Terms and conditions of work
Clients must agree to the following terms and conditions before I commence work on a project.
Meetings and consultations: I reserve the right to charge, with notice to the client, for travel, meeting and consultation time on projects, at a rate of £20 per hour. Travel expenses will be invoiced at cost.
Working in-house: Due to the creative nature of my work and the levels of concentration required, it is not practical for me to write, edit or proofread in-house.
Out-of-hours work: Any project requiring work outside the hours of 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., Monday to Friday, will be subject to a higher rate.
Administrative costs: Some administrative costs are payable by the client. Postage is charged at cost; printing is charged at 4p per sheet; CDs are charged at 50p. Should the project necessitate telephone calls totalling more than £5, an itemised bill will be submitted and the cost of all calls over this amount will be payable by the client.
Deadlines: Deadlines will be agreed before the project commences. I reserve the right to alter the deadline if the brief changes and in the event that the client fails to meet agreed deadlines in the course of the project.
Services: My proofreading and editing services involve checking the material once only. I am then happy to answer queries. Should you wish me to look at the document a second time, this will incur further costs. Unless otherwise stated, my writing service includes one round of amends/rewriting within reasonable limits. Requesting that I rewrite substantial amounts of material or asking for amends further to the first set will incur additional costs.
Cost: My minimum project fee is £50. Any subsequent changes to the agreed brief and deadlines, once the project has started, could incur additional fees. Costs agreed at the start of a project are not negotiable at a later stage: the client has no right to reduce or refuse agreed payment based on my style of work or interpretation of the brief. Should the client decide to terminate the project before completion, I will invoice the full project fee subject to the usual payment terms.
Invoicing: For private clients I may request payment upfront, or invoice half the project fee upfront, with the remainder invoiced on completion of the work. Work will be invoiced the day I complete my agreed service. However, if a client fails to come back with amends within seven days of my submitting the work, I reserve the right to invoice at this point. For larger projects, or projects with long timelines, I reserve the right to request payment in instalments.
Payment: Invoices are payable within 14 days by cheque or direct bank transfer. Clients from outside the UK must pay in pounds sterling by direct bank transfer, factoring in any cross-currency transfer fees. Under the terms of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, I reserve the right to charge interest and compensation should payment exceed 14 days. Should an invoice remain outstanding after 14 days, I reserve the right to refuse to undertake any further work, including work in progress, until all outstanding invoices are paid. I take non-payment of invoices very seriously and I will instigate legal proceedings and instruct debt recovery agents where necessary.
I reserve the right to amend these terms and conditions, with notice to the client.