Terms

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern the use of the website polishthread.com and all genealogical and related services provided by Polish Thread Genealogy. By placing an order or submitting a research request, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms.

The processing of your personal data in connection with our services is governed separately by the Privacy Policy, available at polishthread.com/privacy-policy.

I. Service Provider

1. The service provider is Martyna Urbańczyk, conducting business under the name MARU digital Martyna Urbańczyk (Tax Identification Number (NIP): 725-192-18-01), operating the Polish Thread Genealogy brand at polishthread.com, , email: martyna@polishthread.com (hereinafter: “the Contractor” or “PT”).

2. The Client is any natural person aged 18 or older, or a legal entity, who places an order or submits a research request.

II. Scope of Services

III. Orders and Research Requests

1. To place an order, the Client submits a research request via the contact form at polishthread.com or by email to martyna@polishthread.com.

2. After receiving the request, PT will conduct a preliminary feasibility assessment and respond with a proposed scope of work and fee within a reasonable time.

3. An order is confirmed when the Client accepts the proposed scope in writing (by email) and pays the required deposit or full fee as specified in the offer.

4. For research involving documents less than 100 years old, or for official citizenship proceedings, PT may require the Client to provide a signed authorization form and documentary proof of family relationship before work begins.

5. The Client is responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all information and documents they provide. PT is not liable for errors or delays resulting from inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading information provided by the Client.

IV. Fees, Payment, and Invoicing

1. Fees for PT’s services are stated in the individual offer sent to the Client. All fees are quoted in USD unless otherwise specified.

2. The fee covers PT’s expert time, professional knowledge, and the preparation of agreed deliverables. Unless explicitly included in the offer, it does not include: fees charged by state archives or other institutions, costs of obtaining apostilles or certifications, translation costs, or postal and courier charges.

3. PT may require full payment in advance, or payment in installments as specified in the individual offer. Research materials and final reports are delivered only after all outstanding payments have been received.

4. Payment is made via the method specified in the offer (bank transfer, payment platform, or other). PT will confirm receipt of payment in writing.

V. No-Results Clause and Refund Policy

PT provides professional archival research services. The fee paid covers the Contractor’s time, expertise, and effort — not the guarantee of any specific research outcome.

1. PT undertakes to conduct all research with due professional care. However, PT cannot guarantee that any particular records will be found, that documents will be legible, or that archival holdings will be complete.

2. If, following payment and commencement of work, PT determines that the research cannot be completed as agreed due to objective circumstances (e.g., records not surviving, archive inaccessibility), PT will notify the Client promptly and refund the portion of the fee corresponding to work not yet performed. Work performed will be assessed at PT’s standard hourly rate as specified in the individual offer. PT will provide a written breakdown of hours worked upon the Client’s request.

3. If the Client cancels an order after work has commenced, PT will invoice for work actually performed at the applicable hourly rate. The balance, if any, will be refunded within 14 days of cancellation.

4. Deposits paid to confirm an order are non-refundable once research has commenced, unless cancellation is due to PT’s inability to perform the agreed scope of work.

Note for EU/EEA clients: Your statutory right of withdrawal under EU consumer law is not affected by this clause. See Section VII for details.

VI. Delivery and Timelines

1. Estimated completion times for each engagement are communicated to the Client in the individual offer or order confirmation. These are good-faith estimates, not binding deadlines, unless otherwise agreed in writing.

2. Timelines may be affected by factors beyond PT’s control, including archive access schedules, processing times at civil registry offices, postal delays, and the complexity of records. PT will notify the Client of any significant delay without undue delay.

3. Research reports, document scans, and other deliverables are delivered electronically (by email or via a file-sharing link) unless the parties agree otherwise.

4. Physical delivery of original documents or certified copies, where applicable, will be at the Client’s expense and risk from the point of dispatch.

5. PT’s reports reflect findings available in accessible archival sources at the time of research. PT does not warrant that findings will meet the Client’s personal expectations, confirm specific family relationships, or support any particular legal claim. The value of genealogical research lies in the professional effort and expertise applied, not in any specific outcome.

6. A project engagement concludes automatically upon delivery of the agreed deliverables for that scope. Any continuation, additional research phases, or follow-up queries beyond the original scope require separate written agreement. If the Client does not respond to a delivered report or request further work within 30 days of delivery, the engagement is considered complete.

VII. Right of Withdrawal (EU/EEA Clients)

24. If you are a consumer based in the European Union or European Economic Area, you have the right to withdraw from your order without giving any reason within 14 days of placing it, in accordance with Directive 2011/83/EU.

25. To exercise your right of withdrawal, you must notify PT before the 14-day period expires by sending a clear written statement to martyna@polishthread.com. You may use the model withdrawal form below, but this is not mandatory.

26. If you explicitly request that PT begin work before the 14-day withdrawal period expires, and you acknowledge that you will lose your right of withdrawal upon full performance of the service, PT may begin work on that basis. Your acknowledgment must be given in writing at the time of ordering. For email-based orders, PT will include the following standard sentence in every order confirmation, the Client’s reply to which constitutes the required acknowledgment: “By replying to confirm this order and request that work begin immediately, you acknowledge that you waive your 14-day right of withdrawal upon full performance of the service (Art. 7(3) of Directive 2011/83/EU).”

27. Refunds due upon valid withdrawal will be made within 14 days of PT receiving the withdrawal notice, using the same payment method as the original transaction unless otherwise agreed.

Model Withdrawal Form

To: Martyna Urbańczyk, Polish Thread Genealogy, martyna@polishthread.com
I/We (*) hereby give notice that I/we (*) withdraw from my/our (*) contract for the provision of the following service: [describe the service ordered].
Ordered on: [date]
Name of consumer(s): [name]
Signature (if paper form): [signature]
Date: [date]
(*) Delete as appropriate.

VIII. Intellectual Property

1. Research reports, written analyses, family narratives, and other original content created by PT are protected by copyright and remain the intellectual property of Martyna Urbańczyk.

2. The Client receives a personal, non-transferable, non-exclusive license to use PT’s reports and original content for personal and family purposes only. Reproduction, publication, resale, or distribution of PT’s original work, in whole or in significant part, is prohibited without prior written consent.

3. Copies of original historical records (archival documents, vital records, photographs of historical materials) retrieved during research are not subject to PT’s copyright. The Client may use such materials in accordance with applicable copyright law.

4. Documents, photographs, and materials provided by the Client remain the Client’s property at all times. PT will not use, publish, or share the Client’s materials for any purpose beyond the performance of the agreed engagement, without the Client’s explicit written consent.

IX. Confidentiality

1. PT treats all information shared by the Client — including personal data, family history, documents, and research findings — as strictly confidential.

2. PT will not disclose the Client’s information or research findings to any third party, except: (a) to subcontractors (archival researchers, translators) to the minimum extent necessary to complete the engagement, under appropriate confidentiality obligations; (b) as required by applicable law or court order.

3. PT does not use clients’ family histories, documents, or personal data for marketing, publication, case studies, or any purpose beyond the contracted engagement, without the Client’s explicit prior written consent. PT may, however, reference completed research in strictly anonymized form (e.g., describing the type of records found or the region researched, without identifying the Client or their family members) for marketing or educational purposes, unless the Client objects in writing to martyna@polishthread.com.

4. Working documentation related to the engagement is retained for 3 years from completion and then permanently deleted, in accordance with PT’s Privacy Policy.

X. Limitation of Liability

1. PT’s total liability to the Client for any claim arising from or related to an engagement is limited to the amount of fees actually paid by the Client for that specific engagement.

2. PT is not liable for: (a) the decisions or outcomes of official proceedings (citizenship applications, inheritance proceedings, etc.), which remain the sole responsibility of the relevant authorities; (b) losses caused by inaccurate, incomplete, or falsified information or documents provided by the Client; (c) delays or impossibility of performance due to force majeure (see Section XI).

3. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits PT’s liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law.

4. PT does not provide legal, tax, or immigration advice. Information provided in the course of a genealogical engagement does not constitute legal advice, and the Client should seek qualified professional counsel for any legal proceedings.

XI. Force Majeure

1. PT shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to: natural disasters, pandemics, war, acts of government, archive closures, destruction of records, strikes, or disruptions to postal or courier services.

2. In the event of a force majeure event, PT will notify the Client within 14 days of becoming aware of it and will resume performance as soon as reasonably possible. If the force majeure event continues for more than 90 days, either party may terminate the engagement in writing, and PT will refund any fees corresponding to work not yet performed.

XII. Subcontractors

1. PT may engage trusted external researchers, translators, or local archival specialists to assist in fulfilling an engagement. PT exercises reasonable care in selecting subcontractors and remains the Client’s single point of contact for all matters relating to the engagement. PT’s liability for any errors or omissions by subcontractors is subject to the limitations set out in Section X.

2. All subcontractors engaged by PT are bound by confidentiality obligations and, where applicable, data processing agreements in accordance with GDPR.

XIII. Dispute Resolution

1. In the event of a dispute, the parties will first seek to resolve the matter amicably through direct communication. The Client is encouraged to contact PT at martyna@polishthread.com to describe the issue and propose a resolution.

2. If the dispute cannot be resolved within 30 days of the Client’s written notification to PT, either party may refer the matter to mediation before initiating court proceedings. PT will consider mediation in good faith for disputes involving fees above USD 100, or where the Client demonstrates a substantive unresolved grievance in writing. PT’s agreement to participate in mediation does not constitute an admission of liability.

3. If you are a consumer in the European Union, you also have the right to use the EU Online Dispute Resolution platform at https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

4. These Terms are governed by Polish law. Without prejudice to the rights of EU consumers to bring proceedings in their country of habitual residence under applicable EU law, any disputes that cannot be resolved as described above shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts competent for the Contractor’s place of business.

XIV. Amendments

1. PT reserves the right to amend these Terms by publishing updated content on polishthread.com with a new effective date.

2. For ongoing engagements, amendments to these Terms will not affect the rights and obligations already agreed upon in writing for that engagement, unless both parties agree otherwise.

3. Clients will be notified of material changes to these Terms by email where PT holds a valid email address.

XV. Final Provisions

1. If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable under applicable law, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

2. These Terms, together with the individual offer or order confirmation and PT’s Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between the parties regarding the subject matter hereof.

3. For all questions regarding these Terms, please contact: martyna@polishthread.com.

Last update: 4.04.2026