Repair company want to charge if engineer can’t find fault
The threat of being charged when an engineer finds no fault is commonly written into guarantee terms and instruction manuals. It exists primarily to discourage unnecessary call-outs – not every fault will reproduce on the day of the visit. If you have a genuine intermittent fault, tell the repair company before the visit, document evidence on your phone, and do not pay a no-fault-found charge simply because the engineer did not observe the fault on the day.
Being told you may be charged if the engineer finds nothing wrong is one of the more frustrating aspects of booking a repair under guarantee. Understanding when a charge is justified – and when it is not – puts you in a much stronger position if this situation arises.
When a No-Fault-Found Charge Is Justified
The no-fault-found charge is not simply a way for companies to make money from customers. It exists because unnecessary call-outs are genuinely common and consume engineer time that could be spent on real repairs. A charge is reasonable in these circumstances:
- Calling out an engineer for a general check-up shortly before a guarantee expires – a guarantee does not cover inspection visits
- Calling out for a fault that occurred only once and has not recurred – intermittent faults that happen just once often resolve themselves
- A fault caused by user error or misuse rather than a machine fault – for example, a load that is too small to spin, or detergent placed in the wrong compartment
If your machine occasionally does not spin at the end of the cycle, check whether this is happening with very small loads or single items before calling an engineer. This is normal behaviour on most modern machines, not a fault. See our guide on washing machine won’t spin single items or small loads.
When a No-Fault-Found Charge Is Not Justified
A genuine intermittent fault exists even when an engineer cannot reproduce it on a single visit. Intermittent faults are notoriously difficult to catch – engineers understand this. The logic that “we didn’t find anything, therefore there is nothing wrong” is flawed, and standing firm on this point is entirely reasonable.
When booking the service call, make clear that the fault does not happen every time. This is on record before the engineer attends and makes it harder to justify a no-fault-found charge if nothing is observed on the day. An engineer who knows in advance that a fault is intermittent cannot reasonably claim its absence during the visit proves the machine is sound.
How to Protect Yourself Before the Engineer Visits
Record evidence on your phone
If the fault is intermittent, record it whenever it occurs. A short video showing an unusual noise, a leak, incorrect behaviour, or an error code on screen is difficult to dismiss. Show this to the engineer if they claim nothing is wrong and attempt to charge for the visit. A video is far more persuasive than a verbal description.
Note when and how often the fault occurs
Before the engineer attends, write down when the fault happens – which part of the cycle, under what conditions, how frequently, and how long it has been occurring. This demonstrates you have a documented pattern of behaviour rather than a vague complaint, and makes it harder to claim the machine is simply fine.
Be certain the fault is not caused by misuse
Before calling an engineer, check the instruction manual carefully. Many fault reports turn out to be normal machine behaviour or the result of an incorrect setting, programme choice, or loading mistake. An engineer who establishes the cause is user error has solid grounds to charge for the visit.
If the Engineer Claims No Fault and Wants to Charge
If you are confident there is a genuine fault and the engineer cannot reproduce it on the day, you have options beyond simply paying or refusing.
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Do not pay immediately. State clearly that you are not willing to pay a no-fault-found charge for a fault you know exists, and that the visit has not resolved the problem. Most engineers would rather leave without a confrontation than escalate a dispute on the doorstep.
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Ask what happens if the fault recurs. If an engineer is insisting on charging for no fault found, ask what compensation or remediation you would receive if the fault appears again after the visit. This shifts the dynamic and puts the claim that nothing is wrong to the test.
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Escalate to the company rather than the engineer. Individual engineers often have limited discretion. Contact the repair company or manufacturer directly if a dispute cannot be resolved on the day.
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Know your consumer rights. If the appliance is still under guarantee and a genuine fault exists, the company has an obligation to address it. A fault that continues after an engineer visit that found nothing is a reasonable basis for a complaint. See our guides on consumer rights and faulty appliances and claiming compensation from a repairer.
Need a Reliable Engineer?
Related Guides
What Does No Call-Out Charge Mean?What repair companies mean by this promise and how repair pricing actually works in practice.
Consumer Rights and Faulty AppliancesYour rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 when an appliance has a genuine fault.
Claiming Compensation From a RepairerHow to escalate a dispute with a retailer or repair company when a fault is not resolved.
Do I Have to Wait in All Day for an Engineer?Practical tips for negotiating a narrower appointment slot when booking a repair visit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a repair company charge me if the engineer finds nothing wrong?
They can attempt to, and the charge may be written into guarantee terms. Whether it is justified depends on whether there is a genuine intermittent fault or whether the visit was for a non-fault reason. For a genuine intermittent fault that did not reproduce during the visit, a no-fault-found charge is difficult to justify – particularly if you told the company at the time of booking that the fault was intermittent.
How do I prove I have an intermittent fault?
Video footage on a smartphone is the most effective evidence. Record the fault whenever it occurs – unusual noises, error codes, unexpected behaviour, or leaks. A short video showing the fault in action is far harder to dismiss than a verbal description. Present this to the engineer if they claim nothing is wrong.
What should I say when booking if the fault is intermittent?
State clearly that the fault does not happen every time and ask that this is noted on the booking. This establishes before the visit that the fault is known to be intermittent. It makes it significantly harder for a company to justify a no-fault-found charge if the engineer does not observe the fault on the day.
21 Comments
Grouped into 7 comment threads.
6 replies Hi, I am having sone issues with Sony Customer service for around 1 year now. My Sony TV “under 5 year warranty” has been turning its self off and on, sometimes in the middle of the night, intermittently. Sony has replied every time with the same questions (is there any external devices, when does it happen, is the TV updated ect) As it’s been a year Iv gone through three updates now with the same problem happening. Finally after 1 year they have said they will send an engineer out. However they stated if they can not find the problem then I would have to pay the inspection fee!!!! I mean it’s been a year of constant badgering them and sending updates ect and they have the nerve to say they would charge me. What can I do here? Thanks
3 replies My dishwasher stopped working so I contacted Indesit - it was out of guarantee - they offered to repair it for £177 plus £70 call out. They then offered me, as an alternative to paying these charges, a series of different 'policies' and I chose one just for the dishwasher for £19.41/month since I'm a 76yr old pensioner and on low income since the huge repair and call out fees worried me at the time when i was on the phone. When the engineer came he could find nothing wrong with the machine but said the electric plug socket was faulty (he put this on his report) and he wasn't allowed to touch that. I was told if I cancel this policy I would have to pay for the 'repair and the call out. There was no repair since there was nothing wrong with the machine itself. I have decided that this policy was too expensive and I want to cancel it - can I argue that no repair was needed so no charge was accrued and I will only pay for the call out.
My dishwasher stopped working so I contacted Indesit – it was out of guarantee – they offered to repair it for £177 plus £70 call out. They then offered me, as an alternative to paying these charges, a series of different ‘policies’ and I chose one just for the dishwasher for £19.41/month since I’m a 76yr old pensioner and on low income since the huge repair and call out fees worried me at the time when i was on the phone. When the engineer came he could find nothing wrong with the machine but said the electric plug socket was faulty (he put this on his report) and he wasn’t allowed to touch that. I was told if I cancel this policy I would have to pay for the ‘repair and the call out. There was no repair since there was nothing wrong with the machine itself. I have decided that this policy was too expensive and I want to cancel it – can I argue that no repair was needed so no charge was accrued and I will only pay for the call out.
Thank you your prompt reply. I intend writing to them and cancelling my policy. I will pay the call out but will tell them that I believed the engineer should have checked outside influences i.e. the electrical supply through the machine plug first – he said the on off switch was temperamental after he had pulled the machine out and checked it over. Thanks for your advice x
2 replies Because I sped it up it doesn't have sound sorry. Both engineers thoroughly checked for drainage issues and found none and prior to contacting Sharp I put the waste hose into the sink to check it wasn't the plumbing. I think I'm emailing an argumentative jobs worth tbh. I had to try and explain the definition of lier to him as he said he wasn't calling me a lier he was just going off the information he'd been provided. I pointed out I had sent him evidence (information) of the fault and unless that is the intended purpose of the program then the dishwasher is faulty. He still protested that he wasn't calling me a lier. I have never had issues like this before especially with a product that's practically brand new. When the next engineer comes I'll ask if he can word his report so there's no doubt there is a fault but he doesn't know how to fix it. That is what they have been telling me anyway, maybe they just didn't want a disagreement. On their reports they have just been putting no fault found. If after the next engineer visit I get nowhere I'll contact citizens advice I guess.
Because I sped it up it doesn’t have sound sorry. Both engineers thoroughly checked for drainage issues and found none and prior to contacting Sharp I put the waste hose into the sink to check it wasn’t the plumbing.
I think I’m emailing an argumentative jobs worth tbh. I had to try and explain the definition of lier to him as he said he wasn’t calling me a lier he was just going off the information he’d been provided. I pointed out I had sent him evidence (information) of the fault and unless that is the intended purpose of the program then the dishwasher is faulty. He still protested that he wasn’t calling me a lier.
I have never had issues like this before especially with a product that’s practically brand new.
When the next engineer comes I’ll ask if he can word his report so there’s no doubt there is a fault but he doesn’t know how to fix it. That is what they have been telling me anyway, maybe they just didn’t want a disagreement. On their reports they have just been putting no fault found. If after the next engineer visit I get nowhere I’ll contact citizens advice I guess.
You could also consider trying to get a refund or replacement from the retailer under the consumer rights act 2015. If it cannot be repaired you should be entitled to a refund or replacement.
However. They are just as likely to give you the runaround too unless you stay firm and they realise you can’t be fobbed off.
Regarding the liar bit, they either believe you or they don’t. If they accept you have an actual fault – how can they possibly talk about charging you?
1 reply Thank you for the rather detailed reply. I have done much of what you suggested, and I aim to start the program when the engineer texts to say they are on the way. This is the - video I sent them It happens every time without fail on eco or intensive, not on express. Express works every time apart from straight after the error, which to me seems like something overheating or similar. Thanks again.
Thank you for the rather detailed reply. I have done much of what you suggested, and I aim to start the program when the engineer texts to say they are on the way. This is the – video I sent them
It happens every time without fail on eco or intensive, not on express. Express works every time apart from straight after the error, which to me seems like something overheating or similar. Thanks again.
Hi. Is there any sound on that video? I couldn’t get any. As an engineer I wanted to listen to what the dishwasher was doing just before it gave the error. Was it filling with water, if so, how long for? Was it draining? If so, how long for?
If they had that video it’s pretty hard to understand what they are thinking saying they will charge you if they fail to find the fault.
1 reply I bought a dishwasher in December a couple of months later it wouldn't finish it's program without stopping and giving an error code. The code refers to a drainage issue, the company have so far sent 2 engineers out who both tested the drainage and found no issue. This still doesn't stop the fact everytime I put the dishwasher on it stops with this error, but still the company say no fault was found. Now they say they are sending one more engineer "as a courtesy" anymore I will have to pay for. I have set them video evidence, I don't know what else to do.
I bought a dishwasher in December a couple of months later it wouldn’t finish it’s program without stopping and giving an error code. The code refers to a drainage issue, the company have so far sent 2 engineers out who both tested the drainage and found no issue. This still doesn’t stop the fact everytime I put the dishwasher on it stops with this error, but still the company say no fault was found. Now they say they are sending one more engineer “as a courtesy” anymore I will have to pay for. I have set them video evidence, I don’t know what else to do.
Hi Mathew. As I describe in my article, just because they don’t find anything, that doesn’t remotely show there is no fault on the dishwasher. They must know that, it’s just logical common sense. Unless they are confident enough to accuse you of making the whole thing up, then they have to accept there is a fault.
If two engineers have failed to find a fault (with what I assume was just basic checks), then they have to accept that they have got to change the way they are approaching this. Intermittent faults, or faults that only happen after the appliance has been on for a long time, need a lot more time and patience, and a lot more proactive diagnostics and testing.
Obviously it’s very difficult for them, they rely very much on being able to do as many jobs in a day as possible, which usually means spending as little time as possible on each appliance. This is especially true if they are a third party company covering in-guarantee work for a manufacturer. They work on very small margins, and may only get paid for one visit. So they are probably in a position now where they know that they have lost money on this job, and there is little chance of recouping it. Even if the engineers are from the manufacturer, this job is proving very expensive for them.
However, it is disingenuous of them to threaten you with charges. They need to either come out and call you a liar, or they need to fix the fault – whatever it takes, or they need to have the machine written off and replaced. The only way they could possibly charge you legitimately, is if the fault was eventually found, and it turned out to be caused by some faulty plumbing, installation, or user error.
If you have given them video evidence, and you keep calling them back because the problem persists, then they 100% know there is a fault. They also must accept that they cannot find the fault during normal (usually under time-pressure) visits then they need to allow an engineer a lot more time to check it through properly. Maybe even speculatively replace one or more parts that an experienced engineer can identify as being the main possible suspect’s given the specific error code that displays.
Some fault’s only happen when something heats up or has been running for a long time. So another option, which is one I used myself many times, is that with a fault that only seems to happen at the end of a cycle, I would ring the customer prior to setting off. I’d ask them to put the appliance on, using the exact same procedure that they normally do, so that by the time I arrived, the appliance had already been on an hour or so, or may have already failed with the error code.
I would also try to get even more video evidence. Help them out by also writing down exactly which cycle you put the dishwasher on, which option buttons you selected, and crucially – how long had the dishwasher been running before it broke down?
You should put some time aside to watch the whole wash cycle, or at the very least ensure that you regularly check on it. It may be inconvenient, but if it helps to get to the bottom of the fault, it will be well worth the effort.
When it breaks down, film the error code and display, open the door, show the insides. Is there water inside, for example? Is it warm inside? Are there soap suds inside? Gain as much information as you possibly can to try to help an engineer to diagnose the issue.
1 reply i do have a faulty integrate fridge AEG, i bought this fridge because it supposed to be low noise, not the fridge star for over 1 hr making lots of noise and i cant sleep at night, my room is about 10 mtr from the fridge and you still can hear the noise of the fridge, i call the AEG and the sent CHELMSFORD CENTRE RESPOND SERVICE the came to check and said they cant stay all day waiting for the noise, they cam the second time and i had it recorder and they said is normal, how this is going to be normal if is like to have a air plain on you house. i have call AEG and they don't care, fridge is still under guaranty and i don't know what to do.
i do have a faulty integrate fridge AEG, i bought this fridge because it supposed to be low noise, not the fridge star for over 1 hr making lots of noise and i cant sleep at night, my room is about 10 mtr from the fridge and you still can hear the noise of the fridge,
i call the AEG and the sent CHELMSFORD CENTRE RESPOND SERVICE
the came to check and said they cant stay all day waiting for the noise, they cam the second time and i had it recorder and they said is normal, how this is going to be normal if is like to have a air plain on you house.
i have call AEG and they don’t care, fridge is still under guaranty and i don’t know what to do.
Likely replying to luis
Hello luis. Modern fridges and freezers do make a lot more noise than refrigeration appliances of the past because they have fans that blow the air around. However, if they ice up at the back behind the back wall (which you can’t see) then the fan can catch on enclosing ice. This is a fault that definitely needs fixing. Please read my article here fridge or freezer noisy for better description. If your noise sounds like a fan catching on something then it is a fault. But if the noises you can hear our sound of a fan running, or occasional cracking as described in the article them it may well be that it is normal now.
0 replies I spoke too son. The noise is still present. Back to square one.
I spoke too son. The noise is still present. Back to square one.
Hi, I am having sone issues with Sony Customer service for around 1 year now.
My Sony TV “under 5 year warranty” has been turning its self off and on, sometimes in the middle of the night, intermittently.
Sony has replied every time with the same questions (is there any external devices, when does it happen, is the TV updated ect) As it’s been a year Iv gone through three updates now with the same problem happening. Finally after 1 year they have said they will send an engineer out. However they stated if they can not find the problem then I would have to pay the inspection fee!!!!
I mean it’s been a year of constant badgering them and sending updates ect and they have the nerve to say they would charge me.
What can I do here?
Thanks
Likely replying to Chris Archie
Hello Chris. Your issue is exactly what this article addresses so all my advice is actually in the article really. You should definitely be switching it off at the mains during the night as TVs are still a potential fire risk when left on standby, as well as still using some electricity. The manufacturer’s reaction is exactly the same as everyone else’s and is why I wrote the article. They obviously hate when people phone them up under guarantee on a whim or when they haven’t read the instructions properly so this is what they threaten. My take on it is that it is just a threat to get rid of time wasters though I can’t guarantee that. I would expect that if they can genuinely see that there is an intermittent fault they would not try to charge. If they did you need to refuse and tell them you will take consumer advice. Ask them to prove that there is nothing wrong.
Funny thing is my own TV went through two or three weeks of turning itself off randomly but because it was intermittent I didn’t do anything. It suddenly righted itself and hasn’t done it since.
Likely replying to Andy Trigg (Whitegoodshelp)
Hello Andy,
Firstly let me thank you for your effort in setting up this Web site and offering information to protect us consumers, and your time in replying to people here.
I was wondering if you would have a bit of time to opine on the situation below:
A Whirlpool washer I bought developed noise after 6months. The engineer called out told me it was possibly due to us putting heavy things on top. We stopped doing that, but a few weeks later I noticed the noise again. I am guessing it is an intermittent problem, but Whirlpool wants to charge me the £60 call-out fee. They claim the engineers’ notes say there was a blockage in the pump; however I don’t remember him telling me anything of the sort.
They are offering me insurance (£7/month, month-to-month contract, cancellable at any time) that would automatically cover this call-out charge. It would also cover any other call-out charges that may arise in the future.
I’m tempted to take up their offer and cancel after a month or two (after I’ve had another engineer visit to look at the problem again).
Alternative would be to flat out refuse to pay (absence of proof is not proof of absence, problem is still there, likely an intermittent issue, etc) and do not request any other visit (not having confidence they will find the root cause).
What would you do? (if you were not a technical specialist).
Many thanks Andy
What would you do
Likely replying to Alain Andrieux
Hi Alain. It’s possible that the engineer put down there was a blockage in the pump so that he didn’t have to charge you (that is if they have a policy of not charging for a blockage, which they could technically do). I would imagine if the engineer had put down that you were placing things on top of the washing machine – and that was the cause of the noise – then he would have been obliged to charge you. That sort of thing would not be covered under any guarantee.
£7 a month doesn’t sound too bad but it is a bad deal long-term because it means £84 a year, £840 (plus increases) over 10 years. I think the best advice would be to get video evidence of it on a phone as I mention in my article. As discussed also my article the problem is that engineers no longer have the time to properly investigate intermittent faults. Engineers are working under tremendous pressure of time and if they go to any house and the fault described by the customer is not able to be seen within a few minutes they will not investigate properly. They will either guess at apart or just fob the customer off with something. It’s a shame but to be fair you can’t blame them when they have so many jobs to do and often such big areas to cover.
However, having said that, that is of no use to a customer and the manufacturer should be obliged to provide a much better service than this!
So I would keep on using the washing machine and make sure you record the noise if and when it happens again. That will at least give an engineer something to work with. Noises are notoriously difficult to describe to another person. However you have only referred to it as a “noise”. What kind of a noise is it by the way?
Likely replying to Andy Trigg (Whitegoodshelp)
Hey Andy,
As for the insurance, my thinking is the benefit would be to get another visit with the assurance not to have to pay anything whatever the outcome (root cause found or not), but I would cancel it very quickly (I also agree it would not be not good at all in the long term).
Or I simply refuse to pay, and do not get another visit, and live with the problem (which arguably is not to bad).
Likely replying to Alain Andrieux
Hello Alain. Thanks for the video, that shows how useful it is to be able to capture an intermittent problem. I’m pretty sure that this noise is caused by a coin or something metallic that has got inside the washing machine. I would not use it again until it is fixed. This is because most modern washing machines only have a plastic outer drum and a coin can get punched through and essentially write-off the whole washing machine.
I would doublecheck whether a foreign obstruction inside the washing machine is covered by your insurance. I wouldn’t be remotely surprised if it is not. The reason the noise is intermittent is because typically a coin or other metallic object moves around and can sometimes not be whipped up. It can often depend on how heavy the load inside is and just pure chance. The object tends to get tossed and thrown around during spin. To be honest it doesn’t sound like a big coin like a pound or 50p but it definitely sounds metallic and if it does turn out to be something stuck in the washing machine it can damage the outer drum.
Check out this article which may be helpful how to remove something stuck in the washing machine drum
Likely replying to Andy Trigg (Whitegoodshelp)
Hi Andy,
I wanted to update you. I had decided to take the insurance option for a little while just so as not to have to fight with Whirlpool on the call-out fee, but mostly have the opportunity to get another engineer to come in to look at the problem again. Thanks for raising the strong possibility of the insurance not covering a foreign object inside the machine. The Whirlpool staff confirmed to me that the insurance would indeed cover a foreign object inside the machine (excludes malicious damage, cosmetic damage, and indirect consequences) , so it sounded to me like an easy way to solve that problem at little cost (assuming I cancel the insurance soon)
The new engineer found the issue: turned out it was not a coin, but it was the screws that stabilise the drum in transport. The installers had not removed them fully, and they were rattling against the drum occasionally.