When searching for a heating and cooling contractor, you may have come across the term “service call fee.” Also known as a “trip charge,” this fee is the expense an HVAC company bills for sending a technician to your home when your heating or AC unit seems to be working poorly.
Why Do HVAC Companies Have a Service Call Fee?
A service call fee includes the cost of traveling to your home. After all, this takes time, consumes fuel, and causes wear and tear on the company vehicle. Keep in mind that service call fees don’t usually come with parts and labor if you decide on a repair or replacement.
How Costly is a Service Call Fee?
Every HVAC company chooses how much to charge for a service call. Some technicians use a standard or flat rate for any service call, while others adjust the price if the home is someplace outside the usual service radius. The particular cost varies by market and company, but you can expect a typical trip charge to be around $79 to $129.
Who Covers the Service Call Fee?
If you arrange a service call, you will need to produce the trip charge regardless of what step you take after. For example, you may prefer to move forward with the technician’s recommended repair or replacement, depending on which choice is more cost effective.
You are encouraged to collect multiple job estimates from local HVAC companies—just remember that you could end up paying a trip charge for each one. Even if you take no action after the first service call, you will still owe the technician a fee for coming to your home and carrying out diagnostics.
How Can I Skip Paying a Service Call Fee?
A smart way to avoid trip charges is to enroll in an HVAC membership from Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. All four of our memberships include a waived service call fee, meaning we’ll come to your home and assess your HVAC system for free.
More money-saving benefits of an HVAC maintenance membership are:
- No overtime charges
- 15% savings on repairs with the Maintenance+ Plan
- 15% savings on indoor air quality products with the Maintenance+ Plan
- And much more
If your furnace or air conditioner is working poorly, or you’re considering an affordable HVAC maintenance plan, Rolf Griffin Service Experts is willing to help. We charge some of the lowest service call fees to get your HVAC repair or replacement started. We are also willing to help our customers save money on emergency repairs, replacements and maintenance with worthwhile offers on our website. If you’re looking to enjoy savings and peace of mind while maximizing efficiency and home comfort, give us a call at 260-557-1275 today!