Call out charge wasn't previously mentioned

societys_child

I meanwhile rang my husband, who was working away, to tell him.

Does your husband get paid whilst he's at work? Just wondered . . .

pinkshoes

You phoned them up and TOLD them what was wrong with the sofa, the guy came out to fix it, but discovered it was something else that needed doing as well.

If you had phoned them up and said there was something wrong with your sofa, and could someone come out to see what was wrong, then I'm quite sure they would have told you that there was a £40 call out charge.

(most companies then deduct this from the cost of the work...)

So the £40 seems fair as you told them the wrong information on what needed doing.

Surely it's better than paying £180 for spring replacement and still having an uncomfortable sofa?

oldoakey

In agreeing verbally to the initial price you had formed a contract with the upholsterer for work to the tune of £185 pounds and he walks away with just £40. With free advice as well.

Think that could of been his day booked to do your job and then he finds there is no job to do, and too late to possibly book another.

He could sue you for loss of earnings, I would just let it lie.

NatalieG_2

Thanks again for all your replies,

I think I'm just annoyed that I asked him if he wanted paying, I shouldn't have said anything, and then I could have disputed the charge if he'd asked. I appreciate that my query is very odd, considering I gave him the opportunity to ask for money.

I still feel that he must make a good living from charging for call-outs, given that he takes the customer's word for it that they know exactly where the problem lies, and most people wouldn't know all the parts of a sofa. It was a spring problem, that much we knew, but there are more than one set of springs in a sofa, and without them asking for further information, we assumed they knew what we meant.

I don't know exactly where he is based, but he is in the same town as me, a vague location was found using Google and the postcode, so as for travel costs, he wouldn't have many.

I agree that the call out charge would most likely be included in the total quote for the repair. He was not an unpleasant chap, which made it easier to offer him a payment for turning out, but all in all, I still feel that the whole process could have been made much better by an initial visit to quote for the correct work, and an upfront conversation regarding a call out charge. My initial emailed query to the company was using their own contact form, which gave a small space to write the problem. I wrote 'spring problems with 2 and 3 seater leather sofas' and they asked for no more information, only emailing to give a date for the work and a quote for £185. I feel as though what has transpired is not entirely down to me, and the company could have gone a long way to ensuring that communication was improved.

But thank you all for your advice, I may not agree with all of it but at least I have got some different views.

Techhead_2

NatalieG wrote: »

Thanks again for all your replies,

I think I'm just annoyed that I asked him if he wanted paying, I shouldn't have said anything, and then I could have disputed the charge if he'd asked. I appreciate that my query is very odd, considering I gave him the opportunity to ask for money.

I still feel that he must make a good living from charging for call-outs, given that he takes the customer's word for it that they know exactly where the problem lies, and most people wouldn't know all the parts of a sofa. It was a spring problem, that much we knew, but there are more than one set of springs in a sofa, and without them asking for further information, we assumed they knew what we meant.

I don't know exactly where he is based, but he is in the same town as me, a vague location was found using Google and the postcode, so as for travel costs, he wouldn't have many.

I agree that the call out charge would most likely be included in the total quote for the repair. He was not an unpleasant chap, which made it easier to offer him a payment for turning out, but all in all, I still feel that the whole process could have been made much better by an initial visit to quote for the correct work, and an upfront conversation regarding a call out charge. My initial emailed query to the company was using their own contact form, which gave a small space to write the problem. I wrote 'spring problems with 2 and 3 seater leather sofas' and they asked for no more information, only emailing to give a date for the work and a quote for £185. I feel as though what has transpired is not entirely down to me, and the company could have gone a long way to ensuring that communication was improved.

But thank you all for your advice, I may not agree with all of it but at least I have got some different views.

There is a bit of an unwritten rule on MSE. If your post is long winded and relies on assumptions that you have no evidence for and criticism of a process that you willingly took part in. Well, then you are probably wrong.