Free PME

[stidge]

Arranged for an elderly couple to have a PME installed,Rang Western Power with credit card ready , Employee didn't mention paying (usually between £120/150).anyway they have been and fitted all good, couple didn't have to sign or pay ! Nice bonus for them . Have never come across this before and have always had to pay Up Front !!!

 

[GLENNSPARK]

was the existing earthing arrangements distributers facility?

 

[oldtimer]

Also if the head end is old ie glass covers then its free of charge

 

[Engineer54]

Arranged for an elderly couple to have a PME installed,Rang Western Power with credit card ready , Employee didn't mention paying (usually between £120/150).anyway they have been and fitted all good, couple didn't have to sign or pay ! Nice bonus for them . Have never come across this before and have always had to pay Up Front !!!

It always was free, it's only relatively recently that some of the new DNO'S have found it to be yet another money spinning charge!! No charge however, if an existing supplier earth has been provided, as it's then, their responsibility to maintain that earth provision!!

 

[stidge]

Yes tel it was original distributors earth , fuse head not too old, I've just always had to pay !!

 

[oldtimer]

I was in an old ladies house 2 months ago and she thought she would get that £9 a month electrical maintenance contract prior to an inspection and they scared the living daylights out of her as she did not have an earth but was borrowing one from upstairs via the gas/water earthing anyway DNO came out and said you have a glass/metal head end so we will replace it for free and give you an earth.

Went to a house today exact same situation and it cost them £800 plus it was the kitchen fitter spark that found they had no earth and he fitted a split board in 2009 with power on RCD and light on no RCD

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Yes tel it was original distributors earth , fuse head not too old, I've just always had to pay !!

well thats why you got it for nowt...or should i say the old dear....

 

[GLENNSPARK]

I was in an old ladies house 2 months ago and she thought she would get that £9 a month electrical maintenance contract prior to an inspection and they scared the living daylights out of her as she did not have an earth but was borrowing one from upstairs via the gas/water earthing anyway DNO came out and said you have a glass/metal head end so we will replace it for free and give you an earth.

Went to a house today exact same situation and it cost them £800 plus it was the kitchen fitter spark that found they had no earth and he fitted a split board in 2009 with power on RCD and light on no RCD

eh?...whats this?

so he managed to work out this...all on his own?..lol..bet he felt pleased with himself

so he wasn`t an electrician really....was he....just thought he was...lol..

 

[Engineer54]

From what i gathered, from a friend that was in Engineering management of a DNO company in Essex, that any cast iron service head with ceramic rewireable fuses (DP) should have all been replaced, by all the DNO companies in the UK, by the end of 2011 free of charge. But they didn't and still haven't achieved that instruction that came from the electrical ombudsman.


But getting back to the DNO'S charging for PME conversions, what an absolute disgrace, ...£150 for less than 20 minutes work. So what are you all paying this quarterly standing charge for then?? It was always described as a charge for maintenance and to cover system upgrade costs... Which when you think about it, should even cover the cost of a local main isolator at every service head... Most domestic installations have collected 1000's if not 10s of thousands over the years for the service companies....

 

[Silly Sausage]

Eng, I really can't believe that you are that naive sometimes!!!!
The people who run these companies are verging on the psychotic.
Check out Radio 2 Jeremy Vine's programme today, they were discussing bankers...

 

[Engineer54]

I'm far from naive, my eyes are wide open!! The British public just never stand up to these companies that rip them off left right and centre. You bravely stand by and watch your services being dismantled in front of your eyes, but still expected to pay more, and your not prepared to say and do Anything!!


Leave all that to those that are retired, or live and work overseas perhaps?? lol!!

 

[Knobhead]

I’m retired, so now I can sit back and laugh.

I did more than my fair share of fighting as a union convenor. Believe it or not the fights weren’t about longer tea breaks, but mainly the standard of training of tradesmen.

I’m not fighting for those who won’t help themselves.

 

[applemac]

They pmed mine for free, all the others cost £135.

 

[Stroppy]

Its all very well saying "stand up to these companies", but if you phone them up and ask to be converted to PME and state you will not pay they are going to shrug and say "if you won't pay we won't come and do it. Bye." You can't make them.

 

[imago]

I've always found Western Power to be pretty good.

I've also found that if you speak reasonably and politely when making a request most people will try to help no matter who they are employed by or what the 'company policy' is. Demanding rights and tub thumping is never going to be as effective as treating people pleasantly.