Frequently asked questions

We usually arrange a no-obligation initial call, where you describe the problem and we work out an estimate of the time involved and whether it is feasible.

Alternatively, describe the problem in a message to me. Often I can reply straight away with an estimate of the effort.

To do the work I usually need credentials for your server or web space.

We exchange those either directly in the call or through another secure channel.

I then get to work and keep you posted.

When the work is done you get, depending on the situation, a short report along with the invoice, a detailed report, and/or a closing call.

The credentials you sent are then either deleted straight away or stored encrypted for possible future work - entirely as you prefer.

I am happy to travel for on-site appointments if it makes sense, but usually, except for face-to-face meetings planning big projects or getting to know each other better, there's no real need. The work happens entirely remotely, not least because the servers involved are almost always in a data centre anyway.

Of course.

You receive a full Spanish invoice with a tax number, which tax offices accept without trouble.

I bill by the minute: €2 per minute, which works out at €120 an hour.

So you pay for exactly the time I actually need. The minimum is 15 minutes; above that, no part-hour is billed as a full one.

For bigger jobs I offer a volume rebate. Ask me about it before you place the order.

Billing is VAT-free from my place of business in the Canary Islands.

Urgent emergency appointments, where I have to move other commitments at short notice, may be billed at a higher per-minute rate.

We agree a maximum time and cost limit up front, either in the initial call or when you place the order.

Because I bill by the minute, you never pay for more time than the work actually takes.

For more complex tasks you get a written estimate.

You receive a full Spanish invoice with a tax number.

You will receive a payment link by email through Mollie, a European payment provider, using the major credit cards.

Alternative payment methods on request.

The initial consultation is free.

For bigger jobs I offer a volume rebate. Ask me about it before you place the order and we will factor it in from the start.

Clients based in the Canary Islands get a 25% discount.

Then you only pay for that time.

I bill by the minute from the first minute, at €2 per minute, with a minimum of 15 minutes. So:

• If I need 20 minutes to solve your problem, that is €40.
• If I need 45 minutes, it is €90.
• If I need 1 hour 15 minutes — 75 minutes — it is €150.

Solving your problem is my first priority, and I am every bit as invested in that as you are.

In the free initial call I get a picture of the situation and give you an estimate of the likely outcome and the time involved.

Because of the many technical complexities and unknowns involved, I cannot give a guarantee.

Unless we have expressly agreed otherwise, the rule is: time worked is time billed.

Even with the best possible estimate, a fix can take longer than first thought.

We agree a time and cost limit when you place the order.

If it becomes clear that the limit will be exceeded, I let you know.

If you then decide against finishing the work, the time already spent is still billed at the regular per-minute rate.

In a world that keeps getting more complex it is of course impossible to know every technology, every product, every service. Lifelong learning is a basic requirement in this field.
Many established systems I know inside out, often from 25 years of working with them.
Others I can pick up very quickly, because the underlying principles are usually the same.
We work out what is possible in a no-obligation initial call.

Get in touch!

At the moment I am largely booked up with large projects. Get in touch anyway and we will see whether we can make it work.

I can check the technical functions of your website for data-protection issues — for example whether data is transferred to servers outside the EU, or whether other known problems are present, such as scripts embedded from non-EU providers without the necessary licences.

For this I use standard industry tools that list the connections made to other servers, then research each one individually: where the server is located, who owns it, and what the provider says about EU data protection.

I am not a lawyer, though, and cannot give legally binding information on data-protection matters.

My availability depends on my current workload. I get back to you as quickly as I can.

For urgent emergencies, use the emergency form.

For urgent emergencies I can sometimes work outside normal business hours, depending on availability.

Use the emergency appointment form — messages that come in through it are the first ones I see.