What is the best way to dispute a bill for a service call when nothing was serviced?
Question:We thought we had a gas leak, the tech came in without any equipment and used a lighter near where we thought the leak was located. All he did do was re-light the pilot light on the water heater and we are being billed $170. 85 service call 85 labor. I will pay the service call but I think the second 85 is too much.
Answers:
You should call the place of buisness and ask to speak to the owner. Explain what the service tech did. Lighting a lighter could have blown everything up. Does not sound very professional to me. Most times an agreement can be made. If not perhaps contact the better buisness bureau in your area.
Don't pay it. That will get their attention.
A LIGHTER????
sorry u called him however, submit all quierys in hand written form no call n or e mails ok
where are you located at? which state? the tech that came in, was he an employee of the gas company that provides your service or was he a contractor/repairman that you called in to check out the leak?
If he is an employee of the gas supply company, I would call their billing dept to ask what the extra 85.00 charge is for. I work for a gas utility company and if you call in to report a suspected gas leak, we do not charge to come out and make sure you don't have a legitimate leak.
First the technician had a tool it was the lighter. He re-light your pilot light, that was labor performed. There was travel time and administrative time involved in lighting the pilot on your water heater. The labor charge also includes all the overhead expenses (taxes, insurance, bonds, etc.) the government at all levels requires in addition to the office staff that handles the administrative part (also government required) of the service call. If you don't pay the bill in a reasonable amount of time the plumbing contractor will place a mechanical lien against you property and turn your account over to a collection agency, which will incur further expenses to you and could effect your credit history.
My suggestion would be; since you watched the technician do the work, next time do the job yourself and then you wont have to pay any body. Write this off as a learning experience.
You should always ask about service & labor charges when you call for service. This eliminates suprises
a gas leak probe/detecter should have been used first. I can see a labor fee if it wasn't the gas company that came out, but I definately wouldnt pay the 170. Call the company and dispute the charges and go from there.If they do not comprimise, call an attorny.That is rape
The guy is an idiot. I suggest you go there in person and talk to the owner. It's easy to say no over the phone. Start out polite, come unglued if you'r not getting anywhere. You only have a problem if the idiot is the boss.
In Australia We have The Fair Trading Act.If you have any problems with Subcontractors Goods and Services,Its wise to get on to a dept thats equivalent in your country.Other than that just wait for him to send you to Judge Judy and shell tear him to peices..cheers mate!
call and dont tell them who you are and inquire about the way they charge for services. it might be their policy to bill in that manner. doesnt make it right. some people are creeps. taking advantage of people sucks. if you think you were charged unfairly, speak with management and kill them with kindness. if you are rude they might tune you out right away. ask for what you want and tell them why . if that doesnt do the trick, put a dash in the LOSE collum of your "battle outcome" tally sheet, and chalk it up as a learning experience. youll never let it happen again. also read the fine print of the copy of the service order that you signed when they were done. they shouldve given you one b4 they left
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