Is it legal for the firm that fitted my double glazing to ask me for a bond of £55 before they will come out to see whether my problem comes under the terms of their ten-year guarantee? Although the firm promises to return my cheque uncashed, it would appear that it’s entirely up to them whether or not I get the money back.
I think a court might agree that the firm’s justification for its bond system was reasonable – namely that it had been called out on a substantial number of occasions to make repairs which weren’t covered by guarantee. If you disagree with the service engineer’s assessment of your problem ie if they say it’s not covered by the warranty, you can of course ask for another report from an independent engineer.