Terms of Service

1. Agreement to these terms

By accessing proofreadingservice.ch and placing an order, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, do not use our services.

These Terms of Service constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("the Client") and proofreadingservice GmbH ("the Company"), registered in Zürich, Switzerland. proofreadingservice GmbH operates the website proofreadingservice.ch.

2. Service scope

2.1 What we provide

proofreadingservice.ch provides professional English language editing and proofreading services for academic documents. Our services include:

• Proofreading: correction of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and citation formatting
• Deep editing: proofreading plus improvement of academic register, sentence structure, flow, and argument clarity
• Thesis editing: professional editing of Master's theses, PhD dissertations, LLM dissertations, and clinical theses
• AI writing polish: editing of AI-assisted drafts to produce academically appropriate English

2.2 What we do not provide

Our services are restricted to language editing only. We do not:

• Write academic content, arguments, analysis, or conclusions on behalf of clients
• Conduct research, summarise sources, or produce reference lists from scratch
• Provide academic advice, subject-matter expertise, or supervisory guidance
• Guarantee specific grades, examination outcomes, or supervisor approval

2.3 Human editing only

All editing is performed by qualified human editors. We do not use AI editing tools, Grammarly, or any automated correction software. This is a contractual commitment on every order.

3. Orders and payment

3.1 Placing an order

Orders are placed via our order form at proofreadingservice.ch/order/. By submitting an order, you confirm that you are the rightful owner of the document or have the authority to submit it for editing, and that you agree to these Terms of Service.

3.2 Payment

• All prices are in Swiss Francs (CHF) and exclude VAT where applicable
• Payment is processed by Stripe, Inc. before editing begins
• By completing payment, you authorise us to begin editing your document
• Payment constitutes acceptance of our service terms and your chosen turnaround time

3.3 Pricing

Prices are determined by service type, word count, and turnaround tier (standard 72hr, fast 24hr, or express 6–12hr) as displayed on our website at the time of ordering. Prices are confirmed before payment is taken. We reserve the right to correct pricing errors — in which case we will notify you before processing payment.

4. Delivery

4.1 Turnaround commitment

The turnaround time you select (standard 72 hours, fast 24 hours, or express 6–12 hours) is a contractual delivery commitment from the time your order is confirmed and payment is received.

4.2 Delivery method

Edited documents are delivered to the email address provided at order. Documents are returned in Microsoft Word format with tracked changes, accompanied by an editor's summary note.

4.3 Force majeure

We are not liable for delivery delays caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to: major technical infrastructure failures, natural disasters, or similar force majeure events. In such cases, we will notify you immediately and provide an alternative delivery time or full refund.

5. Revisions

5.1 Free revision entitlement

Every order includes one free revision, valid for 7 days from the date of delivery. To request a revision, reply to your delivery email specifying:

• The specific sections requiring revision
• What you would like reconsidered
• Any relevant supervisor or examiner feedback (if applicable)

5.2 What constitutes a valid revision request

A valid revision request relates to: errors remaining after the initial edit, edits that unintentionally altered your meaning, inconsistency in editing quality across the document, or language issues flagged by your supervisor as a direct result of the edit.

5.3 What does not constitute a revision

A revision does not cover: requesting a change of service tier (e.g., requesting deep editing when proofreading was ordered), requesting content changes beyond the scope of language editing, or general dissatisfaction without specific language-related grounds.

6. Refunds

6.1 Deadline missed — automatic refund

If we fail to deliver your edited document by the agreed turnaround time, you are entitled to a full refund, processed automatically via Stripe. This refund is processed without requiring you to make a claim. Stripe refunds typically appear within 3–5 business days.

6.2 Quality refund — after revision

If you request a free revision under Section 5 and the revised document still does not meet the quality standard we advertise, you may request a full refund. Refund requests must be submitted by email to info@proofreadingservice.ch within 7 days of the revised document's delivery.

6.3 Refunds not available

Refunds are not available for: documents delivered on time and meeting the quality standard of the ordered service tier; dissatisfaction based on subjective preference rather than objective quality failure; claims made more than 14 days after delivery.

6.4 Cancellation

Orders may be cancelled at no charge if cancelled before an editor has been assigned (typically within 30 minutes of order confirmation). After assignment, a 50% cancellation fee applies. Once editing has commenced, no cancellation refund is available.

7. Confidentiality

All documents are treated as strictly confidential. Our confidentiality obligations include:

• Individual NDA signed by the assigned editor before receipt of your document
• Access restricted to the assigned editor and order-managing team member only
• Permanent deletion of your document 30 days after delivery
• No sharing, publication, referencing, or use of your document for any purpose beyond the specific order
• No use of documents for AI training, marketing, examples, or testing

Full details are set out in our Privacy Policy.

8. Academic integrity

8.1 Client responsibility

Language proofreading and editing is permitted by the academic integrity policies of all major Swiss universities including ETH Zurich, EPFL, UZH, University of Geneva, and HSG St. Gallen. By placing an order, you confirm that:

• The content of the submitted document is your own original work
• You have complied with all applicable academic regulations at your institution
• You have disclosed AI tool use where required by your institution's policies

8.2 Our obligation

We edit language only. We do not write, create, or substantially alter the content, argument, analysis, or conclusions of any submitted document. This distinction ensures our service is fully compliant with academic integrity requirements at every Swiss university we serve.

8.3 Misuse

If we have reason to believe a document was not authored by the client or is being used to circumvent academic integrity requirements, we reserve the right to cancel the order without refund and report the matter to the relevant institution.

9. Intellectual property

You retain full ownership of all intellectual property rights in the documents you submit. By submitting a document, you grant proofreadingservice GmbH a limited, temporary licence to edit the document for the purpose of fulfilling your order. This licence expires upon delivery of the edited document and deletion of your files (30 days after delivery).

proofreadingservice GmbH retains ownership of all intellectual property in its website content, editorial processes, guides, and methodologies.

10. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by Swiss law:

• Our total liability for any claim arising from a single order is limited to the amount paid for that specific order
• We are not liable for consequential, indirect, or special damages including loss of academic grade, academic consequences, or reputational damage
• We do not guarantee examination outcomes, supervisor approval, or academic success
• Our liability for document loss due to technical failure is limited to re-performance of the editing service or full refund

11. Governing law and dispute resolution

These Terms of Service are governed by the laws of Switzerland, specifically the Swiss Code of Obligations. Any disputes arising from these terms or your use of our services shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Zürich, Switzerland.

We encourage you to contact us directly at info@proofreadingservice.ch before initiating any legal proceedings — most issues can be resolved quickly through direct communication.

If you are a consumer in the EU, you may also use the European Online Dispute Resolution platform at ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms of Service from time to time. We will notify existing clients of material changes by email. Continued use of our services after notification constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.