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Do I have to pay?

18th March 2004, Page 44
18th March 2004
Page 44
Page 44, 18th March 2004 — Do I have to pay?
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Do I have to pay a workshop bill which I feel is excessive? I was charged £32.50 for an emergency half-hour welding job in a workshop on my Daf truck. The workshop. which was not a Daf dealer, did not tell me in advance what the job would cost.However.myDaf dealer in Yorkshire charges just £37.50 an hour (or half of that for half an hour) and I've checked with other Daf dealers and found the rate averages L36-40 an hour.

1 have been an owner-driver since 1959 and although I reluctantly paid up 1 feel there is a principle at stake here.

Alan Hussey

Howden, East Riding I sympathise with your position and appreciate you will feel they have taken advantage of your emergency. However, having not agreed the rates in advance you put yourself in a weak position.

The garage may charge what it likes for work carried out and you are liable to pay if you have chosen to use it.

If, as in your case, no rate was agreed and the charging rates are not exceptionally high, the court would order that you pay those rates. Only where the rates charged are obviously unreasonable will the court impose what it considers to be reasonable.

The court would take into account all the circumstances. These might be as follows: • It Is an emergency • They stopped other work to assist you • The going rate in their area is similar to that which they charged • They may operate a minimum charge of one hour as there is no value in jobs under a certain value My advice is always check the price before asking that the work be done -• the garage is not obliged to volunteer the price before it starts work.

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