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Email template to dispute a plumber's service call fee

The plumber came, looked, maybe fixed something, and the invoice has a service call fee, the flat charge for showing up, that nobody mentioned, or that is bigger than the number you were given on the phone. Sometimes it is charged on top of a repair when you were told it would count toward the repair. Sometimes it is charged twice for two trips on the same job. Whatever the version, the fix is the same: put the number you were quoted next to the number you were billed and ask them to correct it. Email is better than a call because the office manager who handles billing is rarely the person who answered the phone, and they need something to look at.

Before you send

  • The invoice, with the invoice number, date of service, and the fee line highlighted.
  • What you were told, and by whom. "Your dispatcher told me on [date] the trip fee was $89 and would be waived if I approved the repair." If you have it in a text or email, quote it.
  • Whether the fee was mentioned anywhere before the visit: the website, a booking confirmation, a text. If it was not, say so.
  • The amount you think is right, and what you are asking for: a corrected invoice, a partial refund, or the fee applied against the repair.
  • Have you paid yet? If you paid by card, note the date. If not, do not pay the disputed part until you have an answer.
Subject Question about service call fee on invoice #[invoice number] 
Hi [company name or office manager name],

Thank you for sending [plumber name] out on [date] to [what the visit was for] at [address].

I've looked at invoice #[invoice number] and I have a question about the service call fee of $[amount]. When I booked, [who you spoke to] told me the fee was $[quoted amount] and that [it would be applied to the repair if I went ahead / there would be no separate fee if work was done the same day]. The invoice shows [the fee charged in full on top of the repair / a higher fee than quoted / the fee charged twice].

Could you check your notes from the booking and send me a corrected invoice for $[the total you believe is right]? If I've misunderstood how the fee works, I'd appreciate it if you could point me to where it was explained before the visit.

I'm happy to pay the corrected amount as soon as I receive it. Could you reply by [date, about a week out]?

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Your phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • Most shops fix this on the first reply, because a quoted trip fee that is waived on repair is a common policy and the invoice was probably generated without checking. A corrected invoice by email is a good outcome.
  • A bad answer says "that's our standard fee" without addressing what you were told. Reply once with the exact words, date, and person, and ask again for the correction.
  • If you already paid by card and the shop will not budge, you can dispute the disputed portion with your card issuer. Most issuers want the dispute filed within 60 days of the statement showing the charge, and your emails are the evidence.
  • If the amount is small and the work was good, decide whether it is worth a second round. Sometimes the right move is to pay and never call them again.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Dispute a plumber's service call fee for me 
Hi StandIn,

I'd like you to get a plumbing company to correct a service call fee on my invoice.

The company: [name, email or phone, and the plumber's name if you have it].
The visit: [date, address, and what the work was].
The invoice: [number, total, and the fee line in question; attach it if you can].
What I was told: [who said what, when, and any text or email that shows it].
What I think is right: [the corrected total or the refund amount].

Please write to them, handle the back-and-forth, and bring me the corrected invoice or their final answer.

Thanks,
[Your name]

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