Terms & Conditions

01

About Callout

Callout is an online marketplace operated by Callout Technologies Ltd that connects customers requiring emergency plumbing and heating services with independent, Gas Safe registered tradespeople ("Plumbers"). Callout is not itself a plumbing or heating business and does not employ Plumbers. All work is carried out by independent tradespeople who use the platform.

References to "we", "us" and "our" mean Callout Technologies Ltd. References to "you" mean any user of the platform, whether a customer or a registered Plumber.

02

Eligibility

To use the Callout platform you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be legally entitled to enter into binding contracts in the United Kingdom
• Provide accurate and complete registration information

Plumbers must additionally hold a valid Gas Safe registration (where the work involves gas) and appropriate public liability insurance. Callout reserves the right to verify these credentials at any time and to suspend or remove accounts that cannot be verified.

03

Accounts

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials. Do not share your password with anyone. You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.

You must notify us immediately at hello@bookacallout.com if you suspect unauthorised access to your account. We will not be liable for any loss resulting from unauthorised use of your account where you have not taken reasonable steps to protect your credentials.

Each person may hold one customer account and one Plumber account. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent a suspension or to abuse any promotional offer is prohibited.

04

Customer Terms

Booking a job

When you submit a job request through Callout, you are making an offer to engage a Plumber for the described work. A contract is formed between you and the Plumber when a Plumber accepts your request. Callout is not a party to that contract.

Accurate descriptions

You must provide an accurate description of the work required. Providing misleading information may result in additional charges or cancellation of the booking.

Access

You must ensure the Plumber has safe and adequate access to carry out the work at the agreed time. If the Plumber arrives and cannot get access, the booking may be treated as a no-show (see "No-shows" below).

What the call-out fee covers

Each Plumber sets their own call-out fee, which is shown on their profile before you book. The call-out fee includes travel, diagnosis and the first hour of work. If the job takes longer than an hour or needs parts, the Plumber will send you a quote in the app for the extra labour and parts. No further work is carried out until you approve the quote.

Paying for a booking

Payment is processed securely through Stripe. When you book, you pay the Plumber's full call-out fee plus a £2 booking fee. If you approve a quote, you pay the quoted amount in the app once the work is done. If the job is completed within the first hour, there is nothing more to pay. Callout's commission is deducted from the Plumber's payment; it is never added to your bill.

The £2 booking fee

A booking fee of £2 is charged on every booking to cover the cost of running the platform. It is refunded whenever your call-out fee is refunded in full, and is otherwise non-refundable. It is shown as "Booking fee £2" before you pay and on your receipts. It is kept when you receive only part of your call-out fee back.

Cancellations

If you cancel a booking yourself, your call-out fee is refunded as follows, based on how long before the start of your booked slot you cancel:

• 24 hours or more before: 100% of your call-out fee and the £2 booking fee
• Between 12 and 24 hours before: 50% of your call-out fee
• Less than 12 hours before: no refund

Any part of the call-out fee that is not refunded is paid to the Plumber for the reserved time; Callout keeps only the £2 booking fee. You get a full refund, including the £2 booking fee, if the Plumber declines your request, if nobody accepts it within 24 hours (or before your slot starts), or if the Plumber cancels. If something goes wrong before the job is done (for example, your plumber doesn't turn up) and you report it in the app, you get everything back, including the £2 booking fee. Problems with finished work go through our disputes process (14 days; see Disputes). Refunds go back to your original payment method and usually take 5–10 working days to arrive.

No-shows

If you are not available at the booked time and the Plumber cannot get access, the Plumber may mark the booking as a no-show. This is treated like a cancellation less than 12 hours before, so the call-out fee is not refunded. A Plumber can only mark a no-show after the booked time has started and when the app confirms they are close to the booking address. We will notify you straight away by push notification and email, and you can dispute a no-show within 7 days of being told: tap "Dispute this" on the booking in the app, or contact support within that time at hello@bookacallout.com (see Disputes). We review every disputed no-show and either confirm it or refund you in full, including the £2 booking fee.

05

Plumber Terms

Independent contractor status

Plumbers on the Callout platform are independent contractors, not employees or agents of Callout. You are responsible for your own tax obligations, insurance, and compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Gas Safe compliance

Any work involving gas appliances, pipework, or fittings must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. You must hold a valid Gas Safe registration for all relevant work categories and must not accept jobs outside your competence or registration.

Quality of work

You must carry out all work to a professional standard, in compliance with applicable building regulations, British Standards, and industry codes of practice. You are responsible for the quality and safety of your work. If a customer reports a problem with your work within 14 days, you will be told in the app and can offer to come back and fix it at no cost within 7 days; if it isn't fixed, Callout decides and your share of any refund may be deducted from your future payouts (see Disputes).

Your call-out fee

You set your own call-out fee, which is shown to customers before they book. Your call-out fee must include travel, diagnosis and the first hour of work. Customers pay your full call-out fee when they book. Any quote you send must only cover extra labour beyond the first hour and parts, must be sent through the app, and must be approved by the customer before you start that work. Changes to your call-out fee apply to new bookings only.

No-shows

You may only mark a booking as a customer no-show after the booked time has started and while you are at or near the booking address. The app takes a single location reading to confirm this (your phone must be within about 150 metres of the booking's postcode, and you must allow location access); only your distance from the booking's postcode is stored. A no-show is treated as a cancellation less than 12 hours before the slot. No-show payouts are held for 7 days so the customer can raise a dispute in the app; a disputed no-show is not paid until Callout has reviewed it, and Callout may ask you for evidence and refund the customer if it was marked in error. Plumbers who repeatedly mark no-shows (more than 2 in 30 days) may be reviewed.

Receipts and materials

Commission is charged on labour and call-out fees only, not on materials. Where materials costs are included in a job, you must upload a receipt or invoice evidencing the material cost. Callout may audit uploaded receipts and may dispute claims that appear inaccurate.

Profile accuracy

You must keep your profile accurate, including your Gas Safe registration number, service radius, and availability. You must notify us promptly if your Gas Safe registration lapses or your insurance changes.

06

Commission & Payments

Callout charges a commission on call-out fees and labour, never on materials. What you pay depends on your plan:

Plan	Monthly fee	Commission	Per job	Notes
Starter	Free	12%	£10 minimum	Default plan
Pro	£99	5%	£10 minimum	"Pro" badge
Elite	£199	0%	Card processing fees on your jobs only	No per-job minimum. "Elite" badge and priority support
Founding Member Limited	Free for 3 months	5%	£10 minimum	Pro rates for your founding period — see below

How commission is taken

Commission is charged on the call-out fee and any extra labour, never on materials or parts. On Starter and Pro there is a minimum commission of £10 per job. When the customer pays your call-out fee at booking, Callout takes the larger of your plan's rate on the call-out fee and £10. Any remaining commission (your plan's rate on the call-out fee plus extra labour, less what was taken at booking) is taken from the customer's quote payment. If the job is finished within the first hour, the amount taken at booking is the whole commission.

Quotes paid outside the app

If any part of a job is paid outside the app (for example, a quote paid in cash), the commission already taken at booking is not refunded. That amount is all Callout takes for the job, and you will not be charged anything afterwards. (The only thing ever taken back after you have been paid is your share of a refund on an upheld quality dispute — see Disputes.)

Elite and card fees

On Elite, no commission is charged and there is no per-job minimum. Instead, you pay the actual Stripe card processing fees on your own jobs. These are deducted from your payout and shown on your earnings.

Materials and the booking fee

Materials are never charged commission, provided a valid receipt is uploaded where required. The £2 booking fee is paid by the customer and is not part of your earnings.

Cancellations and no-shows

Where a customer cancels late or does not show up, any part of the call-out fee that is not refunded is paid to you in full. Callout keeps only the £2 booking fee and takes no commission on cancellations or no-shows.

• Full refund to the customer (you decline or cancel, the request expires, the customer cancels 24 hours or more ahead, or the customer reports in the app that something went wrong before the job was done — for example, you didn't turn up; problems with finished work go through the disputes process instead): the customer gets back the call-out fee and the £2 booking fee, and Callout keeps nothing.
• Customer cancels between 12 and 24 hours ahead: the customer gets 50% of the call-out fee back. The other 50% is paid to you, with no commission. Callout keeps only the customer's £2 booking fee.
• Customer cancels less than 12 hours ahead, or is a no-show: no refund is given. The full call-out fee is paid to you, with no commission. Callout keeps only the £2 booking fee.
• On Elite, Stripe's card fee on the booking payment is taken from what you are paid, as with any Elite job.

The £2 booking fee Callout keeps never comes out of your share.

Plans

Plans are chosen and paid for on our website at bookacallout.com/plumbers/plan/, not in the app. Pro and Elite are monthly subscriptions billed by Stripe. You can change or cancel your plan at any time. Plan changes apply to new bookings only; the rate for a booking is fixed when it is made. If you cancel a paid plan, you keep it until the end of the month you have paid for and then move to Starter. If a plan payment fails, you move to Starter (new bookings are charged at the Starter rate) until it is paid.

Search results

Customers' search results are ordered by distance and availability first. Your plan is used only to break ties between otherwise equal Plumbers (Elite, then Pro, then Starter). We do not promise any particular position in search results.

Founding members

Founding member status is available to the first 30 verified Plumbers in each city. Founding members receive Pro rates (5% commission, £10 minimum per job) with no monthly fee for their first 3 months from the date their Callout app account is verified (the "founding period"), and a permanent "Founding member" badge on their profile. If you complete fewer than 3 jobs in your first 30 days, your founding period is extended by one month (once only), and we will tell you by email and push notification.

One month before your founding period ends, we will email you and send a push notification telling you the date it ends and inviting you to choose a plan. If you choose Pro on our website before your founding period ends, you receive 50% off (£49.50 a month) for your first 3 monthly payments of Pro, and billing starts only when your founding period ends. If you choose Elite during your founding period, Elite billing starts straight away. If you have not chosen a plan by the end of your founding period, you move to Starter for new bookings and we will email you to let you know.

Payouts

Payouts are processed via Stripe Connect. Starter, Pro and founding members are paid every Monday; Elite members are paid daily. You must maintain a valid Stripe Connect account to receive payments.

You are paid your share for jobs paid through the app at the next payout. For a job whose quote was not paid through the app, your share of the booking payment is paid 7 days after the job is completed. For a cancellation where part or all of the call-out fee is kept, the amount kept is paid to you at the next payout run.

07

Disputes

Problems with the work

If you are unhappy with the quality or completion of work, raise it in the app ("Problem with the work?" on the booking) within 14 days of the job. This is how it is handled:

• The Plumber is told and gets the chance to fix it. The Plumber will be notified and may offer to return and put it right at no extra cost within 7 days of your report. You can accept or decline the offer. If they fix it, you confirm in the app that it is fixed or tell us it is still not right.
• If it is not resolved — the Plumber can't fix it, you decline the offer, it is still not right, or it is not sorted within the 7 days — Callout will review the case and may decide on a full refund, a partial refund of an amount we set, or no refund, and will tell both parties the outcome with an explanation.
• Refunds go back to the card you paid with (usually within 5–10 working days) and cover only what was paid through the app.

Where Callout upholds a dispute about a Plumber's work with a refund, the Plumber's share of the refund (the refund in proportion to what the Plumber was paid for the job out of what the customer paid; Callout returns its own commission and booking fee) will be recovered from the Plumber's future payouts and shown on their earnings with the booking reference. If it has not been fully recovered within 60 days, Callout covers the rest. This is the only case in which an amount is taken back from a Plumber after they have been paid: quotes paid outside the app, cancellations and no-shows are never charged to the Plumber afterwards.

No-show disputes

If a booking is marked as a no-show and you believe this is wrong, you can dispute it in the app within 7 days. The Plumber's payout for that booking is held during this time. Callout will review the case and either uphold the no-show or refund your call-out fee and booking fee.

Between customers and plumbers

For anything else about the completion or price of work, both parties should first attempt to resolve the matter directly. Callout can provide a mediation service where direct resolution fails.

Payment disputes

If you believe a charge is incorrect, contact us at hello@bookacallout.com within 14 days of the charge (no-show disputes: 7 days, in the app — see No-show disputes above). We will investigate and respond within 5 business days. Disputes raised after 14 days may not be eligible for a refund.

Receipt disputes

Callout reserves the right to audit material receipts and to dispute claims where receipts appear to be inaccurate, duplicated, or inflated. Where a dispute is upheld, the commission will be recalculated on the corrected amount.

Callout's role

Callout acts as a marketplace and is not responsible for the quality of work carried out by Plumbers, but we run the quality-dispute process above and may refund customers under it. We take complaints seriously and may suspend or remove Plumbers whose work consistently generates valid complaints.

08

Acceptable Use

You must not use the Callout platform to:

• Arrange work outside the platform to avoid commission ("off-platform transactions")
• Provide false or misleading information about yourself, your qualifications, or the work
• Harass, threaten, or abuse other users
• Upload fraudulent receipts or inflate material costs
• Create fake reviews or manipulate the rating system
• Use the platform for any unlawful purpose
• Attempt to access systems or data you are not authorised to access

Off-platform transactions are a serious breach of these terms. If a customer or Plumber attempts to arrange work outside Callout to avoid the platform fee, both parties may have their accounts suspended.

09

Liability

Callout provides a marketplace platform. We do not carry out plumbing or heating work and are not responsible for the actions, omissions, or work quality of Plumbers on the platform.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Callout's liability to you for any claim arising from use of the platform is limited to the total commission paid by you to Callout in the three months preceding the claim.

Nothing in these terms excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded by law.

The platform is provided "as is". We do not guarantee uninterrupted availability and are not liable for losses caused by platform downtime.

10

Suspension & Termination

Callout may suspend or terminate your account at any time if:

• You breach these Terms & Conditions
• You fail to maintain required qualifications or insurance (Plumbers)
• We receive serious or repeated complaints about your conduct
• We are required to do so by law or a regulatory authority
• We reasonably suspect fraudulent activity

You may close your account at any time by contacting hello@bookacallout.com. Outstanding payments will be processed before the account is closed. Closing your account does not affect any completed transactions or ongoing disputes.

11

Governing Law

These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising from these terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

If any provision of these terms is found to be unenforceable, that provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, and the remaining provisions will continue in full force.

We may update these Terms & Conditions from time to time. Material changes will be notified by email and in-app. Continued use of the platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

12

Contact

For questions about these terms or to raise a complaint: