ComputerJourney.com Support Purchase Policy

Purchase Policy

Computer Tech Support Basic Web Dev. Support Advanced Support

What follows are the details to my purchase policy as I deem most fair to both myself and you. A successful business cannot exist without customer satisfaction, so that is my primary goal. At the same point, a successful business cannot exist without funding, so I must also protect myself from being denied compensation for work done. It is best to inquire about support before making purchases because it is free and can help guide smarter purchases. If you have questions, contact me first.

Also, if your problem is simple and solvable in less than 7 minutes, often I will just email you to assist for free. I am not going to make you pay for service that you don't need. However, if you contact me more than twice with simple problems, I will request that you purchase support because solving multiple simple problems constitutes a sufficient amount of support to earn compensation.

Computer Tech Support

If you purchase Computer Tech Support, it is under the assumption that something is wrong with your computer but you are still able to turn it on and log in to your machine. If you can't get that far then there isn't much I can do to assist you without being there in person. I can attempt to diagnose what might be the cause of your machine's state based on what you can describe as being its symptoms prior to being unable to turn on and load the OS, but there are no guarantees with hardware failure.

Assuming that the prerequisite described above is true and you can log in to your machine, my time will initially be spent diagnosing the problem. I will want you to detail what symptoms you have experienced, and then I will proceed to do some research to hopefully narrow down the problem. If I am able to ascertain the cause of the problem, one of the possibilities will follow:

I will be able to fix the problem.
I will not be able to fix the problem and can tell you before I try to fix the problem.
I will not be able to fix the problem, but will only find that out after attempting to fix it.

In the case of #1, if I accomplish the task with over 50% of your purchased time remaining (for purchases of 1 hour or more), I will offer you: 1) a refund for 50% of your purchase (minus the incurred transaction fee from Google and PayPal), 2) the option to retain the value of your remaining time for use later (effectively, a support credit for later redemption or to be applied to the purchase of other support in the future), or 3) exclusive content from my book Computer Zen: A Journey to Better Computing and other resources. You will be able to choose which option you would like to utilize.

In the event that I am unable to accomplish the task in the time you have purchased, but it is clear that I am making progress, I will ask you to purchase additional time (if I think it is necessary) at which point you can decide if you want to do so. If not, then I will not be able to continue to support you (unless I think I can get it done with a minimal amount of additional time). I work fast and efficiently, so if I need more time, it's because I legitimately need it. You can also contact me prior to purchase to get an estimate for how long something might take. Estimates not 100% accurate though, so I might require more or less time when it comes down to actually working on the problem. If I am available to assist you in the time immediately following our appointment I will continue to work on your problem during that time (after receiving confirmation of your additional purchase). Otherwise, I will have to schedule a new appointment with you to finish resolving your problem in the near future.

In the case of #2, if after completion of diagnosis you have over 50% of your time remaining (for purchases of 1 hour or more) I will offer you: 1) a refund for 50% of your purchase (minus the incurred transaction fee from Google and PayPal), 2) the option to retain the value of your FULL purchase time for use later (effectively, a support credit for later redemption or to be applied to the purchase of other support in the future), or 3) exclusive content from my book Computer Zen: A Journey to Better Computing and other resources. You will be able to choose which option you would like to utilize.

In the case of #3, I will be working to try to remedy your problem for the length of your purchased support, but if I eventually determine that all of my efforts can't seem to fix your problem I will offer you: 1) a refund for 50% of your purchase (minus the incurred transaction fee from Google and PayPal) plus a credit for 50% of your purchased support to be redeemed later and/or exclusive content from my book Computer Zen: A Journey to Better Computing and other resources, or 2) the option to retain the value of your FULL purchase time for use later (effectively, a support credit for later redemption or to be applied to the purchase of other support in the future). You will be able to choose which option you would like to utilize.

In the end, I want to ensure that you are satisfied and provide you with the best support I can while still being compensated for my efforts.

***NOTE: When working on computers, sometimes things can go wrong and/or other problems can arise. Sometimes these additional problems are already resident and just become apparent after fixing other issues. While I will do my absolute best to exercise caution and maintain the state of your machine (the good state, not the bad state), I make no guarantees that something worse won't occur. I highly recommend that you regularly backup important documents and data, as well as set up regular System Restore points for maintaining your System files in the event of corruption. When I begin assisting you, I will ask you if you have already done a backup and created a System Restore point. If not, some of your purchased time will initially be spent doing those tasks (you should do them before I start working to get the most out of your purchased support time).

If your machine's state becomes worse I will do my best to remedy the situation (given that I was the direct cause of the degraded condition) but am not liable for lost documents, corrupted programs, failed hardware, or any other irreparable conditions. Basically, if I do something to make things worse, I will go to great lengths to try to fix the problem. I will not be held responsible if your machine becomes worse while working on it if I was not the direct cause of the problem. If I can't fix any new problems that I create while working on your machine, I will issue you a full refund (minus transaction fees incurred by Google and PayPal) but am not liable for any other expenses or damages incurred to repair your machine. If I am not the cause of any new problems that become visible while working on your machine, I am not responsible for remedying those problems and not liable for any expenses incurred while fixing those problems.

Basic Web Dev. Support

If you purchase Basic Web Development Support, it is under the assumption that you need help 1) analyzing/modifying already existing code written in HTML, CSS, and Javascript, 2) designing basic webpages using HTML, CSS, and Javascript, or 3) need help coding content based on a pre-existing design using HTML, CSS, and Javascript. With regard to any task, there are three scenarios that could occur:

I will be able to accomplish the task.
I will not be able to accomplish the task and can tell you before I attempt it.
I will not be able to accomplish the task, but will only find that out after attempting it.

In the event that I am unable to accomplish the task in the time you have purchased, but it is clear that I am making progress, I will ask you to purchase additional time (if I think it is necessary) at which point you can decide if you want to do so. If not, then I will not be able to continue to support you (unless I think I can get it done with a minimal amount of additional time). I work fast and efficiently, so if I need more time, it's because I legitimately need it. You can also contact me prior to purchase to get an estimate for how long something might take. Estimates not 100% accurate though, so I might require more or less time when it comes down to actually working on the task. If I am available to assist you in the time immediately following our appointment I will continue to work on your problem during that time (after receiving confirmation of your additional purchase). Otherwise, I will have to schedule a new appointment with you to finish the task in the near future.

In the case of #2, if after initial analysis of the task I feel I can't accomplish the task I will refund you the full purchase of your time (minus the incurred transaction fee from Google and PayPal). If I don't make any attempt at trying to do the task other than to ascertain whether or not I can do it, I will not charge you for it. You can choose to keep the purchased time as a credit to be applied to a different task in the future if you would like. You can also opt for exclusive content from my book Computer Zen: A Journey to Better Computing and other resources if you'd like.

In the case of #3, if I make significant effort and can provide evidence of code produced/modified or design documentation but determine that I can't complete the task for some reason I will offer you: 1) a refund for 50% of your purchase (minus the incurred transaction fee from Google and PayPal) plus a credit for 50% of your purchased support to be redeemed later and/or exclusive content from my book Computer Zen: A Journey to Better Computing and other resources, or 2) the option to retain the value of your FULL purchase time for use later (effectively, a support credit for later redemption or to be applied to the purchase of other support in the future). You will be able to choose which option you would like to utilize. If you would like, I can also restore the original code and setup from the backups created before beginning my task.

In the end, I want to ensure that you are satisfied and provide you with the best support I can while still being compensated for my efforts.

***NOTE: When working with code and software, sometimes changing one thing can lead to other things changing unexpectedly. This is a result of chained dependencies between different code components. For example, laying out a web page with the use of an external stylesheet, modifying a single page to lay out differently, and then changing the external stylesheet causing the modified page to change unexpectedly. The cause for the change can usually be tracked down, but often requires a good deal of effort to do so. It is important to follow good design constraints when writing any code so as to allow for changes to be centralized and flexible. If the code I am analyzing/modifying is poorly designed, changing it might cause unexpected effects to other parts of the code base. I will do my best to avoid such problems and fix them expediently, but if the cause of the side effects is not easily traceable I will require more purchased time to make the fixes.

I am not responsible for side effects that result from modifying code that has unusual dependencies that I am not aware of. I will try to fix them in the time I have remaining, but there is no guarantee that this is possible. Before I begin work, I will back up all files that I make edits to so in the event that I can't fix whatever problems you have, I can at least restore everything to its initial state. It is highly recommended that you make regular backups of your code base and to make a backup prior to me beginning work on your code that none of your purchased time will be used in creating the backups.

Advanced Support

If you purchase Advanced Support, it is under the assumption that you need help with anything else not described in the other two categories such as 1) advanced web design and development consisting of Perl/CGI, ASP/VB, PHP, .NET, MySQL, Wordpress and other third party software configuration and modification, 2) Java/C/C++ software design and development, or 3) advanced computer theory, technical writing, and anything else related to software, computers, networking, writing, and teaching that I am knowledgeable of. For example, I teach a number of computer courses based on my book Computer Zen: A Journey to Better Computing as well as Microsoft Word and Excel and even Social Networking. If you would like me to come in and provide individual or group instruction I am available to do so (note that preparation of additional presentation materials will require purchasing of time). With regard to the software design and development tasks, there are three scenarios that could occur:

I will be able to accomplish the task.
I will not be able to accomplish the task and can tell you before I attempt it.
I will not be able to accomplish the task, but will only find that out after attempting it.

In the event that I am unable to accomplish the task in the time you have purchased, but it is clear that I am making progress, I will ask you to purchase additional time (if I think it is necessary) at which point you can decide if you want to do so. If not, then I will not be able to continue to support you (unless I think I can get it done with a minimal amount of additional time). I work fast and efficiently, so if I need more time, it's because I legitimately need it. You can also contact me prior to purchase to get an estimate for how long something might take. Estimates not 100% accurate though, so I might require more or less time when it comes down to actually working on the task. If I am available to assist you in the time immediately following our appointment I will continue to work on your problem during that time (after receiving confirmation of your additional purchase). Otherwise, I will have to schedule a new appointment with you to finish the task in the near future.

With regards to general instruction, technical writing, and anything that doesn't actually consist of software design and development, the same three scenarios as above apply. If I commit to a scheduled in-person appointment and for some reason can't make it at the last minute, I will ask that we reschedule if possible, and if not I will issue you a full refund (minus the incurred transaction fee from Google and PayPal). Alternatively, you can retain the purchased time as a credit to be used at a later time.

In the end, I want to ensure that you are satisfied and provide you with the best support I can while still being compensated for my efforts.

***NOTE: When working with code and software, sometimes changing one thing can lead to other things changing unexpectedly. This is a result of chained dependencies between different code components. For example, modifying a function then isn't known to be shared and getting unexpected results from another caller as a result. The cause for the change can usually be tracked down, but often requires a good deal of effort to do so. It is important to follow good design constraints when writing any code so as to allow for changes to be centralized and flexible. If the code I am analyzing/modifying is poorly designed, changing it might cause unexpected effects to other parts of the code base. I will do my best to avoid such problems and fix them expediently, but if the cause of the side effects is not easily traceable I will require more purchased time to make the fixes.