Charging a customer to give a quote on items

Q: Is it permissible to charge a customer just for a quote on the items they want? I know some people who are charging R50 to give a customer a quote on maybe 15 items. After that, if the customer comes back and buys about 6 of those items, they will refund their R50. If they don't buy any items or buy less than 6 items, they do not get refunded.

A: You cannot charge for giving a quote.

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

 

Answered by:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)