Electrician walked off the job half way, what now?

[belmontbuild]

Hi all,

I am doing up my flat, which is quite a large space, about 150 spot lights and 65 plug sockets (now 95).

My Electrician started on monday and went home Thursday afternoon. He emailed me last night saying he is not willing to come back because I agreed to pay him 3.1k upfront on monday however I did not manage to get the money to him until tuesday which to be honest was my fault however I do feel its a little harsh to quit a job half way through because of that. I think he has just found another better paying job.

NB: job was 7350 first fix and 5k second fix. He is going to keep the £3.1k I have paid him and so far he has run 6 ring mains and boxed up 90 ish plug sockets.

Anyway what are my choices now? Unfortunately this has messed up the rest of my build as I can not put my floors down until the electrical work is finished so I am going to have to cancel the other jobs that are due to start next week.

Will I be able to find someone that is willing to take on a half done job? Should I just get someone on a day rate or get someone to price for the full job again?

 

[Marvo]

Well it's been 3 months without a peep so either all is going swimmingly or the whole escapade went so far South it doesn't bear thinking about. I doubt it's anywhere in the middle......

 

[trev]

Well it's been 3 months without a peep so either all is going swimmingly or the whole escapade went so far South it doesn't bear thinking about. I doubt it's anywhere in the middle......

I'm betting on a nightmare of biblical proportions. Best get the popcorn i because I want a front row seat for this one.

Watch, he'll come back and say everything was fantasticly well done and he got all the cash back from the original guy.

 

[belmontbuild]

I'm betting on a nightmare of biblical proportions. Best get the popcorn i because I want a front row seat for this one.

Watch, he'll come back and say everything was fantasticly well done and he got all the cash back from the original guy.

Well not that exiting, we have finished the first fix electrical work using someone else. we will start plaster boarding next week.

I will post what happened with the other electrician after we are finished in court, he is probably ready this also.

 

[Octopus]

Well not that exiting, we have finished the first fix electrical work using someone else. we will start plaster boarding next week.

I will post what happened with the other electrician after we are finished in court, he is probably ready this also.

More feedback on this would only be helpful if its the transcript from the Court. I can't imagine that a sparky would walk away without a reasonable reason - like an unreasonable client. I'm not taking sides!

 

[dan86]

not sure how I missed this. just read first two pages and this one.
not gonna comment on the situation, but I hope it all works out good in the end

 

[GLENNSPARK]

It's certainly confusing but from what the op has said it does sound like this guy got a hair up his bottom about something. In his position I wouldn't have said the cash was actually a payment, more likely a gesture of goodwill. Here's a large wad of cash for you to hold till I can get a similar amount into your account doesn't sound unreasonable to me, nor does it sound as if you're trying to imply he accepts cash payments (which, provided they are properly accounted for, are perfectly fine).
He has though left you in a pickle, the scheme providers give the ability to self certify. Signing off another's work is frowned upon so you may struggle to find someone willing to issue the necessary paperwork

yes trev but the O/P mentioned about getting floors down n stuff....so the cable runs should be on view there
as for cable runs in walls...tone n amp should pick them up so as long as it tests ok and cable runs can be verified.......

 

[belmontbuild]

Hi.

Just to let people know that I am waiting for a court date.

I will updated this as soon as I have been to court and post the result.

 

[Knobhead]

Well it's been 3 months without a peep so either all is going swimmingly or the whole escapade went so far South it doesn't bear thinking about. I doubt it's anywhere in the middle......

If it's steaming south of you with any luck it should hit an iceberg and sink without trace.

 

[Knobhead]

Hi.

Just to let people know that I am waiting for a court date.

I will updated this as soon as I have been to court and post the result.

Just don't post the bill you'll probably end up with.

 

[Marvo]

Hmmm, I had a suspicion it might have ended with litigation. How's the build and second/final fix going. I assume your new sparky is cutting the mustard better than the original one?

 

[belmontbuild]

Tony, I have a few quid to my name so the bill is not a huge issue. I just feel that I was taken advantage off and want to put it right.

I am not asking for anything more then what I feel is fair but thats for the courts to decide now.

One of the issues is that he is saying that I now have to pay VAT however our place is a new build but he says I have to give him a VAT exemption number having spoken to HMRC 4 times they have told me there is no such thing for new builds and the work should simply be Zero rated.

 

[trev]

I think what Tony meant was a tongue in cheek way of saying better you than me with the bill that'll be coming your way but as you say it appears that the original guy has tried to have your pants down.
Now I'm no VAT expert but I thought that the only way round the whole new build VAT thing was for your contractors to charge you (as they should) and for you to reclaim it. Could be wrong of course and if I am let me know the mechanics of it as you never know, I could be faced with the same scenario one day

 

[Octopus]

I'm not taking sides here but before you engagaed the original electricians how many did you get to quote and were their prices similar?

 

[markc123]

I'm not taking sides here but before you engagaed the original electricians how many did you get to quote and were their prices similar?

My thought exactly Murdoch, just didn't want to come across too hard when its a sorry situation.

Joe public often get taken for a ride - and i really do praise the OP for standing his ground. If you didn't get quotes from the original sparky in the first place, or ask for references then let it be a (hard) lesson learnt - the vast majority of people in the trade are decent, hard-working sparks but they're the odd few that you can't take at face value.

Hope everything in the courts works out for you.

 

[plugsandsparks]

I think what Tony meant was a tongue in cheek way of saying better you than me with the bill that'll be coming your way but as you say it appears that the original guy has tried to have your pants down.
Now I'm no VAT expert but I thought that the only way round the whole new build VAT thing was for your contractors to charge you (as they should) and for you to reclaim it. Could be wrong of course and if I am let me know the mechanics of it as you never know, I could be faced with the same scenario one day

Hi trev, its actually the opposite, VAT man insists services delivered by builders / plumbers / sparkies etc are zero rated for labour and parts. VAT man will re-imburse owner for stuff he has had to buy from say B&Q etc but only after the building is complete. I did a new build for myself a few years back and remember having the conversation with the guy doing the groundworks, he was as surprised as me.
The bit that is a bit risky is that the onus is on the contractor to verify that the VAT being charged is correct. Pretty easy to figure out what a new build is but there are some items an electrician could install in a house which the VAT man will not allow zero rating.
My advice - read the info from HMRC and a quick call to them if you are not sure.
HM Revenue & Customs: Building trades: VAT when constructing new houses and flats