Call out charge

A call-out charge is a charge for coming out to you which is on top of the cost of any work or repairs. So, for example, a plumber might charge you £100 for coming out to look at your faulty boiler and working out what the problem is. Then they might say it will cost you a further £300 if you want them to fix the problem. It’s a legal requirement under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) for the plumber to make it clear they are charging you for the visit and that this is separate from any work they may or may not do. They should tell you this before they come out to you, and tell you how much the call-out charge will be. If they don’t tell you about a call out charge and then charge one, you may not have to pay this additional cost.

You should of been aware before they visited that there was a call out charge

No, I don't think that is acceptable. If they felt that a call out charge was appropriate they should have been very clear about that from the beginning. All the best, Gilles

If there is a callout charge, you should always tell them before you go and visit them