Pricing
What a recovery costs, stated plainly
Two numbers, and only one of them is fixed. No estimates, no packages, and nothing hidden until afterwards.
The call-out fee
$75Covers my travel and fuel to reach you. This applies whether or not I find your item — it's paying for the trip, not the result. For the far north of Santa Barbara County the drive is long enough that we'll agree a figure on the phone first.
The reward
You decideIf I find it, you set the reward — what the recovery is worth to you and what you can afford. No fixed price, no percentage of the ring's value, no invoice, no pressure. This is the reward basis every Ring Finders member works on.
Why I don't say "no find, no fee"
You'll see that phrase used in this line of work, and I've used it myself in the past. I've stopped, because it isn't quite true and I don't want anyone finding that out the hard way.
Here's the honest version: driving to Goleta and searching for two hours costs me real time and real fuel whether the ring is there or not. The $75 covers that. Everything above it depends entirely on whether I succeed, and on what you think that's worth.
That's a better deal than most trades offer, and it has the advantage of being accurate.
How this compares to renting a detector
A rental is cheap for a day, but it's an entry-level machine with no sand scoop, and on wet salt sand that combination usually costs you the day and buries the ring deeper. Call me first and I'll tell you honestly what I think the odds are.
If it's in wet sand, in the water, or you're not certain where it came off, a rented beginner machine without a proper sand scoop is usually a frustrating day that ends with the ring still out there and buried deeper. I've written the whole comparison out honestly here, including the local rental prices, because I'd rather you make the right call than the expensive one.
Money questions
The awkward ones, answered.
Is there a fee if you don't find my ring?
Yes — the $75 call-out fee applies whether or not the item is found, because it covers the travel and fuel to get to you. The reward is the part that only applies on a successful recovery. I state this plainly rather than advertising 'no find, no fee', because that wouldn't be accurate.
So how much is the reward?
You decide. Genuinely. You pay what the recovery is worth to you and what you can afford. Some people hand me a modest thank-you and some are very generous, and I've never once argued with either. There's no minimum, no percentage of the ring's value, and no invoice.
Could the call-out fee be more than $75?
For most of Ventura County and the southern half of Santa Barbara County, $75 is the number. For the far end of the county — Lompoc, Santa Maria, the Santa Ynez Valley — the drive is long enough that we should talk about it on the phone first. I'll give you a figure before I set out, never afterwards.
Do you take payment up front?
No. We sort it out at the search.
Why work on a reward basis at all?
Because the value of a lost wedding ring has almost nothing to do with what the metal is worth, and a fixed price would be wrong in both directions. Charging a flat few hundred dollars would put me out of reach for people who need me most. Charging a percentage of an appraisal would be grotesque. The reward basis is what The Ring Finders network is built on and it's the fairest arrangement I know.
Do you charge for advice on the phone?
Never. If you're not sure whether a search is even worth attempting, call and ask. I'll tell you honestly, and sometimes the answer is that you should go look one more time in a specific place before paying anyone.
Questions about cost? Just ask.
Call or text 805-290-5009. Talking it through costs nothing and I'll be straight with you.