Hi everyone,

I asked a plumbing service provider about getting a toilet in my house fixed. The receptionist advised that if they come out to my house and they issue a quote but I do not accept that they will charge a call out fee. However, if they did come out, quote and I accepted that they would not charge a call out fee as it would be inclusive of the job.

Last week Monday I called to enquire about availability for workers to do the job in the afternoon - they couldn't. Tuesday morning I was told they would be at my house before 10:00. They didn't arrive and i needed to get to the shops. They arrived just after 10:00 and my domestic worker let them in. The searched the house for the problematic toilet and then repaired the toilet. I received no calls, no information, no quotation - nothing.

I then received an invoice for the job stating the labour and materials was for 09:20 - 11:20am but my domestic worker is adamant they only took 30 minutes to fix the toilet (time in and out of the property), I also got charged a transport fee (which the receptionist claims is not the same as a callout fee) for R6 per kilometer before VAT but no mileage from start to end of trip was recorded in the job card.

When I spoke with the manager/owner he got extremely sarcastic and aggressive and even went so far as to say things like "the job fee is a drop in the ocean to him" and "it's not my fault you weren't at home when my workers arrived" even though I phoned the receptionist when I left the house to notify her that I would only be home by lunch again.

I am not happy about this situation and would like to know if I have to pay for the transport fees even though I agreed to nothing and they have provided no mileage for the trip. I also want to know if I must pay the full labour fee if I can prove they were not even at my house by 09:20am?

Thanks very much - appreciate any advise or guidance here!