TL;DR
A fee for finding the cause of a problem before quoting repair work. Ask whether the fee is waived or credited if you approve the job.
What it means
A fee for finding the cause of a problem before quoting repair work. Ask whether the fee is waived or credited if you approve the job.
Where it sits in the glossary
Diagnostic fee is part of the Pricing group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
A diagnostic fee covers the time it takes a technician to find the cause of a problem before quoting a fix. On HVAC, appliance, and plumbing calls it is normal — and reasonable, since diagnostics is real work that takes real time.
Homeowners should ask whether the diagnostic fee is waived or credited if the repair is approved on the same visit. Most shops will say yes; the ones that do not should at least put the policy in writing before the truck rolls.
ProFix tools that touch this term
Where this term gets mixed up
Diagnostic vs. quote
The diagnostic visit pays for the discovery. The quote is what comes back from that discovery. They are not the same line item.
Diagnostic fee vs. trip charge
Trip charge gets the truck there. Diagnostic fee covers the actual investigation once they arrive. Many shops combine them, some separate them.
Where this term comes from
Standard home-services billing practice.
See also
License: CC-BY-4.0 — quote freely with attribution to ProFix Editorial Team / ProFix Directory.