TERMS & CONDITIONS

All commissions I undertake are based on you having read and agreed to the following terms and conditions.

When you contract me to write for you, you acknowledge these terms and conditions take precedent over any other terms and conditions, express or implied.

I quote on an hourly, daily, or project basis, depending upon the size of the job.

In addition, should you wish to hire me on a retainer basis for a set number of hours per week or per month, you will be invoiced for the agreed fee at the end of every month.

I will only enter into a retainer agreement with the proviso that, if you fail to provide me with copywriting work to cover my agreed hours, you accept that this is time you have lost, and it cannot be rolled over into the following month.

To end a retainer arrangement with me, you agree to give me two months’ notice in writing.

Before any project, I will provide you with a quotation based on the brief you provide. Once we have agreed upon the fee, any changes you make to the original brief thereafter may incur an additional cost.

The quote I give you will include the cost for drafting your copy, followed by two rounds of amends, if necessary. Requests for revisions should be made within two weeks of the date I deliver the copy, otherwise I will assume the copy has been accepted.

Any additional work not covered in your original brief will need to be quoted for separately.

You agree to either send me a purchase order or confirmation email prior to me commencing work on your project: this shall constitute a contract.

Your email should indicate the nature of the work, the budget and the deadline.

You agree to supply me with a detailed brief, along with all the necessary brand/product background information I will need to inspire me to write your story.

In the absence of a thorough brief, I reserve the right to withdraw from your project.

In addition, if you change the brief after I have commenced work on your project, you will inform me as soon as possible and adjust the budget to include the extra time I will need to spend on the job.

I will do everything in my power to meet your copy deadline. However, in the event of illness, a change in personal circumstances, or a natural disaster/national emergency, I may not be able to, and I cannot be held liable for any loss which may occur as a result.

Depending upon the scope of the project, I may require new clients to pay a 50% non-refundable deposit of the total fee before I will start a job.

You agree not to commission me to work on a project if you know your company is financially insecure, or it’s about to enter liquidation or appoint a receiver or administrator.

For longer contracts, you agree to pay interim payments at project milestones and, when the project is complete, the final payment should be paid within one calendar month of receiving my invoice, regardless of whether you have signed off on the project or not.

All Sharp Words invoices are payable within one calendar month via direct transfer to my bank account, unless otherwise discussed and agreed.

I deem a job complete if no amends have been requested within two weeks of delivery of the first draft. Payment will fall due one calendar month from the date on my invoice, unless it has been expressly agreed otherwise before the contract commences.

Payments must be made via direct bank transfer into my account, unless an alternative payment method has been agreed. For international payments, you will cover any additional currency conversion charges I incur, whether in bank fees or PayPal fees. I no longer accept cheques.

If I am not paid according to the agreed credit terms, I will exercise my statutory right to charge interest and a compensation payment for debt recovery costs under the ‘Pay on Time’ late payment legislation guidelines.

I will retain the copyright and intellectual property rights for any work you commission until I have received full payment for it. Only then will all copyright transfer to you or your client.

I reserve the right to use any extracts of the work in my portfolio.

I make every effort to ensure my copy is free of mistakes and will proofread it before submitting it to you. The final responsibility for error-checking, however, is yours.

It is expected that you will hire ‘a second pair of eyes’ to proofread your artwork/web content before it is published/goes to print, and you indemnify me against any costs incurred as a result of errors appearing in the published form of any collateral in which you use the copy.

By using my services, you accept full responsibility for checking the research materials and citations supplied and indemnify me of any compensation claim for loss or damages based upon any advertising and other work written for and approved by the client before publication.

These terms and conditions are subject to the laws of the UK, and the parties agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the courts in respect of any dispute or difference arising.