We support only the hardware and software we sell.
There's a reason. In both cases, the services we provide depend directly on the resources we have behind us. We invest considerable time and effort assembling the tools necessary to support what we sell. Without those tools (and we don't have them on products we don't sell), we can't provide the level of support our customers need. And, everyone involved suffers as a consequence.
The rule in the small-business computer industry is: Your support comes from the vendor who sold you your system.
The following is (we hope) a brief list of our business policies, our Rules of the Road for this stretch of the Information Highway.
Note: Our policy on email attachments is what we recommend for our customers.
None of this is cast in stone. If you have a question or concern, please let us know. The bottom line for us is that our reputation is more important to us than any specific incident or policy. So, we are certain that we can resolve any issue.
We do not accept unsolicited email attachments!
This is our on-going policy and one we recommend to our customers. Here's why:
On the other hand, email attachments can be a very convenient way to pass files across the Internet. Here's what we recommend to our customers:
Remember: The more access you allow to your system, the greater the likelihood for something to go wrong. As is almost always the case with computer systems, planning ahead is the key to everything.
Why? Because Windows application and database files are huge! Unlike the old MSDOS systems, there are literally hundreds of ways you can end up somewhere under Windows. Direct or Internet dial-up connections simply aren't fast enough to handle the data transfers necessary to monitor these applications.
We feel that the time saved with broadband (DSL) access more than pays for itself! Click here for more information on Internet access.
Note: The point at which "support" becomes "outsourcing" is a case-by-case situation. Of course, verbal help and connecting over the Internet are all part of support. However, if we transfer your data to our offices and expend signifcant time on your behalf, that starts to become outsourcing and not part of telephone support. Naturally, we'll discuss this as it arises, and we always try to err on the side of "It's covered."
We bill subscriptions quarterly, with invoices mailed around the 15th of the month prior to the start of the quarter. We assume that customers who have not paid for their telephone-support subscriptions within thirty (30) days of invoicing no longer want to receive those services. (We send only one notice of this condition.)
Software
We have expended substantial time and effort in refining our services and creating our software products. The fees we charge
an individual customer represent only partial compensation for our total work. Consequently, we reserve a substantial proprietary
interest in these products. And, we consider them to include valuable trade secrets.
Your authorization of our work, our installation, and/or your use of these systems acknowledge these facts and mark your agreement to treat these products and services as confidential and, your acceptance of these terms as our licensing agreement. Primarily, this means that you will not sell, give away, or otherwise transfer any software we provide to another machine or allow it to be used in another installation, without authorization in writing from us.
We make every effort to insure that our services and these software products meet all our customers' needs. In most cases,
we specifically tailor the programming to meet each customer's requirements. However, we must provide our services and software
products without any warranty, expressed or implied, including, but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and
fitness for a particular purpose.
Here's the most important point: We stand behind our work. If you have a problem, we want you to let us know right away! We will do everything in our power to make things right.
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