So you’re actually considering to work with me; great! That said, I do have some terms of service requirements before doing a job. Please review these before committing to anything. I’m not at fault if you don’t read this upon acceptance, and agreeing to work together means you agree to these terms.
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Deposits
I require a starting deposit for any work done, including through 3rd party platforms and hourly jobs. While this is broken up in various ways depending on how big the job is, the point remains; I don’t work unless you have a deposit guarantee. This means no work for free first, no spec designs, etc. If you can’t or won’t pay a deposit, you’ll need to find someone else to go work with.
This especially goes to people who are “famous”, or are of the belief that everything needs to be done 100% before even paying a cent “so I get what I need”. That doesn’t change the fact that you still need to pay something before I work.
Things I Don’t Do
While I’m here to help you get your project on the road, I do draw the line at certain inquiries and subject matter. These are either things I’m uncomfortable with, unable to provide to you in a physical capacity or such.
I Don’t Take Jobs that Involve
- Tutoring-type work: i.e, “teach me how to lay out an eBook.”
- Over-the shoulder monitoring: i.e, “Please stream yourself working on my book so I know you’re making progress.” Or “Let me visit your office so I can see you make this graphic on the spot.”
- Shady motives or business practices: i.e, “Remove this watermark and DRM from this stock product so I can use it.”
- Certain religious or political content
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Work Compatibility Disclaimer
While I work with people of all backgrounds and requirements, I do have a set of requirements that I’m stating upfront to facilitate things better. If you can’t meet these needs, you’re welcome to get someone to be an intermediary, or find another professional to work with.
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Weekends: I don’t do work on weekends, and keep a rough set of office hours during the week (late morning to evenings, EST/EDT). I’ll answer e-mails in this time, unless I’m delivering a milestone. This means if it’s late at night or on a Saturday, I won’t be answering your e-mail until the next business day.
Updates: I do milestone updates, meaning I update you at major milestones or any issues while on a project. I don’t needlessly update daily, whether at my discretion or by client request. This especially goes to daily phone calls, which goes to below:
Phone Calls: I’m one of those extroverts that doesn’t mind talking to people. However, it’s extra work and hassle for me to constantly field phone questions and updates, especially with certain clients who think I should answer at a drop at a hat, calling whenever they like. Because of this, I charge time for any phone/Skype/Zoom call at $20/hr, and $15 per every call less than 30 minutes. Any incurred fees for communication will be added to the delivery deposit during the project.
Technology & Comprehension: This is a biggie, and something I do need cleared up before taking any job. You need to have some understanding of basic computer usage and reading directions/instructions. Know what Dropbox is, know right-clicking copy paste text, etc. Get a concept of understanding directions (i.e, using files from an attached e-mail and knowing that this is used in what’s being talked about in Step 6). Basic stuff, things you’d learn in high school or basic college computer science course.
I’m not here to teach you how to use the computer, or spend two hours on the phone because you don’t know how to copy a file from your desktop to another folder. Nor suffer abuse for “giving me something that doesn’t work, I’M NOT PAYING YOU” because you didn’t read the email that states that Kindle files don’t load as a PDF. This is not in my services offered in any capacity.
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Bad Client Policy
I reserve the right to refuse work from a client based on their behavior towards me or others. Such behavior includes:
- Extremely poor communication
- Harassing comments and behavior
- Repeated attempts at gaining sensitive personal information, a.k.a “doxxing” (personal phone numbers, home addresses, etc)
- Attempting to contact me outside an established communication channel without my express permission for a non-emergency manner (i.e, trying to call me when we’ve been communicating over e-mail)
- Attempting to barge into my personal life unwarranted “because you feel like it”.
- Predatory blackmailing/extortion tactics
- Demanding spec work/work without a starting deposit
- Demanding delivered product without the appropriate milestone paid
- Non-professional correspondence (text message only communication, etc.)
I also reserve the right to cancel an ongoing job if such issues crop up. In such a case, you’ll be refunded for any incomplete work, with the difference held on an estimate for work already completed.