When is it a call out and when isnt it a call out

[lloyd1980]

Hi again everyone,

just wanted to ask opinion in here from people who have been self employed for longer and know the score.

I have a small callout fee which i charge to cover my costs,
I estimate for free,
The way I see it is that if its estimated then confirmed by joe blogs then obviously no call out

if joe blogs rings up saying I have a problem with my lighting, it keeps tripping, or my socket is cracked or can you put me an extra switch in etc IS a call out even if you cant get to it for a week, so the call out fee applies

had customer ringing up with problem, I cant get there rill next week, asked how i charged , told him callout fee and then the rate and he was trying to get me to drop the callout fee.

whats your opinions on it?. its not big , like i said just enough to cover my fuel and wear tear on van.

thanks in advance guys

 

[Sav]

HI,
I dont actually charge a callout fee for a quote or estimate.
I base it on the job. I know that you could rightly say I am losing out on fuel etc, but i would say about 90% of the time i get the jobs and i know a lot of other trades that do the same.
I think people would get put off if you charge a callout fee just for an estimate.

Also, if I get an emergency callout at 8.30pm on a sunday, again , i wont charge a callout but i would add a bit more on the price to cover the fuel .

Cheers
Sav

 

[acat]

A call out charge is normally for a job that is outside your normal hours so if you decide that you are going to work mon to fri 8am to 4pm if someone calls you and wants you to come out call timed at 4.05pm then you could charge a call out.

Its best not to charge a call out but follow the advise above and not mention it but add it on to your quote.



Chris

 

[monkeyelectric]

I never charge callout fee or for quotes and have'nt for ten years, i would say i get 95% of work i go to look at, a lot of people get put off by callout fee's, if its an emergency at a moments notice i charge a little bit more especially at 7 on a sunday evening

 

[lloyd1980]

HI,
I dont actually charge a callout fee for a quote or estimate.
I base it on the job. I know that you could rightly say I am losing out on fuel etc, but i would say about 90% of the time i get the jobs and i know a lot of other trades that do the same.
I think people would get put off if you charge a callout fee just for an estimate.

Also, if I get an emergency callout at 8.30pm on a sunday, again , i wont charge a callout but i would add a bit more on the price to cover the fuel .

Cheers
Sav

sorry sav

my estimates are completely free

what i charge a callout for is when its something other than an estimate, prob with lighting , extra sockets etc etc

 

[matt456]

i would say that if you down tools and go to the job straight away then that is a call out, if you go a day or 2 later then i would say thats normal work charge

 

[SirKit Breaker]

I also dont charge for quotes and estimates.

I dont have a callout charge either but i do charge £10 extra on my first hour. So if someone rings me and asks how much i charge, i tell them it is £xx for the first hour and the it drops to ** chargeable by the half hour.

No complaints yet, even when i may only be there 20 minutes.

 

[kung]

Im with the others, i wont charge a call out fee. As said your best putting your charge on the first hour fee then charge a smaller fee from then on (normal fee minus your call out).

 

[bugsy]

In my experiance I think more people will accept a slighty higher rate for the first hour as opposed to a call out fee,
as for quoting to sort faults by the time you have located the fault the job's half done so I won't quote for faults just the hourly rate - no complaints so far!

 

[offshorealex]

I never charge for quotes, but charge a callout for epair work. If I'm trying to get across glasgow in the middle of the day then I'd lose hours in travelling. I charge £80 for the first hour, and £40 for every other hour plus parts. The extra £40 for the first hour will cover my travelling time. As long as you're reliable, i.e. there on time, do the job properly, and don't be seen to be dragging it out then people will happily pay a call out in my experience.