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.

 

[malcolmsanford]

I'm with Ezze on this, how is what HS done wrong?

Where there was I assume an existing switch the new work entailed it being made redundant so HS whacked it onto a chocy block and fitted a face plate ....................nowt wrong there.

Ok in the perfect world of sparking, we would be taking the cable out, rerouting cables etc etc, but time is brass and if the client was happy to have the chocy block and face plate then no problems.

When it becomes a problem is plasterers, who wanted to skim a wall, and decides to open up the plate and whack a load of wet muck into a live box and low and behold .....RCD trip. I have never yet met a plasterer that as over come their natural handicap of trying to think and say to himself, the lady said it was dead, and she would know after all tally ho chaps ................

Should we be now getting off HS back lads, or I may have got this all wrong

 

[RogertheBodger]

Yes i agree Malcolm, probably what has happened here is that the lady has said to the plasterer ' I don't like that blank plate, now the electrician has gone, can you take it off and plaster over it, so he does - and the RCD trips.

 

[telectrix]

Yes i agree Malcolm, probably what has happened here is that the lady has said to the plasterer ' I don't like that blank plate, now the electrician has gone, can you take it off and plaster over it, so he does - and the RCD trips.

sounds about right to me. bloody customers!!

 

[vaughant]

Plasterers fault to me,although the client sounds a right beaut!!!
May have been better to tape and label inside why in the first place but you've done nothing wrong in the eyes of the regs.

 

[Engineer54]

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!

Then you have done nothing wrong, you left the redundant switch point as an accessible joint box!! You could have left the terminations as crimped joints, but that's not really required at an accessible box.

This as others have stated is down to both the owner instructing the plasterer to fill the box, and the plasterer for accepting the owners word on it being dead and unused....

 

[Engineer54]

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

Delighted, .....what do you mean here??

 

[Guitarist]

Nothing wrong with what you did m8. As others have said, if the plasterer took off the plate then plastered over your cables then he is in the wrong, no question.
Shame you lost your cool. Was the plate definitely removed at the owners request? If so, then a call-out fee is due.

 

[alarm man]

as has been said not the fault of hs,if it was a game of cluedo..it was the plasterer,a trowel, in the living room..:biggrin:

 

[timbobelfast]

Typical customer thinking they know best then passing the buck!

 

[timo1]

Glad that a bit of balance has been restored, give a guy a hard time or what! I hope Im lucky enough one day to work after all of the people who do every job totally over and above the regs, as Im yet to see it in any of the houses I have worked on! Usually in these situations its whoever gets in first gets the customer on side as most of the time they will listen to anybody as they dont have the depth of knowledge to disagree.

 

[robd]

It strikes me that people should read a post two or three times to makes sure they've read it properly before they start calling people incompetent and a danger to others.

 

[D80]

In fairness the OP confused me, and still has me confused, with this tape and cardboard thing.

Blanked off redundant switch - all fine. Blank plate removed and tape/cardboard mentioned - lost me on how this will be useful.

An old foreman of mine used to say thank blank plates looked horrendous and wouldn't let us use them - he preferred a 1way switch instead. Not connected, but acting as a blank plate. It looked like it was there for a reason.

 

[plugsandsparks]

Looked straight forward to me, plasterer (hate them) wants to get a good finish but this plate is in the way. Removes plate and gobs up, normal service resumed. Trips house, oh bugger, calls electrcian who has a hissy fit (he also hates plasteres) and suggests if he had to remove the faceplate to put some cardboard etc in the hole to stop the gob bunging up the works. When plaster goes off , take out carboard to reveal un-molested connections.
Jobs a gud up.
Dont think i would have lost it though, unless i had driven 100mls and the client let rip before listening to what i had to say.

 

[Knobhead]

Thank you D80, perhaps others will understand why I went off on one.

The OP did not set out what were the eventual facts.

Chaos rules, simply because it’s better organised.

 

[pencilpusher]

In fairness the OP confused me, and still has me confused, with this tape and cardboard thing.

Blanked off redundant switch - all fine. Blank plate removed and tape/cardboard mentioned - lost me on how this will be useful.

An old foreman of mine used to say thank blank plates looked horrendous and wouldn't let us use them - he preferred a 1way switch instead. Not connected, but acting as a blank plate. It looked like it was there for a reason.

and of course the next occupier will call someone out becuase her light switch doesn't work!! Classic :rockon2:.