It's ten past eight. You're parked outside the address, van still running, first job of the day. You've rung the bell twice, knocked, tried the mobile number twice and it's gone to voicemail both times. The curtains are shut. You sat in traffic for thirty-five minutes to get here and you turned down a call-out yesterday to keep this slot free. Nobody is in.
Every trade has this happen. The argument that follows is never really about the money — it's about the fact that you never said what would happen, so now you're either eating the loss or having an awkward conversation from the pavement. Sort the wording out once and it stops being a row.
What the wasted visit actually costs you
Before you pick a number, be honest about what you've lost. It isn't just the diesel. It's the travel there and back, the parking or congestion charge if you're in a city, the slot you turned another customer down for, and the second visit you'll now have to make to do the same job. Put a figure on all of that in your head and you'll find it's a lot more than "a bit of fuel", which is why a token fiver feels wrong to charge and wrong to receive.
Decide the number before it happens, not after
Trying to invent a fair charge while you're stood on someone's doorstep is how you end up either waiving it or over-egging it. Pick one method now, write it into your terms, and apply it the same way every time.
| Method | How it works | Suits you if |
|---|---|---|
| Flat no-access fee | One fixed amount, same for every job | Your patch is small and travel times are similar |
| Your minimum call-out | The no-access charge is simply your standard call-out or first-hour rate | You already have a published call-out charge people accept |
| Half the quoted job | A set proportion of what the visit was worth | You do longer, booked-in jobs rather than quick fixes |
| Travel plus an hour | Mileage or travel time, plus one hour of labour | You cover a wide area and some trips are genuinely long |
Whichever you pick, keep it to something you could defend out loud as covering what you actually lost. A charge that looks like a punishment rather than a real cost is the sort of thing that gets challenged, and it's the sort of thing you'll quietly drop rather than argue about — which defeats the point.
Say it up front, in writing
This is the bit that decides whether you get paid. A charge nobody was told about is a fight. A charge that was in the booking text is just a term of the job.
Booking confirmation text: "Hi [Name], booked in for [day] between [time] and [time] at [address] for [job]. Please make sure someone over 18 is there to let me in — if I turn up and can't get access there's a £[amount] charge for the wasted visit, and we'll rebook. If anything changes, just text me on this number any time up to the day before and there's no charge at all. Thanks, [Your name], [Business name]."
Day-before reminder text: "Morning [Name] — just confirming I'm with you tomorrow between [time] and [time] for [job]. Reply Y to confirm or let me know if you need to move it. [Your name]."
That reminder does more work than the charge itself. Plenty of no-access jobs aren't rudeness — the customer tried to ring you to move it, got voicemail while you were under a boiler, and gave up. If your phone regularly goes unanswered during the working day, that's the real leak; a family member, a call-answering service, or something like DigiAutomate's AI receptionist picking up and taking the message will prevent more wasted trips than any fee will.
What to do on the doorstep
Work through the same routine every time, so that if it ever gets disputed you've got a clean record rather than a memory.
- Note the time you arrived. A photo of the front door on your phone stamps it for you.
- Ring the bell and knock properly — some doorbells are dead.
- Ring their mobile. If no answer, ring it again two minutes later.
- Leave a voicemail, then send a text so there's something written.
- Try any second number you hold — a partner, the letting agent, the office.
- Wait a set time. Fifteen minutes is a reasonable, defensible wait for most trades.
- Post a card or write on your job sheet what you tried and when.
- Log it in your diary or job app before you drive off, while it's fresh.
Exact wording to use
Voicemail: "Hi [Name], it's [Your name] from [Business name]. I'm outside at [address] now for the [job] we booked for [time]. I'll wait about fifteen minutes then I'll have to head to my next job. Give me a ring on this number as soon as you get this."
Text as you leave: "Hi [Name] — I arrived at [time] for the [job], rang the bell and tried your mobile twice, but couldn't get an answer, so I waited until [time] and have had to go on to my next job. As per the booking, there's a £[amount] charge for the wasted visit. Give me a ring when you get a minute and we'll get you rebooked. [Your name]."
When they ring back apologetic: "No problem at all, these things happen. There is the £[amount] I mentioned in the booking for the wasted trip — I'll put that on your invoice and we'll get you back in the diary. When suits you this week?" Say it flatly, as a fact, then move straight on to rebooking. Don't apologise for it and don't explain it twice.
Invoice line: "No access charge — attended [address] [date] at [time], no access, waited 15 minutes."
When this won't work, and when to get proper advice
It won't work if you never told them. If the charge wasn't mentioned before the visit, chalk it up, add the wording to your terms, and be firmer next time — chasing money the customer was never warned about costs you more in aggravation than it brings in.
Use your judgement on genuine emergencies. Somebody in A&E, a bereavement, a car crash on the way home — waive it, say so warmly, and you'll usually keep the customer and the job. Repeat offenders are different: take a deposit before the next booking, or ask for a key safe code.
Where the tenant is in the property but a landlord or letting agent is paying, agree access arrangements in writing with whoever is actually paying the invoice before you attend, and bill them, not the tenant.
Two things genuinely need proper advice rather than a guide. First, consumer law: work agreed in someone's home or over the phone carries cancellation rights, and terms have to be fair and reflect a real loss rather than act as a penalty. Your trade body, Citizens Advice or a solicitor will tell you where your particular wording stands. Second, if you're VAT registered, whether VAT applies to a charge like this depends on the circumstances — ask your accountant rather than guessing on the invoice.
And if a customer flatly refuses to pay, weigh it up honestly. Chasing a modest sum through the small claims process is possible, but it costs a fee and an evening of your time. Often the better answer is to log it, keep the evidence, and simply not take that customer's work again.
