Payment Policy:  All contracts and projects require 50% payment before project will commence, with balance due upon completion of the project prior to delivery.  The only exception to this is retainer agreements and ongoing contracts that require periodic billing.

Rates: 
My rates are currently $15.00 per hour, with exception for those who are on retainers.  Retainer packages are as follows: 10 hours—$135.00, 20 hours—$255.00, 30 hours--$360.00 – Prices are subject to change.

Earn Credit For every person or company that you refer to me, after new referral has paid first invoice for services, you will earn a $25 credit towards your next invoice.

Payments and Invoicing Process:

Retainer payments are due before the first of each month.  Supplemental invoices will be due upon receipt.  There is no grace period.  Consistently late retainer payments (two months in a row or more) will result in an invoice adjustment to regular hourly rates and may result in termination of the retainer contract. Late invoice payments may also result in suspension of services until invoices are paid in full.  Invoices over 30 days will result in additional finance charge on the balance at the rate of 1.5%, compounded monthly. 

Invoice payments and supplemental invoices are due upon receipt.  There is no grace period.  Consistently late payments may result in suspension of services until invoices are paid in full.  Invoices over 30 days will result in additional finance charge on the balance at the rate of 1.5%, compounded monthly.  Invoices will be sent out the last day of the month either by e-mail (for virtual clients) or regular mail (for local clients) with payments due on the 15^th of every month.

If payment is late, I will send out a collection letter.

Payments may be made by one of the following methods only:  Money order, PayPal, or business check (which will only be accepted upon approval of a business credit application).

Time:  Regular hours are Monday thru Thursday 8-5; Fridays and Saturdays 8-3, we are closed Sundays and all major holidays.  I will be available after hours for only emergencies.  Large projects that require overtime must be scheduled in advance (at least one week) to allow for restructuring of other clients' projects.  If this advance time is not allowed, urgent projects will be charged a surcharge (RUSH FEE) of time and one-half per hour or per project to complete the project, even during regular work hours and during retainer periods.     NOTE: To clarify, for example, this does not mean that if you email me after hours I will charge you if I happen to read it - it simply means that if I am expected to work outside of regular hours, I will have to charge overtime.

Overtime:  Overtime will be charged at the rate of one and one-half the REGULAR rate.  This will help determine how urgently the project needs to be completed.

Expenses:  While I will not charge for time spent on learning curves, as long as the curve pertains only to work relating to the client’s business, I do charge for any special software or materials specific to this client that I would not otherwise normally have or use.  I will charge for phone, fax and other specific related expenses.  All expenses incurred in working for the client will be billed at the end of each month.  Currently I charge .20 a minute for phone and faxes, Prices are subject to change.

Retainers - How They Work:  Retainer contracts state that you can spread out your hours however you like over a month, without unreasonably burdening the assistant.  However, if overage is significant and requires immediate long-term (more than two full days) attention, the project needs to be negotiated to see if it is workable.  It cannot be assumed that I have many extra hours without notice since I have many other clients.  I can rearrange work schedules somewhat but it does take time - this is why notice is required.  Please remember that you only reserved so many hours and that once you've gone over your retained amount of hours, I have filled the rest of my time with other clients' needs.  This is why it is so critical to plan your projects well - even if only by a few days.  Think about what will be involved and ask for an estimate, which we will happily give you based on what you explain your needs are, though since we cannot predict what revisions, etc. will need to be made, this will obviously be a non-binding estimate, just a "ballpark".  If you find you are regularly going beyond your retainer, you may find that it would be in your best interest to increase the number of hours you would like to reserve.  If you do not use all your retainer hours in a month, I will allow 5 hours to roll over per month for those on retainer – any hours over that will be lost if they are not utilized in that month.

Non-payment or late payment Return to Work Policy Once Payment is Made:  Retainer payments are required BEFORE the first of every month.  If not received before the first, services will be suspended until payment is made.  If payment is made late for retainer agreements or standard invoices and it results in suspension of services, I will not "rush" to make up work that was scheduled in the suspended period.  This work will be done as quickly as possible, however, but not at the expense of other client work.  Invoices for overage will be issued on the first and 15th of each month, and must be paid in full upon receipt.  There is no grace period. 

Resuming Services After Suspension:  Once services have been suspended, it is entirely at the discretion of Ruth’s Secretarial Services whether or not we are willing to resume work.  A new contract may be required with a trial period to ascertain that the relationship can continue to work to the benefit of both parties.

Contact Information:  While my preferred method of contact is by e-mail, I will also be available by instant messenger, or telephone.

Basic Information:  
I will help my clients balance business and personal goals by taking on the tasks that bogs him/her down and prevents them from focusing on growing their business, spending time with loved ones, pursuing personal interests, etc.

I do require client contracts and/or agreements including work-for hire, not-compete, and confidentiality agreements.

If the client or I decide to end the partnership, I will give/expect 4 weeks’ notice.

I will accept one time and short-term projects.

Information Collection:

RUTH’S SECRETARIAL SERVICES collects information through our Web site.  We collect this information solely for the use of contacting potential clients.

Upon becoming a client with RUTH’S SECRETARIAL SERVICES, we may also collect additional information as necessary.

Information Usage:  The information collected by RUTH’S SECRETARIAL SERVICES, will never be sold or distributed.  No information will be released unless it is strictly related to the client’s business needs, as is necessary to provide professional services as requested by the client.

Problem Resolution:  If problems arise, clients may contact RUTH’S SECRETARIAL SERVICES by e-mail.  We are committed to resolving issues as quickly as possible.

Notification of Changes:  We reserve the right to modify these policies as necessary and will do our best to ensure that we notify every client of the changes.  If we decide to change our privacy policy, the changes will be posted on our web site immediately upon any change.