Need to change or cancel a visit?
Contact us by Email, WhatsApp or Mobile as soon as you know that a visit cannot go ahead. Include your name, job reference, service address and appointment date. State clearly whether you want to cancel the contract or request a different time.
A request to move a visit is not a confirmed replacement appointment until we agree it. If the original visit is close, use Mobile as well so we have the best chance of seeing the message before travelling. Keep a copy of a written cancellation. You do not need to give a reason when exercising a statutory cooling-off right.
Your cooling-off rights
For a qualifying consumer service contract agreed online, by phone or away from our business premises, the usual cancellation period ends 14 days after the day the contract was made. For a qualifying contract that includes the supply of goods, the period generally runs from delivery of the goods. The applicable rights should be explained with your agreement.
A clear cancellation statement sent before the deadline is enough; you do not have to use our optional form below. Where required cancellation information was not provided, the legal cancellation period can be extended. These rights are separate from remedies for faulty work or goods, which do not end simply because 14 days have passed.
Work during the cooling-off period
We ask you expressly whether you want the service to start during an applicable cooling-off period. You do not have to make that request: we can discuss a later date. Where required, the request is recorded on a durable medium, such as the signed agreement you can save.
If you request an early start and then exercise the statutory right to cancel, we may charge a proportionate amount for services actually supplied up to cancellation, provided the required information and express request were given. Simply taking a deposit, reserving a slot or losing the opportunity to book another customer does not establish that amount.
For a service-only contract, full completion during the period can end the cancellation right only if you expressly requested early performance and acknowledged that consequence beforehand. Signing general terms is not a blanket waiver. Contracts involving supplied goods can have different rules; completing the fitting work does not automatically remove a separate right concerning the goods.
Our cancellation terms
If no statutory cancellation right applies, or its period has ended, a late cancellation or failure to provide agreed access can cause a financial loss. Under fair terms agreed before booking, we may retain part or all of a deposit, and charge an additional balance where a properly calculated, recoverable loss exceeds the deposit. There is no automatic loss of the deposit and no automatic full-job charge.
The calculation can include reasonable wasted attendance or travel costs and the net profit lost on reserved work that we could not reasonably replace. We deduct costs saved, amounts recovered by returning materials and income from replacement work. We do not count the same loss twice or treat the entire gross job price as our loss. We explain the evidence and credit any deposit against the amount due.
A cancellation on the day, the day before or two days before may leave less opportunity to refill the time. The short notice is relevant evidence; it does not create a fixed penalty by itself. Please contact us promptly, including if the plumber is already travelling or cannot gain access.
Inside an applicable statutory cooling-off period, the specific rules for cancellation take priority. A charge for an unfilled appointment or lost profit cannot be imposed simply because the customer exercised that right. The next sections explain early-start work and practical examples.
Late cancellations: practical examples
Booked recently; work has not started. If the customer validly cancels a qualifying service contract within cooling-off and no qualifying service has been supplied, the deposit is refundable. An empty diary slot alone does not permit a deduction.
Early-start investigation already carried out. If the legal conditions were met, the proportionate charge for the investigation actually supplied may be retained from the deposit. If that charge is greater than the deposit, the lawful balance may be due. Any remainder of the deposit is refunded.
Cancellation while we are travelling. We check the contract, the service already supplied and the applicable cancellation right. We do not assume that leaving our premises automatically makes the full visit charge due during cooling-off. Travel or preparation needs individual assessment against the agreed service and legal rules.
Late cancellation after cooling-off. If we cannot reasonably replace the work, a fair, evidenced loss calculation may exceed the deposit. We credit the deposit, explain the remaining balance and avoid double recovery. This is not an automatic 24-hour or 48-hour penalty.
Parts and supplied goods
Where goods form part of your contract, tell us if you wish to cancel before they are ordered or installed. We will explain the applicable return arrangements and any lawful exception, such as genuinely made-to-specification goods. A standard part being ordered for a job does not automatically make it bespoke.
For a statutory return, send goods back within the applicable period, normally 14 days after telling us you are cancelling. We explain where to return them. Return costs are yours only where the law allows this and the required information was given before contracting. A lawful deduction for handling beyond what is needed to inspect goods may apply. This does not limit rights where supplied goods are faulty or misdescribed.
Querying a payment or requesting a refund
Contact us with your job or invoice reference, payment date, amount and a short explanation of the issue. If a payment appears twice, tell us before trying again. Do not send full card numbers, security codes or banking passwords. We can use the transaction reference to investigate.
We explain the decision and any deduction. Where a statutory cancellation refund is due for a service, it is made without undue delay and within 14 days of being informed of the cancellation, less any legally permitted amount for services already supplied. For goods, the law can allow the refund to await return or evidence of return.
Refunds use the original payment method unless you expressly agree otherwise, without a refund fee. Your bank or card provider may take additional processing time to show the credit. Other legal remedies can have their own refund rules; we do not make your entitlement conditional on our internal complaint process.
If something has gone wrong
A fault, missed obligation or incorrect charge is different from a change-of-mind cancellation. Contact us with the issue and allow a reasonable opportunity to investigate where appropriate. You may have rights to repeat performance, a price reduction, repair, replacement or a refund depending on the problem and contract.
Our complaints procedure explains how we respond. The workmanship guarantee is additional to your statutory rights. If there is an immediate risk to people or property, prioritise safety and seek appropriate urgent assistance; do not wait for an administrative response.
If we cannot attend
If we need to change or cancel a confirmed visit, we explain the situation and discuss alternatives. If no suitable alternative is agreed, money paid for work we will not supply is returned, subject to any separate, lawfully due amount for work already performed.
We do not charge you a customer-cancellation fee for our cancellation. This does not restrict any further rights you may have where we breach the contract. If timing was essential and agreed as such, tell us when raising the issue.
Optional cancellation form
You may use the wording below in an email or letter. You can also cancel with any other clear statement. Delete anything that does not apply and do not include payment-card details.
To: Hine Plumbing, 119 Skylark Way, Shinfield, Wokingham, RG2 9AD. Use the Email link to send electronically.
I/We give notice that I/we cancel my/our contract for the following goods or services:
Job reference and description:
Ordered on / received on:
Consumer name(s):
Consumer address:
Date:
Signature(s) (only if sent on paper):
Keep your message or proof of posting. If you are exercising a statutory cancellation right, a clear notice sent within the applicable period takes effect without needing our permission. We can check when it was sent, whether the right applies and what lawful amount, if any, remains due. A request to rearrange a visit is different: a replacement appointment needs our agreement.