Quote and Extra-Work Policy

Applies to: customers and service providers on Like Magic. It forms part of the Customer Terms of Use and the Service Provider Agreement.
Status: Soft-launch version: applies from the day bookings open. Document 5 of 11 in the Like Magic legal set.

Contents

1. When a quote is needed

1.1 Section 15 of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) protects you when someone repairs or maintains your property. This policy applies it to every job on Like Magic.

1.2 You get a quote before work starts:

1. on a call-out booking, after the provider has inspected or diagnosed the problem;
2. on a get quotes request, from each provider who quotes (up to 3); and
3. on an instant fixed-price booking, if the job turns out to be materially different from the fixed-price description (clause 7), or you ask for extra work.

1.3 A fixed-price booking is itself a written estimate: the app shows the price and what it includes before you pay.

2. Quotes are free

2.1 A quote is free. A provider may charge for inspecting, diagnosing or preparing a quote only if the fee was shown to you and you accepted it before the visit, such as the call-out fee on a call-out booking.

2.2 If you accept the quote within its validity period, the call-out fee is credited against it.

3. What every quote shows

3.1 Every quote in the app shows:

1. the price broken down into labour, materials and parts, call-out or travel, and any other charge;
2. the nature and extent of the work, and what is not included;
3. the make, model and warranty of equipment or parts supplied, and whether any are new, reconditioned or second-hand;
4. VAT and the provider's VAT number, only if the provider is registered for VAT;
5. the earliest start date and how long the work should take;
6. any part-payment and when payment is due;
7. whether a certificate of compliance (CoC) is included; and
8. how long the quote is valid (14 days).

3.2 Once a quote expires, you can ask the provider to renew it. They may change the price.

3.3 On a get-quotes request, each quote is the provider's own price. We do not promise that any quote is the lowest available.

4. Your choices

4.1 When you receive a quote, you can:

1. accept it, which authorises the work described for the price quoted;
2. set a maximum amount, which authorises the provider to do the work described without going over that amount; or
3. decline to have a quote and authorise the work anyway. The app asks you to confirm this, records it, and shows the hourly and material rates the provider will charge.

4.2 You may also decline the quote, and the provider will not do the work. On a call-out booking, you then pay only the call-out fee.

5. How you approve work

5.1 You approve quotes, maximum amounts and variations in the app. Your approval is recorded with the date and time and counts as your written authorisation.

5.2 If you approve something by phone or in person, the provider must send it to you in the app and you must confirm it there before the work is done, except in the emergency described in clause 8.

5.3 When you accept a quote, you pay the full quoted amount in the app and we hold it until the job is finished and you release the payment (Customer Terms clause 7.5). No part-payment is asked at present.

6. The final price

6.1 The final price can never be more than the quote you accepted (or the maximum you set) plus any variations you approved in the app.

6.2 A quote is a fixed price for the work described. If the quote says that part of it (for example materials) will be charged at actual cost, the final price for that part may be lower, but never higher.

7. Extra work found on site

7.1 If the provider finds that more work is needed, or that the job is materially different from what was booked, they must:

1. stop before doing anything extra;
2. explain the problem and show you photos in the app; and
3. send you a variation quote showing the extra work and price.

7.2 You decide whether to approve the variation. The provider may not start the extra work until you approve it in the app.

7.3 If you do not approve it, the provider finishes the work you did approve, if that can be done safely and properly. If it cannot, the provider makes the site safe and stops, and you pay only for approved work already done. On a fixed-price booking, clause 6.3 of the Customer Terms of Use applies.

8. Emergency make-safe work

8.1 If the provider finds a danger that needs immediate action (for example a burst pipe flooding a room, a live exposed wire or a gas leak), they may take steps that cost nothing, such as turning off the water, electricity or gas at the supply, without waiting for approval.

8.2 Any make-safe work that costs money needs your approval. If you cannot be reached and there is a real risk of injury or serious damage, the provider may do only the minimum make-safe work needed, up to R1,500. They must record it with photos and tell you immediately in the app. You then decide whether to approve the charge.

9. Work you did not approve

9.1 Work you did not approve in line with this policy is an unsolicited service. You do not have to pay for it, and we will not collect payment for it.

10. Part-payments on larger quotes

10.1 A provider may not ask you for a deposit directly. No part-payment is asked at present; if the app ever asks for one on a larger quote, the quote shows it before you accept and it is held like any other payment (Customer Terms clause 7.5).

10.2 If the job does not go ahead, any part-payment is refunded, less the cost of materials bought specially for your job that cannot be returned, but only if the quote said so. Those materials are then yours.

11. Parts that are removed

11.1 The provider must offer you any parts they remove, unless you decline them or they must be disposed of for safety or environmental reasons (for example an old geyser or refrigerant gas). If you decline them, the provider disposes of them lawfully.

11.2 If the provider takes back a part under a manufacturer's or supplier's exchange arrangement, the quote must say so.

12. Certificates of compliance

12.1 Where the law requires a certificate of compliance (for example for electrical, gas, electric fence or air-conditioning work), the provider must issue it, and the quote must say it is included. Where a plumbing CoC is not legally required but is needed by your municipality or insurer, the provider must tell you before quoting.

13. Invoices

13.1 Your invoice must match the quote you accepted plus any variations you approved. The job report, with photos, shows what was done. If they do not match, tell us within 14 days and we will look into it.