Gasworks charging

sheramber

So, if they had given you a time frame to cancel it would not have been forgotten?

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Jumblebumble said:

Raffine said:

I have been to see them with my son and we came to an arrangement. I still think that it is their duty to alert the customer on the possible charge as the appointment was made on the phone. If the website had been used then I would have looked at T&C. I think it is day light robbery as they just move on to the next job the guy at the shop said they were inundated with demands so I don’t think there was £102 of losses for not even turning up at the door! 

I would still not recommend shoddy work practices, most appointments are followed by an email and it is easy and honest to alert the client. 

The only excuse they had was that they are so busy they don’t have the time to say it to the client! But they still bill for £102 for not even showing up, sorry my view is that it is not a professional approach

Thank you for your replies, I am glad that the matter is settled but will warn everyone about their practice, this is my personal opinion.

Can I ask who you think should pay for the resourse of allocating an engineer to attend on your sons instructions?
It is irrelevant as to whether the engineer actually turned up as they were willing and able to attend and your son cancelled too late.  You should pay as ifr they sue you they will win.

It's unclear why you think the company would win?

Either OP had a contract for an urgent call out (which doesn't have the right to cancel) and the company were in breach of the contract for failing to attend, set a new date which the OP didn't confirm and as such OP was entitled to refuse the amendment to the contract at any point, it can not be assumed that the OP agreed any changes to the main characteristics of the goods or services by failing to reject the changes as such changes must be expressly agreed between the trader and consumer.  

Or the OP had a contract for an urgent call out but agreed to the new date meaning it was no longer an urgent call out (a week to visit isn't urgent in anyone's book when it comes to gas, particularly as the OP mentions a leak) and the right to cancel would now exist in the contract. In this instance the consumer can cancel anytime in the cancellation period without charge if the service hadn't begun. If it had begun then the consumer is only obligated to pay for the part of the service they'd received until the point of cancellation, even in the slim chance the engineer had begun travel to the OP it may be debatable to pinpoint whether the service had begun and if it had what that element may cost and in that situation it assumes the trader provided the OP with 2 specific aspects of the required information.

In the slim chance the OP was due to pay a full callout charge it would simply be unwise for a business who are inundated with customers to take a consumer to court for the mere sum of £102, the time and headache simply wouldn't justify the potential reward.