Support & Consultation Policy
Tye Newton Design
Updated: 7/2/2026
A flexible, standing policy for my ongoing clients
The goal of this policy is to set clear expectations, eliminating surprises on either side:
- To meet my clients' ongoing support needs without surprise costs,
- To protect me from accruing unpaid work hours
Please share any feedback or suggestions you have about this policy. In case I adjust this policy in the future, I’ll be linking back to it for review whenever it’s relevant.
Ask me about retainer agreements if you need routine work and/or guaranteed availability.
1. What's free 🎉
First off, do not hesitate to come to me with questions and support needs.
- If it’s a quick, in-the-moment answer, it's free.
- If ever something is broken due to my own error, I will not charge for that type of support, either.
- I’ll always ask before starting work that I’d charge for—no surprises.
2. What qualifies for a fee
- When I can’t answer or solve something in the moment, I’ll offer to handle it for a small fee.
- If something breaks due to changes outside my control, generally this is considered new work that might have a cost—determined case by case.
3. Support and consultation fees
- Fees start at $30 for anything I can handle within a half hour. (This is not reflective of an hourly rate; it's just a minimum for small support tasks and consultations.)
- For anything over that, I’ll estimate task size and cost like any small project.
4. Availability and retainer agreements
Though typically I can reply within a few days, under normal circumstances, my availability for timely support cannot be guaranteed.
For this reason, some of my clients prefer a retainer agreement, allowing me to reserve some of my availability each month—at an agreed upon rate—and even offer ongoing improvements when I have a surplus. Please reach out to me if this sounds like a potential fit for you.
5. My commitment to minimizing support needs
I aim to provide clients with easy-to-manage designs, assets, systems, and tools that empower them however possible. When a support request uncovers an opportunity to better empower you, I'll do my best to meet that opportunity to reduce your dependency on me.