Our contractor in NS charged us 0.40 per km for mileage AND also the hourly wage during driving time.

Question

I wonder if that is morally/normal/legally correct. Shouldn't it be one or the other?

If we were double dipped, the amount charged extra is around 600.00, so substantial.

Any help is appreciated.

Answer 1

It seems to vary, and really depends on if the contractor is specialized and in high demand or not.  Generally a contractor's mileage charge includes the cost of themselves, but it doesn't seem so in this case.  The .40 you paid for mileage only covers the fuel, and actually that's low compared to some others, particularly if the vehicle he used was a truck.  This is a tough call for contractors to make, actually, because if they are on the road a lot but not getting paid for their time it will kill them.   They have to charge something.  But customers, obviously, don't like it.  Since there is no set rule and companies seem to charge whatever they want, then your asking them about it won't hurt.  But it probably won't make a difference, and in the future you know what questions to ask when they say they are charging mileage.  Sorry, it blows, but I also live where mileage charges are pretty common.

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