Aspect Maintenance Services

Chomeur

I book a plumber from Aspect Maintenance Services, the man on the phone says it will be £x/half hour and that they need credit card details as security but it's fine to pay by cheque. After the plumber has finished I tell him that I'd like to pay by cheque. He says it's a big hassle to do so, he will have to phone up the office etc. etc. and much better if I can just wait for them to send me an invoice. He assures me that there are never any problems.

A few days later, Aspect try to bill my credit card, without sending me an invoice. It doesn't work because I gave them an Electron card for an account with no money in it. They then send me an invoice. Fine, I still owe them. But the only thing is that they have rounded the amount of time the plumber spent up by 20 minutes because they say that their terms provide that for amounts less than half an hour to be rounded up. I don't think this is enforceable (a) because it's unfair - if it's less than half an hour it should be apportioned and (b) because it was never mentioned when I spoke to the man on the phone so is not part of our contract.

So they're now taking me to the Small Claims Court. I'll make the above points in my defence. But I'm thinking also about (a) making a counterclaim for breach of contract in them not accepting my cheque and (b) making a complaint to Trading Standards or whatever the appropriate body is.

I find their approach pretty shoddy really. But any thoughts?

vaio

they didn't refuse your cheque, they preferred not to take it and you agreed.

As for the time, standard is £x/half hour or part of half hour, so 5-30 mins cost £x, 35-60 mins costs £2x.

By your logic of not allowing rounding up if the guy was only there for 20 mins he wouldn't get anything?

I'd pay now before you get court costs and their expenses added too

wealdroam

Did you get their contact details from their website?

If so you will have seen:

Ad-hoc and Emergency Jobs - minimum charge 1 hour, then in 1/2 hour increments

So for a plumber, it is £75 plus vat for the first hour, and then £37.50 plus vat for every 30mins or part thereof thereafter.

For example, 62 minutes would cost you £135.00.
It would cost the same for 88 minutes.

arcon5

Seems very standard to me.

Lomast

Thats how every Plumber, Electrician or anyone similar i have ever used works, you pay in 1/2 hr or whole hour chunks not a proportion based on how much of the chunk they have been there.

mattyprice4004

Good on them, when I was a mobile PC technician I was messed around by people like this despite clearly displaying the charges on my website.

Let us know how you get on in court, you'll wish you just paid them! :rotfl: