Frequently asked questions by new users

You may have noticed from your research that NoteSmith is one tenth the cost of similar programs. We can sell it that reasonably because there are certain ways we publish and support the software that are a bit different from other companies. While this lets us save you a lot of money on your purchase price, we cannot be all things to all people.

Below are answers to questions we see from new users. Please read the entire page. Contact Sales if you have any other questions.

• When will I receive my program? Products are shipped the next business day using two day FedEx or Priority Mail, depending on your address and the quickest likely delivery time. All prices are in US dollars.

• What is your return policy? We have a 30 day, no questions asked, return policy when ordering directly from the New Program page at this web site. Just return the materials in retail condition with delivery confirmation back to you. See the NoteSmith End User License Agreement (NEULA.pdf) for details.

• Which version do I need? Start with the regular NoteSmith if you aren't sure. The cost to jump up is only the difference in price and all versions use the same database to save you re-entering data. The regular NoteSmith is designed for servicers with one to a few dozen notes who simply want to track incoming payments. NoteSmith Pro is for larger portfolios, users with rentals, and those who want to use their NoteSmith data in Excel, QuickBooks, PDF, or Metro2 (credit bureau) formats. NoteSmith Net is the same as the Pro but for larger offices with multiple simultaneous users. We recommend starting with Pro even if you have a network so you can sample NoteSmith features on a single computer without dealing with network installation.

• How difficult is the program to install? Anyone who has used a CD in their computer can install NoteSmith or NoteSmith Pro. As a backup, step-by-step instructions appear in the printed manual. NoteSmith Net can be installed by any knowledgeable computer user who can share folders on the server and map network folders to workstation drive letters. If these concepts are unfamiliar, we recommend hiring a computer professional for half an hour. Subsequent annual upgrades can be done by anyone if the sharing and mapping was done properly.

• How long do I receive technical support? Support for all users ends on the next December 31 with one minor exception: First time buyers who purchase during the last quarter of the year will receive next year's program, so their support actually ends about 15 months later on the second December 31. In other words, all users get support until December 31 of the year for which the program was published.

• How do I get technical support? Simply email us or fax to our toll free number. We turnaround most requests the same business day, but due to time zone differences, we advertise next business day. Email is really the quickest, yet we maintain a toll free fax number so you know we are interested in answering your questions. Also this site posts technical support FAQs and periodically updates a Current Issues page. The printed manual is over 300 pages. Finally, we send a monthly e-newsletter with common loan servicing issues. You will find that most questions are answered before you ask them. We do not offer either dial-in or call-back telephone support because frequently we need to see what you see. Offering telephone support would triple the price of the program at the very least.

• What happens when the year ends? NoteSmith continues to run and you can continue to service your notes. There is no program expiration date, but technical support ends for that version and certain date related functions, such as IRS forms and credit bureau reporting, still will be set up for the past year.

• What about IRS tax forms that the program fills in? A new version of NoteSmith is released just before the start of the calendar year to fill in 1098s and other forms that are due to payors that coming January and are due to the IRS that coming February using data from the previous year. This is the same way that TurboTax and TaxCut are published. For instance, NoteSmith 2009 is released just in time to print tax forms due in January 2009 using interest data accumulated during 2008.

• How much will staying current cost me? NoteSmith retails for $300-900 depending on what version you choose. Annual support renewals are between $175-235 depending on the version and shipping selections. We notify you as the year ends and you have quite a few weeks to decide whether to renew or not. Aside from renewing support, you get a new program CD with new features, a new manual, and an import routine so you do not have to re-enter any data.

• Explain program activation. So we can be sure we are supporting only users who have paid for NoteSmith, and so you can be assured others are not using the program for free while you have to pay, we require program activation. This takes about 60 seconds once a year at our web site using any internet enabled computer, not necessarily your NoteSmith computer. The program is fully functional at the time you install it so you can be sure it is what you wanted to buy. If you decide to keep it, the program will inform you when activation is necessary and you have a few weeks to perform the 60 second process. Directions are in the printed manual.

• What is your three strike policy? Almost everyone who sells or supports NoteSmith has been doing their job over 15 years. We want to keep this a happy place to work because these people are valuable to us. Unfortunately, we get a few crabby folks every so often who haven't mastered The Golden Rule. We'd rather not have them as customers than to have a few hundred dollars of their money. If you are polite, you'll never hear about our 3 strikes policy again. If rudeness, tactlessness, sarcasm, or swearing are part of your normal workday, we would rather you take your business elsewhere.