Visit fee or inspection fee: what it is, why technicians charge it, how to settle it

What a visit fee actually is

A visit fee (also called an inspection fee, checking charge or diagnosis fee) is what the technician charges for coming to your home, examining the problem and telling you what it is. It covers their travel (an hour in Dhaka traffic), the tools they bring, and their experience – being able to say exactly what is wrong is a skill in itself.

In the AmarKarigor app every technician states their own visit fee on their profile, and it shows in the list. We do not set an amount – the technician decides, and it varies by area and type of work.

Why even honest technicians charge one

Imagine an AC technician visits five homes in a day and three customers send him away with "I will think about it". Without a visit fee he has spent three hours on the road for nothing. So when there is no fee, one of two things happens: either the technician names an expensive part without really looking, to lock in the job, or the "free visit" is quietly added into the final price later.

A clear visit fee is actually in the customer’s favour – for a small, known cost you get an unbiased diagnosis, and you can decide whether to proceed without any pressure.

What happens to the fee if you go ahead

Three conventions exist – ask in chat which one the technician follows:

• Fee is adjusted into the price: if you go ahead, there is no separate visit fee – the most common
• Fee stays separate: the visit fee is added on top of the repair price – rarer on big jobs, common on small ones
• Fee only for a look, waived if you proceed – but ask what happens on a second visit if parts have to be fetched

When the fee is not reasonable

Think before paying in a few situations: the technician could not actually find the fault and says "I will look later"; a second visit is needed because of their own mistake (wrong part brought); or they ask for more than the fee written on the profile. In the first case many technicians take half or carry it over to the next visit – raise it politely in chat.

On the other hand, if the technician inspects and declares the appliance beyond repair, or you hear the price and decide not to proceed – in both cases paying the fee is fair. They gave time and expertise; you received information.

Dhaka reality: distance and timing

The same technician may charge one fee inside Mirpur and another for Uttara – that is normal, because the travel time doubles. The app’s list shows each technician’s distance; ask the nearest ones first and the fee stays lower and they can come sooner. For urgent visits at night or on holidays many charge more – find out in advance.

If you have several jobs (two AC services, or AC plus a fan) done in the same visit, the fee applies once – list all the jobs together in chat.

Three lines to write in chat

Before the technician sets off, having this in the app chat prevents any dispute later: (1) "Visit fee ___ taka for the inspection only." (2) "If I go ahead, the fee is adjusted into the price / stays separate." (3) "If parts are needed, tell me first; work starts once the price is agreed." The app takes no payment – you pay the technician directly – but the chat record stays with both of you.

When the job is done, record the total in the app. That is what each profile’s "typical price" range is computed from (once there are at least 5 jobs) – so the next customer has an idea before they even call.