or at an early stage, it becomes apparent that significantly more work is required than had been anticipated in the preliminary discussion/brief, PCI may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline and/or may not be able to take the work on at all. This also applies if the documents or materials needed are received by PCI later than agreed.
15. Similarly, if, during the term of PCI’s work, additional tasks are requested by the Client, PCI may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline.
16. If additional work on the same matter is required after the work is completed, an additional fee of 50% of the original agreed fee will be payable by the Client, unless otherwise agreed.
17. If the Client requests a second proofread, the Client must first redraft the document. Two-thirds of the original price per 1,000 words will be payable for this Service.
Payment Terms
20. For shorter academic proofreading documents (documents under 80,000 words), 100% of the total fee must be paid before work commences. With longer documents (over 80,000 words) payments in two parts are acceptable, 50% before the proofreading starts and 50% within 5 days of us returning the document. If payment is not received within this specified time, then 10% of the fee will be added for each week that the payment is overdue. If we do not receive proof of payment in the form of a photograph, screenshot or scan of bank statement, then we cannot start the work.
21. For business proofreading, the full amount must be paid within 30 days of the invoice being supplied (an invoice will be supplied upon completion). If the Client fails to do this within 30 days, then we will add 10% to the fee for each week that the payment is overdue. For longer projects, interim payments can be negotiated. See point 22. In some cases, a payment period of 45 days can be agreed. This must be agreed in writing before the work commences.
22. If the project is lengthy, PCI may invoice periodically for completed stages.
23. PCI reserves the right to charge interest on overdue fees.
24. Refunds will only be given in extreme circumstances, such as the total failure to complete your work. Any refunds are at the sole discretion of PCI.
Termination
25. Either the Client or PCI has the right to terminate a Contract for Services if there is a serious breach of its terms.
26. PCI can terminate a contract at any time and for any reason, including but not limited to: non-payment of fees due; aggressive, abusive or inappropriate behaviour towards a PCI representative. Upon notice being given to you of the termination of the contract, you would be required to pay PCI all sums due.
27. You can cancel the contract at any time before work has begun, namely before full documents have been provided to PCI at no charge. Any payment made in advance by you will be refunded.
28. If you wish to cancel the contract after work has begun then you must notify PCI in writing. You will be billed for the work that has been completed up to that point at the per-word or per-hour rate in the contract. Where a flat fee has been agreed, unless you are terminating due to a serious breach by PCI, the full fee will be payable. The partially completed work will be sent to you upon receipt of your payment.
29. These terms are subject to the laws of England and Wales, and both PCI and the Client agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
Liability and Errors
30. PCI aims to provide an accurate, thorough and reliable proofreading and editing service. Although we aim to provide the best service possible, we cannot guarantee 100% accuracy (simply because of human error) and occasionally we may not correct errors.
31. PCI cannot be held responsible for direct, indirect, special or consequential losses or costs incurred by any errors remaining in your work, be they factual or grammatical. The final responsibility for errors remains with you.
32. PCI will not be held liable for errors or omissions caused by your failure to communicate your requirements clearly.
33. We are confident that we will provide you with a high-quality service; however, should you wish to make an official complaint, you must do so within 14 working days of having received the edited document back from us. PCI will respond to your complaint as quickly as possible.
34. PCI shall not be liable for any delay or failure to perform any obligation under these Terms and Conditions and both parties shall be released from their respective obligations if the delay or failure is caused by any circumstances beyond both parties’ reasonable control, including, but not limited to: fire, explosion, flood, war (or similar events such as national emergency or civil unrest), industrial disputes, technical failure, or any other similar event that renders the performance of obligations impossible. In such circumstances, the Client will immediately pay PCI all arrears of payments due.
35. In the case of illness or sudden unforeseen unavailability of the PCI proofreader/editor responsible for a Contract for Services, PCI will notify the Client as soon as reasonably practicable and re-allocate the matter to another proofreader/editor within 24 hours. PCI will use their best endeavours to ensure that the agreed deadline is maintained; however, in the event that the deadline cannot be met in such circumstances, an extended deadline will be agreed by the parties. Such agreed extension will not affect the agreed fee payable.
36. If there is a waiver or variation of any of these Terms and Conditions by PCI at any time, then that will constitute a waiver or variation for the purpose of that particular transaction only and your obligations in respect of being bound by the remaining Terms and Conditions shall continue to be in full force, i.e. will continue to apply to you fully.
37. If you breach any of the Terms and Conditions, you will be held fully responsible for any legal claim for expenses, liability and financial losses (including legal fees) incurred by PCI, as caused by your breach.
38. Each of the paragraphs of these Terms and Conditions operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect.
39. PCI reserves the right to change the Terms and Conditions at any time without notice and without liability arising from such an action. Your use of the website and the company’s services will be deemed as acceptance of any amended Terms and Conditions.
40. We advise you to regularly check the Terms and Conditions. PCI has complete discretion to modify or remove any part of the website without warning and without any liability arising from such an action.
41. PCI reserves the right to alter pricing without notice, although any prices previously confirmed in writing will remain valid for 28 days from the date of the quotation; prices on work agreed and being undertaken will not be affected.
Academic Liability (Students)
42. We recommend that you check that the use of a proofreading/editing service is permitted by your academic institution before engaging our services and, if so, whether it is a requirement that this be referenced in your work. PCI will not check each academic institution’s policy on proofreading/editing and accept no liability if you fail to make adequate enquiries.
43. We strongly recommend that you advise your tutor/supervisor that you have employed a proofreader.
44. Plagiarism (including collusion) and breach of copyright are very serious offences and there are usually severe penalties including permanent disqualification from your studies if plagiarism or breaches of copyright are proved to exist in your work. Avoiding plagiarism remains your responsibility at all times. PCI does not check your document for any possible plagiarism issues.
45. The mark or grade you are awarded by your academic institution is not within PCI’s control. PCI cannot provide advice or guidance on predicted grades and PCI cannot be held legally responsible for a lower than expected mark or grade in relation to any material returned by PCI after proofreading and/or editing. While our aim is to ensure that your work is free from errors of spelling, grammar and punctuation and is consistent in style, we cannot guarantee that using our proofreading service will result in improved marks.
Copyright and Confidentiality
46. Any content created by PCI as part of the editing/proofreading process will become the copyright of the Client, unless otherwise agreed.
47. The nature and content of the work will be kept confidential and not made known to anyone other than the Client and the Client’s contractors without prior written permission.
48. PCI may use the Client’s name in their promotional material, but will gain the Client’s express consent before doing so.
Data Protection and Website Cookies
49. Under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998, the Client and PCI may keep on record such information (e.g. contact details) as is necessary. Either may view the other’s records to ensure that they are relevant, correct and up to date.
50. We will use the personal information you provide to us to:
(a) provide the Services;
(b) process your payment for such Services; and
(c) inform you about similar products or services that we provide, but you may stop receiving these at any time by contacting us.
51. The PCI website uses cookies that allow PCI to see how the site is used. The cookies cannot identify you. If you continue to use this site, PCI will assume that you are happy with this.
52. You acknowledge that information on the PCI website may contain inaccuracies and errors and PCI expressly excludes liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law.
53. You agree that you will not use the PCI website for illegal purposes and will respect all applicable laws and regulations. You agree not to use the website in a way that may impair the performance, corrupt the content or otherwise reduce the overall functionality of the website. You also agree not to compromise the security of the website or attempt to gain access to secured areas or sensitive information.
