LOSING MONEY WHEN WALKING AWAY FROM BAD JOBS

[Happychappy]

Hi everyone.

I'm an electrician in Leeds and i'd really appreciate your view on walking away from jobs when the existing install is not right.

For instance I had two days booked in for a CU change and rewiring of some spotlights. I always start a CU change by doing a condition report first on all circuit attached. Within 10 minutes of testing I knew I was going to have a bad day! The kitchen lights were wired to the 32A upstairs socket circuit and no fused spur protecting the smaller cable, I had a neutral to earth fault on the lighting circuit, there were multiple DIY alterations, there were multiple spurs taken off the ring without being fused down and the list went on!!

At this point I advised the customer there were multiple issues and I would be unable to fit the consumer or rewire the spotlights.

I advised the customer that the property needs rewiring, to which I got the standard response of 'well it works so I will just leave it as it is'.

This was yesterday and I am now sat at home today with losing a day and a half's pay with only being able to charge for the condition report.

This for me is happening way too often with not being able to carry out planned works due to the poor existing install.

I would really appreciate knowing how everyone else deals with these situations? Do you do the same as me and walk away meaning you are constantly loosing money or do you just do the work and leave the customer with a dangerous situation report or something to that affect?

Would love to hear you thoughts and opinions on this please.

 

[Happychappy]

The lady in question had spent a small fortune doing her house up and having lovely ceramic floor tiles fitted throughout the ground floor and I very much doubt she was selling it, and I'm sure she will have still have the same unsafe set up.

I am not specifically criticising the NICEIC because that's how it is, but regardless of what regs people point to, carrying out a full inspection of all circuits, fitting RCDs, upgrading the tails, main earth conductor, bonding the gas etc has to better than doing absolutely nothing because the water can't be bonded.

Let's hope doctors don't adopt the same criteria if I have a serious road accident (they could have revived me, but they wouldn't have been able to save my little finger so they let me die because they couldn't fix everything).

I'm 100% with you on this one. This needs to be changed.

 

[johnduffell]

carrying out a full inspection of all circuits, fitting RCDs, upgrading the tails, main earth conductor, bonding the gas etc has to better than doing absolutely nothing because the water can't be bonded

True but there are so many ways to think about it. Maybe 9 out of 10 customers who refuse bonding would accept once they are refused to have any electrical work done whatsoever by 3 different electricians. Whereas if all 10 had the rest of the work done then none of them would bother. I think there's an element of bigger picture benefits as well, not saying it's always right but it's nothing like doctors there's no British standard for a human body

 

[Happychappy]

The lady in question had spent a small fortune doing her house up and having lovely ceramic floor tiles fitted throughout the ground floor and I very much doubt she was selling it, and I'm sure she will have still have the same unsafe set up.

I am not specifically criticising the NICEIC because that's how it is, but regardless of what regs people point to, carrying out a full inspection of all circuits, fitting RCDs, upgrading the tails, main earth conductor, bonding the gas etc has to better than doing absolutely nothing because the water can't be bonded.

Let's hope doctors don't adopt the same criteria if I have a serious road accident (they could have revived me, but they wouldn't have been able to save my little finger so they let me die because they couldn't fix everything).

I'm 100% with you on this one. This needs to be changed.

True but there are so many ways to think about it. Maybe 9 out of 10 customers who refuse bonding would accept once they are refused to have any electrical work done whatsoever by 3 different electricians. Whereas if all 10 had the rest of the work done then none of them would bother. I think there's an element of bigger picture benefits as well, not saying it's always right but it's nothing like doctors there's no British standard for a human body

That is a fair point.

 

[richy3333]

The water can be bonded. Its just the potential customer doesn't like any of your options. Earthing and bonding come first, then everything else?

 

[ferg]

Get a plumber to fit an insulating section where it enters the building?

 

[Happychappy]

Get a plumber to fit an insulating section where it enters the building?

Now thats a really good idea I'll remember!!

 

[johnduffell]

Get a plumber to fit an insulating section where it enters the building?

what a genius, now that's what I call lateral thinking!