Lift call-out charge

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  • JJ_Egan
    JJ_Egan Posts: 20,281 Forumite
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    Thats in the ballpark for a standard call out .
  • bris
    bris Posts: 10,548 Forumite
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    Management fees don't cover peoples mistakes. You dropped the keys, there was always going to be a charge for this.


    Management fees cover day to day maintenance of the building.
  • CKhalvashi
    CKhalvashi Posts: 12,060 Forumite
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    jclarke21 wrote: »
    £216

    Not denying that a fee should be there - but surely you have to state how much a service would cost before proceeding with it?

    Will refer to my tenancy contract.

    Surely if you’re not sure if it will be chargeable you should ask. My personal thought process is that it isn’t the landlords responsibility and was your fault, so you pay for it.

    My first question to anyone is ‘how much will x cost?’. I’m amazed more people aren’t the same!
    💙💛 💔
  • phoenix1837
    phoenix1837 Posts: 79 Forumite
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    I'm concerned that it's taken 11 months for them to invoice you. That's not right. You are absolutely liable but after 11 months they are taking the Michael
  • shaun_from_Africa
    shaun_from_Africa Posts: 12,858 Forumite
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    jclarke21 wrote: »
    Hi,if i knew it would have been that expensive i would have booked a hotel and got keys cut
    jclarke21 wrote: »
    i.e. wouldn't have called out - would have just got keys cut!?

    And if your dropped keys had caused a jam in the lift mechanism?
    The service engineer who came out would have had to retreive the keys or at least ensure that they hadn't landed in a place where they could have caused problems.
  • agrinnall
    agrinnall Posts: 23,344 Forumite
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    phoenix1837 wrote: »
    I'm concerned that it's taken 11 months for them to invoice you. That's not right. You are absolutely liable but after 11 months they are taking the Michael


    Why do you say that? The benefit is to the OP, who has had the money for 11 months longer than they otherwise would have. They have 6 years to claim payment, so they could have left it another 5 years and still been within their rights.
  • tacpot12
    tacpot12 Posts: 8,028 Forumite
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    The situation depends on whether you called the lift company directly or your managing agent you then called the lift company on your behalf. You will have a pre-existing contract with the managing agent, but not with the lift company

    If you called the lift company directly, I presume you asked them to retrieve your keys are return them to you? If so, you asked them to provide a service for which they are entitled to be paid something. They should have advised you at the time of the cost for the callout. You were not previously a customer of theirs, so there was no contract in place such that you should have know the price. Because you did not agree the price with the lift company, then they have no contract with you and cannot sue you for the money.

    Under the circumstances, I would suggest you write back to them saying something along the lines of "We have no contract because I didn't agree to pay any charge and so I am no legally obliged to pay, BUT I accept that returning my keys did cost you something I am prepared to offer £x now in full and final settlement of your charge for this service". Where x is a figure that you regard as fair given the effort put in by the company to retrieve your keys - e.g. if they turned up out of hours, I would offer them more than if they waited until normal business hours. I would be looking to pay them something between £80 and £120.

    Do let us know how you get on.
    The comments I post are my personal opinion. While I try to check everything is correct before posting, I can and do make mistakes, so always try to check official information sources before relying on my posts.
  • Manxman_in_exile
    Manxman_in_exile Posts: 8,380 Forumite
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    I'm surprised that a call out for a lift engineer to retrieve keys from a lift shaft and then (presumably) make sure it's operating safely only cost £216!


    Earlier this year I went out for a winter walk in the "beast of the east". I'd changed into suitable winter wear but stupidly failed to transfer (1) my house keys, (2) my mobile, and (3) my wallet! Plus my wife was away fro three days and no neighbours were in. We live opposite a community hospital/hospice and I went in there, explained my predicament (I'm also a former NHS worker) and they brilliantly found a locksmith. He quoted an £80 call out and be there in 15 minutes. I was more than happy to accept!


    PS - how do you drop keys down a lift shaft?
  • davidmcn
    davidmcn Posts: 23,596 Forumite
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    Manxman_in_exile wrote: »
    PS - how do you drop keys down a lift shaft?
    Down the gap between the lift car and the floor. Also just the right size for phones...
  • SandraX
    SandraX Posts: 840 Forumite
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    Sorry OP, but just a polite reminder to all - never assume anything, always ask what it's going to cost, all-inclusive cost as some low lives don't mention VAT. Many years ago I took my car to a small garage for brake pads, they said it was ...... so I went ahead but when i went to pay it was ... plus vat - queried this and the illiterate bloke said, "we don't get the vat love, its the taxman.' - From there on I learnt a lesson to always try and be clear beforehand as much as possible. The charge looks fair to me as vat, emergency callout costs a lot of money - one should try to negotiate beforehand and not complain about the amount afterwards.
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