I want to find out whether I would be eligible for peri areolar, but I don't think I will be in a position to book a date in for surgery. is this acceptable for surgeons or is it considered 'time wasting'?

Any respectable surgeon should have no issue with you doing a consult and not booking immediately. With as many of them as there are these days, I think it's expected that we shop around a bit before choosing.

I'd encourage you to consult with someone who is very well versed in both procedures so that they can tell you the pros and cons of each option for you personally. I'm not sure where you are located, but my surgeon Dr. Fischer (in Maryland) is great at peri and DI, and she's willing to combine the procedures (peri + an incision extending from the areola out into the armpit region to remove extra tissue) if you're in between. It's not something she mentions, but you can always ask about it. I had a great experience with her, and there was no pressure to book after the consult.

Agreed re "respectable..." And, from a practical standpoint, they wouldn't be asking for a date until after the consult so if you then said, "I want to think about," what could they do - unless they had required a deposit beforehand? I know that a few folks do charge for consults, but most seem to not. I had two phone consults scheduled and one in person, none of which charged. I say "scheduled," because I ended up canceling one of them, knowing I was going to go with another. Good luck!

Surgeons have to compete for customers, just like anyone in any service business.  No matter how superior their "product" is, they have to get that message across to potential buyers. A consultation with a surgeon should be no different from an initial meeting with a real estate agent, an accountant, or a remodeling contractor: it's your opportunity to ask questions, get a feel for the person's expertise in their field, and find out if this is someone you can work with. It's up to them to satisfy you on those points and convince you that they can do the best job of meeting your needs. 

It's reasonable to expect any such person to schedule a first meeting or consultation at no charge and with no obligation on the (potential) customer's part. You absolutely shouldn't feel that you're "wasting their time" if you book a consultation before you're ready to sign up for the service -- you're just being a smart consumer!