What Are Trip Charges and Diagnostic Fees?

When you are looking for heating, cooling or plumbing services from Roland J. Down Service Experts , you will pay for the trip charge and a diagnostic fee separately. Many companies you’ve called in the past may have combined the trip charge and diagnostic fee, but we think we can offer you better value by separating the two.

What's a Trip Charge?

A trip charge covers the cost for a qualified plumber or HVAC technician to visit your home. Often called a service call fee, this cost is the initial rate for bringing our technicians, equipment and expertise to your front door. If you want to cut out the trip charges in the future, you can look into signing up for one of our membership plans.

What Is a Diagnostic Fee?

The diagnostic fee covers the services needed to locate the source of a problem. In plumbing, this may consist of scoping. In HVAC repairs, it could involve examining the inside of the cabinet. If you elect to use Roland J. Down Service Experts for any repairs, the diagnostic fee will be rolled into the repair bill. However, you're charged for the diagnostic services alone if you don't.

What Are the Differences Between a Trip Fee and a Diagnostic Fee

In general, a trip fee includes sending the plumber or HVAC technician to your home, while the diagnostic fee covers all the work concerned with assessing the issue and coming up with a plan for repairs. If you pay for repairs, you won't notice the diagnostic fee because it's included with the cost of the repairs.

Why Are Diagnostic Fees and Trip Charges Separated?

Some other plumbers and HVAC companies are going to charge a single fee for both the trip and the diagnostics. Instead of charging you for two services together, we have two distinct fees. This helps us to price our services in the fairest available manner.