Is this an unjust call out charge?

leighsnelson37

I recently went through a spring clean in my flat which lead me to cleaning out the filter on the washing machine. I have no experience of washing machine maintenance but there is a big label on the front of the machine which states to periodically clean the filter. Behind the little door there are two pipes and I checked and cleaned out both of them. When I came to do my first washing load water started leaking from the bottom of the machine. I immediately turned off the machine and called the landlord.

The maintenance guy came around and I told him this story. He explained that I have pulled out one of the pipes out too far to clean it and that he would be charging me a call out fee of £35.

While the repair man was here he also helped repair a balcony door that I had previously asked to be repaired 12 months ago.

I simply followed instructions on the front of the machine to the letter and without an adequate instruction manual I felt I did the job correctly.

Upon reading the tenants agreement there is no mention to a call out charge. I feel that I am being unfairly dealt with simply because I followed the instructions on the front of the machine accurately.

Is this a fair charge?

Judith_W

This is the normal charge, I know some who charge up to £50. Whether you should pay is a separate question as you followed the instructions. Depending on how much you need the money, how lenient you think the LL will be etc decide whether to try and pursue or not. I would personally write it off and learn a lesson.

P.S. googling the issue has saved us a lot of money with our cranky washing machine.

J_i_m

Is the call out charge fair.. I'd say yes.. A maintenance person should be paid for their work.

Who should pay for it.. That'll be down to the terms of your tenancy.

BitterAndTwisted

Your meddling caused the machine to leak onto the floor. The landlord didn't cause any damage nor did his fittings or equipment fail, so it's most certainly not their cost to cover. Under the circs the charge seems very reasonable indeed so I'd quietly pay up if I were you

G_M

The question is, who is responsible for the leak that resulted in the need for a call out?

You could try arguing that the LL failed to provide an instruction manual which meant that you were not given the required information to do the job.

But you say that

I simply followed instructions on the front of the machine to the letter

so the implication is that you were clumsy in doing this with the result that the pipe came out. Obviously when doing a job like this you are expected to use due care and attention. I don't really see that a manual could have helped - it was the care undertaking the job that resulted in the leak.

Sorry.

I agree the charge seems low, so be thankful.