Completely Let Down!

[SpacePink]

Good Afternoon,

I'm an independent Property Manager working with a handful of Investment Landlords in London.

I was let down yesterday (26/11/12) by an NICEIC electrician who quoted £140 to carry out an EICR test and PAT on a two bed flat in South London, confirmed by email and text.

I only found out at 6pm when I called to find out how he'd got on, that he had not bothered to turn up and in addition hadn't bothered to call me or the tenant. When asked why this was, he slammed the phone down. A true professional.

However, I'm now in a fix as I need to get this work done for the same amount as the Landlord has already paid and it will not reflect well on me if I have to go asking for more money at this stage.

Are there any professionals working in the Crystal Palace area or whereabouts who could help by any chance?

Thanks.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

Hello Spacepink,

It sounds as though £140 is quite cheap for the job and perhaps unlikely you will find someone to do it for this price. Even though it is not your fault you may perhaps have to grit your teeth, take responsibility and pay any extra yourself rather than asking for the extra from the landlord. Pay an extra £50/100, dont use the chap again and keep your reputation intact :smile5:

Good luck..

 

[SpacePink]

I have never been let down by Property Managers or Estate Agents!

May I ask what professional body that regulates and annually monitors the performance of these professions I need to complain to should it ever happen?

In the meantime, may I suggest that you do what is done in most instances, and get a personal recommendation from some of your contacts within the property business. That is how its done properly.

Thanks TaffyDuck,

Here are a few Professional Bodies you could use should you ever need to (though I hope you never have cause to) -

1. NAEA - National Association of Estate Agents
2. ARLA - Association of Residential Letting Agents
3. NALS - National Approved Letting Scheme
4. TPO - The Property Ombudsman

And thanks for your suggestion. But as my original post states, I have been left in an unfortunate predicament as the person who didn't turn up quoted £140 for both a EICR and PAT (as stated on his website) and the Landlord has already paid.
For me to go back and ask for more money just doesn't seem right.
If I could've found a someone offering this price via my contacts, the proper way as you stated, I would not be here asking whether anyone can help me out.
I appreciate your input all the same.

 

[SpacePink]

Hello Spacepink,

It sounds as though £140 is quite cheap for the job and perhaps unlikely you will find someone to do it for this price. Even though it is not your fault you may perhaps have to grit your teeth, take responsibility and pay any extra yourself rather than asking for the extra from the landlord. Pay an extra £50/100, dont use the chap again and keep your reputation intact :smile5:

Good luck..

Thanks HippyHappyDad!
Yes, the dreaded last resort.

 

[SpacePink]

I have never been let down by Property Managers or Estate Agents!

May I ask what professional body that regulates and annually monitors the performance of these professions I need to complain to should it ever happen?

In the meantime, may I suggest that you do what is done in most instances, and get a personal recommendation from some of your contacts within the property business. That is how its done properly.

Thanks TaffyDuck,

Here are a few Professional Bodies you could use should you ever need to (though I hope you never have cause to) -

1. NAEA - National Association of Estate Agents
2. ARLA - Association of Residential Letting Agents
3. NALS - National Approved Letting Scheme
4. TPO - The Property Ombudsman

And thanks for your suggestion. But as my original post states, I have been left in an unfortunate predicament as the person who didn't turn up quoted £140 for both a EICR and PAT (stated on his website) and the Landlord has already paid.
For me to go back and ask for more money just doesn't seem right.
If I could've found a someone offering this price via my contacts, the proper way as you stated, I would not be here asking whether anyone can help me out.
I appreciate your input all the same.

 

[TaffyDuck]

SpacePink

Ah, thats fine then, that`s why there are no dodgy estate agents and letting agents around.

The point I was making was that all trades, electricians included ( hate the word professional as it applies to Doctors and the like and is an over-used word) have dodgy people. The property letting and sales sector has far more than most as all you need is a fancy letterhead, a spare bedroom to operate from and absolutely no qualifications at all.

You were, it would seem, going for the cheapest you could find.

Many legitimate electricians will agree with me when I tell you that I spend a lot of time sorting out problems caused by people taking the cheapest option, which almost invariably ends up as the most expensive. Peanut and Monkey springs to mind.

Your complaint to the NICEIC will get nowhere as they will only be concerned if work is carried out below acceptable standards and not if work wasn`t carried out at all.

You right though, you cant go back and tell your client that the cost has gone up, you will have to bear the cost i would imagine.

 

[Knobhead]

Well, hopefully even if they can't do anything about it outwardly, they may mark his file internally (especially if others complain in the future) as someone who is bringing their scheme and the industry into disrepute, one never knows how these things can end up.

I'm afraid the only way they will mark his file is "Subscription Paid" or "SUBSCRIPTION OVERDUE"

 

[SpacePink]

SpacePink

Ah, thats fine then, that`s why there are no dodgy estate agents and letting agents around.

The point I was making was that all trades, electricians included ( hate the word professional as it applies to Doctors and the like and is an over-used word) have dodgy people. The property letting and sales sector has far more than most as all you need is a fancy letterhead, a spare bedroom to operate from and absolutely no qualifications at all.

You were, it would seem, going for the cheapest you could find.

Many legitimate electricians will agree with me when I tell you that I spend a lot of time sorting out problems caused by people taking the cheapest option, which almost invariably ends up as the most expensive. Peanut and Monkey springs to mind.

Your complaint to the NICEIC will get nowhere as they will only be concerned if work is carried out below acceptable standards and not if work wasn`t carried out at all.

You right though, you cant go back and tell your client that the cost has gone up, you will have to bear the cost i would imagine.

Hello again Taffyduck,

From what you've just said you seem to be taking this very personally.
I am not attacking all electricians. I'm here to see if anyone can help me out due to an unfortunate situation one electrician has left me in.

A very polite, helpful electrician I spoke to this morning (who's quote was way over my Landlord's budget) suggested that I come here to ask for help, which is what I've done.

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make with all this sarcasm as I've not said anywhere that there aren't unprofessional people in other industries.

One of the dictionary definitions of 'professional' is - 1. of, engaged in, connected with, or worthy of the standards of, a profession.
Therefore, I think my usage of it is relevant.

As for me going for the cheapest option, the brief from my client (the Landlord) is that I obtain a handful of quotes to enable the most competitively priced to be engaged.

What you seem to be saying is that in order for me to have an electrician turn up for the job he has quoted for and accepted, I would need to pay a premium for this to actually happen, even if he is a paid up member of a governing body.
What guarantee would I have that someone charging £50 more would not do the same thing?

I don't think that this happened because the most competitively priced person for the job was chosen, just that this particular individual happened to be a bad apple.

And if as you say 'monkeys' charge 'peanuts' would he not be found out by the NICEIC if he couldn't do the work competently? Is it possible that he could be a member and still do shoddy work?
This would surely make a mockery of that organisation.

Take my business for instance, our fees are very competitive compared to the big boys and for our clients, choosing us does not mean they will receive a sub-standard service - to the contrary in fact, we are more accessible, more accountable and go the extra mile everytime because reputation and referrals are everything to us.

Anyway, thanks again for your response. I have been contacted privately by a couple of electricians from this forum as a result of this exposure and I will follow up and hope that the day can be saved afterall. J

 

[Des 56]

Hello again Taffyduck,

From what you've just said you seem to be taking this very personally.
I am not attacking all electricians. I'm here to see if anyone can help me out due to an unfortunate situation one electrician has left me in.

A very polite, helpful electrician I spoke to this morning (who's quote was way over my Landlord's budget) suggested that I come here to ask for help, which is what I've done.

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make with all this sarcasm as I've not said anywhere that there aren't unprofessional people in other industries.

One of the dictionary definitions of 'professional' is - 1. of, engaged in, connected with, or worthy of the standards of, a profession.
Therefore, I think my usage of it is relevant.

As for me going for the cheapest option, the brief from my client (the Landlord) is that I obtain a handful of quotes to enable the most competitively priced to be engaged.

What you seem to be saying is that in order for me to have an electrician turn up for the job he has quoted for and accepted, I would need to pay a premium for this to actually happen, even if he is a paid up member of a governing body.
What guarantee would I have that someone charging £50 more would not do the same thing?

I don't think that this happened because the most competitively priced person for the job was chosen, just that this particular individual happened to be a bad apple.

And if as you say 'monkeys' charge 'peanuts' would he not be found out by the NICEIC if he couldn't do the work competently? Is it possible that he could be a member and still do shoddy work?
This would surely make a mockery of that organisation.

Take my business for instance, our fees are very competitive compared to the big boys and for our clients, choosing us does not mean they will receive a sub-standard service - to the contrary in fact, we are more accessible, more accountable and go the extra mile everytime because reputation and referrals are everything to us.

Anyway, thanks again for your response. I have been contacted privately by a couple of electricians from this forum as a result of this exposure and I will follow up and hope that the day can be saved afterall. J

Now your getting the picture

Getting a understanding of the hype of the Niceic and their false claims of skill levels in this trade,then comparing them to actual reality is sometimes a long road
I bet your one of very many, especially in the property business, who are suckered in by their claims and their profile within your own industry

Niceic uses a qualifying supervisor to oversign the work from an office,the person doing the inspection may have very, very, very little idea of what the work involved

May be best to use an individual who can show certificates in inspection and testing that are held by that individual
I bet you wont get that from most Niceic firms,

 

[GLENNSPARK]

well....all i have seen here so far is i said so she said and i said so she said.....
to the O/P
how many finals (circuits) are in this flat?
is it currenty furnished/occupied?
is there parking without running the gauntlet (london style)?
when was the flat wired originally ...new or an older install?
just a few to think about.....

 

[Adam W]

I'm a bit intrigued by your situation. What do you do exactly? I mean what do your customers pay you for? Could you not use the same electrician you used the last time one of your landlords needed an EICR and PAT testing?

You mention your industry has bodies such as:
1. NAEA - National Association of Estate Agents
2. ARLA - Association of Residential Letting Agents
3. NALS - National Approved Letting Scheme
4. TPO - The Property Ombudsman

How would they be able to help me out if I were a tenant in a similar situation, ie if I phoned a letting agent about a property I was interested in and I felt they were rude to me?

 

[Steve_P]

Now your getting the picture

Getting a understanding of the hype of the Niceic and their false claims of skill levels in this trade,then comparing them to actual reality is sometimes a long road
I bet your one of very many, especially in the property business, who are suckered in by their claims and their profile within your own industry

Niceic uses a qualifying supervisor to oversign the work from an office,the person doing the inspection may have very, very, very little idea of what the work involved

May be best to use an individual who can show certificates in inspection and testing that are held by that individual
I bet you wont get that from most Niceic firms,

Anyone with nothing to hide will gladly produce certificates and insurance. I know that Joe Public doesn't usually ask but would rather assume that because their cousin used you then you must be ok but for the trade in general? Surely it's a standard thing to ask, I know that I have been asked this more than once. Oh, and I'm with the NIC.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

look, it dont matter whoos with who.....
part pee is a con..
but also a `necessary evil` in some quarters...
a 5 week, 7 week whatever course don`t cut it...
as does just being able to float in on the good raft 17th edition....
agreed about contractors/inspector & testers/installers holding (and being able to) produce their own certs for client viewing....

 

[Geordie Spark]

Well hopefully the OP will find a good spark from this board & stick with him / her for all future work.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Well hopefully the OP will find a good spark from this board & stick with him / her for all future work.

yep....
plenty in here to choose from....
and a quick survey will confirm price....

 

[Adam W]

Well hopefully the OP will find a good spark from this board & stick with him / her for all future work.

By the sound of it there hasn't been much past work, which could be an indication as to the amount of future work.