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What follows are general service descriptions. Before you commit to anything, we will have an initial discussion about your work and your requirements, usually by phone or email, at no charge. Each situation is unique. You will know exactly how and for what you will be billed before we begin work. I believe charges should never come as a surprise.
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I favor a modular approach with both long-term and short-term views kept in mind. Long-range planning creates a good path to follow for minimizing wasted effort. To let you realize a return on your investment as soon as possible, I look for ways to break projects down into smaller chunks, which can be implemented prior to the completion of the entire project. With experience in all phases of business software development, I can take your project from beginning to end: from needs and cost/benefit analysis through system design, programming, testing, end-user training and final implementation.
Our first discussion of your needs is free. If your project has a well-defined scope, I can bid you a fixed price for it. When such is not the case, I must charge for the necessary analysis work up front before I can ascertain a realistic price for the project, because every project is unique. However, if you accept the proposal, that amount will be credited toward what you owe for the complete job.
(In general, “well-defined scope” means that workflow analysis and all desired screens, reports, fields, layouts and relationships have already been defined. A sample should have been created for each screen and report the user will see, and how the user will move from one screen to another should already be documented.)
Alternatively, we can agree upon an hourly rate, which particularly makes sense when your staff will be doing some of the work. (See my usual rate below.)
I am happy to provide one-to-one or small group instruction or other assistance in the areas of Microsoft Office use, VBA, HTML and CSS, as well as on how to use - or even how to program - any system I have developed for you. For new clients, such consultations are paid in advance in one-hour increments at my standard hourly rate (see below), while for existing clients these consultations can be added to your regular bills.
I can also be available for conducting workshops, but in that case I will need to figure in planning time, copies of training materials, and other costs, depending upon the circumstances. Please contact me to discuss your needs.
For very short consulting sessions, my overhead is proportionately higher. If you have a project that will take more than a few days, contact me to discuss a package price.
I accept checks or money orders made out to "MendoClick" and sent to the address on my "Contact Information" page. I also accept Visa, MasterCard and PayPal online via PayPal. Click here to pay online or for more information.
Very short email and phone consultations are usually paid in advance in one-hour increments. Larger projects are generally billed weekly for the first month and monthly thereafter. The client may elect to pay for some of the first month in advance in order to avoid weekly bills. Contact me to work out a mutually-satisfactory plan.
MendoClick does not normally require a deposit. However, if a third party is involved in your project, that party may require a deposit, which we will pass on to you.
MendoClick will make every attempt to remedy any problems in a manner fair to all. Please notify me immediately of any problems or complaints.
If you elect to have MendoClick stop work on your project, we will of course refund all unused prepaid consulting or project fees. We're sorry, but we cannot refund third-party costs such as equipment or space rental or shipping costs.
The following charges will be levied when the client does not provide notification of cancellation or rescheduling at least 24 hours ahead of time:
These charges may be waived in some cases.
Additional charges from third parties for equipment, workshop space, or other items will also apply, and such third parties may require more than 24 hours of advance notice for clients to avoid financial penalties; the amount of notice they require depends on their policies, not MendoClick's.
MendoClick reserves the right to change rates at any time, but will not increase the rates for a previously scheduled project for which a rate commitment has already been given, unless the terms for that project included an ending date for the billing rate promised and that ending date has passed. MendoClick may also make promotional offerings at a discount from regular prices.
MendoClick currently gives a twenty-percent discount to nonprofit organizations with tax-exempt status. This does NOT include the costs of equipment or facilities. I will consider whether or not to give the discount to nonprofit organizations without tax-exempt status on a case-by-case basis.
Microsoft, Windows, Outlook, PowerPoint, FrontPage, and Microsoft Office are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Copyright © 2001-2010 - MendoClick
Revised: July 04, 2006