* Proxies must be originals on paper, and must be received by [[Headquarters Staff]] before the start of the meeting. While email advisories are appreciated, and will ensure that staff check the post office box the morning of a meeting, they are not in themselves sufficient. Note that once a meeting has begun, no proxies will be accepted, even if the meeting is recessed to another day.
* Paid '''researchPaid Research''' — Whether conducted by [[Headquarters staff]] or various Committees, policy is to ask for payment for all non-trivial research. Note that the definition of non-trivial includes all questions that take more than 20 minutes to answer. Research time is charged at the standard rate of (presently $25/hour ($20/hour for members, with member discount available), with a minimum deposit covering two hours. Additional payments may be made at the discretion of the researcher, but in no case will final reports be delivered until final payment has been made. * '''Credits and Refunds''' — When an order cannot be fulfilled for some reason, or a petition is withdrawn by the petitioner before work has begun, normal practice will be to apply a credit to the individual's account. If requested, a refund will be made via PayPal if that is how the payment was made. If paid by check, a refund check will be issued on request, less the standard shipping fee (presently $4).