More Cowboys.

Specialist · Dec 3, 2011

Had 2 callouts today, 20 miles apart but both after the same Bodgit & Run Cowboy.

1) An old couple both Disabled, been without lights all night because they did'nt want to disturb me on a Friday night. Got to the house to find the Lighting fuse was blown (1 fuse for all lights), the old woman apparently went to the Bathroom & as she turned on the light there was a big flash & bang then darkness.
When I looked in the Bathroom, I found the idiot they had to do the wiring when the Bathroom was altered had fitted a 240v GU10 spot lamp about 2 foot above the sink. Fitting was soaking wet & had gone to that great scrap yard in the sky, i've just disconnected it & made it safe for now & re-instated the fuse so they've got lights.

2) Public house 20 0dd miles away, apparently had a Fault last night & lights blew. They called the local "Electrician" & he came out & repaired the fuse but now they can smell a plasticy burning smell & this guy is apparently too busy (Are'nt they allways?), so a customer suggested calling me.

Got there & sure enough there's a nice burnt plastic smell in the air, checked the fuse that had been repaired & find not fuse wire but a short length of flex in place of it. Hmm anyway remove the cover of the box & find the wiring going to the fuse terminal loose & burnt. Cut back the wire & re-made it to the terminal, Re-wired the fuse with nice new 5A Fuse wire and to be safe checked the current draw on the circuit with all lights on (4A) so boxed it back up again. Talking to the Landlord & asked who the Genius was and Lo-behold it was the same moron did the old couples lights.

I know Cowboys keep us in work but they're scary.

Specialist · Dec 4, 2011

Yeah I know the sort of Company your talking about, stupid thing is that they thrive when we struggle. Went to a house a while back to look at a tripping RCD, the woman had called 1 of these companies from Yellow Pages & been quoted £70 + Vat for call out & told she'd probably need a new CU if the RCD was tripping & the cost of this would be £500 + VAT. After she picked herself up I got called in, anyway turns out her Washing machine was in an outside shed & soaking with damp. I unplugged the machine, tagged it as unsafe & re-set the RCD. Quick 10 minute job so charged her £25 & got an extra £20 as a thank you, now I get the work for all the Family.

Specialist · Dec 5, 2011

Not the same Cowboy but another cracker: Get a call to house where Central heatings gone down, heating guy took 1 look at it's Electrics & says call the Electrician. Oh joy for me :tounge_smile: Get to house look at boiler supply & go ditch the Power, her ex "Electrician" husband has done the wiring. Found a 1.5 T/E tapped off a radial in the kitchen, this went to a double socket in the Utility room & from the back of this there were 2 Flexes. 1) 0.5mm 3 core feeding the Boiler spur & 2) 1.5mm 3 core flex which went off to feed the Double socket for the washing machine & dryer plus 2 other doubles, from the back of 1 of these there was another 1.5 3 core flex which fed an outside PIR halogen light & went off from there to the Garage. Ripped it all out & re-wired to 1 Double socket & the boiler spur / boiler. Then she says she's been having a little tickle from the Kitchen Fridge Freezer, Plug in loop tester & find No Earth at all. Open socket & it's wired OK so traced the wire to where it went into a spur on the other side of the kitchen, open that up to find the idiot has wired the Earth from the radial into the terminal on the PVC back box & the Earth from the socket to the Faceplate Earth so no path between the 2. Put it back together & checked all other sockets some of which hadd dodgy connections & told her she needs to get some smoke alarms and have the house Re-wired ASAP. Anyone got any Valium ? Lol

GLENNSPARK · Dec 5, 2011

firms like that have professional marketing teams that like to emphasize faults by playing on the inoccent`s ignorance....then present themselves as the solution......a tried and tested add campaign.....expensive but effective

Specialist · Dec 5, 2011

Thing is people look at the big adds & think oh they must be proffesional (Yeah Right) and then once they're in the door a lot of people feel pressured into letting them do the job, we know what happens then with a lot of them: Sorry to tell you but your Consumer unit / Wiring is old & needs replacing.

dingledong · Dec 5, 2011

my mate worked for one of those firms when he went on holiday i stood in for him iremember a bloke wanting a shower put in i worked my nuts of to get it done as quick as i could to save him money got it done rang the company up so they could tell him the price when i left i gave him a bit of advise " get some one out of the local paper next time " but all these people have p[aid by credit card first so nothing they can do

Specialist · Dec 6, 2011

dingledong said:
my mate worked for one of those firms when he went on holiday i stood in for him iremember a bloke wanting a shower put in i worked my nuts of to get it done as quick as i could to save him money got it done rang the company up so they could tell him the price when i left i gave him a bit of advise " get some one out of the local paper next time " but all these people have p[aid by credit card first so nothing they can do

At least you tried mate, I did'nt realise that the people were paying up front with these firms. Lot to be said for not having a credit card

1shortcircuit · Dec 6, 2011

" but all these people have p[aid by credit card first so nothing they can do

To every contract sold in a clients house there is a MANDATORY cooling off period. So there is plenty they can do providing they have been bothered to read the small print instead of just signing the contract.

:thumbsup