Legal Advice - Buying a Service

• with reasonable care and skill - a job should be done to a proper standard or workmanship. If you get a new extension to your house, the walls should not start to crack and the roof must not leak;
• within a reasonable time - even if you have not actually agreed a definite completion time with the supplier of the service. It is always a good idea to include any deadlines in a written contract;
• at a reasonable charge, if no price has been fixed in advance - if the price was fixed at the outset, or some other way of working out the charge was agreed, you cannot complain later that it is unreasonable. Always get in writing from a trader how much a particular job will cost. The trader may only be able to make an informed guess at the cost and give you an estimate. If the trader can give you an exact costing this is called a quotation. A fixed price is binding whatever it is called. Remember any additional work you later request or any amendments to the initial contract will alter the quotation or estimate.