Diagnostic fee
Yes, we chargeto come out and diagnose.
One flat fee, told to you on the phone before we ever leave, and taken off your invoice when you approve the repair. Here is exactly what it is, what it covers, and why a free visit would cost you more.
Our diagnostic fee
[DIAGNOSTIC FEE]
Flat rate. Confirmed when you book, not when a technician is standing in your hallway.
Waived when you approve the repair
It comes off the invoice. So if we find the fault and you go ahead with the fix, the diagnostic effectively costs you nothing — every repair price we publish already includes it.
What the fee actually buys
A full instrumented diagnostic, not a look and an opinion. This is the same process on every visit regardless of what you end up deciding.
- The full measurement setSuperheat, subcooling, static pressure, temperature split, capacitance, amp draw, voltage and condenser approach.
- Photos of what we findThe actual fault in your actual system, yours to keep and yours to show anyone.
- A warranty checkModel and serial looked up before anything is quoted, because a covered part changes the number entirely.
- Every option pricedIncluding the cheapest one, and including doing nothing if that is genuinely reasonable.
- The readings, in writingYours to take to another company if you want a second view. No hard feelings.
- A straight answerOn whether the system is worth keeping, even when that answer costs us the sale.
The honest reason
A free visit is not free. You just pay for it later.
When a company sends a technician out at no charge, that visit still costs them the same wage, the same fuel and the same hour. That money has to come back from somewhere, and it comes back from the people who buy something while the technician is standing there.
Which means the free visit only works if enough of them end in a sale. It quietly decides what your technician is hoping to find before he pulls up outside, and it does that whether or not anybody involved is trying to be dishonest.
We would rather charge for the diagnosis and remove that pressure entirely. The technician gets paid for establishing the truth about your system, whether the truth is a $200 capacitor, a $12,000 replacement, or nothing wrong at all.
Charging for the diagnosis is what lets us tell you your system is fine and leave.
"But another company offers free estimates"
They probably do, and so do we. These are two different things and the words get used interchangeably, which is where the confusion comes from.
A diagnostic
Paid, and waived on repair
What it answers
What is actually wrong with your existing system.
Instruments used
Yes — gauges, manometer, clamp meter, capacitor tester, thermometers.
Takes
Typically 45 to 90 minutes of skilled work.
You walk away with
Measured readings, photos of the fault, and every option priced.
Why it is paid
It is the work, not the sales call before it.
A replacement estimate
Free, always
What it answers
What a new system would cost to install properly.
Instruments used
Tape measure and a load calculation, not diagnostic gauges.
Takes
An in-home assessment and a written proposal.
You walk away with
A quote with the full scope written out.
Why it is free
It is a sales visit, and we are honest about that.
So when a competitor advertises a free estimate, it is worth asking which one they mean. If your system is broken and you want to know why, that is a diagnosis. If someone will diagnose a fault for free, the visit is being paid for by whatever they hope to sell you at the end of it.
Three things we never charge for
The fee applies to diagnosing a fault. It does not apply to these.
Replacement quotes
A full in-home assessment with a load calculation and a written proposal, at no charge and no obligation.
Second opinions
If another company has recommended replacement, we will diagnose it independently for nothing and tell you honestly whether they were right.
Questions on the phone
Call and describe what your system is doing. We answer HVAC questions for free, including from people who have no intention of booking today.
Five things worth knowing before you book
So there is nothing on the invoice you did not expect.
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You hear the fee on the phone, not at the door
It is confirmed when you book. Nobody arrives at your house and then tells you what the visit costs, and there is no version of this where the number changes once a technician is inside.
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One fee per visit, not per problem
If we find three things wrong, that is still one diagnostic. The fee covers the visit and the diagnosis, not each individual fault we identify.
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Approve the repair and it comes off
It is waived from the invoice, so the published repair prices on this site already include it rather than adding to it. See repair pricing.
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Decline the repair and you still keep everything
The readings and the photos are yours regardless. Take them to another company if you want a second view — that is a completely reasonable thing to do and we would rather you did it with real information.
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After-hours differences are quoted upfront
If there is any difference for a night, weekend or holiday call, you hear it when you book and before a technician is dispatched. Nothing appears on the invoice that was not discussed first.
Common questions
Do HVAC companies charge to come out?
Most charge a diagnostic or service call fee to diagnose a fault, and most offer free estimates for a system replacement. Those are two different visits. A diagnostic establishes what is wrong with your existing equipment and takes 45 to 90 minutes of instrumented work. A replacement estimate is a sales visit and is genuinely free. California Heating & AC Repair charges a flat diagnostic fee, confirmed when you book and waived when you approve the repair.
Is the diagnostic fee refunded if I go ahead with the repair?
It is waived rather than refunded — it simply comes off the invoice. So the repair prices published across this site already include the diagnostic rather than adding it on top.
What if I decide not to do the repair?
You pay the diagnostic fee and you keep everything we found: the measured readings, the photographs of the fault, and every option priced. Those are yours to take to another company if you want a second view, and we would rather you did that with real information than a guess.
Why not offer a free diagnostic like some companies?
Because a free visit still costs the company an hour of wages and fuel, and that money comes back from whoever buys something while the technician is there. It quietly shapes what the technician is hoping to find. Charging for the diagnosis means we get paid for establishing the truth, which is what allows us to tell you your system is fine and leave.
Do you charge a diagnostic fee for a replacement quote?
No. Replacement quotes are free, including the in-home assessment and load calculation. Second opinions on another company's quote are also free. The fee applies to diagnosing a fault on a system you already own.
Is the fee higher at night or on weekends?
Any after-hours difference is quoted when you book, before a technician is dispatched. You will never find a surcharge on the invoice that was not discussed on the phone first.
What if you cannot find anything wrong?
You pay the diagnostic fee and you get the readings as a documented baseline, which is genuinely useful the next time something changes. This happens more often than people expect, particularly with intermittent faults, and telling you your system measures within specification is a perfectly good outcome.
Can I get the fee waived if I already know what is wrong?
We still diagnose it. A part that looks obviously failed is frequently a symptom of something else, and fitting a replacement without finding the cause usually means doing the job twice. If you approve the repair, the fee comes off anyway.
Book with the price already settled
Fee confirmed on the phone, waived when you approve the repair, and every option priced before anything is touched.
The diagnostic fee is confirmed at the time of booking and waived from the invoice when a repair is approved. Replacement quotes and second opinions are provided free of charge. California Heating & AC Repair is operated by Craftline Renovations, Inc. · CSLB License #999179 · Licensed and insured.