Call out charge (without telling me)

GazzHam1966

Hi all.

I was recommended a plumber. I looked them up and it said free quote. I asked the company to come to my house. No mention of call out charge but I didn't ask it either. The chap came round for 5 minutes said he would send a quote. I received the quote and said I would like to consider it. Then I was told I need to pay a £120 call out charge. I now received an email saying

"This will be the last email I send, as I get no response from you, I’ve text you and phoned so will be passed on from here"

Am I legally obliged to pay this fee because I am struggling at the moment and at no point was I told about this prior to the appointment? I also feel like £120.00 for 5 minutes (literally it could be even less than this! is quite steep?)

What do you think?

Thanks

CliveOfIndia

GazzHam1966 said:

I looked them up and it said free quote.

Can you provide a link to the website?  There may be something hidden away in the small print about a call-out charge.

GazzHam1966 said:

I now received an email saying

"This will be the last email I send, as I get no response from you, I’ve text you and phoned so will be passed on from here"

Is this a one-man-band, rather than a larger company?  Judging from the abysmal grammar in that email, I'm assuming it's the former?

Without anything in writing (or any T&Cs published on a website or advertising literature) it may be a tricky one.  Yes, the quote was free, but equally it's not unusual for a call-out fee to be charged.

GazzHam1966 said:

I also feel like £120.00 for 5 minutes (literally it could be even less than this! is quite steep?)

Bear in mind, he's taken time out of his day to come round, and that could easily be an hour or more in total by the time he's travelled to your house and back to base again.  So there's an argument to say he's just charging for his time.

Admittedly, if they advertise a free quote, I agree that subsequently charging a call-out fee seems a tad naughty.

Voyager2002

If they advertise a free quote, you can reasonably assume that you will not be paying for it.

Usual practice is for plumbers to charge a call-out fee plus for time spent working and materials when actually doing a job, but not to make any charge when visiting to prepare an estimate or quotation.

Clive_Woody

I've never heard of someone offering a "free quote" but charging a call out fee to provide that "free quote". 

I'm assuming he didn't do anything while there that might be considered "work"? Did he tighten something, make something safe, just grab his tools, or did he just come in and discuss the work needed then leave?

GazzHam1966

I cannot post website links but it is sandtplumbing and on their about us page it says contact us for a free quote.

I don't know whether I am being unreasonable but you would have thought this would be mentioned prior to sending someone out?

GazzHam1966

Clive_Woody said:

I've never heard of someone offering a "free quote" but charging a call out fee to provide that "free quote". 

I'm assuming he didn't do anything while there that might be considered "work"? Did he tighten something, make something safe, just grab his tools, or did he just come in and discuss the work needed then leave?

Nope just discussed and said would send a quote. Then when I said I would consider the quote I was told about the call out charge.

GazzHam1966

I suppose my next question is that do I go back to them or do I ignore it?

Clive_Woody

Nothing on their wesbite that suggests a call out charge for their "free quote". I'd write back and thank them for their quote and state that you will not be paying a call-out fee for them attending to provide a free quote. After that I would ignore.

https://www.sandtplumbing.com/

CliveOfIndia

I was just about to post the same as Clive_Woody - there's no mention of a call-out fee on their website.  So unless he actually did anything that could be construed as anything other than "taking a look and preparing a quote", then I'd follow CW's advice.

I'm not sure where the guy thinks you're going to be "passed on" to.  Possibly small claims, I'm guessing?  But from what you've told us, he'd be on a hiding to nothing if he took that route.

400ixl

Cannot find anything on their site which mentions any call out fees.

How did the communication go? You can't ask for a visit on their contact form, so i assume you either engaged over email off of the back of using it or spoke to them? Ddi you ask them to come to your house or did they say it was necessary to be able to to quote?

GazzHam1966

I was recommended on NextDoor so I gave them a call. Said they would send someone over and the rest ensued. It was all verbal but I promise you there was no mention of a £120 callout charge so I was shocked.