What Are Trip Charges and Diagnostic Fees?

When you want heating, air conditioning or plumbing services from Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning, you will pay a trip charge and a diagnostic fee independently. A number of companies you’ve hired in the past most likely combined the trip charge and diagnostic fee, but we feel we can offer greater value by separating the two.

What Is a Trip Charge?

A trip charge handles the cost for a qualified plumber or HVAC technician to stop by your home. Sometimes called a service call fee, this payment is the initial rate for sending our technicians, equipment and expertise to your door. If you want to eliminate trip charges in the future, you can consider joining one of our membership programs.

What Is a Diagnostic Fee?

The diagnostic fee is made up of the services required to find the root of a problem. For plumbing, this can consist of scoping. For HVAC repairs, it could involve examining the inside of the cabinet. If you elect to use Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning for the repairs, the diagnostic fee would be rolled into the repair costs. That said, you will be charged for the diagnostic services alone if you do not.

What Is the Difference Between a Trip Fee and a Diagnostic Fee

In general, a trip fee gets the plumber or HVAC technician to your home, while the diagnostic fee addresses all the work concerned with evaluating the problem and figuring out a plan for repairs. If you're paying for repairs, you won’t even notice the diagnostic fee because it'll be absorbed into the cost of the repairs.

Why Are Diagnostic Fees and Trip Charges Billed Separately?

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