These Terms of Service apply to any work carried out for the Client by English Language Centre, also referred to in this document as “ELC”, “we”, “our” and “us”.
The Client is under no obligation to offer ELC work; nor is ELC under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client.
Any work agreed and carried out by ELC will be under a Contract for Services and is not intended to create an employment relationship between any ELC representative and the Client.
You are strongly advised to read these Terms of Service carefully, as they will apply in each and every instruction and will operate in conjunction with the agreed Contract for Services.
If any of these Terms of Service conflict with the Contract for Services, then the Contract for Services will take priority.
Services and costs
ELC will provide service(s) as mutually agreed, confirmed in writing by the Client.
The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by ELC, using ELC’s own equipment.
Completed work will be provided with all changes clearly marked using the Track Changes feature available in Microsoft Word.
The Client will either pay ELC a fee per hour, per word or at an agreed fee for the entire project. The fees per word are typically based on a price per 1,000 words, and depending on the speed of completion required.
If ELC 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.
Only one discount that ELC offers for new clients and recommendations can be applied at any one time. To qualify for a discount due to a recommendation, then the recommender Client should request that the recommended Client mention the former’s name when placing their first proofreading or editing request.
A deadline for the completion of the work will be agreed in writing.
The completed work will be delivered on or before the date and time 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, 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, ELC may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline and/or may be unable to take on the work. This also applies if the documents or materials needed are received by ELC later than agreed.
Similarly, if, during the term of ELC’s work, additional tasks are requested by the Client, ELC may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline.
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
For all proofreading, editing and formatting Services, payment is either a) in full in advance, or b) 20% of the total fee must be paid before the work commences, and the remainder must be paid within 14 days of completion. If the balance of 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 a 20% deposit or proof of payment is not presented, then the work will not commence. For Clients placing a 20% deposit, they are required to send an email from their institutional/professional account to verify their identity.
For business proofreading and editing, the full amount must be paid within 21 days of the project commencing (an invoice will be supplied upon commencement). If the Client fails to make payment within 21 days, then 10% will be added to the fee for each week that the payment is overdue. For longer projects, interim payments can be negotiated.
ELC reserves the right to charge interest on overdue fees.
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 ELC.
Termination
Either the Client or ELC has the right to terminate a Contract for Services if there is a serious breach of its terms.
ELC can terminate a contract at any time and for any reason, including but not limited to non-payment of fees due; or aggressive, abusive or inappropriate behaviour towards an ELC representative. Upon notice being given to you of the termination of the contract, you will be required to pay ELC all sums due.
You can cancel the contract at any time before work has begun, namely before full documents have been provided to ELC, at no charge. Any payment made in advance by you will be refunded.
If you wish to cancel the contract after work has begun then you must notify ELC in writing. You will be charged 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 ELC, the full fee will be payable. The partially completed work will be sent to you upon receipt of your payment.
These terms are subject to the laws of England and Wales, and both ELC and the Client agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
Liability and errors
ELC aims to provide an accurate, thorough and reliable proofreading, editing and formatting service. Although the aim is to provide the optimum service possible, 100% accuracy cannot be guaranteed (simply because of human error) and occasionally an error may not be corrected.
ELC cannot be held responsible for direct, indirect, special or consequential losses or costs incurred by any errors remaining in the Client’s work, be they factual or grammatical. Clients must review and approve the changes made to their documents, and the final responsibility for errors remains with the Client.
ELC will not be held liable for errors or omissions caused by the Client’s failure to communicate their requirements clearly.
ELC shall not be liable for any delay or failure to perform any obligation under these Terms of Service 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 pay ELC all arrears of payments due.
In the case of illness or sudden unforeseen unavailability of the ELC editor responsible for a Contract for Services, ELC will notify the Client as soon as reasonably practicable and re-allocate the matter to another proofreader/editor within 24 hours where possible. ELC 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.
If there is a waiver or variation of any of these Terms of Service by ELC 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 of Service shall continue to be in full force, that is, they will continue to apply to you in full.
If you breach any of the Terms of Service, you will be held fully responsible for any legal claim for expenses, liability and financial losses (including legal fees) incurred by ELC, as caused by your breach.
Each of the paragraphs of these Terms of Service 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.
ELC reserves the right to change the Terms of Service 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 of Service.
You are advised to regularly check the Terms of Service. ELC has complete discretion to modify or remove any part of the website without warning and without any liability arising from such an action.
ELC 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)
You are advised to check that the use of a proofreading/editing service is permitted by your academic institution before engaging with such services and, if so, whether it is a requirement that this be referenced in your work. ELC will not check each academic institution’s policy on proofreading/editing and accepts no liability if you fail to make adequate enquiries.
It is strongly recommended that you advise your tutor/supervisor that you have employed a proofreader.
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 proven to exist in your work. Avoiding plagiarism remains your responsibility at all times. ELC offers the option to pass your paper through the iThenticate or Scribbr plagiarism checking software and to forward you the report. However, the responsibility for the accuracy of such reports lies with iThenticate or Scribbr, and ELC does not verify or underwrite their accuracy.
ELC will not rewrite your document or substantial parts of it, or insert text from anyone else’s work into your document.
The mark or grade you are awarded by your academic institution is not within ELC’s control. ELC cannot provide advice or guidance on predicted grades and ELC cannot be held legally responsible for a lower-than-expected mark or grade in relation to any material returned by ELC. While the aim is to ensure that your work is free from errors of spelling, grammar and punctuation, and is consistent in style, there is no guarantee that using the proofreading or editing service will result in improved marks.
