Cleaning Service Cancellation Fee - The First I've Heard of It

[73552]

The cleaning service I've used for the past several years calls the day before a scheduled appointment to confirm their appointment. Two weeks ago, I told the woman who called that I was cancelling service until further notice. Today they called again to remind me and when I repeated that I was cancelling until further notice, they told me that I will be receiving a bill for the $50 cancellation fee. I signed no contract or form agreeing to this cancellation policy - in fact I have no written agreement with this company whatsoever. I live in Suffolk County, NY State - I am liable for this $50 fee or is this just a ploy they use, assuming that some people won't bother to argue about it?

 

[loku]

Under the facts you gave, you are probably not liable for the fee.

One way you could become obligated to pay such a fee would be if it was provided by contract. Although you have no written contract, an oral contract would also be valid. So you would be legally obligated to pay the fee by contract only if you had agreed to do so when you engaged their service, or if after that they had notified you of the requirement and you had agreed to it, either by continuing with the service after that or by orally agreeing.

The other way you could become obligated to pay them a fee (though not a cancellation fee) would be if you gave them no notice, so that they acutally came to your house to be told.