Testimonials

Terms of Service

Statement of Agreement ~ Scope of Services ~ Confidentiality ~ Turnaround ~ Audio Formats ~ Revisions
Formatting ~ Storage ~ Discounts ~ Making Payments ~ Estimates ~ Balance Due ~ Refunds ~ Rates
Submitting Work Orders ~ Delivery ~ Testimonials ~ Disclaimer

Statement of Agreement. The client agrees to pay Melanie's Typing & Transcription (hereinafter referred to as "MT&T,"the typist," or "the company") for any and all work performed on his or her own or his or her company’s behalf. Client has reviewed the rates and is fully aware that he or she is responsible for an accurate and truthful description of the audio contained on his or her source (see Audio Formats section below) or any work order materials submitted. Client agrees that all contact information and information about a work order submitted is accurate to the best of his or her knowledge.

Client acknowledges that signing and submitting any of our work order submission forms and checking the box, “I agree with all Terms of Service” binds client to the terms of service listed here on this website. Melanie's Typing & Transcription may change these terms of service on occasion. It is the responsibility of the client to stay up to date with the terms of service by periodically viewing this terms page. Any modifications made to these terms can be found on the melaniestype.net website and are posted in our online newsletter. The submission of a work order submission form by new, existing and/or former clients nullifies all other agreements, whether verbal or otherwise, between both parties (MT&T and the Client) prior to the date and time of submission.

Scope of Services. All services are administered by MT&T, its officers, contractors, and/or employees according to the client's specifications on or shortly after the agreed upon deadline. Services include proofreading (See "Proofreading/Revisions" section).

Confidentiality. Client contact information and the contents of client documents will be kept strictly confidential, and all materials submitted by clients will be returned to the client or destroyed at the client's request. Please see our Privacy Policy for other security measures by which we abide.

Turnaround. The time it takes to complete work requests varies due to the amount of pages, length and clarity of audio recordings, handwriting legibility, other pending work requests, etc. However, all jobs are completed in the fastest time possible, and we'll always strive to do the absolute best work. Rush jobs, if accepted, are given the highest priority and are billed at a much higher rate. (See our services page.) Typically, our standard turnaround rate is 3-5 business days and 1-2 business days for rush jobs, and these turnaround rates are based on certain predetermined quantities of pages submitted and/or lengths of recordings.

Standard turn around time for transcription is based on 7 hours of audio or less. If you have more than 7 hours of audio, we will call or email you with an estimated delivery date based on other pending work orders and our staff availability on a case by case basis. Rush orders cannot exceed 5 hours of audio. Please call us regarding any bulk orders that you need to submit prior to submitting the transcription work order submission form.

Standard turn around time for word processing work orders is based on 200 double-spaced or 100 single-spaced typed pages or less. If you have more than 200 typed pages, we will call or email you with an estimated delivery date based on other pending work orders and our staff availability on a case by case basis. Rush orders cannot exceed 100 double-spaced or 50 single-spaced typed pages. Please call or email us regarding any bulk orders (201+ typed pages) prior to submitting the word processing work order submission form.

Sometimes our work load may be too great to accept work orders or to complete them in our standard time frame or otherwise. We will let you know in advance if yours is a special case such as this.

Audio Formats. Client agrees and understands the following:

Type 1 Audio is defined as any well-recorded source consisting of single person dictation, interview or standard one-on-one interview recorded in digital format, standard cassette, or video format.

Type 2 Audio is defined as:

• Any audio or interviews with a total of 3 people.
• Any audio with significant noise in the background.
• Any audio that has voices that are difficult to understand (i.e. poor recording, soft voices, overlapping voices, etc.)

(Depending on sound quality, type 2 audio may or may not be accepted)

Type 3 Audio is defined as:

• Any audio with 4 or more speakers.
• Presentations dealing with highly scientific terminology (medical terminology or foreign language, for example) or very thick accents.
• Panel discussions, focus groups, conference calls, seminars with multiple participants.

(Depending on sound quality, type 3 audio may or may not be accepted)

Content. Client agrees to NOT submit documents or audio that may contain excessive profanity, vulgarity, or offensive material.

Formatting. MT&T uses a default format for some document types, which will be used for Client documents unless the client clearly states otherwise and provides his/her own formatting guidelines or templates (in MS Word).

Proofreading/Revisions. If clients request proofreading only, rates are calculated at $0.75 per page for regular jobs and $.99 per page for RUSH jobs. Revisions will be made directly to client files if a hard copy is not provided. For work orders that include word processing or transcription, all documents will be proofread by the typist upon completion of work at no extra charge, but it is the responsibility of the Client to make any and all final changes. The typist will not rephrase or reword your documents unless you grant us permission to do so, but only incorrect grammar usage, format and punctuation will be corrected. If the Client is not satisfied with his/her finished documents, he/she may request that the necessary corrections be made at which time the typist will comply. In this case, the Client must send a hard copy of the document BY FAX or POSTAL MAIL ONLY with the necessary corrections outlined directly on the document.

Storage. Client files will be stored on disk up to 2 weeks following job completion in case any revisions need to be made at no charge. If any necessary corrections are not submitted within the 2-week time frame, the typist will not be able to make the changes for you, and MT&T will not be held liable for any inconvenience this may cause.

Discounts. If Client's work is not completed within 3 days after the agreed upon deadline, he/she is entitled to a 10% discount on that assignment. If the client is willing to allow more time to complete his or her work past the 3-day grace period, due to conditions out of MT&T's control, this 10% discount will suffice; otherwise, MT&T will return client's materials and any partially complete work, and issue this client a 15% partial refund with a 15% discount entitlement for any future service requests by this client. Any regular discounts that the Client is qualified for will already be reflected in the quoted price prior to starting a client's work order.

Making Payments. Clients must pay 1/2 of the quoted price for work orders up front once a work order is submitted, and the remaining balance will be due on the day of completion. An exception applies to regular clients "in good standing," who have up to 10 days after work is completed to remit payment. By "regular clients," we mean clients who frequently use our services (at least twice per month). Payments may only be made in the form of POSTAL money orders (via mail), credit cards, debit cards, and electronic checks (via your bank account online). PayPal handles the majority of our online money transactions, so please send payments to melanie@melaniestype.net using this secure service. Sorry, no personal checks.

Balance Due. Immediately following job completion, an invoice will be submitted to regular clients "in good standing" who do not pay in full the day their work is received (as a reminder that the remaining balance is due in 10 days). "Regular clients in good standing" are clients who do not have or have not had any outstanding balances, past or current breaches of contracts, or other bad business dealings with MT&T; and who use our services at least twice per month. Any clients who breach the service agreement by failure to pay any remaining balances will no longer receive our services until the balance is paid, and any subsequent service requests will have to be paid for in full prior to our doing the work. Delinquent accounts with balances beyond 30 days may be turned over to collections and/or legal action taken, as failure to pay is a breach of our service agreement.

Refunds/Termination. MT&T reserves the right to decline or terminate service at its discretion for any reason. MT&T has the right to reject any bad audio that might result in the following: 1) an extremely difficult or impossible transcription process or 2) the inability of MT&T's equipment and/or resources to handle and allow for efficient completion of the project. If the audio quality of any project appears to be different than the quality presented by the client, MT&T will contact the client and discuss this discrepancy and a possible increased rate. Clients will be notified right away when materials are finished and ready to be shipped, or if service has been declined.

Either party may terminate this Agreement for a particular work order by giving written notice (by fax/email/mail) to the other party within 24 hours after any required audio, down payments, and materials are received by and delivered to MT&T. In the event of termination on the Client's part for any reason, the client will be charged a $10 handling fee, or 2% of the total cost of the work order, whichever is greater; but all other monies paid to MT&T for this work order will be refunded in full, less any shipping and delivery charges. If MT&T terminates this agreement or returns client materials at its own choosing prior to completing the job for reasons other than bad audio or a client's noncompliance with any terms of our agreement, the client will be entitled to a $10 credit or 2% of the total cost of the work order, whichever is greater, towards any future work orders; and all monies paid to MT&T for this work order will be refunded in full, less any shipping and delivery charges.

In the unlikely event that MT&T is unable to complete a work order for any reason after this 24-hour period, the client will be notified immediately and arrangements made to have the client's materials and any partially completed work returned (MT&T will pay for return delivery in such a case). The client will only be responsible for paying for any charges that have accrued up to that point on the work order, and any monies overpaid will be refunded in full, less any shipping and delivery charges. The client will also be entitled to a $10 credit or 2% of the total cost of the work order, whichever is greater, towards any future work orders.

Payment in full at the completion of service is evidence that a client is satisfied with his or her work and, therefore, will not be refunded. If a client is not satisfied with the finished product, we will be more than happy to make any necessary changes at no extra charge. In the unlikely event litigation is commenced between the parties of this Agreement, the party prevailing shall be entitled, in addition to other relief, to a reasonable sum for attorney's fees.

Delivery. Clients MAY NOT drop off and pick up their own work, nor stop by MT&T office to discuss projects, as MT&T is a home-based establishment and must limit, if not eliminate, client traffic. Delivery must be arranged in one of the ways mentioned above, i.e., mail, email, FedEx, etc., and discussion about projects must be by email (preferred) or phone (by appointment) only. If the client does not indicate which delivery method is preferred for materials and audio, MT&T will return the materials via the least expensive choice. The client is responsible for paying all shipping and delivery charges for both sending and returning materials and/or audio, except where shipping discounts are applicable. Shipping discounts apply to only the return of materials to the client.

Testimonials. Any testimonials or wording transmitted by a client or his or her company via email or mail, which clearly compliments or praises the service that he or she has received from MT&T, may be used on MT&T's website(s) or in marketing materials. No personal contact information will be disclosed, except for the client's initials, city, and state.

Disclaimer. While we strive for 95% and above accuracy for audio that is well recorded, client agrees that Melanie's Typing & Transcription, its officers, contractors and employees will not be held liable for damaged tapes (the Client must save a back-up copy), typographical omissions and errors, postal mail and shipping delays (and other situations out of the company's control), nor any damages that may result from any of these. Client agrees that it is his or her responsibility to confirm the accuracy of a transcript or document before information from a transcript or document is published or printed and will not list or imply Melanie's Typing & Transcription, it's officers, contractors or any employees as a defendant in any litigation or ongoing legal cases.