Re: [Computerbank] Fees

[Kylie Davies <kylied@projectx.com.au>]

Hey all,

Quoting Michael C White <michael@coolahddg.com.au>:

> Good Reasoning, but unfortunately
> up here in regional Australia in Coolah
> we have to charge a handling fee of $30 plus $3 gst
> per computer 
> as that is what it costs us to get computers here even though
> they
> are free of charge where they come from.

Michael - you haven\'t already begun to allocate the computers have you? (I know
you haven\'t begun distributing them yet - but have people been applying for them
or are you using some other methodology for allocation and identification of
need?) ?

Whatever way you go - it needs to be done properly, ie: people have to apply for
them - fill out a form (the CBV application form) and get a letter of support.
They also need to sign a disclaimer on receipt of the computer. 

Charging a fee for service could be a tricky business - particularly where it
concerns product liability - whatever you do - will need to be approved by a
national committee (when it exists) and until then - all of what you propose
needs to go by CBV for approval and for accountability sakes. 

This does not mean - that you cant charge a fee - but we need to know about it -
and why - and the money collected needs to be accounted for as per normal
financial reporting mechanisms. 

I know that I have been lax re getting out some kind of framework of operations
to you - but loosely speaking you need to comply with the overall policy of CBA
- and for the time being - most of this is derivative from CBV policy.

What happens if we get a person - who has approached the Sydney branch for 
application forms, and has read that they provide a free service, yet the
closest place for them to get a computer is from Coolah? Does this person have
to pay the fee or not? 

We are going to have to be careful with this - as there will be a tendency for
confusion if we are not clear as to why some branches charge some kind of fee
(application processing fee - to avoid product liability) and some do not.

This kind of thing needs to go into some kind of policy document that a national
organisation can work by. It is possible to word this document in such a way
that we can account for everyone. If need be - the Computerbank Application form
and Information sheet (which _should_ be consistent and the same for all
branches) can be adjusted to reflect these changes. At present - our forms give
no indication of charges for service.

This brings me to the next dilemma over applications and processing them. How do
we want to do this? Should State branches take applications on behalf of
regionals and then forward them on or can regionals do this themselves? 

How do we ensure confidentiality (small town - people know each other) and
appropriate storage of said forms (ie: locked filing cabinets with restricted
personnel access). At the moment CBV is happy to take applications on behalf of
other states who are not in a position to do this themselves. (We are doing this
already!) The idea is that when a state branch is open for full service -
applications already received at CBV, will be forwarded to the appropriate place
for service. 

Anyway I think I have said enough already!

Cheers all,

Kylie 

-------------------------------------------------
www.projectx.com.au
_______________________________________________
computerbank mailing list
computerbank@lists.linux.org.au
http://lists.linux.org.au/listinfo/computerbank