Terms of Service (ToS) for Guide Me PhD
Effective Date: 02/03/2025
1. Introduction & Acceptance
* Welcome to Guide Me PhD LTD, a company registered in England & Wales under company number 16154190. We provide online digital templates, guides (“Digital Products”), and PhD application review services (“Review Services”) via our website https://guidemephd.com/.
* These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of our Site and Services.
* By accessing or using our Services, you confirm you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, you must not use our Services.
* We reserve the right to modify these Terms. We will notify you of significant changes (e.g., via email or a prominent notice on the Site) reasonably in advance. Your continued use after the effective date of the changes constitutes acceptance.
2. Use of Services
* Eligibility: You must be at least 18 years old to purchase or use our Services.
* Account: You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account details and for all activities under your account. Provide accurate information during registration.
* Permitted Use: Use the Services for lawful purposes related to your personal PhD application preparation only, in accordance with these Terms.
* Prohibited Use: (As previously listed, generally appropriate) Ensure it covers compliance with all applicable UK laws.
3. Digital Products (Templates & Guides)
* License: Upon purchase, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to download, access, and use the Digital Products for your personal, non-commercial PhD application purposes only.
* Restrictions: (As previously listed).
* Delivery: Digital Products are delivered electronically upon successful payment. Access details will be provided via email or within your user account.
* Consumer Rights & Refunds (Digital Products):
* Under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, you normally have a 14-day right to cancel digital content purchases.
* However, by downloading or accessing the Digital Product immediately after purchase, you expressly consent to the supply of the digital content beginning before the end of the 14-day cancellation period and you acknowledge that your right to cancel will be lost. We will make this clear and require your explicit agreement at the point of purchase before providing access.
* Outside of this statutory framework, due to the immediate access nature, all sales are generally final unless the Digital Product is faulty or not as described (as per the Consumer Rights Act 2015). Contact us if you believe a product is faulty.
4. PhD Application Review Services
* Scope: As described on the specific service page.
* User Responsibility: Provide accurate, complete materials. You are solely responsible for the final application content and submission.
* Confidentiality & Data Protection: We treat submitted documents as highly confidential. Access is strictly limited. We process this data based on the necessity to perform the contract (the Review Service you purchased) and with your explicit consent obtained during the submission process. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
* No Guarantee of Admission: Our feedback is advisory, based on experience. We offer no guarantee of admission or any specific outcome.
* Turnaround Time: We aim to meet stated timeframes but these are estimates.
* Consumer Rights & Refunds (Services):
* Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, you generally have a 14-day right to cancel service contracts.
* However, if you request the service to begin within the 14-day cancellation period (e.g., by submitting documents for review), you acknowledge that if you cancel after we have started the service, you may be required to pay for the value of the service provided up to the point of cancellation.
* If we complete the service fully within the cancellation period at your request, your right to cancel is lost.
* We will require your explicit consent to begin the service within the 14-day period.
* Refunds may also be available if the service is not performed with reasonable care and skill, or not as described (Consumer Rights Act 2015).
5. Payments
* Pricing: Prices are stated on the Site, inclusive of VAT where applicable. Subject to change.
* Payment Processors: We use third-party processors (e.g., Stripe, PayPal, etc). Their terms apply.
* Taxes: Prices shown include applicable UK taxes unless otherwise stated.
6. Intellectual Property
* (As previously listed, generally appropriate)
7. Disclaimers
* (As previously listed). Add: Nothing in these Terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer under UK law (e.g., rights regarding faulty goods or services under the Consumer Rights Act 2015).
8. Limitation of Liability
* (As previously listed). Crucially Add: Nothing in these Terms shall limit or exclude our liability for: (a) death or personal injury caused by our negligence; (b) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or (c) any matter in respect of which it would be unlawful for us to exclude or restrict liability under applicable UK law.
* Our maximum aggregate liability under or in connection with these Terms shall be limited to the amount paid by you for the specific Service giving rise to the claim in the preceding six (6) months.
9. Indemnification
* (As previously listed).
10. Termination
* (As previously listed).
11. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution
* These Terms and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them or their subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of England and Wales.
* You agree that the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim.
* As a consumer, you may benefit from mandatory provisions of the law of the country in which you are resident. Nothing in these Terms affects your rights as a consumer to rely on such mandatory provisions of local law.
* We encourage amicable resolution first. You can contact us at [email protected]. You might also be able to use the European Commission’s Online Dispute Resolution platform (available even post-Brexit for UK businesses dealing with EU consumers, and potentially useful for UK consumers too): http://ec.europa.eu/odr
12. Contact Information
* Guide Me PhD LTD
* Company Number: 16154190
* Email: [email protected]
Privacy Policy for Guide Me PhD
Effective Date: 02/03/2025
1. Introduction & Who We Are
* Guide Me PhD LTD (“we,” “us,” “our”) is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.
* This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your personal data when you use our website (www.guidemephd.com, the “Site”) and our Services (Digital Products and Review Services).
* We comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
* For the purpose of data protection law, the Data Controller is Guide Me Phd LTD of Cambridge, UK.
* Our contact person for data protection matters is [Gavin Farrell – The Data Protection Lead] who can be reached at [[email protected]].
2. Personal Data We Collect
* We collect and process the following types of personal data:
* Identity & Contact Data: Name, email address, username (if applicable).
* Transactional Data: Details about products/services purchased, payment history (processed via third parties, we don’t store full card details). Billing address.
* Application Review Data (Sensitive Data): Documents you submit for review (e.g., personal statements, CVs, research proposals). This may include special category data if you choose to include it (e.g., health, ethnicity – only process if strictly necessary for the service and with explicit consent).
* Technical Data: IP address, browser type/version, time zone setting, operating system, device information.
* Usage Data: How you use our website (pages visited, time spent, clicks).
* Marketing & Communications Data: Your preferences in receiving marketing from us (requires opt-in consent) and your communication history with us.
3. How We Collect Your Personal Data
* Direct Interactions: When you create an account, purchase services, submit documents for review, contact us, subscribe to newsletters, or fill forms.
* Automated Technologies: As you interact with our Site, using cookies and similar technologies (see Section 6).
* Third Parties: From payment providers confirming transactions.
4. Lawful Basis for Processing Your Personal Data
* We only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we rely on the following lawful bases (under UK GDPR Article 6):
* Contractual Necessity: Processing necessary to perform the contract with you (e.g., processing payment, delivering digital products, providing the review service using your submitted documents).
* Legitimate Interests: Processing necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party), provided your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests (e.g., analyzing website usage to improve services, preventing fraud, managing customer service inquiries). We conduct balancing tests for this basis.
* Consent: Where you have given us explicit consent to process your data for a specific purpose (e.g., sending marketing emails, processing sensitive data within your application documents not strictly required but provided by you for context). You can withdraw consent at any time.
* Legal Obligation: Processing necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation (e.g., tax reporting).
5. How We Use Your Personal Data
* We use your data for the purposes linked to the lawful bases above:
* To register you as a customer (Contract).
* To process orders, deliver products, and provide review services (Contract).
* To manage payments (Contract).
* To manage our relationship (answering queries, requesting feedback) (Contract, Legitimate Interests).
* To improve our website, services, marketing (Legitimate Interests).
* To administer and protect our business and Site (security, troubleshooting) (Legitimate Interests, Legal Obligation).
* To send marketing communications if you have opted-in (Consent).
* To comply with legal requirements (Legal Obligation).
* Application Review Data: Used solely to provide the purchased Review Service (Contract, Explicit Consent for any sensitive elements).
6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
* Our Site uses cookies (small text files) to distinguish you from other users, provide functionality (e.g., cart), and analyze usage.
* We use:
* Strictly Necessary Cookies: Essential for site operation (e.g., login, cart). Cannot be disabled.
* Analytical/Performance Cookies: Allow us to recognize and count visitors, see how they move around the site (e.g., Google Analytics). Require your consent.
* Functionality Cookies: Recognize you on return visits, remember choices (e.g., language). Require your consent.
* You will be asked for consent for non-essential cookies via a cookie banner upon your first visit. You can manage your cookie preferences at any time [Explain how – e.g., link in footer, browser settings]. Blocking some cookies may impact Site functionality.
7. Disclosure of Your Personal Data
* We may share your data with trusted third parties (“Data Processors”) who act on our behalf:
* Payment processors (e.g., Stripe, PayPal).
* Website hosting providers (Godaddy.com).
* Email service providers (e.g., Microsoft).
* Analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics).
* We require all third parties to respect the security of your data and treat it according to law. They are only permitted to process data for specified purposes under our instructions.
* We may disclose data if required by law, to enforce our Terms, or protect rights/safety.
* In a business sale/transfer, data may be transferred to the new owner under similar privacy terms.
8. International Data Transfers
* Some of our external third-party providers may be based outside the UK or European Economic Area (EEA).
* When we transfer your personal data out of the UK/EEA, we ensure a similar degree of protection is afforded to it by ensuring at least one of the following safeguards is implemented:
* Transferring to countries deemed to provide an adequate level of protection by the UK Secretary of State (under UK Adequacy Regulations).
* Using specific contracts approved by the UK Secretary of State which give personal data the same protection it has in the UK (e.g., the UK’s International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses).
* Specifically, e.g., Our email provider, Microsoft, is based in the US. We rely on approved Standard Contractual Clauses for this transfer. Please contact us for more information on specific mechanisms.
9. Data Security
* We have implemented appropriate technical and organisational security measures (e.g., encryption, access controls) to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used, accessed, altered, or disclosed without authorisation.
* Access is limited to those employees/contractors with a business need to know. They are subject to confidentiality duties.
* We have procedures for dealing with suspected data breaches and will notify you and the ICO where legally required.
10. Data Retention
* We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including satisfying legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
* Account Data: Retained while your account is active and for 6 years afterwards for legal/tax reasons.
* Order Data: Retained for 6 years after the transaction for tax/legal reasons.
* Application Review Data: Securely deleted 90 days after the review service is completed, unless you request earlier deletion and it’s legally permissible.
* Marketing Consent Data: Retained until you withdraw consent.
* Analytics Data (Anonymized/Aggregated): May be retained indefinitely.
11. Your Legal Rights (Data Subject Rights)
* Under UK data protection law, you have rights including:
* Right to Access: Request a copy of your personal data.
* Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data.
* Right to Erasure (‘Right to be Forgotten’): Request deletion of your data where there’s no good reason for us to continue processing it.
* Right to Restrict Processing: Ask us to suspend processing in certain circumstances.
* Right to Data Portability: Request transfer of your data to you or a third party in a structured, common format.
* Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
* Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent at any time where processing relies on consent (this won’t affect lawfulness of processing before withdrawal).
* To exercise these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We may need to verify your identity. There is usually no fee, but we may charge a reasonable fee or refuse if requests are manifestly unfounded, repetitive, or excessive.
* You have the right to lodge a complaint at any time with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). We would appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns first.
12. Children’s Privacy
* Our Services are not intended for children under 18, and we do not knowingly collect data relating to children.
13. Links to Other Websites
* Our Site may contain links to third-party sites. This policy does not cover those sites. Please review their privacy policies.
14. Changes to This Privacy Policy
* We keep this policy under review and will post updates on this page. Significant changes will be notified (e.g., via email).
15. Contact Us
* For any questions about this policy or our privacy practices, please contact:
* The Data Protection Lead
* Email: [email protected]
* Postal Address: Cambridge, UK