Stu,
It is a difficult situation. As estimates do sometimes take a considerable amount of time I can see the justification in charging under certain circumstances. Unfortunately this is a 'blind spot' for many people. I've had several (unsuccessful) prolonged sessions with Homeowners and Business people trying to convince them that Free Estimates should not include extensive troubleshooting.
I've been asked to set a price for fixing post lights on an large estate that were 300 feet from the nearest building. The New owner didn't know where switches were or if they ever worked - Sound Familiar?? I was doing other work there and agreed to look at them. My contention was that after finding no power at the fixture location it should become a time and material job.
I think that the problem is that there's a lot of mistrust out there. Because of a handful of 'Bad Apples' We all have to bend over backwards to prove ourselves trustworthy with Free Estimates. And, of course, there are those (Consumers) that will purposely try to take advantage of the situation.
Bill
