Rates & terms

As all business dealings involve a certain amount of “small print”, please read the following carefully.

Rates

I charge for a job, not my hours. It is useful for both of us to first have a talk about what to do to achieve your objective and how to do it in the most cost-effective way. When the job is defined in as much detail as possible, you will get a customised estimate. This first talk, of course, will not cost you anything.

My estimate will include fixed prices for all items that can be defined in advance, plus a provision for out-of-pocket expenses and undefinable items, if these seem likely to occur. Of course, a ceiling may be set for these costs if you so wish.

You will know the exact price right from the start. With me, you never need to discuss why a job took 10 hours instead of 8.5 or 12. When the fee is agreed on, it stays that way.

For smaller-scale and quicker jobs it may make more sense to base the billing on time or amount of text, depending on the nature of the job.

As we both know, sometimes there will be emergencies that require results within just hours. I will always be prepared to go the extra mile, but in such cases will have to levy a rush surcharge of 50%.

Terms

Revisions

Revisions should be requested within 5 working days of receipt of copy. Otherwise I will assume the work has been approved as is. If your approval process is likely to take longer, please let me know in advance.

Fees include rewrites as necessary. Usually, we shouldn’t need more than one or two rounds of comments to get to the final result. If we find ourselves discussing punctuation on a seventh round, then one of us is not doing his job professionally. Major revisions, the introduction of new material or a change of the brief while the work is already underway are subject to an additional charge.

Delivery

I will generally deliver the job by e-mail. Other means of delivery are possible at cost.

Confidentiality

All information I receive from you will stay confidential. If required, I will be happy to formalise this by signing a non-disclosure agreement. Unless we’re doing something that needs to stay secret even after completion, I do, however, reserve the right to mention the job and your company as part of my references.

Rush jobs

If your job requires a quick turnaround, please consult with me first. Depending on the scope of the job and my workload, overnight service may or may not be possible. Please usually allow at least 2 working days for any assignment. A surcharge of 50% will apply to deliveries within 24 hours or less, or if the work needs to get done over weekends, national holidays etc.

Advance payment

Part of the agreed project fee is payable up front. There are many options for the remainder: a time-based payment schedule, part payments after the completion of each project phase, a retainer and so on. Also, when we have worked together for a longer time and know each other better, other arrangements are possible.

Minimum charge

All jobs, however small, incur a certain amount of administration, bookkeeping and other costs. These are covered by a minimum charge of 150 euro.

Invoicing

You will receive my invoice in PDF format by e-mail. If you would rather receive a paper invoice, please notify me in advance. Electronic invoicing from one country to another is, unfortunately, usually impossible.

Billing in euro

I invoice in euro, unless otherwise agreed. Please check the euro exchange rate against your own currency if your country is outside the euro area.

Payment

Please pay by bank transfer within 14 days of invoice date. Why so soon? Because most jobs need to be ready within days or weeks rather than months and it is only fair that I get my money also within days or weeks rather than months. If this doesn’t fit your accounting and payment procedures, please be sure to notify me right at the start.

No cheques, please—clearing them takes ages and is subject to exorbitant handling fees, particularly if received from another country.

When making the payment, please remember to include the payment reference number or the invoice number on the documents.

Responsibilities

I’m responsible for producing the result within the time frame and according to the conditions we agreed on when starting the job.

I also guarantee that the copy you receive is original as understood by copyright laws.

You are responsible for the correctness of the published text. Although I proofread every piece of copy I submit to you, I cannot take responsibility for any typos or other irregularities in the published text. Once I submit the copy, it is out of my control, and in many cases amendments have found their way into the copy after I have submitted it.

It is also your responsibility to have the copy checked from a legal viewpoint before publication, if this is an issue in your business. I write marketing copy, I’m not a lawyer.

Oh, and one more thing. I commit to delivering what was agreed by the deadline agreed. For the sake of fairness, I hope it works both ways: when I’ve done my part of the deal, I would greatly appreciate it that my bill gets paid by the due date.

If you have any questions or I didn’t explain something in enough detail, please feel free to contact me any time, either by telephone +372 53 490503 or using the Contact page on this site.

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