"Free Pre-Purchase Consultation" FAQ

Q: Wait - like free free? 
A:  Yup.

Q: And you're not going to sell me on stuff?
A: Only if you need it - but we're not going to get a commission or anything.

Q: How long can we talk?
A: As long as we need, within reason.  An hour or two for a big project?  Sure.  5 minutes for a quick question?  Absolutely.  6 hours every Tuesday morning to hear about your nephew's soccer practice?  That's something we're happy to offer as a paid service at our standard blended rate of $95/hr.

Q: Why is it "pre-purchase" only?
A: We've learned this the hard way - the only way that we're able to offer free help is if we're able to help from the very beginning of the process.  At that point we can easily make sure you get equipment that will work with your existing technology.  Since we know our tech, and what we'd suggest for many scenarios that's something we can do without too much hassle or work. 

However, once you've already bought something, now we have to figure out the specifics, we have to understand what the capabilities of your new tech are, what the problems with integrating it into your system could be, and then we've got to think about what you're trying to achieve and what you might be running into.  That kind of troubleshooting is a very different amount of work - that's something we're happy to offer as a paid service at our standard blended rate of $95/hr.

Q: So what's the catch?
A: No catch - as long as our schedule allows - we'll help you find the right equipment.

Q: Can I pay you afterwards?
A: I mean, I guess so? But seriously, the point of this is that we're experts, we've done the research and had the experiences, and if we can have a five minute conversation that saves you two hours of frustration - why wouldn't we?

Q: So why shouldn't I just get you to help me set everything up and then handle it myself?
A: You could, but that's a.) a little shady, and b.) not always the best idea.  Also, while we're able to offer general advice during these conversations as well, we can't get into the details in the way we do when we're working a job.

Q: Ok, so I bought this stuff and I want to figure out how to make it work.
A: Absolutely - reach out and we'd love to offer paid troubleshooting.