​​​​Val McFarlane

These terms and conditions apply to agreements between Val McFarlane (ABN 5636 726 6464; hereafter referred to as “the Consultant”) and her clients (“the Client”). They shall be subject to any detailed requirements or variants expressly specified in the order relating to a particular task. The client's Terms and Conditions shall apply to the Consultant only if they have been expressly accepted by the Consultant.

 

By agreeing for specified work to proceed at an agreed rate the Client agrees to these terms and conditions.

 

1. The Consultant will provide service(s) for a fee, as mutually agreed, confirmed in writing by the Client.

2. The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by the Consultant, using the Consultant’s own equipment. Unless otherwise agreed, materials for editing/proofreading will be emailed to the Client. If hard copies are required, delivery costs will be charged to the Client.

3. 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.

4. No fixed quotation shall be given by the Consultant until all the source material and firm instructions have been received from the client. Estimates shall not be considered binding.

5. If, 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, the Consultant may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline. This also applies if the documents or materials needed are received by the Consultant later than agreed.

6. Similarly, if, during the term of the Consultant’s work, additional tasks are requested by the Client, the Consultant may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline.

7. The Client shall inform the Consultant sufficiently ahead of time of any particular requirements regarding the material (e.g. delivery format, layout). The Client shall volunteer to the Consultant in sufficient time any information and documentation required to prepare the finished work (such as a style guide).

8. The Consultant shall keep strictly confidential all information received in connection with any assignment or enquiry. However, a third party may be consulted over subject-related and specific terminology queries, provided that there is no disclosure of confidential material. 

9. The Client accepts that while the Consultant aims to provide an accurate, thorough and reliable writing, editing and proofreading service, 100% accuracy cannot be guaranteed (simply because of human error) and occasionally an error may be made or, in the case of editing/proofreading, not be corrected.

10. Final approval of any service provided by the Consultant is at the discretion of the Client. The final responsibility for errors remains with the Client. The Consultant is not liable for any losses, claims, damages or costs, financial or other, resulting from errors or inaccuracies in her work.

11. The Consultant will not be held liable for errors or omissions caused by the Client’s failure to communicate their requirements clearly.

12. In case of errors or omissions in a proofreading task, the Consultant shall be entitled in all events to remedy such defects within a reasonable time and at no cost to the Client. The Client shall specify precisely the nature of any defect to be remedied. Any complaint in connection with the performed work shall be notified to the Consultant by the Client within one month of the date of delivery of the proofread text. 

13. Invoices are to be paid in full within 14 days of issue. Overdue accounts may be subject to a discretionary charge. The charge will normally be 10% for up to 7 days late, 20% for up to 14 days late, then an additional 20% for each subsequent 7 day period. Late charges are cumulative.

14. Any content created by the Consultant as part of the copywriting/editing/proofreading process will become the copyright of the Client upon payment, unless otherwise agreed.

15. Unless requested not to, the Consultant reserves the right to refer to the Client’s project and business name in future promotions of any sort. The Consultant may use a paying client's logo on her website and social media to indicate services have been provided.

16. The Client may only cancel the contract at any time before the completion of the service if a justifiable reason is cited. Termination shall only be effective if notice has been given in writing. The Consultant shall be entitled in such cases to a fee calculated in accordance with the agreed calculation basis for the work completed up to the time of termination, along with damages for lost profit up to the amount of the order.