The electrician opens the conversation, the route and the calendar. The address has not been entered yet. In this hypothetical scene, the customer asks: “Could you come round for free and see why the socket isn’t working?” Before booking, the electrician needs to clarify what “see” includes: estimating the scope of possible work or testing to find the fault.
Try treating a free inspection as a defined service with its own budget. Decide what result you offer without a fee, the area you cover, and the travel and inspection time you allocate. For an actual request, check the expected result first. If your policy covers only a preliminary scope estimate for free, put fault finding into a separate paid offer, even when the address fits a convenient route. This keeps the promised work at the centre of the decision.
What if you intend to fund the visit through later work? The Australian government website business.gov.au describes recovering a loss through sales of other products and services with healthier profit margins. Recovery is the crucial part of that mechanism. The description does not establish that your free visit will pay for itself or provide a threshold for offering one. Under this method, set the budget you are willing to allocate to the inspection. Whether it pays off remains a separate question.
If the request really is only for a preliminary scope estimate, review the photos, details and measurements already received. If they support the agreed result, offer a remote estimate first and state its limits. If materials are missing or unreviewed, resolve that first. If the reviewed information is insufficient, record what needs inspecting on site. Then check the address, route, travel and inspection time, budget and available slot against your defined limits. Under this policy, exceeding a limit leads to a paid offer.
Hypothetical worked example
Before: Hypothetical starting conditions: the address fits the electrician’s limits for a free inspection, and a calendar slot is available. His policy includes only a preliminary scope estimate without a fee. The customer, however, wants the cause of the socket fault identified.
Decision: Check the requested result before the route. Because the request is for fault finding, prepare a separate paid diagnostic offer. The suitable address and available slot meet the logistical conditions; under this policy, they do not expand the free scope.
After: Hypothetical setup after the decision: the draft free inspection has been replaced by a diagnostic visit offer with fields for the price, included checks and any condition for crediting payment toward later work. Repair requires separate agreement. The slot awaits the customer’s reply.
Put the fee into the agreement before the visit. New Zealand’s Commerce Commission says that a charge for providing a quote or estimate must be disclosed before agreeing to provide it. This is guidance from a New Zealand regulator; it does not establish a legal requirement for Ukraine or demonstrate an effect on sales. The useful point for this method is the timing: state the scope, price, excluded work and any payment credit before booking. Obtain explicit confirmation of those terms.
Call a visit free when there is no charge for the agreed scope. If a fee is payable now and credited toward later work under a particular condition, describe that arrangement explicitly. If the customer declines the terms, ask what needs changing and revise the offer if appropriate. When the checked conditions align and confirmation is in place, provisionally consider the free inspection. Before booking, check that the address, task and slot remain unchanged. This check determines neither the right price nor profitability. Use the method for preliminary visits to estimate work; handle emergency calls and existing service commitments separately.
Which next step fits this request?
Choose your situation to see the next step.
Check the missing information first
Resolve the first open point: the requested result, available materials or operating limits. Then enter a checked answer and run the check again.
Offer a paid scope
Under this method, prepare a separate paid offer for diagnosis or a visit outside your limits. State the scope, price and whether payment would be credited toward later work. Book only after explicit agreement.
Start with a remote estimate
Offer the preliminary estimate using the reviewed materials first. State what remains unresolved and agree on a visit separately if it still has a specific purpose.
Get the terms confirmed
Send: “I can offer a free inspection for a preliminary scope estimate. Fault finding and work are excluded; we would agree on a separate price beforehand. Please confirm this scope.” Wait for a reply before booking.
Revise the agreement
Do not book under the declined terms. Ask which part needs changing and prepare a revised offer if appropriate.
Provisionally consider a free visit
Provisionally consider a free inspection within the confirmed scope. Before booking, check that the address, task and calendar slot remain unchanged. Do not treat this result as evidence of profitability or business success.
Choose the next step without the interactive form
Read these conditions in order. Use the first matching condition and stop there. After clarifying information, start again with checked answers.
- The requested result is unclear: Establish whether the customer wants a preliminary scope estimate or fault finding, testing or work.
- The request is for fault finding, testing or work: Under this method, prepare a separate paid offer. State the scope, price and any condition for crediting payment toward later work, or state that no credit applies. Book after explicit agreement.
- Materials are missing or have not been reviewed: Obtain and review the photos, details and measurements needed for the preliminary result.
- The reviewed materials are sufficient for the preliminary result: Offer a remote estimate first. State unresolved points and agree on a visit separately if a specific task remains.
- Your operating limits are unset or a check is incomplete: Define the area, travel and inspection time limits and allocated budget. Check the address, route and available calendar slot against those limits.
- At least one defined limit is exceeded: Prepare a paid visit offer with its scope, price and any payment credit condition, or state that no credit applies. Book after explicit agreement.
- The customer declined the written terms: Do not book under those terms. Ask what needs changing and revise the offer if appropriate.
- The written terms have not been sent or explicitly confirmed: Send: “I can offer a free inspection for a preliminary scope estimate. Fault finding and work are excluded; we would agree on their price separately before starting. Please confirm this scope.” Wait for the reply before booking.
- Otherwise: Provisionally consider a free inspection within the confirmed scope. Before booking, check that the address, task and slot remain unchanged. This result does not establish the right price, profitability or business success.
For preliminary visits to estimate work. Handle emergency calls and existing service commitments separately. Paid diagnosis is a chosen policy here, not a universal requirement.
Before the next calendar entry, open the request and write down the expected result. If it is unclear, send: “Would you like a preliminary estimate of the work involved, or do you want testing to find the fault?” If a free inspection remains an option after the checks, write: “I can offer a free inspection for a preliminary scope estimate. Fault finding and work are excluded; we would agree on their price separately before starting. Please confirm this scope.” Wait for the reply before booking.