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AIBU?

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Original poster

To not pay this invoice

45 replies

PrettyPollyPlease · 02/01/2026 13:01

So just a couple of weeks before Christmas - the first one I hosted - my oven decided it was the perfect time to start tripping power to half the house.. perfect
So I hopped on Checkatrade and posted the problem.. one company got back to me instantly to say they could help. They had 0 reviews (I am a slave to good reviews) so I would usually not have considered using them, but they were new to the site, the lady I spoke to seemed lovely, it was close to Christmas, was rather urgent and no one else contacted me straight away. So I booked them in.
The lady said the call out was £70 so I would pay that plus parts and there was no additional labour charge - no matter how many visits might be required. This seemed a bit too well priced, but for previous reasons I went with it.
The guy shows up.. I don’t want to be rude, but he wasn’t someone I relished having in my home & spending time with (amongst other things he dragged mud and leaves across my kitchen and didn’t flush after he used the bathroom).. he had no idea what the issue was, but suggested he could “fix” the range of things that “could” be the problem - basically he could replace half the oven components.. he also pulled one of the oven doors off accidentally, and in putting it back on left it not closing properly.
I then got a quote for over £400 covering components which google tells me should be no more than £25 list price (one is listed for £200), and a call out fee of £95.
I ignored this, hoped the oven might heal itself, and cajoled it through Christmas - with no food poisoning - yay!
Now they are chasing me for £95 .. I don’t really think this is reasonable, but I don’t want to be a bitch when this guy did come out promptly, at a busy time - it is the call out fee & he was called out. Am I BU not to pay??

OP posts:
WhatWouldTheDoctorDo · 02/01/2026 13:10

I think I’d be tempted to email them in the first instance, highlighting that you are unhappy with the service you received. Point out that the call out fee was £70, and you’ve been charged £95. Explain that he damaged your oven door, didn’t seem to know what the issue was at all, and recommended a long list of replacement parts despite not actually knowing what the problem is and that you feel that you have been swindled given they sent someone out that didn’t seem to know what they were doing. See where that gets you. But ultimately, I would offer to pay no more than the £70 call out fee you were originally quoted and let them know you will be leaving a review on trust pilot about your experience.

We had someone come out once to give us a quote (they advertised no call out fee), proceeded to recommend so unnecessary expensive work, and when we didn’t go ahead with it, tried to charge for investigation work. We pushed back and ended up not paying anything.

didntlikeanyofthesuggestions · 02/01/2026 13:10

You called them out but you don't want to pay the call out fee? Did the original £70 fee get written down anywhere?

Nearly50omg · 02/01/2026 13:11

Their call out fee was £70 - tell them they will take that off the price of the damage he’s caused to be repaired and if it’s any more to repair it you will bill them!

Original poster
PrettyPollyPlease · 02/01/2026 13:15

WhatWouldTheDoctorDo · 02/01/2026 13:10

I think I’d be tempted to email them in the first instance, highlighting that you are unhappy with the service you received. Point out that the call out fee was £70, and you’ve been charged £95. Explain that he damaged your oven door, didn’t seem to know what the issue was at all, and recommended a long list of replacement parts despite not actually knowing what the problem is and that you feel that you have been swindled given they sent someone out that didn’t seem to know what they were doing. See where that gets you. But ultimately, I would offer to pay no more than the £70 call out fee you were originally quoted and let them know you will be leaving a review on trust pilot about your experience.

We had someone come out once to give us a quote (they advertised no call out fee), proceeded to recommend so unnecessary expensive work, and when we didn’t go ahead with it, tried to charge for investigation work. We pushed back and ended up not paying anything.

Thank you, that’s great advice!

OP posts:
Original poster
PrettyPollyPlease · 02/01/2026 13:17

Nearly50omg · 02/01/2026 13:11

Their call out fee was £70 - tell them they will take that off the price of the damage he’s caused to be repaired and if it’s any more to repair it you will bill them!

they will prob give me a quote for the door repair, then charge me 4 times that amount for not fixing it!

OP posts:
Original poster
PrettyPollyPlease · 02/01/2026 13:18

didntlikeanyofthesuggestions · 02/01/2026 13:10

You called them out but you don't want to pay the call out fee? Did the original £70 fee get written down anywhere?

I know, that’s why I thought it may be U, it’s just that as services go it wasn’t very effective..

OP posts:
Reallyneedsaholiday · 02/01/2026 15:49

My initial thought is that the call out fee quoted didn't include the VAT (pretty standard when giving a quote). Its still "out" but not by that much.

NewYearSameYou · 02/01/2026 16:05

It does sound like a complete scam.

I wouldn't pay any more than the call out fee, but even then, ask for a deduction due to the guy they sent actually causing more damage to your oven.

midsomermurderer · 02/01/2026 16:08

I dont think checkatrade is fit for purpose. I would never leave a bad review because they know where you live, and so it is just full of people who aren't good enough to get work via word of mouth who get their mates to leave a few good reviews.

I'd pay, purely because they have your address and I wouldnt want them turning up over a hundred quid. Extortion maybe, but I just wouldnt want the worry.

ailsamaryc · 02/01/2026 16:28

So you are declining to pay the call out fee? Why is that? Just because you didn't like him?

AgaKhant · 02/01/2026 16:33

Have you contacted CheckATrade about it? I thought that the leaflet that came through our door from them said that they underwrite the work up to £1000.
Sounds like a complete idiot. I had a problem with RCD tripping, got an electrician via CheckATrade, and he was brilliant - the opposite to your experience, Charged a call out and diagnostic fee, but was really keen not to try more than one thing at a time so as not to waste my money (The first thing he did worked !!)

Legolava · 02/01/2026 16:35

That’s sounds about right, call out fee plus VAT no?

rozzyraspberry · 02/01/2026 16:50

Surely you’re agreeing to pay the call out fee with the expectation that the person that comes out is actually qualified for the job you’ve asked them to do…. which doesn’t seem to be the case in this instance.

I wouldn’t be happy to pay either.

JustMyView13 · 02/01/2026 16:54

The query here seems simple. They quoted £70 and are invoicing £95 so it’s £25 too high. I’d flag that, pay the call out fee and move on. As for whether he was qualified to carry out the services / treated your home as you would like - it’s a bit of buyer beware. He had no reviews and you were desperate. I’d go on recommendations next time, but I wouldn’t have him back.

TerrysCIockworkOrange · 02/01/2026 16:59

£70 + VAT - sounds about right OP. You would be very unreasonable not to pay. You called them out, they came, you didn’t like the quote, you didn’t proceed. Why should they be out of pocket?! The door thing is the only quibble point but unless you’re willing to let him come back out to fix it, I’d just leave it.

Womaninhouse17 · 02/01/2026 17:03

I think you should pay the call out fee. I'd first query why they've asked for more than the £70 quote though.

Legolava · 02/01/2026 17:05

Really simple here. Call out fee is usually quoted and then VAT added on top. That’s generally how trade works. That would make it about right for the money and typical call out fee.

MedievalNun · 02/01/2026 17:11

£70 + VAT at 20% is £84 - so it’s still over what you should be paying for the callout. I would pay the fee you were quoted and ask where the additional £25 has come from, and then never use them again tbh.

Original poster
PrettyPollyPlease · 02/01/2026 17:13

Thank you so much for replying x
I also thought it must be VAT being added, but the numbers just aren’t quite right.. I’ve just noticed the email I received today has changed the call out to £96.. obviously only £1 change but it just all seems a bit .. fluid

OP posts:
Logisticalqueen · 02/01/2026 17:20

Absolutely pay the call-out fee. They’re a business, can out to you, provided you a quote and they have staff amongst other business costs to pay out for.

I can’t believe you’re asking this.

If you didn’t quite like their service whilst there, tell them and write a review. But you owe them for the call-out.

MandemChickenShop · 02/01/2026 17:20

Complete scam. Don't pay, he broke your oven for goodness sake.

And put checkatrade in the bin, that's a scam too

anyolddinosaur · 02/01/2026 17:54

70 plus vat is £84 - if they have enough business to be VAT registered. Does the invoice give a VAT number?

I'd pay that and explain that you were not impressed.

Galatine · 02/01/2026 18:14

Doesn’t sound like much of business when they send someone who can’t even pinpoint a fault in a cooker. Fixing it may be slightly more difficult but this man sounds completely incompetent. I wouldn’t want him working on electrical or gas appliances of mine. I say this as someone who has spent many years diagnosing faults in all kinds of equipment. I wasn’t necessarily able to fix everything but I usually knew enough to stop repairer trying to flannel me.

HayceeDeeCee · 02/01/2026 18:15

They may not be VAT registered, ask for their VAT registration number, which should be on their invoice. You can check this on https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-vat-number

If they are charging VAT without being registered thats VAT fraud.

Seeing as he broke your oven door, i'd decline to pay their fee, it's going to cost you to get that fixed. I'd go elsewhere if it were me.

Check a UK VAT number

Check a UK VAT registration number is valid. Prove when you checked a number.

https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-vat-number

AtomicBlondeRose · 02/01/2026 18:17

But there’s an argument that you could charge a call out fee and have a business only doing call outs for all sorts of things, none of which you’re qualified to do or have any intention of actually carrying out, and make decent money doing literally nothing. It sounds like that’s this company’s actual modus operandi!