Terms & Conditions

These terms and conditions serve as guidance for what is involved in the process of working with me. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

General

  • These terms & conditions apply to any work done for the Client (you) by me (Sofia Matias).
  • The Client is under no obligation to offer me work; neither am I under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client.
  • I will provide service(s) as mutually agreed, confirmed in writing by the Client, and in accordance with the service descriptions available on my website.
  • Quotes provided by me to prospective Clients are valid for the period of one month. If the quote is not accepted/work is not booked within that period, I reserve the right to update the details of the quote (such as cost and timeline for completion) if the prospective Client wishes to book the same or similar work after this period.
  • The Client will confirm in writing that they have read, agreed to and understood these terms and conditions before any work is carried out. Payment of deposit invoices also serves as confirmation.
  • The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by me, using my own equipment.
  • I am based on the GMT timezone, so all agreed deadlines/bookings are in GMT times.
  • I confirm that I am self-employed and responsible for my own income tax and National Insurance contributions, and will not claim benefits granted to the Client’s employees.
  • I am not VAT-registered.
  • Either the Client or I have the right to terminate a contract for services if there is a serious breach of its terms.
  • I may use the Client’s name and completed work (including covers for published works) in my promotional materials. If the Client wishes to include my name in their published materials permission must be sought with me first, and I may request to review the materials prior to publication before granting it.
  • This agreement is subject to the laws of Scotland, and both I and the Client agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the Scottish courts.

Project

  • Before any work is carried out, the Client and I will agree on all the relevant details required for its completion, including but not limited to (where relevant): the medium/format in which the work is to be completed, required word count, preferred annotation method, the length of time required, the deadline for work completion and the fee for the work.
  • Unless discussed otherwise in advance, quotes for editing and proofreading projects include one pass of the document (meaning that once completed files are delivered, the Client is responsible for implementing suggestions/any edits that required clarification). If the Client wishes to include extra passes of the project this should be brought up with me at the earliest possible time, and the quote will be adjusted to reflect this.
  • If the Client wishes to have me undertake a sample edit or proofread of their project prior to booking the full work, this can be completed for a flat fee of £20, on an extract no bigger than 2000 words (for edits) or 2500 words (for proofreads). This fee will be deducted from the final quote for the project upon booking, granted that no significant changes are made to the extract in the time between the sample being provided and the full work being conducted and the Client has applied the suggested changes to the submitted document.
  • Any and all supporting files required for the completion of the work must be provided on agreement to the terms. No changes to or replacement of the material(s) are allowed once they have been received by me.
  • In the event of work being booked in advance (as in, the work is not to begin upon confirmation of the terms), all relevant files are due to be received by me no later than 24 hours before the project start date, unless other arrangements have been made and/or agreed to by me. Any delays may result in rescheduling of the work, pending availability.
  • 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.
  • If, however, on 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, I may renegotiate the fee and the deadline, or decline to complete the work.
  • Similarly, if, during the term of my work, additional tasks are requested by the Client, I may renegotiate the fee and the deadline.
  • If, by any extenuating circumstances (such as illness), I am unable to complete the work by the agreed date, I will contact the Client in writing at the earliest opportunity to renegotiate the timeline for work completion.
  • Any content created by me as part of the writing/editing/proofreading process will become the copyright of the Client, unless otherwise agreed, once final payment has been received by me.
  • If the contracted work is for editing or proofreading, I will complete it to the best of my ability but cannot guarantee a 100% error-free document. The Client takes full responsibility for approving the final work upon completion and I am not liable for any loss, damages or costs incurring from errors left in the work following the Client’s review.

Fees & Payments

  • A quote for the proposed work will be provided upon discussion of the project specifics and the assessment of a sample of the work (where applicable).
  • The Client will pay me a fee per hour OR per 1000 words OR a flat fee for the job. This will be established and agreed to before any work is carried out.
  • The quote for any work carried out will be provided in Pound Sterling (GBP). International Clients must ensure that any conversion charges are processed outwith the agreed fee for the work.
  • For national Clients (those residing within the UK/paying directly in GBP), payment should be made by direct bank transfer. If, for any reason, the client requires the payment to be processed through a card transaction, this should be made clear to me at the earliest opportunity.
  • I require a deposit of 50% of the total agreed fee before the scheduling of work. This deposit is due upon receipt of the deposit invoice. All deposits are non-refundable.
  • I reserve the right to request the full fee in advance for short projects.
  • If the project is lengthy, I may invoice periodically for completed stages. Payment terms such as these will be agreed before any work is carried out.
  • Any payments made before the completion of the project (deposits, etc.) will be deducted from the final invoice.
  • Unless agreed otherwise at the outset, final payment will be due on completion of the work, and before the completed work is returned to the Client.
  • 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 30 days.

Confidentiality

  • The nature and content of the work will be kept confidential and not made known to anyone other than the Client and its contractors without prior written permission.
  • The information that the Client and I may keep on record is covered by the terms of the General Data Protection Regulation. No more such information will be held than is necessary, at any time, to comply with those terms and with any compliance statement or privacy policy published by the Client and/or me. Both the Client and I agree that, where consent is required to hold or process such data, such consent has been requested and obtained and both facts can be demonstrated. Either may view the other’s records to ensure that they are relevant, correct and up to date.