How a service call is charged.

A visit costs $275. That pays for one tradesman and his tools coming to your address, and includes the first hour of diagnosis or work.

It is charged whether or not the problem turns out to be something we can fix on the day, because the hour is spent either way.

Diagnosis is not charged separately. Working out what is wrong is part of that first hour, not an extra line on the invoice. Some trades bill a call-out, then a diagnostic, and then quote the work; we do not.

After the first hour, labor is $175 per hour.

Hours are charged whole. Any part of an hour is charged as a full hour — one minute past the hour makes it two hours, and so on. This is how the trade generally bills, and it is stated here so there is no surprise on the invoice.

The minimum for any service call is $275, even if the work takes ten minutes.

Collecting materials is working time. If your job needs a part we do not have on the van, the time spent fetching it counts as working time and is charged at the hourly rate.

Materials are billed at cost and itemized on the invoice. We will tell you before buying anything substantial.

The hours shown against each job, and the estimate the booking form produces, are a guide to help you picture the cost. They are not a quote and not a cap. The actual time depends on what we find, and you are charged for the time actually worked.

If you want a fixed price before work starts, ask for a quote instead of booking a service call.

A service call covers up to 12 hours. Past that it is a project, and you are better off with a quoted fixed price than an open clock. If we arrive and find the job is larger than 12 hours, we will stop, tell you, and price it properly rather than running up an open-ended bill.

The point of the ceiling is that the meter never simply keeps running. Beyond it you get a price to agree to, not a longer bill.

Service calls currently run in Colusa, Sacramento, Solano, Sutter and Yolo counties. We are adding counties as we grow.

Outside that area we can usually still come, with a travel charge for the distance added on top of the visit charge. We agree that charge with you before anything is booked — you will never be billed a travel charge you have not been told about.

For larger projects we travel considerably further; ask us.

Some work requires a permit from your city or county. If yours does, we will tell you before starting rather than after.

If we find a condition that is unsafe to leave, we will make it safe and tell you what it needs. We will not carry out work we believe to be unsafe or non-compliant.

Submitting the form is a request, not a booking. Nothing is confirmed until we have spoken to you and agreed a time.

If you need to cancel, please give us as much notice as you can. If we arrive at an agreed time and cannot get access, the visit charge still applies.

Payment is due on completion of the visit.