Fees for Consultation and Services

• Standard. A flat fee of $50.00 per hour for most work done in my shop or in your home in the immediate Greater Bangor Area is fairly standard.  Most projects are done within an hour, but longer work, such as particularly difficult or multiple projects, can run more at that hourly rate.
  
• Out-of-town. On-site service outside the Greater Bangor Area extending south to Pittsfield, north to Lincoln, and east to Mount Desert Isle is $60.00 per hour plus 25 cents per mile travel.
  
• Way out-of-town.  On-site service south to Waterville, north to Millinocket, and east to Machias is $75.00 per hour plus 25 cents per mile travel.
  
• Way, way out-of-town.  On-site service anywhere else in the State of Maine is $75.00 per hour plus 30 cents per mile travel plus expenses (lodging, tolls, etc.).
  
• Way, way, waaaayyy out-of-town.  If you are outside the State of Maine and require on-site service, I'll still come to you.  $75.00 per hour, 30 cents per mile travel, plus full expenses (food, lodging, tolls, etc.).

Special Group Rates
Perhaps you're in Presque Isle and paying $75.00 per hour for my services doesn't tickle you too much.  Do you have friends, acquaintances, or family members who need service as well?  If we can arrange several jobs, I'm available to come to your area for an entire day or several days at reduced rates to service the group.  Contact me with specifics and I'll give you an estimate.

Special Commercial Rates
If you're a business and there is sufficient work to be done on multiple machines, a network, etc., I'm available to contract for lesser costs and mileage, particularly if we can arrange an ongoing relationship.  Contact me with details and I'll give you an estimate.

Contracting
I will consider contracting in advance for regularly scheduled service at discounted rates.  Contact me with specifics and I will give you an estimate.

How I Do My Work and Determine Billing
I will work for you to the best of my ability to perform whatever task I have been hired to perform.  I will not bill if I do not either solve the problem at hand or come to a determination of the problem.

For example, let's say the service call to you involves a modem.

If I am to find out why your modem isn't working, I will work to discover why:

• If I discover that the modem needs new drivers installed, I will install the drivers and bill for the labor.
• If I discover that the modem has physically died, I have come to a determination of the problem and will bill for labor, even though the modem is nonfunctional.
• If I am unable to determine what the problem is, I have not done my job and therefore will not bill for labor.

Data Recovery
Backup, backup, backup!

That's the motto of doing anything on a computer, particularly if you're running a business.  But if you didn't back up and you had a horrible hard drive crash, I'll do my best to recover your vital data.

Because this is a very uncertain job that is very time-consuming, I do charge for time spent on attempted data recovery even if there is no data recovered.  You can, however, be assured that:  I will do everything possible to recover the data; I will ascertain whether or not the data is recoverable without special hardware means as quickly as I can; I will not go over the hourly total we agree on before I start; and if I indeed determine that special hardware means will be necessary to recover the data, I will refer you to a data recovery house that can do it.  Be forewarned:  that gets expensive.  Back up, back up often, back up religiously, and you won't have that problem.