Customer, plasterer!!!

[highspark]

I've had a bad evening. Completed a job a week or so ago. Customer gave me nothing but problems from the beginning but managed to get paid and out the door.

Call this evening "I need you to speak to my plasterer" plasterer comes on." Hi just finished plastering and everything is tripping. There was a blanked off old switch that had connectors in. That I was told by customer was dead. I think it has water ingress in and is making it trip!" me. "Did you put tape over it or cardboard?" to stop ingress into blocks?" no customer told me it was dead Nd I tested it"

So I said il be with you in 10 mins. Got there and said plaster needs to come off. Both customer & plasterer standing there silent. Customer says well I don't know who's liable starts quizzing md etc. essentially backing me in the corner. So rather stupidly I became arrogant with her arrogance.

Told them straight any plasterer would know to not plaster straight over exposed cables. Plasterer then does a runner I've got to go etc. before he went he knocked the plaster off and nothing tripped. I pulled wires out and sealed with tape.

Just before he went customer says I also want to raise this issue. Plasterer said you must install an inch backbox to incorporate dimmer. You have only put in a half inch. I said so he's the electrician now is he. What had happened was as he had made good around the switch the screws from 800w dimmer wouldnt reach.

Anyway at this point I was fuming and regretably and unprofesionally i spoke to her in an assertive tone she then tells me I was bullying her. At that point I had to walk out and take a breather.

It was the whole week of the customers crap that built up. Plasterer got of sheepishly and said nothing.

 

[Engineer54]

When you say ''blanked off'' do you mean the box had been left with a standard plastic blank cover plate by yourself??

 

[Silly Sausage]

When you say ''blanked off'' do you mean the box had been left with a standard plastic blank cover plate by yourself??

Eng54, you'll be delighted to here this, I can't take anymore of this, I'm off.
Bye

 

[Knobhead]

“Did you put tape or cardboard over it?” You should not have left it in that condition! I don’t know about you getting arrogant, you showed total incompetence.
To add insult to injury to the customer “you taped it up!” So you now think it’s OK to plaster over do you?

If the above is correct you didn’t deserve payment!

 

[highspark]

I left it in safe condition. I terminated cables in bacbox via connection blocks and covered with a faceplate it was the customer/plasterer who decided to remove this and plaster over it. My point of putting tape over or cardboard would have at least stopped that problem. I left the job as I intended to terminated and available for inspection under the faceplate!

 

[Knobhead]

No mention of a face plate in your OP. I read it at face value.
So how’s it going to be left now?

 

[Silly Sausage]

I left it in safe condition. I terminated cables in bacbox via connection blocks and covered with a faceplate it was the customer/plasterer who decided to remove this and plaster over it. My point of putting tape over or cardboard would have at least stopped that problem. I left the job as I intended to terminated and available for inspection under the faceplate!

Still a bit confused on this one.
If it's a redundant connection, crimp & shrink it, or double shrink it and shove a bit of bonding coat in there to cover it up, job done???

 

[highspark]

It is left how I originally left it blanked off. Ie a faceplate over the switch! I taped it back up because the bacbox was now exposed where the plaster had been knocked out. And the cables and blocks where now rfled with water. I can honestly say that maybe I should have beenore pro in manner and result rather than have told him he could have bodged the job but plaster was never intended to be over this. That is the reason I left this with a faceplate/blank

 

[highspark]

Still a bit confused on this one.
If it's a redundant connection, crimp & shrink it, or double shrink it and shove a bit of bonding coat in there to cover it up, job done???

It was a redundant two way switch. Ie the termination where still in use via 4 core. Except this end had the 4 core and 3 core in use. So it needed to stay

 

[ezzzekiel]

If it had a blank plate for access to terminations then there was no reason to open and plaster over, it's the client\plasterers fault, as suggested if they don't want it then through crimp but I would be charging for the additional works.

 

[Mark_Burgess]

It was a redundant two way switch. Ie the termination where still in use via 4 core. Except this end had the 4 core and 3 core in use. So it needed to stay

I see it as the cables were live, but the switch was no longer required.
In which case you should have made it clear to the customer the face plate needs to stay where it is, not only for accessibility, but to warn everyone there is live cables in that wall by the visibility of a face plate.

You mention the customer said the cables were dead in a previous post, then you terminated and taped them up, are you saying you trust what the customer says without verifying they are dead or alive?

If what I see and say is true, then you show utter incompetence and are a danger to yourself and others.

 

[ezzzekiel]

The way I read it he correctly enclosed them, plasterer opened and caused problems and so he went back, reterminated and enclosed behind faceplate again, fail to see where incompetence or danger accusation comes from, I would assume he wouldn't need to explain he verified the circuit was switched off while he worked on it, he already stated the cables were still in use just removed the switch.

 

[Amp David]

If they were having a plastering come n, then i'd of pulled it back to the nearest suitable place and through crimped it.

Saying that, if i'd have been paid for this work, then as soon as the plasterer or customer starting throwing the blame, I'd of politely turned around and left!:laugh:

 

[highspark]

Even if was crimped the cables would be in wrong zones as there is no identification of a cable existing there? That's why I left the plate on.

 

[highspark]

I see it as the cables were live, but the switch was no longer required.
In which case you should have made it clear to the customer the face plate needs to stay where it is, not only for accessibility, but to warn everyone there is live cables in that wall by the visibility of a face plate.

You mention the customer said the cables were dead in a previous post, then you terminated and taped them up, are you saying you trust what the customer says without verifying they are dead or alive?

If what I see and say is true, then you show utter incompetence and are a danger to yourself and others.

No customer told the plasterer wires where dead. He then said he had tested them. With what I don't know. But whatever he used did not work.
Because the cables where still acting as strappers!!