Our Build & Refund Policy
AnswersTheCall
When you sign up with AnswersTheCall, we build your answering service for you. This policy explains, in plain language and before you pay, exactly how your build works, what your part in it is, and what happens — including your refund — if a build is never finished. There are no surprises in it, and we intend to keep it that way.
Most companies in our industry put their fees in fine print and their refunds behind a phone call. We do the opposite, on purpose:
- Everything is published before you pay. Every price, every fee, and every deadline on this page is the whole of it. If a charge isn't written here, it doesn't exist.
- The math is shown, not summarized. Our refund table prints what you paid, the fee, and what comes back to you. Check it with a pencil — it will check out.
- Refunds are automatic. If one is owed, it happens without you asking, chasing, or calling anyone.
- Your version governs. If this policy ever changes, the version in effect when you signed up is the version that applies to your build.
- We are just as plain about cause. If a build fee is ever charged, we will tell you exactly why — and the why will be the one part of the build that was your responsibility.
We build it for you
Your build begins the moment your payment is confirmed, and you can follow its progress as it climbs toward 100%. We research your business, build your receptionist around it, provision your number, and test the line thoroughly — in English, Spanish, and French — before you ever hear it. Most single-location builds are ready for your part within about an hour of payment. If your package is larger, your build time is based on the size of the package you selected and is stated in writing before you pay.
Your two steps
When our side is complete, exactly two small steps remain, and only you can do them — they involve your own calendar and your own phone line:
- Connect your calendar. Tap the link we send you and allow access, so your receptionist can book appointments into your real schedule.
- Forward your line. Dial the forwarding sequence we give you — it is printed twice in your build email, which is your permanent copy — so calls to your number reach your new receptionist.
Together they take about five minutes, once per location. The moment they are done, we verify everything and your service goes live: your build reads 100%, and your customers can begin using your answering service.
Your completion window
You have 72 hours from payment to complete your steps for your first location, plus 24 hours for each additional location in your build, up to a maximum of 10 days. We will remind you as your window runs — we want your service live as much as you do.
The only way your window runs out
Your two steps are the only part of the build that is your responsibility — so they are the only thing that can use up your window. Your window runs only while your build is waiting on you:
- If we run long on our side, for any reason, your window extends by the same amount, automatically. Our delay never costs you money.
- If something outside both our hands gets in the way — your phone carrier's forwarding doesn't take, or your calendar provider has an outage — tell us, and your window pauses while it is sorted out.
So there is exactly one way a build fee can ever happen: your build was finished, tested, and waiting, your steps were in your hands, and your window ran out. Nothing else can trigger it.
If you finish: no build fee, ever
Complete your build within your window and no build fee of any kind applies to you. The fees below exist only for builds that are never completed.
If the window closes first
If your steps are not completed when your window closes, we automatically refund everything you paid, minus the build fee for your package — no request, no forms, no phone call required:
| Package | You paid | Build fee | Your refund |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $49 | $49 | $0 |
| Growth | $149 | $99 | $50 |
| Professional | $349 | $149 | $200 |
The build fee covers the work that was genuinely done on your behalf — researching your business, building and testing your receptionist, provisioning your number, and closing the build out properly. It can never be more than the amount you paid. And the formula never changes, for any package: what you paid − the build fee = your refund.
And we will be transparent about the reason, too. If you ever receive less than a full refund, the cause is this, and only this: your build was finished, tested, and waiting — and the two steps that were your responsibility were not done inside your window. It will never be fine print, a missed form, or anything on our side. The full amount was yours to keep the entire time: your two steps, done at any point before your window closed, would have erased the fee completely — and put your answering service to work for your business instead.
How refunds are issued
Refunds are automatic at the close of your window and go back to the same payment method you used to pay. Most banks post a refund within 5–10 business days.
Custom packages
Custom packages are priced solely on your individual choices — the locations, lines, minutes, and integrations you select — so no fixed price can be displayed for this category. Instead, your written quote states everything before you pay: your price, your build time, your completion window, and your build deposit of 25% of the quoted price (minimum $149). Your deposit is credited in full toward your package when your build completes within your window. If your build is not completed by the close of your window, the deposit is retained and every other amount you paid is refunded automatically, as above.
If life gets in the way
It happens. If your window closes before you finish, your completed build stays on file with us — if you return, we pick up from where your build stands instead of starting over.
After your service is live
Once your build reaches 100%, this policy has done its job. Your ongoing monthly service is covered by our Terms of Service.
Questions about anything in this policy: support@answersthecall.com — a person reads and answers every message.
AnswersTheCall · Danny E. Patterson, Owner