Electrician Overcharge Complaint

Kortatu85

Good morning, everyone!

I need your advice on a recent encounter I had with electricians.

Here's the story: I was in need of an electrician to install two lighting fixtures in my home. Naturally, I turned to the internet and found a local electrician in my county. When I called their number, they informed me that there would be a charge of £69 for the electricians to simply come and assess the situation. I agreed to this fee.

The electricians arrived, and afterward, they sent me an email outlining their terms and conditions. To my surprise, the hourly rate they quoted was £269. However, I was eager to have the work done quickly, so I accepted their terms.

Once the job was completed, I received the invoice, and it amounted to £675.12. This came as quite a shock to me since I had expected to pay only £269 for the actual work, plus the initial £69 assessment fee. I felt that the additional charges were not made clear to me.

When I voiced my complaint, they explained that they had billed me for 1.5 hours of work, even though it had only taken them 1 hour to complete the job. Additionally, they included a 10% administrative fee and applied VAT to the total amount. Although these charges were mentioned in the email they had sent, they were presented in a somewhat hidden manner.

In response, I argued that I should only be billed for the actual hour of work. After some discussion, they revised the invoice to £498.12, which accounted for the rate of 1 hour of work, along with the administrative fees and VAT calculated based on 1.5 hours.

However, I still expressed my dissatisfaction, stating that the administrative fees and VAT should be calculated based on the actual hour of work. Surprisingly, they informed me that while the administrative fees could be reduced, the VAT amount could not. I am still unclear as to why this is the case.

Given the entire situation seemed like an attempt to overcharge me from the start, I am seeking advice on how to handle such situations. I still need to obtain a refund and I firmly believe this kind of business practice lacks transparency and good faith.

Aylesbury_Duck

So you've already paid them?  You've lost some leverage there.

Billing complete hours for part hours is not unreasonable if that was set out at the start.  Was it?

In any case, the arithmetic doesn't work.  2x269 plus 69 is 607.  Adding VAT to that makes 728.40, so already in excess of the 675.12 they initially billed, before any "admin" charge is added.  There isn't a combination of VAT and administration at 10% on those charges that makes that sum.  The same goes for the sum you eventually paid, I can't see how that was arrived at, either.

Before you seek any kind of refund, you need to know what terms you agreed to, how those admin and VAT charges were expressed in the original estimate (if they were) and the breakdown of the sum paid.  Can you post a redacted photo of the bill breakdown?

Kortatu85

Hey there, Aylesbury_Duck! I really appreciate your help!

Let me give you a clearer rundown of the situation:

So, the electrician spent a solid hour working on the job, and naturally, I expected to be billed for exactly that—1 hour of work. However, things took an unexpected turn when I received the initial invoice. They had charged me for 1.5 hours of work, tacked on a 10% administrative fee, and to top it off, applied a 20% VAT.

Naturally, I was perplexed by this, so I decided to dig deeper into the timeline. It turns out that between the moment I accepted their terms and conditions via email and the time they sent me the invoice, there was a gap of 1 hour and 4 minutes. But here's the kicker: during those 4 minutes, I was merely twiddling my thumbs, waiting for them to send the invoice. I even took the opportunity to engage in some friendly conversation with the electrician, offering him a refreshing glass of water, and so on. No productive work happened during that time.

Now, let's break down the three invoices I received:

1. The initial invoice (675.12£): They boldly charged me for 1.5 hours of work, slapped on a 10% administrative fee and 20% VAT.

2. The revised invoice (498.12£): After I pointed out that they had, in fact, worked for just 1 hour, they made an adjustment. This time around, they billed me for the actual hour of work, included the same 10% administrative fee, and 20% VAT based on the original 1.5 hours they had initially claimed. Sneaky, right?

3. The final invoice (489.12£): Still dissatisfied with the way they calculated the administrative fees and VAT, I raised my concerns once more. Guess what they said? They stubbornly insisted that the administrative fees were negotiable, but the VAT amount couldn't be altered. So, in this last invoice, they charged me for 1 hour of work, added a 10% administrative fee based on that 1 hour, and applied VAT based on the original 1.5 hours

If you have any advice or suggestions on how to navigate this situation, I'm all ears. Thanks once again for being there to lend a hand!

born_again

Kortatu85 said:

Good morning, everyone!

I need your advice on a recent encounter I had with electricians.

Here's the story: I was in need of an electrician to install two lighting fixtures in my home. Naturally, I turned to the internet and found a local electrician in my county. When I called their number, they informed me that there would be a charge of £69 for the electricians to simply come and assess the situation. I agreed to this fee.

The electricians arrived, and afterward, they sent me an email outlining their terms and conditions. To my surprise, the hourly rate they quoted was £269. However, I was eager to have the work done quickly, so I accepted their terms.

Once the job was completed, I received the invoice, and it amounted to £675.12. This came as quite a shock to me since I had expected to pay only £269 for the actual work, plus the initial £69 assessment fee. I felt that the additional charges were not made clear to me.

When I voiced my complaint, they explained that they had billed me for 1.5 hours of work, even though it had only taken them 1 hour to complete the job. Additionally, they included a 10% administrative fee and applied VAT to the total amount. Although these charges were mentioned in the email they had sent, they were presented in a somewhat hidden manner.

In response, I argued that I should only be billed for the actual hour of work. After some discussion, they revised the invoice to £498.12, which accounted for the rate of 1 hour of work, along with the administrative fees and VAT calculated based on 1.5 hours.

However, I still expressed my dissatisfaction, stating that the administrative fees and VAT should be calculated based on the actual hour of work. Surprisingly, they informed me that while the administrative fees could be reduced, the VAT amount could not. I am still unclear as to why this is the case.

Given the entire situation seemed like an attempt to overcharge me from the start, I am seeking advice on how to handle such situations. I still need to obtain a refund and I firmly believe this kind of business practice lacks transparency and good faith.

Sounds like one of the national emergency call out co's, rather than a local company.

Admin fee. They are having a laugh.

Aylesbury_Duck

Agree with the above, I think you've paid premium rates because it was treated as an emergency callout.

I can see that the hourly rate is £295 not £269, so some of the maths now makes sense, but not all of it.  Aside from the dubious justification for an admin fee, how on earth is it calculated?  Why does the admin fee rate vary between invoices?  You've been charged 10% of a rate that itself changes!

By all means challenge it, but what terms and conditions did you sign up to?

Kortatu85

Let me rectify my previous statement. These were the conditions presented by the electricians, and I agreed to them. Apologies for the confusion caused earlier - upon closer examination, the email did indeed state a rate of £295 instead of £269.

Hello



Please reply to this email with your ‘full name’ confirming your
instructions (and accepting our terms) for us to arrange an engineer
to commence work at your property for the following procedure / at the
following rates:


Arrival/start time: 18:47


Call Out: £69


Procedure: Investigate the issue and attempt to repair


Rate(s) (Per hour or part of an hour): £295


Admin Fee: 0.1 of the bill (Decimal)


ALL charges are subject to VAT


Terms and conditions:



Terms & Conditions

1 Introduction
Being a provider of 24 Hour Emergency Plumbing & Drainage Services -We
work to ensure that all customers receive a quality service. All
plumbers are qualified engineers that you can trust and this also
allows Plumbing Immediately to promise a level of professionalism and
service that can be trusted every time.

1.1 Duty
‘Plumbing Immediately’ are to arrange the goods and/or services of an
appropriately verified, qualified emergency plumber.

1.2 Principles of collaboration
Plumbing Immediately’ act as agent on behalf of the relevant emergency
plumber (who will accordingly be the principal that you will deal with
in relation to this contract) who then works as their own separate
legal business entity and takes full responsibility for the
quotations/work carried out.

1.3 Method of collaboration
In most cases, the administration of the work confirmation
arrangements (contract formation) by email, invoicing and payment
collection will be completed by us on behalf of the engineer.

2 Payment policy
Payment is to be made upon completion of service, and to be paid as
instructed upon the invoice you will receive (unless instructed
differently by us). The payment methods will be either online banking,
card payment or cash.

2.1 Job time
Start time is upon the engineers arrival, followed by a first
inspection of the work required to be undertaken, and job time also
includes reasonable time acquiring goods and/or other materials needed
up to half an hour (30 minutes), with finish time being once the
plumbing report has been submitted to the office from the relevant
engineer at which point you will receive your invoice.

2.2 Time that is chargeable
Below are two examples of time that are chargeable:
A) Time that is chargeable is from the arrival/start time stated on
the confirmation email up until the
completion of the procedure where an invoice will be sent.
Time that is chargeable is from the arrival/start time stated on
the confirmation email up until the customer cancels/stops the time.


2.3 Definition of rates and charges
The rates that we charge are stated under the procedure and will appear as:
Rate(s) (Per half an hour or part of half an hour) or Rate(s) (Per
hour or part of an hour)
This means we charge for the hour and charge an hour as part of an hour.
Below are two examples: If the rate is per hour or part of an hour.
Example 1: 20 minutes will be charged as an hour labor with the amount
of the rate shown.
Example 2: 1 hour and 20 minutes will be charged as 2 hours labor with
the amount of rate shown.
Below are two examples: If the rate is per half an hour or part of a half hour.
Example 1: 20 minutes will be charged as half an hour of labor with
the amount of the rate shown.
Example 2: 45 minutes will be charged as two half an hours labor with
the amount of rate shown.
You will be charge either by half hour units or hourly units depending
on the procedure

2.4 Other charges
All charges will incur Vat (Value added tax) and admin fee (Administration fee).

2.5 Materials
As this is an immediate service, customers acknowledge that materials
may be required for the work to proceed. Materials that do not require
customer preference are likely to not be discussed prior to the job
completion unless they are cosmetic materials/items like taps, shower
mixers that require the customers preference. Customers will incur an
additional charge if any goods and/or other materials are used that
are necessary to complete the job (The ‘procedure’ stated above). The
engineer will be able to provide you with specific information
regarding the required materials upon request.

2.6 Technical information related to the job
Customers are to communicate directly with the engineer on site for
any queries regarding the duration or technical aspects of the job.

2.7 Unpaid invoices
A penalty of daily interest rates will be applied on the total amount
of the invoice and possible legal action will be taken if payment is
not made on completion of the job upon receipt of the invoice.


3 Damages
By agreeing to this confirmation email, you being the customer now
gives authorization for the engineer to make access if necessary, in
the relevant place(s) in order to Investigate plumbing issues/leaks,
safely isolate, temporarily repair or permanently repair plumbing
issues and acknowledge that it is not the plumbers responsibility to
conduct remedial work to what was damaged by gaining access.


Specific terms - Liable Payee:

4 Liable payee
The Liable payee is the person who summons our services and accepts
this contractual agreement for the above stated procedure to be
carried out, Payment is on completion on receipt of the invoice.

4.1 Liable payee explained
Whether you are a tenant, letting agency or landlord, the person who
accepts this contract is legally bound as the liable payee.

4.2 Liability of payment protocol
If there are any unforeseen circumstances such that there is a failure
of communication and/or the liable payee cannot be reached. The liable
payee agrees now and gives consent for any occupiers of his/her
property to make payment on their behalf. The liable payee agrees that
they will then make reimbursement to the occupiers (in early course).

4.3 Complaints regarding the job
Should there be any unforeseen incidents, disputable occurrences or
complaints regarding any aspect of the job taking place, the client
must contact our office (or must request the engineer to contact our
office) during the time when the engineer is working. Failure to do so
may make any subsequent complaint null and void.

4.4 Complaints regarding the job
This company will only communicate with the liable payee in relation
to a job. We do not communicate with 3rd parties in relation to any
aspect of a job.

4.5 Definition of immediate services contract
As this is an emergency/immediate service where our quotation , your
acceptance, and the service is intended to be completed in a short
order and then upon first visit (unless, particular goods and/or other
materials need to be ordered - resulting in additional visit(s) - by
accepting this email you acknowledge and understand that this contract
form part of a circumstance where your right for a cooling off
period/14 day cancellation period are inappropriate (and are
accordingly waived).


4.6 Authorising works
RSVP to this email include the word “Accepted’ or terminology
signifying acceptance within the Subject Line or the body of the email
of reply.

4.7 Stopping the work
You the customer may stop the time at any point by contacting the
office or through the engineer on site, this will stop the time and
you will be invoiced for time spent until that moment.


Yours



‘Restoring peace to your home’

TELLIT01

I don't understand why the OP would think the total price would be £269 when that was clearly quoted as the hourly rate.

Aylesbury_Duck

Kortatu85 said:

Let me rectify my previous statement. These were the conditions presented by the electricians, and I agreed to them. Apologies for the confusion caused earlier - upon closer examination, the email did indeed state a rate of £295 instead of £269.

Hello



Please reply to this email with your ‘full name’ confirming your
instructions (and accepting our terms) for us to arrange an engineer
to commence work at your property for the following procedure / at the
following rates:


Arrival/start time: 18:47


Call Out: £69


Procedure: Investigate the issue and attempt to repair 


Rate(s) (Per hour or part of an hour): £295


Admin Fee: 0.1 of the bill (Decimal)


ALL charges are subject to VAT


Terms and conditions:



Terms & Conditions

1 Introduction
Being a provider of 24 Hour Emergency Plumbing & Drainage Services -We
work to ensure that all customers receive a quality service. All
plumbers are qualified engineers that you can trust and this also
allows Plumbing Immediately to promise a level of professionalism and
service that can be trusted every time.

1.1 Duty
‘Plumbing Immediately’ are to arrange the goods and/or services of an
appropriately verified, qualified emergency plumber.

1.2 Principles of collaboration
Plumbing Immediately’ act as agent on behalf of the relevant emergency
plumber (who will accordingly be the principal that you will deal with
in relation to this contract) who then works as their own separate
legal business entity and takes full responsibility for the
quotations/work carried out.

1.3 Method of collaboration
In most cases, the administration of the work confirmation
arrangements (contract formation) by email, invoicing and payment
collection will be completed by us on behalf of the engineer.

2 Payment policy
Payment is to be made upon completion of service, and to be paid as
instructed upon the invoice you will receive (unless instructed
differently by us). The payment methods will be either online banking,
card payment or cash.

2.1 Job time
Start time is upon the engineers arrival, followed by a first
inspection of the work required to be undertaken, and job time also
includes reasonable time acquiring goods and/or other materials needed
up to half an hour (30 minutes), with finish time being once the
plumbing report has been submitted to the office from the relevant
engineer at which point you will receive your invoice.

2.2 Time that is chargeable
Below are two examples of time that are chargeable:
A) Time that is chargeable is from the arrival/start time stated on
the confirmation email up until the
completion of the procedure where an invoice will be sent.
Time that is chargeable is from the arrival/start time stated on
the confirmation email up until the customer cancels/stops the time.


2.3 Definition of rates and charges
The rates that we charge are stated under the procedure and will appear as:
Rate(s) (Per half an hour or part of half an hour) or Rate(s) (Per
hour or part of an hour)
This means we charge for the hour and charge an hour as part of an hour.
Below are two examples: If the rate is per hour or part of an hour.
Example 1: 20 minutes will be charged as an hour labor with the amount
of the rate shown.
Example 2: 1 hour and 20 minutes will be charged as 2 hours labor with
the amount of rate shown.
Below are two examples: If the rate is per half an hour or part of a half hour.
Example 1: 20 minutes will be charged as half an hour of labor with
the amount of the rate shown.
Example 2: 45 minutes will be charged as two half an hours labor with
the amount of rate shown.
You will be charge either by half hour units or hourly units depending
on the procedure

2.4 Other charges
All charges will incur Vat (Value added tax) and admin fee (Administration fee).

2.5 Materials
As this is an immediate service, customers acknowledge that materials
may be required for the work to proceed. Materials that do not require
customer preference are likely to not be discussed prior to the job
completion unless they are cosmetic materials/items like taps, shower
mixers that require the customers preference. Customers will incur an
additional charge if any goods and/or other materials are used that
are necessary to complete the job (The ‘procedure’ stated above). The
engineer will be able to provide you with specific information
regarding the required materials upon request.

2.6 Technical information related to the job
Customers are to communicate directly with the engineer on site for
any queries regarding the duration or technical aspects of the job.

2.7 Unpaid invoices
A penalty of daily interest rates will be applied on the total amount
of the invoice and possible legal action will be taken if payment is
not made on completion of the job upon receipt of the invoice.


3 Damages
By agreeing to this confirmation email, you being the customer now
gives authorization for the engineer to make access if necessary, in
the relevant place(s) in order to Investigate plumbing issues/leaks,
safely isolate, temporarily repair or permanently repair plumbing
issues and acknowledge that it is not the plumbers responsibility to
conduct remedial work to what was damaged by gaining access.


Specific terms - Liable Payee:

4 Liable payee
The Liable payee is the person who summons our services and accepts
this contractual agreement for the above stated procedure to be
carried out, Payment is on completion on receipt of the invoice.

4.1 Liable payee explained
Whether you are a tenant, letting agency or landlord, the person who
accepts this contract is legally bound as the liable payee.

4.2 Liability of payment protocol
If there are any unforeseen circumstances such that there is a failure
of communication and/or the liable payee cannot be reached. The liable
payee agrees now and gives consent for any occupiers of his/her
property to make payment on their behalf. The liable payee agrees that
they will then make reimbursement to the occupiers (in early course).

4.3 Complaints regarding the job
Should there be any unforeseen incidents, disputable occurrences or
complaints regarding any aspect of the job taking place, the client
must contact our office (or must request the engineer to contact our
office) during the time when the engineer is working. Failure to do so
may make any subsequent complaint null and void.

4.4 Complaints regarding the job
This company will only communicate with the liable payee in relation
to a job. We do not communicate with 3rd parties in relation to any
aspect of a job.

4.5 Definition of immediate services contract
As this is an emergency/immediate service where our quotation , your
acceptance, and the service is intended to be completed in a short
order and then upon first visit (unless, particular goods and/or other
materials need to be ordered - resulting in additional visit(s) - by
accepting this email you acknowledge and understand that this contract
form part of a circumstance where your right for a cooling off
period/14 day cancellation period are inappropriate (and are
accordingly waived).


4.6 Authorising works
RSVP to this email include the word “Accepted’ or terminology
signifying acceptance within the Subject Line or the body of the email
of reply.

4.7 Stopping the work
You the customer may stop the time at any point by contacting the
office or through the engineer on site, this will stop the time and
you will be invoiced for time spent until that moment.


Yours



‘Restoring peace to your home’

Thanks.  So it's clear you called an emergency service rather than a 'normal' electrician.  That explains the callout fee and somewhat high rates, given that it was 7pm on a Saturday.  I'm afraid that's on you, and you agreed to the callout fee and the rates provided before work commenced.  You've paid more than you would have done had you called a couple of electricians to come out and quote for the job, and for one of them to do it in normal working hours.  The rates probably aren't unreasonable for an emergency callout on a Saturday evening.

The hourly charge is clearly set out, and it does say they charge full hours for part hours worked.

I still don't understand their rationale for the admin fee.  "0.1 of the bill (Decimal)" is not what's been calculated.  However I juggle the figures on any of the three invoices you attached, I can't get to the figures they've added.  One of them is only 50p out, but the one you actually paid doesn't make any sense.  By their own rate, 10% would be £36.40 not £43.60.  Given those prices are anagrams of each other, I suspect it's a typo and you've overpaid by £7.20.

All charges are subject to VAT, it's stated, and you agreed to that.  That means that you paid £1.44 more in VAT than you should have (20% of the £7.20 overcharge), so the total amount by which you were overcharged is £8.64.  Whether you want to go to the trouble of challenging that is up to you.

Kortatu85

TELLIT01 said:

I don't understand why the OP would think the total price would be £269 when that was clearly quoted as the hourly rate.

I want to clarify that I never explicitly stated that the total price would be £269. What I meant to convey was that I was initially willing to pay £269 for the job, in addition to the £69 assessment fee. However, what caught me off guard were the unexpected administrative fees, VATs, and the attempt to charge me for 1.5 hours of work.

Looking back, I realise there may have been a significant misunderstanding on my part. Given my previous experiences with similar tasks in my terraced house, I had mistakenly assumed that changing the lighting fixtures would take around 25-30 minutes instead of 1 full hour

Kortatu85

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Kortatu85 said:

Let me rectify my previous statement. These were the conditions presented by the electricians, and I agreed to them. Apologies for the confusion caused earlier - upon closer examination, the email did indeed state a rate of £295 instead of £269.

Hello



Please reply to this email with your ‘full name’ confirming your
instructions (and accepting our terms) for us to arrange an engineer
to commence work at your property for the following procedure / at the
following rates:


Arrival/start time: 18:47


Call Out: £69


Procedure: Investigate the issue and attempt to repair 


Rate(s) (Per hour or part of an hour): £295


Admin Fee: 0.1 of the bill (Decimal)


ALL charges are subject to VAT


Terms and conditions:



Terms & Conditions

1 Introduction
Being a provider of 24 Hour Emergency Plumbing & Drainage Services -We
work to ensure that all customers receive a quality service. All
plumbers are qualified engineers that you can trust and this also
allows Plumbing Immediately to promise a level of professionalism and
service that can be trusted every time.

1.1 Duty
‘Plumbing Immediately’ are to arrange the goods and/or services of an
appropriately verified, qualified emergency plumber.

1.2 Principles of collaboration
Plumbing Immediately’ act as agent on behalf of the relevant emergency
plumber (who will accordingly be the principal that you will deal with
in relation to this contract) who then works as their own separate
legal business entity and takes full responsibility for the
quotations/work carried out.

1.3 Method of collaboration
In most cases, the administration of the work confirmation
arrangements (contract formation) by email, invoicing and payment
collection will be completed by us on behalf of the engineer.

2 Payment policy
Payment is to be made upon completion of service, and to be paid as
instructed upon the invoice you will receive (unless instructed
differently by us). The payment methods will be either online banking,
card payment or cash.

2.1 Job time
Start time is upon the engineers arrival, followed by a first
inspection of the work required to be undertaken, and job time also
includes reasonable time acquiring goods and/or other materials needed
up to half an hour (30 minutes), with finish time being once the
plumbing report has been submitted to the office from the relevant
engineer at which point you will receive your invoice.

2.2 Time that is chargeable
Below are two examples of time that are chargeable:
A) Time that is chargeable is from the arrival/start time stated on
the confirmation email up until the
completion of the procedure where an invoice will be sent.
Time that is chargeable is from the arrival/start time stated on
the confirmation email up until the customer cancels/stops the time.


2.3 Definition of rates and charges
The rates that we charge are stated under the procedure and will appear as:
Rate(s) (Per half an hour or part of half an hour) or Rate(s) (Per
hour or part of an hour)
This means we charge for the hour and charge an hour as part of an hour.
Below are two examples: If the rate is per hour or part of an hour.
Example 1: 20 minutes will be charged as an hour labor with the amount
of the rate shown.
Example 2: 1 hour and 20 minutes will be charged as 2 hours labor with
the amount of rate shown.
Below are two examples: If the rate is per half an hour or part of a half hour.
Example 1: 20 minutes will be charged as half an hour of labor with
the amount of the rate shown.
Example 2: 45 minutes will be charged as two half an hours labor with
the amount of rate shown.
You will be charge either by half hour units or hourly units depending
on the procedure

2.4 Other charges
All charges will incur Vat (Value added tax) and admin fee (Administration fee).

2.5 Materials
As this is an immediate service, customers acknowledge that materials
may be required for the work to proceed. Materials that do not require
customer preference are likely to not be discussed prior to the job
completion unless they are cosmetic materials/items like taps, shower
mixers that require the customers preference. Customers will incur an
additional charge if any goods and/or other materials are used that
are necessary to complete the job (The ‘procedure’ stated above). The
engineer will be able to provide you with specific information
regarding the required materials upon request.

2.6 Technical information related to the job
Customers are to communicate directly with the engineer on site for
any queries regarding the duration or technical aspects of the job.

2.7 Unpaid invoices
A penalty of daily interest rates will be applied on the total amount
of the invoice and possible legal action will be taken if payment is
not made on completion of the job upon receipt of the invoice.


3 Damages
By agreeing to this confirmation email, you being the customer now
gives authorization for the engineer to make access if necessary, in
the relevant place(s) in order to Investigate plumbing issues/leaks,
safely isolate, temporarily repair or permanently repair plumbing
issues and acknowledge that it is not the plumbers responsibility to
conduct remedial work to what was damaged by gaining access.


Specific terms - Liable Payee:

4 Liable payee
The Liable payee is the person who summons our services and accepts
this contractual agreement for the above stated procedure to be
carried out, Payment is on completion on receipt of the invoice.

4.1 Liable payee explained
Whether you are a tenant, letting agency or landlord, the person who
accepts this contract is legally bound as the liable payee.

4.2 Liability of payment protocol
If there are any unforeseen circumstances such that there is a failure
of communication and/or the liable payee cannot be reached. The liable
payee agrees now and gives consent for any occupiers of his/her
property to make payment on their behalf. The liable payee agrees that
they will then make reimbursement to the occupiers (in early course).

4.3 Complaints regarding the job
Should there be any unforeseen incidents, disputable occurrences or
complaints regarding any aspect of the job taking place, the client
must contact our office (or must request the engineer to contact our
office) during the time when the engineer is working. Failure to do so
may make any subsequent complaint null and void.

4.4 Complaints regarding the job
This company will only communicate with the liable payee in relation
to a job. We do not communicate with 3rd parties in relation to any
aspect of a job.

4.5 Definition of immediate services contract
As this is an emergency/immediate service where our quotation , your
acceptance, and the service is intended to be completed in a short
order and then upon first visit (unless, particular goods and/or other
materials need to be ordered - resulting in additional visit(s) - by
accepting this email you acknowledge and understand that this contract
form part of a circumstance where your right for a cooling off
period/14 day cancellation period are inappropriate (and are
accordingly waived).


4.6 Authorising works
RSVP to this email include the word “Accepted’ or terminology
signifying acceptance within the Subject Line or the body of the email
of reply.

4.7 Stopping the work
You the customer may stop the time at any point by contacting the
office or through the engineer on site, this will stop the time and
you will be invoiced for time spent until that moment.


Yours



‘Restoring peace to your home’

Thanks.  So it's clear you called an emergency service rather than a 'normal' electrician.  That explains the callout fee and somewhat high rates, given that it was 7pm on a Saturday.  I'm afraid that's on you, and you agreed to the callout fee and the rates provided before work commenced.  You've paid more than you would have done had you called a couple of electricians to come out and quote for the job, and for one of them to do it in normal working hours.  The rates probably aren't unreasonable for an emergency callout on a Saturday evening.

The hourly charge is clearly set out, and it does say they charge full hours for part hours worked.

I still don't understand their rationale for the admin fee.  "0.1 of the bill (Decimal)" is not what's been calculated.  However I juggle the figures on any of the three invoices you attached, I can't get to the figures they've added.  One of them is only 50p out, but the one you actually paid doesn't make any sense.  By their own rate, 10% would be £36.40 not £43.60.  Given those prices are anagrams of each other, I suspect it's a typo and you've overpaid by £7.20.

All charges are subject to VAT, it's stated, and you agreed to that.  That means that you paid £1.44 more in VAT than you should have (20% of the £7.20 overcharge), so the total amount by which you were overcharged is £8.64.  Whether you want to go to the trouble of challenging that is up to you.

I see, now everything is becoming clearer. Just to recap, I did contact the electricians on Thursday and explicitly mentioned that I needed to change the lighting fixtures (so not an urgent or emergency situation). It's worth noting that they were unable to make it on both Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, so it was their rescheduling that led to a Saturday evening appointment.

At this point, I'm starting to realize that there might not be much I can do to change the situation. While the difference of £8 may not be significant in the grand scheme of things, it's more about the principle and the overall experience.

 Thank you for your support

Mr.Generous

£300 is a reasonable day rate for an electrician why on earth agree this per hr plus vat plus admin 10%? No light fitting needs changing on a Saturday evening for that much, even if the inlaws are coming on Sunday.