MeritList Terms of Service
These terms apply when you use the MeritList website or buy any of our services. By submitting a form or making a purchase, you agree to them. Nothing in these terms limits your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
1. About us and our services
MeritList is operated by Jason Hart, a sole trader (ABN 76 990 538 269), trading as MeritList (“we”, “us”, “our”). “You” means the person using our website or services.
We provide online coaching to help people prepare applications and interviews for Australian Public Service (APS) and similar roles. Our services include the free Pitch Health Check, Pitch Sharpen, Evidence Bank + Pitch Coach, Panel Ready, the Promotion Pack and Alumni Sharpen, as described on our website at the time you buy.
What we do:
help you identify and structure your own real experience
give feedback on and edit drafts that you write
prepare you for interviews through mock interviews and coaching
What we don’t do:
We don’t write your application for you. You draft your pitch, statement of claims or selection criteria responses. We coach, give feedback and edit. This keeps your application consistent with the Australian Public Service Commission’s principles on candidates’ use of AI and outside help.
We don’t write answers to actual interview questions or help with any assessment that must be your own work.
We don’t guarantee results. Hiring decisions are made by agencies and their selection panels, and depend on many things outside our control. We don’t promise you will get an interview, a place on a merit list or a job.
We are not a recruitment agency and don’t place candidates with employers.
We’re independent. MeritList is not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting for the Australian Public Service Commission or any government agency. Our guidance is general coaching based on publicly available information and professional experience; always follow the instructions in the job ad and any agency guidance.
2. Your responsibilities
By using our services, you agree to:
Be truthful. Only give us information about your real experience, qualifications and achievements. You are responsible for making sure everything you submit to an employer is accurate and that you can explain it.
Review everything before you submit it. You decide what goes into your application. Our suggestions are suggestions; check them against your own experience and the job requirements.
Keep sensitive information out. Don’t send us classified, security-marked, confidential or sensitive information from any workplace, or personal details of colleagues, clients or members of the public. We may delete it and pause your service until it’s removed.
Follow the rules that apply to you. That includes the job ad’s instructions, any agency rules about AI or outside help, and (if you’re a public servant) your Code of Conduct. If an agency asks how you prepared your application, answer honestly; your Contribution Record is there to help.
Use our materials for yourself. Our templates, guides and feedback are for your personal use, not for resale or sharing with others.
We may decline or stop a service, with a refund for any work not yet done, if we reasonably believe you’re asking us to invent or inflate experience, misuse our materials, or behave abusively towards us.
3. Bookings, payment and turnaround
Prices and payment. Prices are shown in Australian dollars on our website and include GST where it applies. You pay in full when you order, through our payment provider. We may change prices for future orders, but not for one you’ve already paid for.
When the clock starts. Turnaround times begin once we’ve received payment and everything we need from you (for example, your completed intake form, the job ad and your draft). Times are in business days (Monday to Friday, excluding Victorian public holidays) unless stated otherwise.
Service
Standard turnaround
Pitch Health Check (free)
Within 1 business day
Pitch Sharpen
48 hours (24 hours with express)
Evidence Bank + Pitch Coach
5 business days after your coaching call (express available)
Panel Ready
Within 3 business days of booking, subject to session availability
Alumni Sharpen
48 hours
We’ll always tell you before you pay if we can’t meet a turnaround, for example because your closing date is too close.
Your closing date. Please order early enough to allow for the turnaround and your own review. We’re not responsible for a missed closing date if you send materials late.
Sessions and rescheduling. You can reschedule a coaching call or mock interview for free with at least 24 hours’ notice. If you miss a session without notice, we’ll offer one replacement session; after that, the session counts as delivered.
Credits.
A Pitch Sharpen purchase can be credited towards an Evidence Bank + Pitch Coach order within 30 days.
The extra Sharpen credit in the Promotion Pack, and Alumni Sharpen pricing, are valid for 12 months from purchase.
Credits have no cash value and can’t be transferred to another person.
4. Revisions, refunds and your consumer rights
Revisions. Each service includes the edit or review rounds described on our website (for example, one follow-up round for Pitch Sharpen and two edit rounds for Evidence Bank + Pitch Coach). Please request revisions within 14 days of delivery. Revisions cover the same job application; a new job is a new order.
Our satisfaction promise. If you’re not happy with the feedback on your pitch, tell us within 14 days and we’ll do one extra round free.
Refunds.
Before work starts: full refund if you cancel before your coaching call, or before we start reviewing your draft.
After work starts: because coaching time can’t be returned, we offer the extra round under our satisfaction promise instead of a refund, unless the law requires otherwise.
If we can’t deliver: if we cancel or can’t deliver your service, we’ll refund you in full for any part not delivered.
Not getting the job is not a reason for a refund, as outcomes depend on the agency and selection panel.
Refunds go back to your original payment method, usually within 5–10 business days.
Australian Consumer Law. Our services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. This includes that services will be provided with due care and skill. If a service fails to meet a consumer guarantee, you may be entitled to a remedy, such as having the service provided again or a refund. Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies those rights.
5. Ownership, liability, privacy and general terms
Who owns what. Your experience, drafts and final application belong to you. Your Evidence Bank is yours to keep and reuse. Our website content, templates, guides, scorecards and methods belong to us; you can use them for your own applications but not copy, share or sell them.
Our liability. To the extent the law allows, and subject to your rights under the Australian Consumer Law:
our total liability to you for any service is limited to the amount you paid for it, or to supplying the service again
we’re not liable for indirect losses, such as lost income or opportunities, including not being shortlisted or offered a role
we’re not liable for content you choose to submit, or for decisions made by employers or selection panels
Privacy. We handle your personal information in line with our Privacy Policy, including how we use AI tools and record coaching calls.
Website and free tools. Our guides and the Pitch Health Check give general information and automated or human feedback. They are not a guarantee of any outcome and not professional advice for your specific situation.
Changes to these terms. We may update these terms from time to time. The version on our website when you order applies to that order.
Governing law. These terms are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia.
Contact. Questions about these terms: [hello@meritlist.com.au].
Effective date: 22 October 2026