New Policies

We are committed to providing the highest level of service to our clients. In order to keep from raising prices across the board, and to make sure that we are being fair to everyone, we are updating our existing policies.

MINIMUM CHARGES

While we have always had a minimum charge for in-home appointments, we had not clarified a minimum charge policy for phone and remote appointments when we began shifting to providing more remote help during the pandemic. Now that we have had time to see how these appointments work for both us as well as our clients, we are moving forward with clarifying this policy. 

Once an appointment is scheduled, you are subject to a minimum charge of $30 for a phone appointment, or $90 for an in-home appointment. This minimum charge will be waived if you cancel your appointment at least 48 hours in advance. If you make your appointment within that 48 hour period, or contact us about cancelling within that 48 hour period, then we are unable to waive the minimum charge, even in the case of cancellation. 

REMOTE, PHONE, & EMAIL CHARGES

We are happy so many of our clients find our remote appointment option to be convenient, and we feel that even once we are back to scheduling mostly in-person appointments, it will continue to be a useful tool for those who are out of the area, or whose needs may not be suited to the 1-hour minimum for in-person appointments. 

We would like to remind our clients that all calls and/or emails for help, questions, or consultations (as opposed to calls regarding scheduling an appointment) will be subject to a charge. Our fee structure is as follows: 

0-15 Minutes: $30 Flat Fee

16-30 Minutes: $50 Flat Fee

30+ Minutes: Regular Hourly Rate

For help via email, you will be billed based on how long it takes our tech to do research on answering your question and how long it takes them to formulate their reply. Please keep in mind, not all questions can be answered via email, and we may need to schedule you either a remote or in-person appointment. 

IN-PERSON CHARGES 

We are so glad that we are finally able to see some of you in-person again! Please note, currently we are only scheduling in-person appointments for clients who have been fully vaccinated and we require all occupants of the home be masked before we enter and remain masked while we are working. We do still have to follow county guidelines for workplaces, even in private homes. We are also fully vaccinated and will wear masks when working with you.

It has been a while since we’ve seen many of you, so this is just a friendly reminder that we still have a 1-hour minimum for in-home visits. We will try to warn you if we do not think that your issue will take a full hour, but it’s always a good idea to keep a list of things you’ve been curious about or would like to have further training in, in case you find yourself with time to fill before your hour is up. We are unable to make exceptions to this minimum charge. 

For those living outside of Santa Rosa, a flat travel fee will also be charged. When you call to book your appointment, we can tell you what the fee to get out to your area is. 

CANCELLATIONS

Previously, we had a 24-hour cancellation policy. We are changing that to a 48-hour cancellation policy, meaning that if you are unable to keep your appointment—whether you are cancelling outright, or simply need to reschedule—we ask that you notify us at least 48 hours before your appointment’s scheduled start time. This allows us enough time to offer the appointment to another client and helps us to make sure we do not lose our revenue for the time we had reserved on our calendars for you. If you must cancel or move your appointment within 48 hours of your appointment, you will still be charged the minimum for your appointment type ($90 for in-person, $30 for a phone or remote appointment).

As always, if you have questions about any of these policies, please reach out to us. We also want to reassure clients that very little has changed— as the ways in which we serve you have shifted, we are simply updating our policies to reflect these slight changes. 

When Can We See You Again? It's Complicated!

Over the last several months, we’ve received dozens of questions about when we will be able to return to in-person appointments. The truth is that, as much as we want to get back to helping you in person as soon as possible, between guidance from the CDC, the state, the county, and our own commitment to the safety of our staff and clients, the answer is “it’s complicated!” 

As I’m sure you are aware, the guidance surrounding what is and is not safe is a moving target. For a very long time, we assumed that as soon as vaccinations were widespread, it would be safe (and also allowable under government guidelines!) for us to go back into people’s homes. Because the number of individuals who have gotten vaccinated is insufficient for reaching herd immunity, as well as the emergence of more contagious variants mean that our community is still vulnerable, and it is imperative that we still follow strict safety guidelines to help protect both unvaccinated citizens as well as that small, but unlucky percentage who will still be vulnerable to infection after being vaccinated. 

We are trying to develop a plan for how to safely transition back into in-person appointments, but it’s a process. The issues we are facing are nuanced and complicated. Here are just a few of the aspects of re-entering clients’ homes we are grappling with:

• Even among vaccinated individuals, the CDC and county guidelines vary about what is safe to do indoors for non-essential work. When we work with our clients, we are typically in very close proximity for at minimum, one hour (our onsite minimum), and we are going from home to home. This scenario creates a huge potential for exposure and the risk of us being a vector for spread.

• Are you vaccinated? What about everyone else in your home? Do you allow unvaccinated visitors (like grandkids)? Will we have to wear PPE in addition to masks (like what doctors wear; face shields, gloves, disposable booties)? When booking appointments, will we have to ask for you to scan and email your vaccination card to us in advance? Do we simply check everyone’s vaccination card at the door? What do we do if you cannot find your proof of vaccination when we arrive? Will we need to send you a list of questions in advance of your appointment, much like you get at your doctor’s office? Or perhaps we simply have you sign a release of liability? You can see how, logistically, this begins to become very complicated for a business to navigate, and how this has the potential for many cancelled appointments, wasted time, and disappointed clients.

• Finally, the guidelines we have been given by the government are very strict about requiring PPE for employees, as well as adhering to disinfecting protocol for any equipment that is handled. This becomes complicated as we are entering many homes each day. The government is still only allowing IT and Communications businesses to operate in essential situations, but of course they are not specific about what makes something “essential”. In order for us to legally work onsite with clients, we need to parse some of this complicated language (as well as try to keep up with the changes as they are issued!).

We understand how frustrating this is for our clients, especially as more and more businesses choose to reopen. Please know, it is frustrating for us as well, and we are not taking these decisions lightly.

We are actively engaging in these conversations amongst ourselves as well as with our colleagues, business advisors, and those who are developing protocol for congregate living facilities.  We are currently working to develop our own protocol that will keep us on the right side of the law, as well as ensure that our clients and staff are protected. Vaccinations help, but the reality of the situation is that we have not reached herd immunity, breakthrough cases are still occurring in vaccinated individuals, and the more contagious variants remain a threat to the community, vaccinated and unvaccinated alike. 

We will continue to keep you all updated with any changes to our policies and guidelines, and we are so grateful for how supportive and understanding you have been through the pandemic. It has been a challenging time for many businesses, ours included. We miss seeing you all in person, and can’t wait for the day it is safe to do so! If you don’t already receive our newsletters, now is the time to sign up so you won’t miss any updates or announcements. 

Creating A Secure Password

Secure Passwords

If you’re like most of our clients, you probably have dozens of passwords for various websites and online accounts. It can be tempting to make your passwords easy to remember so that you can keep track of them more easily, but having a secure, unique password for each account is your first line of defense against hackers and scammers. If this sounds overwhelming, don’t panic: there are ways to help you keep track of this!

What comprises a secure password has been a moving target for the last several years, but over the last year or so, at least some of the basics have been agreed upon. A secure password should have at least one number, one uppercase letter, one lower case letter, one symbol and at minimum, 12 characters.

Creating a Secure Password

You should plan to create a unique password for everything you need to access, and these passwords should be at least 12 characters long. Even if a website says they require fewer characters, such as 8 for instance, making one that is at least 12 characters is still safer. More Web sites are requiring symbols. now I recommend using the same symbol anytime you need to add one.

One simple way to come up with a password is to think of three random words—for instance, I could choose rose, wash, and rover.

Then, I can capitalize each word, and add a number and symbol to meet a website’s password requirement: RoseWashRover$9. Just like that, I have a 14 character password that includes capital and lowercase letters, a number, and a symbol, and it would be pretty tricky for someone to guess.

There are several legitimate web sites that will allow you to check the strength of your password, such as https://howsecureismypassword.net. In addition, the secure site you are creating a password for will often let you know the strength as you are creating it.

Storing and Remembering Passwords

Avoid storing your password in plain sight! Sticky notes are not secure, and pieces of paper get lost or mixed up.

iCloud Keychain: While the requirement to not use the same password for everything may seem daunting, there are now several options to help you which are available for your devices. These options can both create and store your passwords.

First, you must have a password on your computer, iPhone, and iPad. Yes, fingerprint readers or Face ID counts. Give this passcode to a trusted friend or relative in case you forget it. If you lose or forget this password, it cannot be easily retrieved.

Apple’s iCloud Keychain is a great program for storing, and accessing your complex passwords. It’s already built into your iPhone, iPad, and Mac computer so you’ve always got your passwords and credit card details at your fingertips. iCloud Keychain also keeps your Safari website usernames and passwords, credit card information, and Wi-Fi network information up to date across all of your approved devices if you are syncing via iCloud. It will also keep the accounts you use in Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Messages up to date across all of your devices.

That being said, there are a few caveats to using iCloud Keychain; you must know and remember your iCloud password. You will also be required to enter an iCloud security code to use for recovering your keychain or authorizing other devices. Be very, very sure you know and can easily type your Apple ID/ iCloud ID before authorizing iCloud keychain.

Apple Notes/ Locked Note: This is similar to creating a piece of paper with all of your passwords, but it is stored on your iOS device, and if you use iCloud syncing for Notes, it will be available on all your devices. You can create a Note in your Notes App that is secured using a password for your note. This way, you can create a list of different passwords without anyone else being able to access the note if they somehow got ahold of your device. If you do this, give the password for this note to a trusted friend or relative; Apple cannot help you retrieve the password if you forget it.

Third Party Apps for Passwords: There are several apps that allow you to store your passwords securely. Many of them will allow you to sync your passwords via iCloud or the company’s own syncing services. Some of these apps are free, and some have a fee associated with them. All of these apps offer strong encryption of your files (known as AES 256 encryption), password creation and storage, and warnings of fraudulent web sites.

Some of the best known and highest rated apps are 1Password and Dashlane. My choice is 1Password, and I have been using it for over 8 years.

• 1Password 7: This is Ronnie’s recommended choice. It has a standalone app for a Mac or PC, and for the iPhone and iPad. The newly released version 7 has a lot of new features. For new users, the standalone app is $49.99 on the computer, and is free on your iPhone and iPad, or you can do a subscription for $2.99 that can be used on all of your devices. 1Password allows syncing via their own cloud, or on iCloud, or through Dropbox or your own wireless network.

• Dashlane: Works via a web browser and as a standalone app on a Mac or a PC, and has a standalone app for iPhone or iPad. They use their own “cloud” for syncing, and it costs $4.99/month.

All third party apps require their own separate master password. Store it safely and/or give it to a trusted friend or family member, as you cannot retrieve it if you lose or forget it, and you will lose access to all of your information if you lose it.

All of these options do have a learning curve; the simplest option that is most closely integrated with your Mac devices is iCloud Keychain, but 1Password integration is improving all the time, and it has some really nice features.

Is it time for you to re-think how you are creating, saving, and organizing your passwords? Don’t get overwhelmed—we can help! Call us if you’d like to set up an appointment to go over password management and to make sure your passwords