Legal
General Terms and Conditions
§ 1 Scope and provider
These General Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) apply to all contracts between Dr. Yannick Forster, Augustenstraße 55, 80333 Munich — hereinafter "provider" or "The Science Dad" — and their customers (hereinafter "customer") regarding the coaching and guidance services offered on thesciencedad.de. Conflicting terms of the customer are not recognised unless the provider expressly agrees to them in writing.
§ 2 Subject matter of services
The provider delivers academic coaching and guidance around theses and academic work — in particular in the phases of topic search, research question, methods, statistics, writing and defense. The concrete content and scope follow from the package booked or the individual agreement.
Expressly not part of the services are: writing or rewriting text for the customer, producing content that will be presented as the customer's own work, independent data analysis by the provider, and writing code (introductory and example-based explanations of statistical procedures remain unaffected), producing exam-relevant slides, and any form of ghostwriting. The provider does not appear as a co-author and does not communicate with the customer's examiners or universities.
§ 3 Conclusion of contract
The presentation of packages on the website does not constitute a binding offer. By booking or by written confirmation (e.g. by email), the customer makes a binding offer. The contract is concluded with the provider's order confirmation.
§ 4 Prices and payment
The prices displayed on the website at the time of booking apply. The provider is a small-business operator within the meaning of § 19 of the German VAT Act; no VAT is charged. Invoices are due for payment within 14 days of receipt without deduction, unless otherwise agreed.
§ 5 Appointments, rescheduling and no-shows
Sessions take place online (e.g. via Zoom) at agreed times. The customer may reschedule free of charge up to 24 hours before the agreed appointment. For later cancellations or no-shows, the service is deemed delivered and will be invoiced. Force majeure and documented illness remain unaffected.
§ 6 Customer's obligations to cooperate
Successful guidance requires the customer's active cooperation. The customer provides the required information (e.g. text, data, research question) in good time and ensures a functional technical setup for online sessions.
§ 7 Customer's own academic work and exam regulations
The thesis remains the customer's own independent work at every step. The customer is responsible for complying with their applicable examination regulations and other rules of their university, and for properly disclosing external guidance where this is required. On request, the provider supports correct phrasing, but assumes no liability for this.
§ 8 Service; no guarantee of success
The provider owes a careful advisory service in line with the rules of scientific work, but no particular outcome — in particular no specific grade, no passing of the thesis and no acceptance by examiners.
§ 9 Right of withdrawal for consumers
Consumers generally have a 14-day right of withdrawal under §§ 312g, 355 BGB. If the provider, with the customer's consent, begins providing the service before the end of the withdrawal period, the right of withdrawal expires once the service has been fully provided; in the case of partial provision, a pro-rata value must be reimbursed (§ 357 (8) BGB). Model withdrawal form
§ 10 Liability
The provider is liable without limit for intent and gross negligence and under the provisions of the German Product Liability Act. For slight negligence the provider is only liable for breach of a material contractual obligation (cardinal obligation); in this case liability is limited to the foreseeable damage typical for this kind of contract. Liability for consequential damages, lost profit or failure to reach a specific grade is excluded to the extent legally permitted. Liability for damages arising from injury to life, body or health remains unaffected.
§ 11 Confidentiality
The provider treats all content made available in the course of cooperation as confidential and does not pass it on to third parties unless required to perform the contract or required by law.
§ 12 Copyright
Materials created by the provider (e.g. handouts, templates, analyses) are protected by copyright and may be used solely for the customer's own work. Passing them on to third parties or commercial use is permitted only with the provider's express consent.
§ 13 Final provisions
The law of the Federal Republic of Germany applies, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. For consumers this choice of law applies only insofar as the protection granted by mandatory provisions of the law of the consumer's habitual residence is not withdrawn. Should individual provisions of these T&Cs be invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions remains unaffected.
As of: [enter date]. These T&Cs are a template with placeholders and do not replace individual legal advice — please have them reviewed by a lawyer before publication.