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NEW RATE SCHEDULES

As of August 1st, 2008, PCT Computer Services will be operating under new rates.  In recognition of the hard economic times the rate increases are being restricted to the first hour's rate and, unfortunately, phone and e-mail support.

NEW RATES: $90.00 1st hour (minimum) and then $45.00/hr charged to the next five minutes.  This is an increase of $15.00 for the first hour.  The rest of the rates for any on-site visit remains the same.

PHONE AND E-MAIL SUPPORT IS NO LONGER FREE unless an appointment is made during that call and kept within two weeks.

Phone support is provided at $1.00/minute, $10.00 minimum for the first 10 minutes and and then rounded up to the next five minutes. (eg. 12 minute phone call = $15.00 charge). 

E-mails are charged at $15.00 PER REPLY unless an appointment is made in the reply and kept within two weeks.

The exceptions to these rates are:

1. One phone call or e-mail reply to clarify an issue dealt with in the most recent appointment.

2. When explicitly told to call regarding a specific event.

3. Rescheduling appointments made during a call or e-mail exchange is allowed ONCE.

The use of the phone call was always intended to be limited to follow-up on issues dealt with or questions arising from the most recent appointment, in case there was something the customer needed to know they didn't ask about during the visit, and in that vein, it remains free and part of the privilege of paying for an appointment.  However, it's become necessary to charge for other unrelated issues as some customers attempt to entirely fix problems by calling or e-mailing and then not making appointments when the problem persists.  We are certainly glad to be of assistance, but as we are imparting real value, if by nothing else than limiting the time we would have spent onsite narrowing down the problem, we must now insist on being paid for that assistance.

Here are some tips to help you reduce your costs under these new rates:

1. ALWAYS be in front of your computer, with your computer on if you have a computer issue you need to deal with.  Often times, we receive phone calls from clients wanting to solve a problem, but aren't in front of their computers to do it then.  This wastes both of our time.

2. WRITE DOWN ALL ERROR MESSAGES before calling.  This helps us figure out some of the problems you may be facing.

3. REMEMBER WHAT YOU DID when the problem happens.  Does the issue happen when you use a particular program?  What were you doing when you first noticed the problem.  What did you try to do to fix it?  What programs were you using at the time? Is the problem consistent or does it just happen randomly?   Being able to answer these questions will save you time and money in the long run.

Finally, ask about our 'remote control' options.  If you have an Internet connection, we can set up a remote session that may address your problem for only the cost of the base hourly rate of $45.00.  It's less cost than a visit, even less than a phone call and can be done immediately to address your needs.  It only requires a working Internet connection.  We can talk you through installing the software and getting your computer set up for $20.00 (It takes about 20 minutes to do it all).

Here's how it works:

You call and we talk you through installing the software.  The installed software runs on your computer in the background all the time.  It sends nothing to us and only notifies a website when you are online that we can connect to your computer if need be.  It is double encrypted and no one unauthorized can get into your computer.  

If you have a problem (a pop-up you don't understand, a program issue or some other problem that doesn't involve a lost Internet connection), you call us and we can set up a remote session  - immediately if we are available, or at our earliest convenience.  We will then be on the phone with you as we log into your computer and see what is happening.  

At that point, we may tell you what to click on, or do it ourselves if we feel the problem is more advanced.  When the issue is finished, we log out of your computer.  The charge for the remote session is based on the length of the phone call and calculated at $45.00/hr, charged to the next five minutes.

We charge less for this than a regular phone call or e-mail because it is direct, extremely easy compared to a phone call or e-mail, MUCH faster for both you and us and saves us time and gas.  

We are not happy about raising our rates in these tough economic times, but the realities of the times must be acknowledged.  We hope, that by offering some cheaper alternatives to a full on-site visit and one free follow-up call for the same issue (see the exceptions), that we are not imposing an undue financial burden on our valued clients.

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Last modified: July 30th, 2008