Writing Terms and Conditions

[Robatr0n]

Right I need abit of advice.

I have been given the task of writing terms and conditions for my companies website, the one snag is that I have no idea how to write them or even where to start. I have found a few websites with decent looking terms and conditions but I can't just nick theirs and display them as my own as I'm sure I will have someone knocking on my door complaining about infringement of copyrights.

The company cannot afford to pay a legal body to write the terms and conditions as it will no doubt cost untold thousands of pounds.

Does anybody know of software packages that aid the writing of terms and conditions? Perhaps someone on here would be able to give me some guidance....really anything would help right now!

[blindswelledrat]

DOes your industry have a governing body?
If so they ware likely to have some kind of standard terms which they will let you use.

[Robatr0n]

We are in the screen printing industry, so as far as I am aware we don't havea governing body.

[selwonk]

Can you not find suitable wording on another site in the business and adapt it for your needs?

[Robatr0n]

I have been attempting to do this but its just not going that well at the moment as they all seem to be carefully written using legal words. I fear that if I change it around it will no longer make sense and I may create a legal loophole..

[JustinP1]

Robatr0n said:

I have been attempting to do this but its just not going that well at the moment as they all seem to be carefully written using legal words. I fear that if I change it around it will no longer make sense and I may create a legal loophole..

Here is thinking out of the box:

Why do you need to use long words to make terms and conditions?

If you don't understand what you are writing, then it does stand to reason that what you are writing firstly may not make sense and secondly may not help you if/when someone comes to challenge your terms, or indeed you have to enforce them.

Rather than try to deconstruct someone elses, start from the bottom and work up.

If you don't want someone using the pictures from the site, then say the use is prohibited.

If you don't want to be held liable should your website kill a users PC, then say you are not responsible for problems which arise because of this.

I am guessing that the other websites have the same but in more complex wording... you could copy them I suppose!

[selwonk]

I agree. I work in insurance and of late *everything* is being rewritten in plain English to satisfy FSA requirements. This, IMHO, just results in documentation that everyone, staff included, can understand. It shouldn't be necessary for it to be overly complex IMO

[Robatr0n]

Ok guys, I will take everything you have both said onboard. Thank you!

I am going to work from the bottom up and make it a slow and methodical process. I shall let you know how I get on.

[igiveup]

Have a look on http://www.britishprint.com/default.asp they have a Forum, could ask on there for more info.

[Exigeowner]

To be honest I really do not see why anybody would care if you used their terms and conditions, it wouldnt bother me in the slightest, It not like its a advertising or marketing tool that you are hijacking from them, maybe change the obvious bits but I really would just copy. I thought thats what everybody did anyway

[JustinP1]

Exigeowner said:

To be honest I really do not see why anybody would care if you used their terms and conditions, it wouldnt bother me in the slightest, It not like its a advertising or marketing tool that you are hijacking from them, maybe change the obvious bits but I really would just copy. I thought thats what everybody did anyway

But what if it would be against their Terms and Conditions?

[Piglet]

Robatr0n said:

The company cannot afford to pay a legal body to write the terms and conditions as it will no doubt cost untold thousands of pounds.

You might be surprised and as said a trade body may well supply them for not very much dosh.

Dose your company have the money and resources to deal with the litigation when your T's & C's turn out to be defective?

Personally I'd cobble them from someone else, I certainly wouldn't draft them from scratch and I'm a lawyer!