These project terms and conditions are part of the contract you enter into when you engage CLEARLINGO. By agreeing by email to the quote provided to you and hiring Clearlingo to provide one or more of our services, you agree to these Terms and Conditions. Please read them though carefully and get in touch if you have any questions.

Trading as: CLEARLINGO

Definitions
"You" is the client, its employees and agents.

"We", "Us" and "Our" is CLEARLINGO, Marja Stack, its employees and agents.


1. Scope of work

• The project will be completed according to the quote.

• The quote was based on the information provided by you. If this changes, we will discuss this with you before starting work on the project, and ​the quote will be adjusted accordingly.

• Once the project is complete, if you decide that you would like the same document worked on again, that work will be under a new agreement.

• The work will be done using Track Changes and Comments in a Word document, or the Mark-up and Comments functions in PDF documents.

​​​​2. Timing

• The date of the start of the project depends on the availability in our schedule and will be confirmed at the time the quote is accepted.

• You will send all material required to complete the project (as advised by us) prior to 9.00 am on the day of the agreed start of the project. The project may be cancelled if we have not received the documents prior to the start time, with cancellation penalties as outlined below.

• The date of the completion of the project will be agreed at the time the quote is accepted. We shall make every reasonable effort to ensure, but shall not guarantee, that completion dates are met.

• The delivery date of the completed document may be changed by the agreement of both parties.

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3. Fees

• We will provide a quote of the expected charges prior to undertaking work, which may require samples to be provided by you.

• Quotes are valid for 30 days from the date of the quote.

• Any changes or alterations to the scope, content or specification of the project requested by you after we have commenced the job that result in extra hours of work will be an extra charge.

4. Payment schedule

• Payment may be made by direct bank deposit for clients in New Zealand, or PayPal for clients outside New Zealand. Some fees may apply.

• In the case of a delayed payment of the deposit or booking fee, the start date of the project may be delayed. We will not be held responsible for deadlines not being met due to late payment.

‍ ‍4.1. Business editing and plain language projects

• Payment is due 20th of the month following the invoice.

‍ ‍4.2. Book projects accepted more than 30 days prior to the agreed start date:

• Booking fee: A NON-REFUNDABLE booking fee of 10% of the total for all services scheduled more than one month in advance of the project start date will be due at the time you agree to the quote and the terms and conditions. The booking fee will be deducted from the final invoice. A space in our schedule is not reserved until this fee has cleared.

• Deposit: A deposit of 50% of the total value of the project will be invoiced 14 days prior to the agreed start date and due prior to the agreed start date.

• Balance: Payment of the balance is due 14 days after the return of the completed manuscript.

‍ ‍4.3. Book projects accepted within 30 days of the agreed start date:

• Deposit:​ A deposit of 50% of the total value of the project will be due at the time you agree to the quote and the terms and conditions.

• Balance: Payment of the balance is due 14 days after the return of the completed manuscript.

 
‍ ‍4.4. Late payment

• In the case of a late payment of more than 30 days, a one-off fee of $25 incl. GST will be added to the invoice. In addition, interest calculated monthly will be charged at the rate of 2% per month.

• All third-party costs in relation to collecting overdue accounts will be added to the invoice.

• We are entitled to retain possession of the work undertaken for you until we have been paid in full for my work.

• All original content remains your copyright. However, we retain copyright on the edits until the invoice is paid in full, at which time we relinquish the copyright to you.

5. Cancellation

• If you cancel the contract – excluding for unforeseen reasons such as personal tragedy, natural disasters, etc. – it may result in financial penalty:

  • For business, plain language and book projects:

    • If you cancel the scheduled service during the booked space of the project, even if work hasn't started on the project due to delays in receiving the documents from you, you will be charged 100% of the full service fee.

  • For book projects only:

    • If a scheduled service is cancelled 30 days or more in advance of start date, the booking fee is forfeit.

    • If a scheduled service is cancelled fewer than 30 days prior to start date, 50% of the deposit, in addition to the booking fee, is forfeit, if the deposit has already been paid. If the deposit has not yet been paid, this will still be owing.

• In the unlikely case that we terminate the agreement during the booked space, you will pay us for work completed up to the date of termination.

• You and we both have the right to terminate a contract for services at any time if there is a serious breach of its terms.

• If, once the booking has been cancelled, you decide to reschedule, you will be scheduled for my next availability. There would also be a new non-refundable booking fee to secure the space.

​​6. Limitations and Liability

• We do not guarantee a publishing contract, books sales or any other achievement as a result of services provided.

• We will take all due care to ensure accuracy, effectiveness and the factual accuracy of the work. However, you accept full responsibility for accuracy and originality as well as any residual errors that appear in the final version.

• To the extent permitted by the laws of New Zealand, we accept no liability on any grounds for consequential damages or losses arising from any cause, including omission or negligence.

• We are in no way responsible for advising on legal issues such as (but not limited to) privacy, copyright, defamation, intellectual property, business in confidence or representations made by you in the material. We may, where possible, provide an opinion on questionable material as soon as it is discovered.

• We shall not be held responsible for any loss to you due to delays not caused by us, loss of the subject matter in transit, or legal action against you as a result of publishing the document.

7. Indemnity

• We are not to be held responsible, or any incur costs from you or a third party, for any copyright infringement or other issues such as (but not limited to) privacy, defamation, intellectual property, business in confidence or representations made by you in the material.

8. Applicable Law

• All work is governed by the laws of New Zealand, and the Courts of New Zealand shall have the sole and exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all disputes in connection with claims arising from work produced by us.

9. Confidentiality

• All work received is treated with utmost respect and confidentiality. We will not share any information on your project with a third party without your written consent.

10. Public disclosure and promotion

• Testimonials are the best way to thank us for a job well done, so if you feel inclined to offer one after we've finished the job, we'd be very appreciative. We may add this to our website testimonial page. It can be anonymous if you prefer.

• Note that we reserve the right to decline public credit for editing your project, including in the Acknowledgments and on our website, and to request that you do not publicise our working arrangement. We will notify you of this request should we feel it necessary.

11. Copyright infringement (Incorporating Generative AI)

• This agreement may be terminated by us if it is discovered that Generative AI (such as ChatGPT) has been used to generate/write the work, without making us aware before starting on the project. Generative AI may result in copyright infringement.

• This agreement may be terminated by us if it is discovered that you have plagiarised other works, in whole or part.

• We confirm that we will not place your writing into any Generative AI systems.

12. AI Disclosure

• I use AI tools selectively in my editing practice for limited, low-risk purposes such as brainstorming, general research, summarising publicly available information, and supporting my own business activities.

• I do not enter confidential, sensitive, personal, commercially sensitive or unpublished client material into AI tools. I also do not use AI to make substantive editorial decisions, determine meaning, assess audience suitability, resolve significant ambiguity, or make the final decision about whether text is ready for publication.

• Where AI is used in an approved context, I personally review and verify the output and remain responsible for the accuracy, quality and editorial integrity of the work I deliver.

• If a client has specific requirements or restrictions regarding AI use, I will follow those requirements. If a client would prefer that AI is not used at any stage of their project, they can let me know and I will respect that preference.

Last updated: 26 September 2026

Project terms and conditions