Do I owe payment? Not sure, and would like advice please.....

[Earlybird]

Sequence of events:

1. Early August - Annual service of heating/cooling equipment. Bill paid.
   
   
2. Mid August - equipment malfunctioned. Service visit by same man who did vist #1 and equipment repaired. Bill paid for call out and hourly rate.
   
   
3. Late August - equipment malfunctioned, same problem. Different repairman visits/fixes, but does not charge. Says will discuss with office to see what should be done regarding payment.
   
   
4. Early Sept (5 days after visit #3) - equipment malfunctioned with same problem again. Head office says they'll send out their best repairman to fix. He arrives, and fixes equipment. Equipment appears to have been fixed properly as there have been no further problems to date. At this point, I have not been charged for the last visit.
   
   However, a few days ago I received via post a bill for call out/hourly rate for visit #3. Obviously, the repairman on visit #3 failed to repair the equipment properly as it malfunctioned again and required another visit. Should I be expected to pay for visit #3? Or visit #4, if a bill arrives?

[mckenzie]

in my humble and non-professional opinion - no way should you have to pay for those further call out unless the probelm was occuring again and again because of your continued mis-use.

[mishymoo]

I definitely wouldn't pay for visit # 3 or 4 - if anything they should have fixed problem at visit # 2. However, doubtful if I would pay for visit # 2 unless they can prove the failure wasn't down to anything they did when servicing, IYKWIM?

[Earlybird]

Problem definitely not my mis-use, as it was a blockage in pipes that they failed to unblock effectively until the last visit.

[prufrock]

Blockage should have been spotted and cleared at annual service surely - otherwise why have one. I would definately not pay for 3&4 and would tell them I was annoyed about paying for 2 anyway

[Earlybird]

Prufrock - I questioned why the blockage wasn't spotted earlier too, and was told that a simple check of equipment for annual maintenance was different to actually 'servicing equipment', hence the additional charges.

[Freckle]

I would ask them to justify charging twice for the same work (i.e. visits # 2 and 3 did the same "repair"). If visit #2 had been done properly (and you paid for that one), visits # 3 and 4 wouldn't have been required.

[SenoraPostrophe]

I would return the bill with a note explaining that you don't feel you should pay and why. if they take you to court over it I'm pretty sure they won't win.

I'd get a different servicing company too, unless they are v apologetic about it.

[Earlybird]

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm glad to know the opinion here is I shouldn't pay multiple times for the same job to be done. Hope the company agrees too.

[SofiaAmes]

Time to switch repairmen!