Why does a small roof repair sometimes cost so much?
The visible replacement part may be inexpensive, but roofing costs also include diagnosis, skilled labour, travel, insurance, safe access equipment, scaffolding where necessary and time spent setting up and securing the work area. On difficult roofs, safe access can cost more than the tile or fitting being replaced.
The visible job is not the whole job
A small repair still involves getting to it safely, and safe access at height is a fixed cost regardless of how many minutes the work itself takes. On some properties that is a ladder; on others it is a tower or scaffold.
Setting up, checking the surrounding area, carrying out the repair and clearing away is the real scope of a call-out, which is why the price does not scale with the size of the defect.
Getting better value from a visit
If access is already in place, it is usually sensible to deal with anything else visible in the same area at the same time — pointing, a suspect flashing, a gutter that needs clearing.
Asking for photographs of what was found helps you judge whether extra work is genuinely needed, and gives you a record of the roof's condition for later.