Terms and Conditions

1. The Company works within the Codes of Conduct as set out by the Market Research Society and ESOMAR. Within these codes, the Company is entitled to destroy questionnaires and other project-related documentation one year after the end of fieldwork, and computer records two years after the end of fieldwork without reference to the client. This may be done earlier through agreement with the client.

2. All data obtained exclusively for the client is the property of the client, but documents, questionnaires, disks, etc. on which the data is recorded are the property of the Company. These can be made available to the client, in anonymous form, if specifically required.

3. Invoices will be submitted half on acceptance of the quote and half on completion, except where the speed of completion suggests that one invoice for the total amount is more sensible. Alternative invoicing arrangements must be agreed in advance of commencing the project.

4. If a client cancels or moves fieldwork less than 7 days before the due date of commencement of fieldwork, the Company is at liberty to charge a cancellation fee as follows:

4 – 7 days before fieldwork 30% of total project fee
2 – 3 days before fieldwork 60% of total project fee
Day before/day of fieldwork 100% of total project fee

5. If the Company has been commissioned to conduct a project and the project is then cancelled after work has been undertaken on the client’s behalf i.e. the planning, setting up or booking out of the project, the Company is at liberty to charge the client for this work.

6. Invoices are payable within 30 days of the invoice date. If any invoice is not paid within 60 days of the invoice date, then the Company will be entitled to charge interest on all amounts outstanding beyond 30 days at 3% above the current Lloyds TSB bank national lending rate. The company reserves the right to withhold data if payment has not been received.

7. Quotes are given subject to certain assumptions and if these are substantially changed, the Company reserves the right to alter the quote accordingly. Quotations are valid for only one month from date of issue unless otherwise agreed.

8. All quotes are given exclusive of VAT.

9. The copyright in any report written by a member of the Company shall remain vested in the Company.

10. Any data based on a Company survey or contained in a report, may be used outside the client company or its advertising agencies, only with the consent of the Company. No press release or publication of data from any research conducted by the Company shall be made without the advance approval of the Company. Approval would normally only be refused on the grounds of inaccuracy or misrepresentation

11. Although all reasonable care and skill is taken in the conduct of research and the preparation of reports, the Company cannot accept any liability for any loss arising from the client's use of such results.

12. In the event of an error caused by the negligence or otherwise of the company in any reports or tabulations supplied to the client, the company will endeavour to correct the error at its own expense. It will not, however, be held liable for the consequences of the error beyond the provision of corrected reports and tabulations.

13. If any research project carried out by the Company involves the prediction of future sales, market shares or other aspect of consumer behaviour it must be recognised that such predictions, while made in good faith, are intended only as an aid to the client's judgement and that the Company cannot be held responsible for any damage or loss suffered by the client as a result of any error in such predictions.

14. Where products are to be tested, blind or branded, by consumers, the client company shall be deemed responsible for any claim made by consumers with regard to injury, malfunctioning, etc.

15. The Company may, in its discretion, sub-contract part or parts of the execution of the work to outside companies or agencies.

16. The Company shall not be liable for failure to perform its obligations due to force majeure, e.g., fires, floods, storms, forces majeures, riots, strikes, wars or any other causes whatsoever, beyond the reasonable control of the Company.

Terms for International Contracts

17. For surveys carried out abroad, if through currency fluctuations the sterling equivalent of the cost to the Company in respect of overseas work for the client, exceeds the cost quoted, the Company shall be entitled to charge for such obligations using the exchange rate in operation at the time of the foreign remittance.

18. The client company is responsible for timely delivery of all its materials required for overseas research projects, and shall be responsible for any financial consequences of delays caused by late delivery.

19. All surveys shall be carried out within the law or public policy of the country where the research is conducted, as well as in accordance with English law.