What is a Service Call Fee and How Does it Impact Me?
When searching for a trustworthy contractor, you may have seen the term “service call fee.” Also called a “trip charge,” this fee is the expense an HVAC company bills for sending a technician to your home when your furnace or cooling starts acting up.
Why Do HVAC Companies Use a Service Call Fee?
A service call fee recoups the cost of traveling to your home. After all, this takes time, consumes fuel, and results in wear and tear on the company vehicle. Remember that service call fees don’t often come with parts and labour if you decide on a repair or replacement.
How Costly is a Service Call Fee?
Every HVAC company determines how much to charge for a service call. Some contractors select a standard or flat rate for any service call, while others adjust the price if the home is further outside the normal service radius. The particular cost differs by market and company, but you could expect a typical trip charge to be anywhere from $79 to $129.
Who Pays the Service Call Fee?
If you arrange a service call, you will need to settle the trip charge regardless of what step you take later. For starters, you could prefer to move forward with the technician’s recommended repair or replacement, depending on which choice is more cost effective.
You are free to request multiple job estimates from different HVAC companies—just be aware that you might end up paying a trip charge for all these visits. Even if you take no action after the original service call, you will still owe the HVAC company a fee for coming to your home and carrying out diagnostics.
How Can I Avoid Paying a Service Call Fee?
A simple way to minimize trip charges is to purchase an HVAC membership from Rob's Albertan Service Experts. All four of our memberships provide a waived service call fee, and so we’ll come to your home and assess your HVAC system for free.
Other money-saving benefits of an HVAC maintenance membership consist of:
- No overtime charges
- 15% savings on repairs
- 15% savings on indoor air quality products
- And much more
If your furnace or air conditioner is malfunctioning, or you’re looking into an affordable HVAC maintenance plan, Rob's Albertan Service Experts is ready to help. We charge some of the most affordable service call fees to get your HVAC repair or replacement started. We are also happy to help our customers save money on emergency repairs, replacements and maintenance with worthwhile offers on our website. If you’re ready to enjoy savings and peace of mind while enhancing efficiency and home comfort, give us a call at 780-800-9047 today!
