GTCs

General
The General Terms and Conditions (GTC) apply to all business transactions and services between Isabella Aufschnaiter, MA (contractor) and the client. These GTC are accepted by the client when placing the order and shall apply for the entire duration of the business relationship as well as for each individual order.

Services
The contractor offers the following services:

Proofreading: Correction of spelling, grammar and punctuation of texts in English as well as German.
Editing: In addition to proofreading, the checking of comprehensibility and style (editing) as well as the checking of argumentation and structure (advanced editing) are offered.
Coaching on academic writing: Structure and formatting of a scientific paper, literature research, analysing and understanding scientific studies, academic writing and argumentation style, citation style and citation.
Translations from English into German and vice versa

All proofreading will be done according to the current edition of the Duden and The Oxford English Dictionary, unless otherwise requested.
Proofreading and editing: Content is not checked for accuracy and citation and the following are not checked for correctness, unless specifically requested: formatting, table of contents, footnotes, references, bibliography, appendices, indexes, formulae, tables, graphs and graphics.
A free trial proofreading of up to one page can only be requested in advance; there is no entitlement to this under any circumstances.

Conclusion of contract
A binding order requires the written placement of the order by the client and the receipt of the text to be edited by the contractor and subsequently the written order confirmation by the contractor. The written order confirmation can be sent by email. Subsidiary agreements, amendments and additions to an order must also be recorded in writing. The contractor is free to reject orders at any time without giving reasons. The client is obliged to inform the contractor of his correct name and address.

Delivery
Delivery periods shall be agreed with the client; these periods represent estimated delivery dates determined to the best of our knowledge. If the delivery date is an essential part of the order, the client shall expressly state this in writing in advance. The timely provision of the texts to be corrected/edited/translated as well as any other required materials and information and a written order and deadline confirmation on the part of the contractor are prerequisites for timely delivery. If these prerequisites are not fulfilled in time, the delivery deadline shall be extended accordingly. Subsequent changes to the commissioned texts may extend the delivery period and therefore require a new written order and deadline confirmation. Unless otherwise agreed, delivery shall be made in accordance with the mode of dispatch in which the text was received by the contractor. Deliveries shall be deemed to have been made as soon as the data can be proven to have been sent to the address provided by the client (email or postal receipt).

Prices, payment, default of payment
Prices shall be agreed individually in writing. All prices quoted are based on the small business regulation pursuant to §6 para. 1 no. 27 UStG 1994 and do not include VAT. For rush orders (same-day or next-day orders), a surcharge of up to 50% of the standard price may apply.
Unless otherwise agreed, the invoice amount is to be transferred immediately from the invoice date of the invoice without deduction. Any costs for the bank transfer shall be borne by the client. The contractor reserves the right to demand advance payments/interim invoices for more extensive orders.
In the event of late payment, the client shall receive a reminder by email after fourteen days, together with a period of grace (five working days). If the client still does not comply with the request for payment, a reminder fee of EUR 25,- will be charged for each reminder sent by letter. If the client still does not pay, the next and final step is an action for payment by default.

Cancellation policy
Should the client wish to cancel an order, this is possible within fourteen days of the order being placed. The cancellation must be announced in writing (letter, email). The client shall be responsible for proving that the contract was cancelled in good time.
If the client withdraws from the order during or after the editing of the texts, 50% of the agreed price shall be charged to the client during the correction, and 100% after the correction, and shall be due within fourteen days after withdrawal. In the event of late payment, the same steps apply as described in the 3rd paragraph of Prices, Payment, Late Payment. A refund of the costs is excluded in all cases.

Liability for defects
The contractor undertakes to carry out all work steps carefully. The aim of proofreading or editing is the highest possible reduction of errors in the source text. This means that the client's text is checked for correct spelling, grammar, punctuation and hyphenation and that these corrections are marked in such a way that they are comprehensible to the client. A guarantee for complete freedom from errors is always excluded as a matter of principle. No liability shall be accepted for factual, technical or content-related defects for which the contractor is not responsible. The contractor shall only be liable for intent and gross negligence. Stylistic corrections made as well as suggestions/comments or comprehensibility, structure and content are always to be understood as suggestions for improvement. They therefore require final review by the client and are not recognised as defects and are excluded as grounds for complaint.
An order that has been fulfilled in a defective manner in the opinion of the client must be complained about in writing to the contractor immediately, at the latest, however, within eight days. In case of doubt, the client must prove the existence of a defect. The period shall commence at the end of the day on which the text is received by the client. If no written objection is made within this period, the order shall be deemed to have been carried out in accordance with the contract. If justified defects are complained about within the deadline, the contractor undertakes to rectify these within a reasonable period of time (at least eight days). If defects are remedied within the reasonable period of time, the client shall not be entitled to a price reduction.

Compensation
The contractor shall only be liable for intentional or grossly negligent actions. Liability for loss of profit and consequential damage or similar, e.g. due to incorrect content, is excluded. The upper liability limit shall correspond to the maximum amount invoiced by the client. The contractor shall not be liable for data that unlawfully falls into the hands of third parties by electronic or postal means or that shows damage, defects and impairments after transmission. The contractor shall not be liable for damage or loss of data, regardless of the cause (e.g. due to viruses, malware, incompatibility in hardware and software, postal route, etc.). Furthermore, liability for software damage caused by the use of the texts is excluded. The contractor shall not be liable for the legal admissibility of the texts to be corrected/translated. If the contractor is only confronted with such content after the conclusion of the contract, she has the right to withdraw from the contract immediately. The client shall pay in full for the services rendered up to that point.

Confidentiality
The contractor guarantees confidential treatment of the assignments. Only persons directly involved in the editing, proofreading or translation of the assignments are granted access to the corresponding files. These will not be passed on to uninvolved third parties. The contractor shall not be liable for any breach of confidentiality in the course of data transmission. In the interest of the client, the contractor shall be entitled, but not obliged, to create and keep backup copies of the source and target texts.

Data protection
Personal data is treated confidentially and in accordance with the statutory data protection regulations and this data protection declaration.
As a rule, it is possible to use the website without providing personal data. Insofar as personal data (e.g. name, address or email addresses) is collected on this site, this is always done on a voluntary basis as far as possible. This data will not be passed on to third parties without the express consent of the client. Data transmission on the Internet (e.g. communication by email) can have security gaps. Complete protection of data against access by third parties is not possible.

Contact form
If the client sends the contractor enquiries via the contact form, the information provided in the enquiry form, including the contact details given there, will be stored by the contractor for the purpose of processing the enquiry and in the event of follow-up questions. This data will not be passed on without the consent of the client.

Final provision
The contractor reserves the right to change or adapt its terms and conditions at any time. The client shall notify the contractor in writing without delay of all changes and amendments that affect the performance of the services and the contractual relationship.