My hours of operation are generally from 9:00AM to 6:00PM, Monday through Friday. I am available for work outside of these hours, but it will cost you more. I am not interested in overnight work at all.
These hours start here, so the earliest a non-emergency service call would involve an arrival time somewhat later than 9:00AM.
Given the nature of this technical work, an estimate can often involve the major part of actually fixing something. Diagnosis, and perhaps even the installation of new components to confirm that diagnosis are often the most time-consuming part of a repair. Estimates will therefore be included in time charged for.
A minimum charge of one hour shall be charged for any given work. This is normally per item of equipment, but multiple items of equipment can be combined for sufficient volume of stuff worked on.
This is where you bring the equipment to me, and I work on it at my convenience. At this point in time my rates for bench work are $50.00/hour.
This is where I travel to locations away from my place of business, and work on equipment, cabling, etc. on site. Currently my rate for field service is $75.00/hour, for services performed within my local area. Further away will cost more, depending on travel time, what else I might schedule in the area, and so forth.
"Local area" is defined pretty loosely, and not by a strict mileage radius, as some travel (back roads, construction, etc.) can take a lot longer than it might appear.
A flat rate for specific work can be negotiated, when there is a clearly defined scope of work and with a limit in terms of the amount of time spent.
Additional service calls to deal with the same issue will be billed at the same rate as the initial trip. I do not see the logic of some companies that seem to feel that a second or subsequent trips should be able to be done at a lower rate— it doesn't cost me any less to make those trips!
A lower rate may be negotiated, at my option, when a single service call involves a block of 4 contiguous hours or more.
Parts and equipment that I supply may require a deposit before they are ordered, depending on the cost of the part and other factors.
Customer-supplied parts are acceptable for some situations.
Those circumstances that require the return of removed parts and equipment when the customer has supplied them are the responsibility of the customer with regard to arranging for shipping — it is your responsibility to provide a return shipping label, an account number, or otherwise arrange for this to be covered. Any necessary trip to a shipping location will be considered billable time, in addition to the time spent on site. Any parts for which no return shipping labels are provided within ten days after they've been requested will be considered abandoned and will be disposed of.
Payment is expected when work is completed. I do NOT offer terms. If you are in need of help with your short-term cashflow, please discuss it with your bank. I am NOT in the business of financing your operations!
Payment can be cash, check, major credit card, or paypal. If work flow is being handled through an online platform then "approval" is expected on the same day the work is completed.
Equipment that has been worked on, or estimated, will be held for a maximum of 30 days after such estimate or completion. After this point it will be considered abandoned, and disposed of as I see fit.
If you choose to use me for work then you agree to these terms.