'How much is it just to come out?' Every plumber, electrician and locksmith gets asked it, usually before the caller has said what's wrong. Answer it badly and you either lose the job or have an awkward conversation at the door.
This guide covers how to explain a callout charge on the phone, what Irish consumer law expects you to tell customers about price, and how to make sure whoever answers your phone says what you would. It doesn't tell you what to charge. Rates vary by trade, area and time of day, and there's no official figure to point to.
What a callout charge is for
A callout charge covers getting to the job: the travel, the time, and the fact that you've turned something else down to be there. Some trades call it a callout fee, some a visit charge or a diagnostic fee. Customers don't always see why they should pay before anything is fixed, so the explanation matters as much as the number.
Before you can explain yours, you need to know exactly what it covers. Write down the answers to these:
- •Is there a callout charge at all, or is it built into your hourly rate?
- •Does it include a first block of labour, and if so, how long?
- •Does it come off the bill if the customer goes ahead with the work?
- •Is it different in the evenings, at weekends and on bank holidays?
- •Does it change with distance?
- •Do you charge it if you can't fix the problem on the first visit, or if nobody's home?
- •Does the figure include VAT?
If you can't answer one of these straight away, neither can anyone who answers your phone for you.
What Irish consumer law expects on price
In October 2025 the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission wrote to almost 3,000 traders in home maintenance, construction and improvement, including plumbing, electrical, heating and carpentry, reminding them of their obligations under the Consumer Rights Act 2022. The CCPC says the sector was the second biggest driver of contacts to its consumer helpline in the first half of 2025, with almost 1,250.
The letter sets out that under Part 5 of the Act, a trader has to give the consumer certain information before a service contract is made, and that information forms part of the contract. It includes:
- •The main characteristics of the service
- •Your legal identity and trading name, address, phone number and email address
- •The total price including VAT or, if it can't reasonably be worked out in advance, how the price will be calculated
- •The payment arrangements, and when the service will be supplied
The price point is the one that matters here. You can't always price a job you haven't seen, and the law allows for that. What you can do is tell the customer how you'll calculate it: the callout charge, your hourly rate, how materials are charged.
The CCPC's guidance on service contracts adds two things worth knowing. A contract made over the phone counts as a distance contract, and a verbal agreement can still create a service contract, but there's still an obligation to give certain information in writing. And where no price has been agreed, the price charged must be reasonable.
The same letter reminds traders that the Consumer Protection Act 2007 prohibits misleading information about a service or its price, and leaving out, hiding or giving unclear material information. A callout charge the customer first hears about on the invoice is exactly the kind of thing that ends in a complaint.
This isn't legal advice. The CCPC itself says traders who are unsure of their obligations should get independent legal advice.
How to say it on the phone
Keep it short, say it early, and say it the same way every time. Something along these lines, with your own figures in it:
There's a callout charge of [your figure] including VAT. That covers getting to you and the first half hour. If you go ahead with the work, it comes off the bill, and I'll give you a price for the job once I've seen it.
- •Say why. 'It covers getting to you and the first half hour' answers the next question before it's asked
- •Say it before you book the visit, not on the doorstep
- •Be upfront about evenings and weekends if they cost more
- •Don't price the whole job over the phone unless it's standard work you always charge the same for
- •If they're ringing around, don't argue. Tell them what's included and let them decide
Most callers aren't trying to beat you down. They just don't want a surprise. A straight answer on the phone can be what wins you the job over someone who wouldn't give one.
Put it in writing
After the call, send the customer a short message confirming the visit: the date, roughly when you'll arrive, the callout charge and what it covers, and how the rest of the job will be priced. A WhatsApp or an email from your own phone does the job. It covers the information the CCPC letter lists, and it gives you both something to point to if there's a disagreement later.
It helps with another complaint the CCPC hears a lot. Among the top issues it listed for the sector was traders not turning up when scheduled. If you're running late, the same message thread is where you tell them.
When someone else answers your phone
If a family member, an office manager or a receptionist takes your calls, they need your callout wording exactly. Give them:
- •Your callout charge, what it covers, and whether VAT is included
- •Your evening, weekend and bank holiday rates, if they're different
- •What they can quote and what they should leave for you
- •What to say when someone wants a full price for the job over the phone
The safest default for anything you haven't written down: take the details and tell the caller you'll confirm the price when you ring back, before anything is booked.
How Ringvox handles price questions
Ringvox answers your calls 24/7 when you're on a job, driving or finished for the evening. You decide what it says about prices. Give it your callout charge and what it covers, and it explains it the same way every time. Or have it leave the figure for your callback. Either way, it takes the caller's name, number, address with Eircode and what the problem is, and sends you a summary on WhatsApp and by email within a couple of minutes. If a caller asks, it tells them it's an AI.
Every call is in the portal with the recording and transcript, so if a customer later says nobody mentioned a callout charge, you can listen back. The trades plan is €59 a month with 100 call minutes included, then €0.25 a minute, with no contract and a 30-day money-back guarantee. For night calls in particular, our 24-hour locksmith guide covers the price question at 2am.
FAQ
Q: Do I have to tell customers about my callout charge before I arrive?
A: The Consumer Rights Act 2022 requires traders to give the total price including VAT before a service contract is made, or how the price will be calculated if it can't be worked out in advance. Telling the caller your callout charge up front is the simplest way to cover it.
Q: Should I quote my callout charge with or without VAT?
A: With. The price information you give consumers has to include VAT.
Q: Can I give a price for the whole job over the phone?
A: For standard work you always charge the same for, yes. Otherwise, explain how you'll price it and confirm the figure once you've seen the job.
Q: What if we never agreed a price?
A: The CCPC's guidance says that where no price was agreed, the price charged must be reasonable.
Q: Can an AI receptionist explain my callout charge?
A: Ringvox can, using the wording you give it. Or you can have it take the details and leave the price for your callback.