Terms of Service
Welcome to Ross G Saunders Consulting! Based in Toronto (Ontario registration number 1000943253), we offer services through this and our associated brands: "This Is Not What I Signed Up For" and "Gotaminute? IT Services". Below are the terms that apply to our work together—please take a moment to review them.
| How we do things | |
| Instructions and Scope of Engagement | These terms apply to any instructions or projects you give us. If there are changes, they'll be outlined in a written estimate, proposal, or quotation—or posted on our website. Once you begin working with us, it means you agree to these terms. |
| Working with Companies and Entities | If you're representing a company, partnership, or organization, we will accept instructions from any key decision-maker unless you let us know otherwise. |
| Providing Information | Please give us complete and accurate information on time when requested. Delays or incomplete info may lead to extra costs or challenges. |
| Our Commitment to Service | We aim to deliver our services with skill, care, and professionalism. If you need quick advice, it may be less detailed than a comprehensive consultation. |
| Advice and Its Use | Given the nature of our services, our guidance will often touch on labor, employment, health, privacy, marketing, and security laws and regulations. We will interpret their requirements to the best of our abilities, but we are not lawyers, and our advice should not be construed as legal opinion or legal advice. It's for your use only and depends on the information you provide us. You are ultimately responsible for all management decisions taken in response to our services. |
| Intellectual Property | We retain ownership of the materials we create for you (such as policies, schedules, and templates) but provide you with a non-transferable license to use them for the intended purpose once fees are settled. All materials—whether in our consulting, courses, or during speaking engagements—are protected under copyright. That means you can enjoy them for your own use, but sharing, reselling, or copying them without permission isn't allowed. If you'd like to record a keynote or presentation, please reach out to us first to establish licensing terms. |
| Communication | We typically use email to communicate, taking reasonable steps to ensure security. We do acknowledge though, that email is not a perfectly secure method of communication. If you prefer another method or have concerns, let us know, and we'll accommodate. Where file sharing is concerned, Microsoft is our primary platform, and we will securely share from OneDrive or SharePoint. When we meet online, we will primarily use Microsoft Teams or Zoom. From time to time, meetings will be recorded and transcribed. Meeting recordings will be kept for a maximum of 120 days unless otherwise agreed upon. In some cases, we will retain transcripts for the duration of our engagement with you. |
| Promotional Material | We may reference our work with you in promotional materials, but only to describe the general nature of the services. We will only name you or your business with your consent. You can opt-out of future promotions at any time. |
| 'Quid pro quo', Clarice | |
| Estimates and Quotations | Any quotation or estimate becomes binding once you approve it, or part of it. If additional work falls outside the original scope, we may charge extra based on our hourly rates. |
| Our Fees for Advisory and Coaching | We charge fees for the solutions we provide, and here's how it works: Fixed Fees: We can agree on a fixed fee for certain services, provided we have all the necessary information upfront. Extra Fees: Additional costs may apply if the work becomes unexpectedly complex or urgent. Hourly Rates: Our rates are reviewed yearly, and time is recorded in minimum units as detailed below: |
| Our Fees for Training, Workshops, and Keynotes | We charge fixed fees for speaking engagements, decided up front and detailed in a proposal and quotation. Where possible, we will charge "FIT" fees—Fee Includes Travel. If you're booking a keynote, workshop, or speaking service, a deposit is required. If you need to cancel a speaking engagement, please let us know as soon as possible. Deposits are non-refundable, but we'll do our best to accommodate changes. If we ever need to reschedule due to an emergency, we'll work with you to find a good alternative. |
| Our Fees for Online Courses | The prices of public courses are as listed on the website. Some courses are only 'unlocked' when you complete a pre-requisite course. Corporate courses are billed on a fixed fee or per person basis, as agreed upon upfront in a proposal and quotation. Generally, refunds aren't available for our online courses, but if there's a technical issue preventing access, let us know and we'll work something out! |
| Expenses | Our fees cover everyday costs such as phone calls, internet, local travel, etc. However, they do not include exceptional expenses, like fees for external legal counsel or specialized experts. Rest assured, we will always seek your approval before incurring any significant or unexpected costs. |
| Travel | If non-local travel is required at your request, we will charge for reasonable costs including hotel stays, meals, car rentals, flights, and any other necessary travel expenses. For any flights booked, flexible tickets are preferred and will be chosen unless you request otherwise. Should you instruct us to book non-flexible tickets and our appointment is cancelled or moved by you, we will expense the affected flight(s) or penalties to you at cost. |
| Invoicing and Payment | Invoices for online courses purchased by individuals are available by request. Online courses for individuals are billed up front by credit card or PayPal and must be completed before gaining access to an online course. Online courses purchased by organizations for their staff will be invoiced separately. For all services, we send invoices electronically after adding value or delivering the service. Payment is due within 14 days for invoiced work, and late payments may incur compound interest at 1.5% monthly. Payments can be made directly to our bank account by using the payment methods listed on your invoice. |
| Avoiding tiffs and spats | |
| Service Availability and Performance | We aim for smooth service, but sometimes things are out of our hands. Issues caused by third-party providers, unexpected events, or major technical hiccups aren't our responsibility. We'll always try our best to keep things running! |
| Liability and Indemnity | Our liability is limited to direct losses only to the value of the fees you've paid in the last 6 months, and excludes indirect, incidental, punitive, or consequential damages. If a third party makes a claim against us for any loss or damage resulting from our services provided to you, you agree to protect us from that claim unless it is determined that the issue arose due to fraud or intentional wrongdoing by us or our representatives. |
| Ending Services | You can end our partnership at any time by writing to us. We may do the same if there's a valid reason, like unpaid invoices or conflicts of interest. If you decide to stop using our services, we're not responsible for any data loss or service interruptions that happen after the cancellation. It's a good idea to secure backups and transition everything properly before ending the service. |
| Resolving Disputes | If we have a disagreement, we'll first address it through confidential mediation and, if unresolved, refer it to arbitration in Toronto, Ontario. |
| Changes to Terms | We may update these terms; changes will be posted online or sent via email. By continuing to work with us, you agree to the new terms. These terms were updated on September 9, 2025. |
| Things to know before we touch your IT systems | |
| IT Services and Security Implementations | While we will do our best to secure your computers and infrastructure, no implementation is ever 100% secure from attack. If a security breach happens due to something beyond our control—like software vulnerabilities or cyberattacks—we can't be held responsible. |
| Your Third-Party Tools and Software | Our services or your requests may involve third-party software on your infrastructure, and we can't promise those will always work perfectly. If issues arise from external tools, existing software, or integrations that we have not configured, we will try our best to work around them, but ultimately, we are not responsible for fixing them. This is particularly true in cases where your software is expired or out of date. Note that we will not support unlicensed or pirated software of any kind. |
| Making Changes Yourself | In some cases, you may ask us for advisory in terms of a service we offer, but opt to implement the advisory yourself. By opting out of our implementation services, you forego any guarantees and testing we would normally provide. We are not responsible for any issues that arise from changes made outside of our control. We'd be happy to assist in resolving these issues, which will be billed at standard rates. |
| Data Loss Prevention | We will always try our level best to prevent any sort of data loss on your infrastructure. Sometimes, however, this is unavoidable due to the type of issue at hand. While we try our best, it is up to you to ensure that you have current backups that can be restored. |
| Remote Access Services | We make use of RustDesk for remote access to your computers. Our team will never copy information off your computer without consent, nor will we record anything on your screen without your prior go-ahead. If you have reason to suspect that one of our team members has done so, please let us know immediately by contacting privacy[at]rossgsaunders.com. |
| Some specifics for our online courses | |
| Access to Courses | Once you enroll in a course, you'll get access to the materials. Some courses might have an expiration date, so check the details when signing up. Some material is only accessible after completing prerequisite lessons within the course. We do our best to keep everything updated, but we may tweak or remove content as needed. |
| Being a Good Member of Our Community | We ask that all users and event participants behave respectfully. Sharing login details, redistributing course materials, or engaging in harmful or inappropriate behavior can lead to restricted access. Let's keep things positive and professional! |