Call out charge (without telling me)

Risteard

What did you actually ask them to do? Was it to diagnose a fault with something?

casper_gutman

Just in case they decide to change their website and deny all knowledge of anything about "free quotes", your can see the site as it was on 29th September here.

Albermarle

What was the free quote for ?

GazzHam1966

My boiler was not turning off and apparently it was an issue with a valve. Does that make a difference? Thank you everyone for your help.

mr_stripey

GazzHam1966 said:

My boiler was not turning off and apparently it was an issue with a valve. Does that make a difference? Thank you everyone for your help.

Did he "fix" the issue while he was there? What was the quote for? A repair, or replacement?

GazzHam1966

He did not fix the issue. They sent me a quote saying

the engineer can fix your hot wat for £290 ex vat. I said I would need to consider it then he said it would be £120 ex vat call out charge for today (literally the engineer came for less than 5 minutes) which was included in the quotation to diagnose.

However, there was no mention about a call out charge and I read on their website about "free quotes".

saajan_12

It doesnt' matter how long he stayed to quote.
If he had <quoted and fixed> something, then the charge should be agreed first and a callout plus whatever time / materials should be chargeable.
If he just did a <quote> and if <quote> was going to be free, then news flash, its free. Nothing tricky about it. 

CliveOfIndia said:

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.

Just responding to the above points, I know there's other bits to your post that do agree with me:
If you walk into a shop, get a bunch of help from an assistant but ultimately don't buy anything, yes they spent time, but no they don't get to charge for it. 

OutdoorQueen

Possibly a misleading omission under the Consumer Protection Unfair Trading Regulations.  

You needed the information about the charge to make an informed decision about whether you entered in to the contract.    

You could report the mater to trading standards via the citizens advice consumer service but no guarantee that they will do anything: 0808 223 1133  


https://www.businesscompanion.info/en/quick-guides/good-practice/protection-from-unfair-trading#:~:text=Misleading%20omissions,-Regulation%206%20prohibits&text=It%20is%20a%20breach%20of,would%20not%20have%20taken%20otherwise.

Albermarle

GazzHam1966 said:

He did not fix the issue. They sent me a quote saying

the engineer can fix your hot wat for £290 ex vat. I said I would need to consider it then he said it would be £120 ex vat call out charge for today (literally the engineer came for less than 5 minutes) which was included in the quotation to diagnose.

However, there was no mention about a call out charge and I read on their website about "free quotes".

Presumably, if you accepted the quote of £290, then the call out charge would have been waived?

I am guessing that the offer of a free quote is if you wanted a big job done ( like a new boiler).
You called them out to look at a problem you had, so a call out charge would be normal. Although it usually would cover the first hours work as well.

ThisIsWeird

GazzHam1966 said:

He did not fix the issue. They sent me a quote saying
the engineer can fix your hot wat for £290 ex vat. I said I would need to consider it then he said it would be £120 ex vat call out charge for today (literally the engineer came for less than 5 minutes) which was included in the quotation to diagnose.
However, there was no mention about a call out charge and I read on their website about "free quotes".

Legally, you almost certainly don't owe him a bean, as you took a reasonable layman's understanding from what his website said about 'free quotes'. So, I think he'd really struggle - and wouldn't even try - to get this money out of you.

Morally, you probably do owe him a bean, as he did actually diagnose the problem.

He expected you to agree to his repair charge (a bit high but not exploitative), in which case no 'call-out/diagnostic'  charge, and you'd both be happy, and you a bit poorer.

So, the moral dilemma is - is he charging you for a 'quote', which is free - or to diagnose the problem? It's that wee murky bit in t'middle.

What are you minded to do about the repair? Get a cheaper plumber out - now that you know the fault? Or even DIY it, now that you know the cause? Either are a bit murky in the 'morality' stakes.

Personally, I think you owe him, but no idea how much. Probably a figure based on how complex the issue was to diagnose.

May I ask, why didn't you accept his quote? Is it because it's a bit high? Have you had other quotes for the work?

If you decide to go elsewhere, then I think the 'right' thing to do would be to send him a cheque or bank transfer for, say, £50 in 'full and final payment', making it clear that your reasons are that you understood from his website, and also from your conversations, that there would be no charge if you decided not to proceed. But you also acknowledge the 10 mins work that he carried out, and are prepared to pay for this. Something like that.