Emergency and scheduled pricing follow different rules. Mix them up and you either lose money on emergencies or scare off your daytime customers.
Scheduled pricing — based on cost-plus
(Labour cost + parts + overhead allocation) × target margin. Predictable, comparable, easy for customers to accept.
Emergency pricing — based on value
What is it worth to the customer to have this fixed right now? Always 1.5–2.5× your day rate, with a non-refundable minimum call-out.
The pricing structure
- Daytime rate: £x/hr, 1-hour minimum
- Evening rate (6pm–10pm): 1.5× daytime, 1-hour minimum
- Overnight (10pm–8am): 2.0× daytime, 1.5-hour minimum
- Bank holidays: 2.5× daytime
- Parts: retail × markup, transparent on invoice
How to communicate it
Send the rate by SMS before dispatch with a one-tap accept. No nasty surprises = no chargebacks.