Terms of service.

These terms cover work done by James McHugh, trading as Local IT Help (ABN 14 723 053 435). By booking a visit you're agreeing to them.

What I do

On-site and remote computer help for homes and small businesses in my service area — see services for the full list. Software development and web work is quoted separately and in writing before anything starts.

Bookings

A booking form is an enquiry, not a locked-in appointment. It becomes a confirmed visit when I email or call you back with a time. All times are Melbourne time.

I'll turn up inside the time I've confirmed with you. If something runs badly over on an earlier job I'll ring you rather than leave you waiting.

If you need to cancel or move a visit, let me know as early as you can — there's no cancellation fee.

Pricing

On-site work is a flat $80 visit fee plus $30 per 15 minutes on site. Seniors Card holders get 20% off the total — just mention it when you book. Current rates are always on the pricing page, and the rate I quote you when I confirm the booking is the rate you pay.

Parts, hardware and any software licences are extra and I'll tell you the price before buying anything. For anything I need to buy in — a replacement drive, a new machine, a licence — I'll ask for a deposit covering the cost before I order it, and the balance goes on the final invoice. I don't add a margin to petrol, parking or tolls.

No fix, no fee

If I can't fix the problem you booked me for, you don't pay for my labour.

Two fair exceptions: parts and licences I've already bought at your go-ahead are yours to keep and pay for, so the deposit isn't refunded, and a job that turns out to be a hardware failure needing a part or a manufacturer repair counts as diagnosed, not unfixed — I'll tell you what's wrong and what it takes to fix it.

14-day work guarantee

If the same problem comes back within 14 days of my visit, I come back and sort it at no charge for labour.

That covers the thing I actually worked on. It doesn't cover a new and unrelated fault, hardware that fails later, or a malware infection that returns because the same risky habit continues — though I'll always tell you honestly which one you're looking at.

Paying

You can tap a card on the spot, or I'll email you an invoice — due within 7 days, and payable by bank transfer, PayID or the payment link on the invoice. Cash is fine too.

If an invoice is heading overdue I'll send a reminder, not a debt collector. Talk to me if money is tight and we'll work something out.

Back up your data first

This is the important one. Please back up anything you can't bear to lose before I start. If you don't have a backup, tell me and making one will be the first thing we do.

Computers that are already failing can lose data at any moment, including while being repaired, and a drive that's dying can die completely the next time it spins up. I'll take reasonable care and I'll always warn you when a job carries that risk, but I can't guarantee data will survive and I can't guarantee recovery of data that's already lost.

Your side of it

• You own the device, or you're allowed to authorise work on it
• You'll give me access to the machine, power, and the passwords or PINs the job needs
• You hold valid licences for the software you're using, and any subscription costs are yours
• You'll let me know about anything I should be careful with — a dodgy power point, a cat that bites, a drive with the only copy of the wedding photos

For remote support, nothing happens until you let me connect, you can see everything I do, and you can end the session whenever you like.

Illegal or unsafe work

I won't remove licence protections, break into an account that isn't yours, install pirated software, or work on a machine I have good reason to think is stolen. If that comes up I'll stop and explain why, and you won't be charged for labour.

Hardware I supply

Anything I buy for you carries the manufacturer's warranty, and you get the receipt. If it fails inside that warranty I'll help you make the claim.

Liability

My services come with guarantees that can't be excluded under Australian Consumer Law — including that the work will be done with due care and skill. Nothing in these terms limits those rights.

Beyond those rights, and to the extent the law allows, what I owe you if something goes wrong is capped at redoing the work or refunding what you paid for it. I'm not liable for indirect losses such as lost business, lost profits, or lost data beyond that cap.

I carry insurance for the work I do. If I damage something of yours, tell me — I'd rather fix it than argue about it.

The boring bits

These terms are governed by the law of Victoria, Australia. How I handle your details is set out in the privacy policy. If any part of these terms turns out to be unenforceable, the rest still stands.

If these terms change, the date at the top changes too. The terms that apply to your job are the ones on this page when I confirmed your booking.

Anything here you'd like clarified before booking? Email james@localithelp.com.au or call 0481 344 099 and ask.