Frequently asked questions

Yes. Every reply in an Ask Buddy chat is written by a person, and the chat shows the name of the expert you are talking to. We don't use AI to write answers and present them as human advice, and we don't use automated "agents" with human names. The only automatic messages are clearly labelled system notices, such as "an expert has joined" or "five minutes remain".

Before an expert can take chats, Ask Buddy checks their identity and reviews their experience in the topics they will cover. Where a topic needs a formal qualification or professional registration, we check that too. An expert's profile lists only the checks that have actually passed. Identity verification doesn't prove that every answer will be right, and it isn't a government licence or a manufacturer's authorization. See Expert verification.

Your first chat is free: one conversation with an expert, up to 30 minutes.

• One free conversation per person. You need a free Ask Buddy account with a verified email address, so we can tell whether you have used it.
• The free conversation ends when your question is answered and the chat is closed, when you or the expert close it, or 30 minutes after an expert joins, whichever comes first.
• The 30 minutes start only when an expert joins. If no expert joins, or you leave the queue before one does, your free chat isn't used up.
• No payment card is needed for the free chat, and nothing is charged when it ends.
• After the free chat you can keep using Ask Buddy by subscribing. Subscribing is always a separate step that you choose, with the full terms shown first.

Only when you choose to subscribe. The free chat never turns into a subscription by itself, and no card is asked for during it. When you subscribe, the checkout page shows the full terms, you tick a box to agree, and the first $39.99 payment is taken then. Your subscription begins as soon as our payment provider confirms that payment.

Yes. Ask Buddy Monthly renews automatically every month, on the same date you subscribed, at $39.99 per month until you cancel. We email a receipt for every payment, and your account shows the next renewal date.

Go to Account › Subscription and choose Cancel subscription, then confirm. You don't need to call, email or talk to anyone. You'll see a confirmation on screen and by email. You keep access until the end of the month you've already paid for, and you won't be charged again. You can undo the cancellation before that date.

Duplicate or incorrect charges are always refunded. For anything else, please read the Refund Policy and email support@theaskbuddy.com; nothing in the policy limits your rights under consumer law.

The chat shows whether an expert is online for your topic, based on who is actually connected at that moment. If nobody is, you can leave a message and we reply by email. If you join the queue and no expert joins within 20 minutes, the chat closes and, if it was your free chat, it isn't used up. Experts aren't online around the clock, and we don't promise a response time.

No. Experts explain how things work and what your options are, based on the information you give them. Some questions can't be fully answered in a chat, and some problems need the manufacturer, a repair service or a licensed professional. When that's the case, the expert will tell you.

No. Ask Buddy is an independent business. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or authorized by any manufacturer or brand mentioned on this website, and we are not an official support channel for any of them. Brand and product names are used only to describe what a question is about.

Never share passwords, sign-in or verification codes, payment card or bank details, government ID numbers, or anything you wouldn't want stored in a chat transcript. Our experts will never ask for them, and never ask to connect to your device. If someone in a chat asks for these, stop and tell us at support@theaskbuddy.com.

Ask Buddy doesn't provide remote access to your devices, repairs, on-site visits, emergency help, or legal, medical or financial advice. We are not a manufacturer's support channel and can't act on warranties or manufacturer accounts. Each topic on the Explore topics page lists what it covers and what it doesn't.

An AI chatbot generates text automatically. An Ask Buddy expert is a person who can ask you follow-up questions, notice when something doesn't add up, say plainly when they aren't sure, and tell you when your question needs someone else. People make mistakes too, which is why we explain what our verification does and doesn't cover.