What is a Service Call?

A trip made by a repairman to visit the location of something in need of service.
Vocabulary.com definition

A service call is essentially a “phone call” you make to a company for service on something that requires repair at your home or place of business. There are many ways to set up or define a service call, and companies have gotten creative by offering a free service call in their marketing materials. Let’s break down some common questions related to service calls.

How Much Should I Pay for a Service Call?

A service call can range from $60 to $90 depending on what type of company you hire. For instance, in our residential garage door company, we charge $79 for a service call. If we go out to your home in our standard service area and resolve a basic problem with no parts required, our bare minimum charge is $79.

Companies that only work on residential homes will usually have lower service call rates than companies that work on commercial buildings. For the most part, the equipment needed for basic residential work can be found at your local hardware store.

As another example, our water well company charges $140 for a service call. Their company is a mix of residential and commercial, and the amount of equipment they need to run their business compared to ours is drastically different. For this reason, they have to charge more to offset the cost of purchasing and maintaining large equipment.

Will that being said, running water is probably more important than a functioning garage door. The same could be said for heating and AC, plumbing, and electrical. This is why service calls will vary depending on what trade you are calling and where you are located.

Does a Service Call Include Labor?

What always made sense to me as a business owner was a service call would include your trip charge and the first half hour of labor. For our company, it was always easier to include thirty minutes of labor in the service call than trying to break down service call and labor pricing separately.

For instance, our service call at the time of writing this is $79. If our hourly labor rate is $80 an hour, then our service call includes a half hour of labor which is $40 plus a $39 trip charge for a total of $79.

When we perform any type of work, diagnosis, or troubleshooting at a home, we charge a service call which is $79. If the customer decides not to have anything diagnosed or their issue somehow resolved itself by the time we make it out there, we service and adjust their garage doors and openers and charge $79.

On the rare occasion where a customer doesn’t want us to touch anything, and they refuse to pay a service call, we will then charge them a $39 trip charge for coming out. By charging a minimum trip charge, a company can recoup the gas and labor to drive out to a home.

What is a Trip Charge?

A trip charge is the basic cost a company calculates to pay a technician to drive to your home. Some companies treat their service calls as a trip charge, which is why you may see advertisements for $29, $39, or $49 service calls.

These are essentially advertised trip charges disguised as a service call. What they don’t tell you in the advertisement is labor will be in addition to this fee. That amount can vary greatly depending on what type of company you call out. Parts will always be added as extras.

Do Most Companies Charge Trip Charges?

Yes, any normal service company that is working to make a standard living has to charge basic fees to cover their costs. It may seem as you're paying more because other companies are offering free service calls or coupons for repairs. But you’re not.

If you find a good service company that shoots you straight, stick with them and pay the regular fees. In the long run, you will save so much money and frustration. Dealing with coupons that promise you the moon will only disappoint when you realize that the labor and parts pricing was jacked up to cover the discount from the coupon.

In a world of FREE this and a COUPON for that, we have lost track of what things actually cost.

Every Other Profession Charges Service Calls

They might not be service calls to your location, but most other professions charge office visits for advice, counseling, or a check-up. In the old days, your doctor would spend more time with you during an office visit. That is not the case today.

Because profits are being put before people, a doctor has very limited time with you to ONLY discuss the issue you came in for. Once you have dealt with that issue, there is no time to address any other problems you are experiencing.

This is because an additional service call or office visit needs to be billed to the insurance company. This is a common complaint you hear these days, and it ends up costing the patient more time and money.

In the old days, a quick diagnose would take place and a recommendation would be made. I don’t blame the doctors. The blame falls more on these hospital systems that have found a way to squeeze maximum profits out of their employees and patients.

Service Call Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Free Service Call?

There is no such thing as free. If a company is offering you a free service call, they are essentially saying they are hiding your service call in the price of the job or the loss is coming out of their marketing budget.

It would be considered a loss-leader. Losing money up front to gain you as a long-term customer. There are honest companies that do this because they know by getting their foot in the door and providing great service, they will be able to keep you as a customer.

Unfortunately, not all companies are honest. Many will offer a free service call to get their foot in the door so they can sell you unnecessary services or set you up on a long-term service plan they offer. This locks you in a contract that you normally would not need.

How Long is a Service Call?

Because a standard service call ($79) includes a trip charge, a service call by most companies will include thirty minutes of labor to repair or diagnose your problem. If it takes longer, then expect to pay more in labor charges.

Service Call vs. Trip Charge

Some service companies don’t differentiate between a service call and a trip charge. They treat them as the same thing, and they shouldn’t. I think this is done as a marketing tactic to confuse the customer.

A standard service call ($60-$90) should already have the trip charge included. If it doesn’t, then that is not a service call. That is an hourly labor charge.

Like I mentioned before, it was always easier for us to communicate a standard service call of $79 than to play games with our customers and reveal hidden fees when it was time to collect payment. Such behavior is never appreciated.

How Much is Garage Door Repair and Installation?

I have written an extensive article detailing the cost of garage door repair and installation. You can find it at the link below.

How Much is Garage Door Repair and Installation?

Conclusion

Hopefully, I haven’t confused anyone as to what a service call is. It’s unfortunate that life is not as simple as it once seemed and misleading marketing tactics have become the norm. But don’t despair, there are good salt of the earth service companies out there, and they are usually not the ones advertising on TV.

If you are looking for a reference, try calling a local realtor in your area. They are some of the most connected people in your community and most likely have already weeded out the bad companies.