The 30-second rule
A call is billable only when both legs (homeowner ↔ contractor) stay connected for 30 seconds or longer. Anything shorter is treated as a misdial, a hangup, or a non-conversation, and is free.
What counts as billable
- You answer the call and the homeowner stays on the line for at least 30 seconds
- You're mid-conversation, even if the homeowner doesn't book — qualifying counts as a connection
- The call drops at minute 4 because of cell coverage — still billable
What does NOT count as billable
- You miss the call entirely (no answer)
- The homeowner hangs up before 30 seconds
- The call cascades past you to a backup contractor
- Voicemail-only connection
The cascade rule
When a call cascades to backup contractors because the primary didn't pick up, only the contractor who actually connected pays. The primary doesn't pay for missed rings — that's by design, because we want the system to fail toward the next available contractor, not punish you for being on a roof at the moment.
How AI agent mode bills differently
AI agent mode bills per booked appointment — flat $25. The 30-second rule doesn't apply because the AI takes the call regardless. You only pay when the AI actually puts something on your calendar.
Cancellations and no-shows are a separate question (see our no-show playbook). The booking event triggers the bill at the moment of scheduling.
Wallet, top-up, and pause behavior
You prepay any amount — $25 minimum top-up. When your balance falls below the cost of your most expensive ZIP's call rate, routing automatically pauses. You don't lose ZIP claims; you just stop receiving new calls until you top up again.
You can set a low-balance email alert in your dashboard so you get a warning before the pause hits. Some contractors prefer auto-top-up at a threshold — that's coming soon as an opt-in feature.
Refund policy in plain English
Refunds are issued for verifiable platform errors: spam calls that got through our filters, accidental double-bills (rare; we track via idempotency keys), or system bugs. Refunds are NOT issued for:
- Calls you didn't close — that's a sales question, not a billing one
- Customers you didn't end up serving for non-platform reasons
- Disputes about service quality between you and the homeowner
Every billable call has a recording (with disclosure) and a transcript in your dashboard — that's the source of truth for any refund request.