"Get an electrician in"

[Spoon]

There seems to be more posts coming up there people are asking for advice and rather than us helping them they just get the usual "get an electrician in" reply.
Yes, before the idiotic replies of "so we should give everyone advice on how to....." No of course, not everyone comes across as being competent enough to do what is required but we should at least try and assess if they are.
What's the point in the forum if we are not helping people.

 

[Octopus]

There are posters on here today who are hell bent on winding us up .....

If people really want help as a spark they generally do it in an interactive way, whilst builders, bodgers, diyers etc just want info with no debate, no answers ..


.......

As for some people's profiles ...... Misleading at best, lying at worse.

The forum is principally for sparks to help sparks .......

There are other forums ...

 

[Spoon]

There are posters on here today who are hell bent on winding us up .....

Yes but you will always find inbred people on all forums.

If people really want help as a spark they generally do it in an interactive way, whilst builders, bodgers, diyers etc just want info with no debate, no answers ..

Very true. I love helping the people who come back and answer our questions.

As for some people's profiles ...... Misleading at best, lying at worse.

The forum is principally for sparks to help sparks .......

There are other forums ...

My profile gives little info out.. I just don't like filling in profiles. My FB profile is just full of lies... except for the 'married' bit.

Yes the forum was generally for sparks to help sparks but the DIY section came along. You were given the option to help out in this if you want. I choose to.
Not sure who fills these things in in the first place. I can't imagine someone wanting help with a light switch will go to the trouble of filling it all in.

Yes there are other forums. I'm sure most of the people who get the "get an electrician in" reply will go to these other forums.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

I find that if you explain what a specific task would entail, the OP is just as likely to turn to an Electrician, than do the work themselves.

 

[Octopus]

My profile gives little info out.. I just don't like filling in profiles. My FB profile is just full of lies... except for the 'married' bit.

Neither does mine but so often we see "apprentice" or "industrial" - when neither are correct.

 

[The Ghost]

There is some truth in the negative aspects, and we have seen some people calling the forum on that. I think it is fair comment, although reading through what they are complaining about it seems they are over sensitive. People who say get an electrician I agree with 99% of the time. It is simply the best course. The way the questions or statements are framed clearly indicates it may be dangerous to continue to advise them as even with the best advice we know they are going to do it wrong. I very much agree with @Pete999 that I would be very upset if someone came to grief attempting to do as advised by a member and the spectre of being sued etc. leads me to hold that really it is the best advice many times; Get an electrician.

 

[Andy78]

I think the only negative aspect is on the part of the DIYer's perceptions. They come expecting a step by step guide and when they don't get it .....
"You're all just bitter cos your job's easy"
"What a rude and unhelpful forum"
"blah blah blah"
It's all rattle out of pram syndrome. The advice to get a professional in may be actually quite a positive bit of info and very helpful, but it's not what they want to hear.

 

[Octopus]

I think the only negative aspect is on the part of the DIYer's perceptions. They come expecting a step by step guide and when they don't get it .....
"You're all just bitter cos your job's easy"
"What a rude and unhelpful forum"
"blah blah blah"
It's all rattle out of pram syndrome. The advice to get a professional in may be actually quite a positive bit of info and very helpful, but it's not what they want to hear.

You forgot:

"and you sparks charge too much"

 

[Midwest]

My van wouldn't start today. Called out AA. Need new battery. Took it to local dealer, got new battery fitted.

Didn't spend hours on a forum chatting about it. Took too much time as it is. But vans back on the road, and I have guarantee for it. Bill paid.

Dare say there's a Ford van forum, but life's too short.

 

[Dave OCD]

I don't think this is black and white....

Just yesterday, there was a thread about an issue by a "first year apprentice".

TBH I don't think he knew one end of a screwdriver from another, and judging by some of the responses, very few of then actually understood what he was going on about, and therefore done if the suggestions were the blind leading the blind....

Then there are the claimed sparks who won't answer the very basic of questions, or claim to have left their tester at home .....

With all due respect Murdoch I disagree with this, the lad in my opinion seemed genuine and just eager to fix the problem properly. And I also think he received some decent advice - it could even be that you had the wrong end of the stick when you said replace the controller - he made it clear that both immersion flexes were connected to the same terminals in a SFCU ! I fully understand that posts on any forum can be and are often taken the wrong way but I do think you come across as a bit 'abrasive' at times.

 

[Squid]

There are posters on here today who are hell bent on winding us up .....

If people really want help as a spark they generally do it in an interactive way, whilst builders, bodgers, diyers etc just want info with no debate, no answers ..


.......

As for some people's profiles ...... Misleading at best, lying at worse.

The forum is principally for sparks to help sparks .......

There are other forums ...

You on the "blob"? ;o)))

 

[Squid]

Neither does mine but so often we see "apprentice" or "industrial" - when neither are correct.

I was an apprentice and industrial, does that make me better then a "domestic" as thats really "easy" work ;o)))) as you just drive a van around complaining about other drivers and eat at Greggs ;o)))

 

[Rpa07]

I don’t know what you are all complaining about - whenever it gets to a point that we tell them to ‘get a spark in’ - @telectrix rides up on his white charger and has it fixed within the hour and he’s back before his evening tipple!
Our hero. Superhero.

 

[Octopus]

With all due respect Murdoch I disagree with this, the lad in my opinion seemed genuine and just eager to fix the problem properly. And I also think he received some decent advice - it could even be that you had the wrong end of the stick when you said replace the controller - he made it clear that both immersion flexes were connected to the same terminals in a SFCU ! I fully understand that posts on any forum can be and are often taken the wrong way but I do think you come across as a bit 'abrasive' at times.

Not sure I agree with that ............................. the controller in question has a single 24/7 supply and uses its internal clock to switch between the boost and bottom elements ......................

 

[Dave OCD]

Yes I realise that and have fitted dozens but that's what he confirmed, and that made it clear to me that the issue wasn't a dodgy controller- more to it than that.

 

[Spoon]

I don’t know what you are all complaining about - whenever it gets to a point that we tell them to ‘get a spark in’ - @telectrix rides up on his white charger and has it fixed within the hour and he’s back before his evening tipple!
Our hero. Superhero.

haha. If I was getting any large work done at our house I woulds love to get @telectrix to do it. He is a hero.
In all seriousness, I don't mind people telling the OP's to get an electrician in when clearly they do not sound like they have the competence to do the job. It does get by back up when it's the 2nd or 3rd comment though, without assessing if they are competent first.