Terms & Conditions
1.0 Overview
This website is owned and operated by Macushla Baudis, PhD, operating as Accorrect Proofreading and Editorial Services. These terms set forth the terms and conditions under which you may use my website and services as offered by me. This website offers visitors information on the proofreading and editorial services offered by Macushla Baudis, along with contact information. By accessing or using the website of my service, you approve that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these terms.
In order to use this website and/or receive my services, you must be at least 18 years of age, and possess the legal authority, right and freedom to enter into these terms as a binding agreement. You are not allowed to use this website and/or receive services if doing so is prohibited in your country or under any law or regulation applicable to you.
These terms and conditions apply to any work done on behalf of the Client (you) by me (Macushla Baudis | Accorrect Proofreading and Editorial). I will provide proofreading/editing services agreed upon (in writing) by myself and the Client. The Client is under no obligation to offer me work; neither am I under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client. The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by me, using my own equipment. The work will be carried out by me. I undertake to not subcontract proofreading/editing projects, or parts of projects, to third parties. I am a self-employed freelanced editor based in Ireland and Germany. I confirm that I am a registered, self-employed freelancer operating in Germany (Tax No: 17 / 218 / 00805); I am not VAT-registered. The contract of service requires that the Client acknowledges, in writing (by email via the booking-confirmation form), that they have read, understood and agreed to these terms and conditions.
2.0 Project Terms
2.1 Prior to commencement of the proofreading / editing work, the Client and I will agree, in writing (by email), the terms of the project:
• the medium in which the proofreading/editing service will be carried out (e.g. in MS Word, on PDF, on paper)
• how the material will be annotated (e.g. Track Changes in MS Word, comments in PDF)
• the length of time required to complete the project, as advised by me
• a fee for the project, based on a quotation supplied by me, in writing (by email), following my evaluation of the material to be proofread/edited and the time frame required to complete the job
• any expenses (e.g. postage) that the Client will bear in addition to the costs of the proofreading/editing
• the date by which the material will be delivered by the Client to me
• the latest date by which the completed project will be returned, following my advice to the Client.
2.2 Please note that if, on receipt of the project 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 or from the sample supplied, I may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline, or decline to carry out the work.
2.3 If the project manuscript is not sent on the agreed date confirmed with the booking fee (see point 4.0 below), the contract is regarded as annulled.
3.0 Quotations and Fees
3.1 A quotation for the work will be provided by me to the Client following my evaluation of a representative sample of the materials to be worked on, and a discussion with the Client as to what is required.
3.2 I ask clients for a non-refundable booking fee to secure a slot in my schedule (see point 4.0 below). The fee is non-refundable but is deducted from the final invoice.
3.3 Once the Client and I have agreed the full fee, it is non-negotiable unless the Client extends the word count of the job or requests additional services. In this case, a revised quotation and job-completion date will be negotiated. The Client will pay me a fee per 1,000 words in the original document, OR per hour OR an agreed flat fee for the project, as agreed in writing.
3.4 40% of the agreed fee must be paid with submission of the manuscript for editing, on the agreed start date.
3.5 The final 60% of the agreed fee must be paid on completion of the proofreading / editing project.
3.6 Unless otherwise agreed, I will supply the Client with an invoice immediately upon completion of the proofreading/editing project. Payment should be received within 14 days for full edits, and within 3 days for booking fees.
4.0 Booking Fee
4.1 The booking-confirmation form is an agreement to the contract of services between me and the Client. By filling in the booking-confirmation form, the Client agrees to secure my proofreading/editing services for a specific and mutually agreed-upon project, at a specific and mutually agreed time. By filling in the booking-confirmation form, the Client confirms that they have read and agreed to the terms and conditions herein. From thereon, the terms of the cancellation policy (see below) apply.
For a project with a total fee in excess of €500, you will pay a booking fee of €500.
For a project with a total fee of less than €500, you will pay a booking fee of €100.
4.2 Booking fees are non-refundable and secure a place in my schedule. The booking is considered confirmed once the booking fee has been paid by the Client and received by me. The booking fee should be paid within three days of sending the booking-confirmation form to secure the slot in my schedule.
4.3 If the booking fee is not received within three days of sending the booking-confirmation form, the contract is viewed as annulled.
4.4. Upon receipt of the completed booking form, signed by the Client, I will issue an invoice for the booking fee.
4.5 The booking fee secures the agreed time slot in my work schedule.
By filling in the booking-confirmation form, the Client agrees to secure my editing services for a specific and mutually agreed-upon project at a specific and mutually agree time.
4.6 Should the Client not submit the project within the agreed timeframe, this will be considered a breach of contract. I am under no obligation to accept the project past this date, and I am under no obligation to refund the booking fee.
4.7 The booking fee will be deducted from the final invoice issued when the editing work is complete.
5.0 Cancellation Policy
5.1 Both the Client and I have the right to terminate a contract for services at any time if there is a serious breach of its terms. This Client is free to cancel a service for any reason by providing me with written notice (email); I must acknowledge this cancellation in writing (email) for this to be valid. I may cancel a service at any time for any reason by providing written notice (including email) to the Client. In the unlikely event that I cancel a service, I will provide a pro-rated refund of any overages of fees paid (including the booking fee). 5.2 If, in the unlikely event that the Client is touched by extraordinary or difficult circumstances that cause cancellation or delay (e.g. family crisis, illness, bereavement), the Client should contact me to discuss the terms of the cancellation policy. I aim to be fair and helpful at all times.
5.3 If I am touched by extraordinary or difficult circumstances that cause cancellation (e.g. family crisis, illness, bereavement), I will contact the Client in writing at the earliest opportunity and do my best to renegotiate the time frame of the project or find an alternative supplier of proofreading/editing services. The booking fee will be refunded.
5.4 CANCELLATION DURING THE PROJECT: If the Client cancels the work during the proofreading/editing project, I reserve the right to invoice for 100% of the agreed fee (less the booking fee). 5.5. CANCELLATION PRIOR TO PROJECT COMMENCEMENT:
• If the Client wishes to cancel with less than one week’s notice, I reserve the right to invoice for 100% of the agreed fee (less the booking fee).
• If the Client wishes to cancel with more than one week’s notice, the booking fee will not be refunded but no other charge will apply.
6.0 Payment
6.1 I accept payment, in euro, via direct bank transfer, and through WISE or Paypal.
6.2 Please note that copyright to the corrections / revisions in the edited manuscript remain my property until full payment for my editing services is received. You do not have permission to use the manuscript(s) with my corrections / revisions until full payment is received. Once I have received the agree payment for my editing services, any claim I have to the edited manuscript(s) is revoked, and you, the Client, receive full copyright privileges. See also point 8.0 below.
7.0 Confidentiality
7.1 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. I will not, under any circumstances, upload the Client’s files to external websites or distribute them to third parties unless specifically authorised to do so, in writing, by the Client. I do, however, use Dropbox as a cloud storage system. See my Privacy Policy for how your data is protected. 7.2 Under the terms of the German Federal Data Protection Act 2009 (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz (BDSG)), the Client and I 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.
8.0 Copyright
8.1 All content delivered to me by the Client for the proofreading/editing project is owned by the Client. In this respect, the Client agrees to hold me harmless from and against all claims, liabilities and expenses arising out of any potential or actual copyright or trademark misappropriation or infringement claimed against them. Following payment of my invoice, any content created by me as part of the proofreading / editing process will become the copyright of the Client unless otherwise agreed.
9.0 Privacy Policy
9.1 I am a registered freelance proofreader and editor operating as Accorrect Proofreading and Editorial Services. I gather and use certain information about you in order to respond to your requests for information (e.g., my availability or a quote for editorial services); to allow me to contact you while an editing project is ongoing; enable certain functions on this website; better understand how visitors use this website.
9.2 The data I collect is used as follows: for my internal accounting processes (e.g., so I can invoice you) and so that I am compliant with my tax authority should it request an audit; to contact you in response to your enquiry, order, quote or booking; to record your agreement to the terms and conditions of my editorial services. This data will not be used for marketing or promotion purposes. I will never lease, distribute or sell your information to third parties unless you give me written permission to do so, or I am required to do so by law. Because many of my customers and clients work with me more than once, I do not delete data unless specifically requested to do so.
9.3 You agree to receive from time to time promotional messages from me, by email. If you do not want to receive such promotional notices – please just notify me at any time.
10.0 Use of Cookies
10.1 A cookie is a small file placed on your computer’s hard drive. It enables my website to identify your computer as you view different pages on my website. Cookies do not provide me with access to your computer or any information about you other than that which you elect to share with me. You can use your web browser’s cookie settings to determine how my website uses cookies. If you do not want my website to store cookies on your computer or device, you can amend your settings. Please note that this may affect how my website functions, and some pages may become unavailable to you.
11.0 Code of Practice and Quality Assurance
11.1 I am a Full Member of the Association of Freelance Editors, Proofreaders and Indexers of Ireland (AFEPI) and a Professional Member of the UK Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP). As Professional Member of the CIEP, I abide by its Code of Practice (CoP). The CoP is endorsed by the CIEP Council and is considered binding on members and corporate subscribers. I commit to a programme of continuing professional development.
11.2 Macushla Baudis, operating under Accorrect Proofreading and Editorial Services, is responsible for the content of www.accorrect.de
11.3 Please note that I evoke a morality clause, and do not accept manuscripts which incorporate erotica and / or excessive violence.
12.0 Acknowledgements in published works
12.1 There is no requirement for the Client to mention me in the published work's acknowledgement section. However, the Client agrees that I will have the opportunity to review any such mention before publication or decline to be mentioned.
13.0 Disclaimer
13.1 I will always ensure to give top-quality editorial services but please be aware:
• Owing to the subjective nature of stylistic editorial work, I cannot guarantee that my editing will be 100% free of errors.
• I am not responsible for how you, the Client, use the files I have edited and returned to you, or any changes you may make to them.
• I cannot guarantee that an agent or publisher will accept a submission from you, the Client, following my edits.
• I am not responsible for plagiarism in a Client's document.
• I am not responsible for files that are lost, damaged or corrupted by your systems or third-party platforms that you ask me to use or that you upload the edited files to.
• I am not responsible for missed deadlines caused by a Client's delay in sending me their files.
• I cannot guarantee that I will be able to work with every software/platform or that the Word files I return to you, the Client, will be compatible with other platforms.
• I am not responsible for any changes made to your file by third parties such as publishers or agents after I have edited it.
• I am not responsible for delays caused by force majeure (including internet outages, emergencies and pandemics).