is it fair to have to pay for a plumber's quote?

Alex1983

I would say it is reasonable to expect to pay if they are diagnosing a fault but not reasonable if there quoting to fit a new boiler or bathroom etc.

glennevis

Rule of thumb a plumber told me was there would be at least the minimum call out fee once the 'engineer' (sic) touches your equipment. So if they came and diagnosed your fault by touching anything, which I suspect could be simply turning a tap on and off, then expect to pay. If you want a free quote ask if they do free quotes.

David_Aston

Thanks for your comments.It certainly seems a no brainier to ask prior to a visit if a quote would be free or not. If there is a leak for instance, and it's source isn't obvious, it doesn't seem unreasonable to have to pay if the plumber needs to spend time finding the source. I would still ask about the situation prior to asking for a visit.

brightontraveller

somethingcorporate wrote: »

Rubbish, the plumber is the professional who should make their terms of business clear to their customer.

This tactic is underhand and I certainly wouldn't pay without proof I had agreed it beforehand (pretty sure any claim in court would fail without any reasonable proof). I've had dozens of quotes from tradesmen in the past, none of which I have had to pay for.

Mmmm them being in your home is pretty much proof ?

“Fault finding” isn't “Quoting” they are different and where many fall and box altogether e.g plumber/ electrician etc calls out gives a "quote" to replace item (a tap, plug etc) Isn't same as fault finding, diagnosing etc if you don't see the difference then there isn't anything anyone can say too change your mindset I'll certainly not waste my time
:wall: in your world it is not acceptable to charge for time and no one ever does without your consent ....

Luckily courts see this differently (even they will charge be my guest and argue it out with them on that ) .. You often find its not the charge but the amount that makes people angry, reluctant to pay and that's a whole different issue "time is money" most understand that ....