Yeah, no kidding! Dispatch fees are great for so many reasons.
1. They cover the actual cost of getting a person to a home (travel is not free).
2. They let you charge good customers less because they do not have to cover the none paying customers.
3. It lets you charge the actual cost of the service rather than an inflated cost for the first item than a discounted ones for the next. Does changing one outlet cost $149 dollars? Are you going to charge $298 for two outlets, and $447 for three?
4. It helps weed out tire kickers which helps keep your cost down with saves money for your customers.
5. It encourages customers to get the work done the same trip which in turn lowers your cost and allows you to charge less.
6. It accurately reflects that your time, advice, and quote of worth paying for and you deserve to be compensated.
7. It lets customers fill what many see as a moral obligation to pay for services rendered if they choose not to use your services (I've had many customers give me more than the trip charge for a consultation or estimate that they decided not to go with).
8. It makes good business sense.
I think free estimates are the worst invention in the history of service work. I think free estimates have made service work more expensive for customers and less profitable for electricians.
