TERMS & CONDITIONS

Definitions

“PTI,” “we”, and “us” shall refer to Princeton Transcription, Inc. or any of its officers, agents, employees, or subcontractors or any combination of them as the context requires. “Service(s)” or “work” shall refer to transcription service, document editing service, audio engineering and editing, consulting, technical assistance, or any other service provided by PTI. “Client” and “you”, and shall refer to any person, firm, company, or entity who shall place an order with PTI for services or any authorized person acting on their behalf. “Source Material(s)” shall refer to any submitted audio, video, written, or printed materials submitted to PTI by you or on your behalf. A “blank” is a series of underscore (_) characters inserted into a transcribed document in place of a word or phrase that cannot be deciphered from the original Source Material with full confidence. A “bold” is a best-guess or sounds-like word or phrase, formatted as bold text, inserted into a transcribed document in place of a word or phrase that cannot be deciphered from the original Source Material with full confidence.

General

The following terms and conditions apply to all transactions and engagements between PTI and Client. The acceptance of a quote for services or submission of Source Materials by the Client to PTI shall be deemed as confirmation that the Client has read and agrees to these Terms and Conditions.

Source Material

Client understands and agrees that PTI cannot accept original or master copies of Source Material. All Source Material sent to PTI must be analog or digital copies of the original or master source. At no time shall PTI be in possession of the original or master Source Material. PTI shall not be held liable for any loss or destruction of Source Materials submitted by the Client, including but not limited to losses incurred in the return shipping of Source Materials back to the Client, where required. PTI may hold Client’s Source Materials until any outstanding invoices are paid in full.

Transcript Quality

Client agrees and understands that no transcript is ever “perfect.” PTI may make judgement calls during the transcription process, including but not limited to, punctuation, spelling, grammar, and exclusion of unimportant words, sounds, or utterances. PTI does not correct grammar or proofread Source Material. The final transcript may include run-on sentences or other grammatically incorrect structures, as PTI merely transcribes the Source Material as directly as possible. The final transcript’s quality may also be affected by the quality of the Source Material. Background noise, static, recording artifacts, digital conversion artifacts, excessive compression, simultaneous multiple speakers, vocal accents, source volume, poor penmanship, ink smudges, copier/scanner/fax malfunctions, low quality black and white copies of full-color materials, or other factors may all negatively affect the quality of the final transcript. In cases where PTI is unable to hear or read words in the Source Material, it may leave blanks or bolds in the final transcript. Client is responsible for filling in or correcting all blanks and bolds in delivered transcribed documents, except in the case of certified documents (see Certified Documents section).

Any claims of defect by the Client must be submitted within five (5) business days of the completed transcript document being delivered to the Client. Client accepts that a “redo” of the Transcript will be Client’s only claim of satisfaction for work rejected by the Client. Client further agrees that “redos” will only apply to specifically rejected transcripts or portions thereof and not entire jobs. For purposes of this agreement, the Transcripts are considered to be custom-produced and perishable works. Under no circumstances will refunds be issued for delivered work.

Client agrees that it is its responsibility to proofread and confirm the accuracy of a transcript before information from a transcript is published or printed or otherwise used and Client will not take any action against or include or implicate PTI, its employees, officers, directors, or agents as defendants in any litigation arising out of or related to Client’s use of the transcript. Client hereby indemnifies and holds PTI and its employees, officers, directors, and agents harmless from and against any and all claims or threat of claims and damages against PTI and/or its employees, officers, directors, and agents arising out of or related to Client’s Source Materials and any use of the transcript based thereon.

PTI shall not be held liable for any indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages, or loss of profits, revenue, data or use, by the Client or any third party, whether in an action in contract or tort or strict liability or other legal theory, even if PTI has been advised of the possibility of such damages. If Client is dissatisfied with the transcript, Client’s sole and exclusive option is to have PTI correct mistakes in the transcript. PTI shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations hereunder, if such failure or delay is due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including, without limitation, acts of any governmental body, war, insurrection, sabotage, embargo, fire, flood, strike or labor disturbance, interruption of or delay in transportation, or inability to obtain raw materials, supplies or power used in, or the equipment needed for the provision of the transcript. PTI’s sole liability for any claim or loss, damage or expense from any cause whatsoever arising out of or related to this agreement, the transcript or any Source Materials, shall in no event exceed sums actually paid to PTI by Client.

Certified Documents

Certified documents are delivered as secured PDF documents with a valid digital signature. The digital signature is tamper evident. Certified documents may not be edited by Client without breaking the validity of the signature. Due to to the nature of and process for certified documents, edits to certified documents must be completed by PTI. For basic grammatical and spelling errors that do not affect the content of the certified document, PTI will correct the issue(s) upon Client’s request. Additional fees may apply. For edits that affect the content of the certified document, Client may request edits; however, Client understands and agrees that it is up to PTI’s sole discretion on whether or not to edit the certified document. For edits to certified documents, PTI must listen to the Source Material again and decide whether it agrees with the requested edit based on the original Source Material. If PTI agrees with the edit, PTI will make the change to the document, re-certify, and deliver the certified, edited document to Client. If PTI does not agree with the edit, based on the Source Material, no changes will be made to the document. Client will be charged the standard editing rate, whether the document is changed or not.

Client also understands and agrees that document certification, while accepted by some entities and courts for certain purposes, is not the same as the document being typed by a certified court reporter with tracked chain of custody. PTI does not maintain any chain of custody records that some courts may require. The certification merely testifies that the transcript is a true and accurate record of the provided audio or video files to the best of the transcriptionist’s knowledge and ability. Client understands that some courts or entities may not accept PTI’s certification and/or lack of chain of custody and may require a transcript from a certified court reporter. Client agrees that PTI will not have any liability in such cases and will not be liable to perform any refunds as transcription service was provided.

Confidentiality

PTI understands that in the performance of its duties in providing services, it may come in contact with confidential information, including information that may be protected by attorney-client privilege, healthcare regulations, or other confidential agreements, and agrees to hold such information in strict confidence. PTI agrees to implement administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect the confidentiality of protected information that it creates, receives, maintains, or transmits. PTI will ensure that any agent, including a subcontractor, to whom it provides confidential information, agrees to implement reasonable and appropriate safeguards to protect it. Any security incident of which PTI becomes aware will be reported to you promptly.

Payment

Client is responsible for all costs of services provided by PTI to Client. Client agrees to pay PTI for all services performed by PTI promptly and in full. Client agrees that it has reviewed and agrees to the rates obtained either by a direct quote from PTI or from reading PTI’s website.

Payment Methods

Credit Card: PTI accepts all major credit or debit cards from individuals, businesses, or other organizations. Credit cards will be automatically charged at the conclusion of any service engagement, immediately before final delivery.

Check: PTI accepts checks or bank drafts from businesses and other organizations. Invoices will be created at the completion of any service engagement or at specified points in time throughout the engagement. PTI is pleased to follow any purchase order or invoicing process required by the Client’s organization.

Billing Information On File

PTI requires proper billing information to be on file for all engagements before work begins. This includes full name, business or organization name (if a business will be paying instead of an individual), address, phone number, and email address, at a minimum. For those paying by credit card, credit card information is also required. The credit card number on file will not be charged until immediately before the final delivery of transcribed documents, as noted under Payment Methods.

Quotes

Direct pricing quotes for services are provided at no charge, and are based on PTI’s current costs of production combined with information provided by the Client. We make every effort to provide an accurate quote based on provided information; however, all quotes should be considered an estimation with an understanding that any differences between the information provided by you and the actual work required by us may cause variation in the final invoice. Direct quotes are valid for thirty (30) calendar days from the quote’s date of delivery. Implied quotes are based on rates publicly available on PTI’s website. Implied quotes are valid for seven (7) calendar days, as published rates may be updated at any time.

Additional Fees

PTI reserves the right to assess additional fees on any purchase of services where Source Materials are of a reduced quality, the scope of the engagement changes between the time of the original quote or start of the work and the completion of the work, additional services above-and-beyond the original quote are required or provided, additional time beyond what is included in the original quote is required to be spent in order to render a quality product and/or to provide the full scope of actual services rendered, or the work is canceled before completion at the Client’s request. In all cases, PTI, in its sole discretion, will make the final decision on whether additional fees are required and will be assessed. PTI may or may not consult the Client for additional charges, depending on the final amounts. Any additional charges may take the form of a weight to the unit(s) charged (e.g., minutes, hours, lines, pages, etc.) proportionate to the additional work required.

Reduced Quality Source Materials

Client understands and agrees that background noise, static, recording artifacts, digital conversion artifacts, excessive compression, simultaneous multiple speakers, number of speakers, vocal accents, source volume, mumbled speech, slurred speech, excessive dictation speed, or any other form of degraded or unclear audio quality; poor penmanship, ink smudges, copier/scanner/fax malfunctions, low quality black and white copies of full-color materials, or other factors may contribute to reducing the quality of Source Materials. Source Materials submitted to PTI with reduced quality may incur additional fees or be subject to a weight to the unit(s) charged in order to compensate for the additional work required, therefore resulting in a higher cost than any oral or written pricing quote provided.

Large Files for Source Material

Client understands and agrees that PTI does not require full resolution video or uncompressed audio to perform the Service. Source Material submitted to PTI in digital format should be of a reasonable file size for the length and format of the material. Unreasonably large files will be automatically converted by PTI into smaller, more-manageable files. File conversion may incur additional fees as outlined on the pricing page.

Non-transcribed Audio or Video

Client understands and agrees that PTI will transcribe Source Materials in their entirety, unless Client specifies otherwise. If Client wishes portions of Source Material to not be transcribed, Client must provide PTI with specific time stamps from the Source Material for each section that should be transcribed or should not be transcribed. If time stamps are provided, PTI in its sole discretion may choose to deduct the non-transcribed sections from the billable duration. If time stamps are not provided, quoted transcription rates apply to the entire duration of the Source Materials, whether transcribed or not.

Edits

Client understands that post-delivery edits to transcribed documents are not included in any of PTI’s transcription rates. In cases where edits are required by the Client, through no fault of PTI, Client agrees to be billed at PTI’s hourly rate for the time spent performing the editing services for Client.

Technical Support

Client understands that technical support is not included in any of PTI’s transcription rates. Technical support may include, but is not limited to, help locating and transferring files, file conversion, audio or video transcoding, audio or video editing, document scanning, analog-to-digital conversions for cassette tapes and VHS tapes, CD audio conversion, DVD conversions, assistance with digital recorders, software setup, and remote assistance. Client agrees to be billed at PTI’s hourly rate for the time spent performing technical assistance tasks and services for Client.

Shipping and Materials Reimbursement

PTI requires reimbursement for all costs related to return shipping of either Source Material or completed transcripts, including postage, materials, and supplies required for the shipping process (envelopes, paper, digital storage media, etc.), transportation costs, freight charges, and courier fees. Unless otherwise requested by Client, PTI will always use the least expensive shipping option when returning Source Materials or completed transcripts. Client accepts that the least expensive shipping option is often also the slowest.

Minimum Invoiced Amount

Client understands and agrees that the minimum invoiced amount for any engagement with PTI is equivalent to one hour of time at PTI’s current hourly rate ($30). If any invoice does not meet the minimum amount in total, the invoice will be adjusted automatically to the minimum invoiced amount. The minimum invoiced amount applies to all engagements between PTI and the Client, including transcription services that may have been quoted with a per-minute rate.

Discounts

PTI, at its sole discretion, may grant Client a discount for transcription service based on Client’s non-profit status or volume of submitted Source Material. Discounts are mutually exclusive and will not be applied concurrently for any single engagement.

Cancellation

Should work be suspended at the Client’s request after work has begun, PTI shall be entitled to payment for work already performed. Depending on the complexity or timeline of the project, additional fees may apply. Additional fees may include project or account management costs, cancellation fees, shipping reimbursement, or costs of supplies consumed in performing the work. For engagements where discounts were granted to Client based on the scope of the complete job, all criteria must still be met for any partially billed transcription service, otherwise Client forfeits the discount.

Disclaimer

The materials on PTI’s website are provided “as is”. PTI makes no warranties, expressed or implied, and hereby disclaims and negates all other warranties, including without limitation, implied warranties or conditions of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement of intellectual property or other violation of rights. Further, PTI does not warrant or make any representations concerning the accuracy, likely results, or reliability of the use of the materials on its website or otherwise relating to such materials or on any sites linked to this site.

Limitations

In no event shall PTI or its suppliers be liable for any damages (including, without limitation, damages for loss of data or profit, or due to business interruption,) arising out of the use or inability to use the materials on PTI’s website or PTI’s services, even if PTI or a PTI authorized representative has been notified orally or in writing of the possibility of such damage. Because some jurisdictions do not allow limitations on implied warranties, or limitations of liability for consequential or incidental damages, these limitations may not apply to you.

Updates

PTI reserves the right to update or amend these Terms and Conditions at any time without notice. Clients are advised that it is their responsibility to check these Terms and Conditions for any changes prior to accepting quotes or sending Source Materials to PTI.

Governing Law

Any claim relating to PTI’s web site shall be governed by the laws of the State of New Jersey without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Remote Support

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