Rates & Billing Policies
Clear, transparent IT consulting. No prepaid labor retainers. No managed-service contracts.
An optional Managed Agent device-maintenance and security layer is available month-to-month at $50 per enrolled device per month, separate from live consulting work. The math, the scope, and the billing boundary are visible before enrollment.
IT Consulting & Support Rates
Base Rate: $275 per hour
Minimum Charges:
- On-site service: 1-hour minimum (this first hour functions as a booking deposit)
- Remote / phone / screen-sharing support: 30-minute minimum (booking deposit)
Billing Increments: All work beyond the initial minimum is billed in 1-minute increments, based on session timers and documented work.
Specialty Rate: $400/hour for advanced networking and scientific engineering engagements. Scope is defined and agreed upon during the discovery call. Work performed within that scope is billed at the specialty rate; all other services are billed at the standard rate.
For complex projects that benefit from sustained focus, primary-source research, and uninterrupted execution, see Full-Day & Multi-Day Engagements →.
Travel
Local travel is billed as follows:
- Transportation: billed at actual cost (e.g., Uber/Lyft).
- Travel time: billed at the standard hourly rate, based on actual transit duration as recorded by Uber/Lyft ride receipts (pickup to drop-off only; wait time is not billed).
For local travel of 15 minutes or less each way, travel time is not billed.
If travel exceeds 15 minutes in either direction, all travel time is billable.
Out-of-area or extended travel is quoted or pre-approved in advance.
Air travel is billed at actual cost (transport and lodging) plus travel time.
Booking & Payment Policy
Booking Deposit: Appointments are reserved only after the minimum charge is authorized:
- On-site: 1 hour
- Remote: 30 minutes
This deposit applies directly to the first block of service time and is not an extra fee.
Payment Method: A valid credit card is required to book services. We do not accept checks and do not offer net terms. No card, no service — no exceptions.
How Billing Works:
- Scope and estimated time are agreed upon in advance whenever practical.
- Charges apply only to time actively worked.
- Billing occurs after each completed session or day of service.
- Invoices clearly itemize total time worked, billing increments applied, service type (on-site or remote), and the date(s) services were performed.
We do not bill recurring fees, retainers, or unattended time.
Scheduling & Cancellation
- Cancellation / Rescheduling: At least 24 hours’ notice is required to avoid charges.
- Late Cancellations / No-Shows: Cancellations with less than 24 hours’ notice or missed appointments are billed for the minimum booked time, as that time was reserved exclusively for you.
Quick Questions & Brief Communications
- Existing clients may call, text, or email at any time.
- Unscheduled communications lasting 10 minutes or less are not billed.
- If an interaction exceeds 10 minutes, billing is activated for the full duration, subject to standard minimums (30-minute remote minimum).
- Multiple or fragmented interactions about the same issue may be combined and treated as a single interaction for billing purposes.
- Courtesy time is capped at 10 minutes per issue within any 24-hour period — so you can run something by us without fear of being billed.
- The same 10-minute courtesy lane applies to clients enrolled in the Managed Agent device-maintenance layer.
Privacy, Security & Ethics
- All client data is encrypted and never shared or sold.
- We have served high-profile and security-sensitive clients for over 27 years.
- We have never had a data leak and never speak with media or third parties.
Business Ethics — Carey’s Promise
We sell time (research, analysis, execution), not products.
No affiliate commissions. No kickbacks. No hidden incentives.
We do not accept referral payments. Vendors occasionally offer compensation for directing clients to services (e.g., data recovery providers). We decline. Recommendations are made solely on technical merit and verified performance.
Pay-to-play incentives — including referral commissions and locked distributor agreements where service providers are restricted to a single vendor ecosystem — distort outcomes, degrade trust, and undermine the integrity of technical decision-making. In many cases, this results in suboptimal equipment being deployed regardless of better-performing or more appropriate alternatives.
All recommendations are grounded in verifiable data so clients can make informed decisions. Transparency and long-term reliability come first.
Final Notes
IT Help San Diego provides expert support across Mac, Linux, Windows, enterprise networking, cybersecurity, and crisis-response scenarios.
No retainers.
No managed-service contracts.
Clear billing, agreed work, documented time.
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