Questions people ask before they call.
What the work costs, how it runs, and what's worth ringing about. If yours isn't here, just ask.
The basics
What does Hazzard Communications actually do?
IT consulting for small business — email and DNS, hosting, infrastructure, automation, custom software and practical AI work. Twenty-plus years of it. In practice that means the boring things a business depends on: mail that arrives, systems that talk to each other, and someone who can tell you what actually went wrong.
Where do you work?
I'm based on Stradbroke Island and work with businesses across Greater Brisbane and South East Queensland. Most work is done remotely, so where you are matters less than it used to — on-site visits are for the jobs that genuinely need hands on the hardware.
Who will I be dealing with?
Me. Paul Hazzard. You are not being handed to a helpdesk queue, and the person who answers your email is the person who does the work and remembers your setup next time.
Cost and how it works
What do you charge?
Remote support is $130 an hour. On-site work on Stradbroke Island is the same $130 an hour with no travel fee. Mainland call-outs are $130 an hour plus a $100 travel fee covering ferry and road time. Websites, apps and automation are quoted per project as a fixed price, so you know the cost before anything starts. Hosting and managed support run on a simple monthly plan.
Is there a minimum charge?
Support is billed in one-hour blocks with one hour as the minimum. Quick fixes under about fifteen minutes I generally don't bill separately — they get rolled up.
Do I need you to come out, or can it be done remotely?
Most issues get sorted online the same day, with no travel fee — usually faster and cheaper than a site visit. If something genuinely needs me on-site, I'll tell you that rather than bill you for a trip neither of us needed.
Am I locked into a contract?
No. Ad-hoc work is ad-hoc. Hosting and managed support are monthly. Nothing here depends on tying you in, and I'd rather you stayed because the work is good.
How quickly do you respond?
Send an enquiry through the contact page and I'll come back within a day or two. Most remote support jobs are resolved the same day I pick them up.
Common problems
My email has stopped working properly — can you fix it?
Usually, yes. Most email trouble is not really an email problem: it's DNS, a mail server quietly rejecting messages, or an authentication setting that changed. Quotes and invoices bouncing without anyone noticing is the expensive version, and it is more common than people expect.
The internet is slow. Is it my provider or my equipment?
That's the right question, and it's answerable. Logging the connection over a period shows whether the line degrades at particular times — evening congestion looks completely different to a failing router or a weak Wi-Fi signal. With a week of evidence you can hold a provider to account instead of arguing from memory.
My computer has got slow. Is it worth fixing or should I replace it?
Often worth fixing. Machines that feel finished are frequently carrying preinstalled software that never earned its place, or a drive that has quietly filled up. Worth diagnosing before spending money on a replacement.
I can't find an old quote or invoice. Can that be recovered?
Usually. If it was sent by email it exists somewhere, even when the search box in your mail client says otherwise. Reconstructing what was sent and when is a fairly common request.
Websites, software and AI
Do you build websites?
Yes — websites, custom apps and workflow automation, quoted per project as a fixed price. Hosting, monitoring and priority support are available monthly afterwards if you want the thing looked after rather than handed over and forgotten.
What is the AI work, in plain terms?
Using AI on the actual jobs that eat your week, rather than as a novelty. Reading through a mailbox to find what was sent and when. Turning a pile of records into an answer. Automating the repetitive parts of a workflow so a person doesn't do them by hand. It should save time you can point at — otherwise it isn't worth paying for.
Do I need to know anything about technology to work with you?
No, and most clients don't. Explaining what went wrong in plain English is part of the job. You should finish a conversation understanding what happened and what it will cost, not nodding along to jargon.
Related
- Rates — what everything costs, in full
- Services — the work in more detail
- Email problems — what usually goes wrong and why
- Slow internet — proving whether it's the line or the gear
- Slow computer — worth fixing or worth replacing
- Portfolio — work already done
Still got a question?
Tell me what you're working on and I'll come back within a day or two. No obligation, and no sales script.
Get in touch