Plumbers often charge a call out fee to cover the costs of traveling to a customer’s location. This fee can cover expenses such as fuel, vehicle maintenance, and wear and tear on the plumber’s tools and equipment. Additionally, a call out fee may also cover the plumber’s time spent traveling to and from the job site, which is time that could have been spent working on other jobs.

Another factor that could be considered is that the plumber has to make a judgement call about the urgency of the job, and the call out fee would compensate for the inconvenience of going out to do the job, rather than staying and doing another job that may be more profitable.

It’s also worth noting that a call out fee may be waived or reduced if the customer decides to go ahead with the job. The plumber can also decide to waive the call out fee for a regular client, or to offer a discount for a repeat customer.

In short, a call out fee is a way for plumbers to cover their costs associated with travelling to a customer’s location and to compensate for the inconvenience of leaving another job. It’s always a good idea to ask the plumber about their call out fee policies before scheduling an appointment.