THERE IS NO INITIAL CALL-OUT CHARGE AND IF I CAN TELL YOU BY LOOKING AT AN ITEM OF EQUIPMENT THAT IT IS UNECONOMICAL TO REPAIR(SUCH AS A FLARING CRT,AN OBVIOUS PLASMA/LCD SCREEN FAULT OR AN AGING COMPUTER) THEN I WILL DO SO AND YOU WILL INCUR NO CHARGE.

From a business perspective free estimates are no longer viable due to a number of reasons including the accessibility of parts through the internet.
If i diagnose a fault such as memory on a pc or an inverter on an lcd tv for no charge then some may be tempted to refuse the repair and order their own components on line meaning that i have completed the most difficult part of any repair without any income,therefore incurring a loss for time and fuel.
Any electronics engineer will confirm that the difficulty in electronics is diagnosis.I therefore now charge HALF OF THE TOTAL LABOUR CHARGE AS AN INSPECTION CHARGE IF I HAVE TO ORDER PARTS AND MAKE A RETURN VISIT.
IT IS NOT A CALL-OUT CHARGE IT IS AN INSPECTION AND DIAGNOSIS CHARGE,with all the other difficulties such as service manual and spares sourcing that comes with it.
I will then phone you back with a quote for the spares and the remainder of the labour charge and you can make a decision on whether or not you would wish to proceed with the repair.
If i have the spares with me on the first visit ,which is more often than not the case,then you have to decide whether to just pay the inspection charge or to go ahead with the full repair.