Terms and Conditions

Payment and Other Terms

I require the following down payments and terms for all new customers. Once we work together and develop a relationship, in most cases, I’ll bill when a project is finished.

New Customer Terms

If your job is expected to run between $250 - $999:

• 50% down
  
• 50% upon delivery of first draft
  

Revision cycles begin after all payments are made.

If your job is expected to run between $1,000 - $1,999:

• 1/3 down
• 1/3 upon delivery of first installment
• 1/3 upon delivery of completed first draft
  

Revision cycles begin after all payments are made.

If your job is expected to run $2,000 or greater:

• ¼ down
• ¼ upon delivery of first installment
  
• ¼ upon delivery of second installment
  
• ¼ upon delivery of completed first draft
  

Revision cycles begin after all payments are made.

Terms

All payments are due within 10 after I send you an invoice, unless otherwise agreed upon in advance.

Past due invoices accrue interest at 1 Ѕ percent per month.

Payment Methods

For your convenience, I accept credit card payments though www.PayPal.com, or checks and money orders drawn on U.S. funds.

Collection Activities

Now this doesn’t happen often, as I’ve found most business people I’ve dealt with are honest and trustworthy. I don’t like collection activities, or even mentioning them, but you should be aware that my collection activities are not standard.

They include contacting the media in your local area—by phone, mail and fax—as well as filing Internet Fraud Complaints with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Fraud Division, and contacting other local agencies: the Better Business Bureau, your local Attorney General’s office, etc.

The way I see it, if you hire me to perform a service, I am like any other professional contractor who expects to be paid when your job is complete. If you change the scope of your project, or decide that you went about it all wrong at the end of your project, it’s only right that I be paid for the work that I’ve done.

Think about it. If you hire a painter, and tell him to paint your house blue, then your significant other sees the color and hates it, you can’t say, “That’s not what I wanted, please make it green now,” and expect your painter to repaint it for free.

Same thing goes for writing services. I do all I can to make certain that the end result is exactly what you’re looking for. I ask lots of questions up front. I give you a questionnaire to complete. I send you outlines or preliminary drafts. And if all that doesn’t keep me on track, I offer 30-days of revisions at no additional charge, as long as they’re within the scope of the original project.

It’s not pleasant to think of the negative aspects of doing business, but I’ve discovered, working virtually, it’s something that must be done. Otherwise, when a problem arises, and I mention my expectations and collection procedures, it’s taken as “threatening.” I don’t intend to be threatening. But I do want to warn—and ward off—shady characters. I don’t take non-payment lightly just because we’re doing business in the virtual world.

I work hard to make sure you’re completely satisfied. I do my work on budget, and on time. All I ask is for the same consideration you give your painter, your accountant, your attorney, and other service providers.

Let’s work together, and make your communications project a smashing success!