Problem customer

[eagleeye]

Hi guys I recently posted a message on here regarding a problem I have. Basically i fitted a new kitchen for them and new electrical circuits. RCD board and all. I noticed that the gas and water had no earth connection on them so told the lady and she didnt want me to do it as i would charge her because it wasnt part of my estimate. Also when i put in the new ringmain 2 sockets on the downstairs stopped working. The house needs a rewire as the wiring is in a right mess as are the old fuse boards and this problem would have been sorted out then. She was refusing to pay me for some other extra work that i did so i didnt give her a certificate until she sorted it out. She has now got in touch with the NICEIC who im registered with and they have sent me a letter about it. they want a response by 11th Feb. What do you people think about this?



Regards
Paul

 

[Darkwood]

With all due respect calv68 do you hit first then ask questions, i understand where your coming from but give the guy the dignity to answer a few questions and as already posted it may be a genuine mistake and hes using this public and professional friendly site for an answer, the case may be that hes in above his neck with regards to his training and the work hes doing but this site is here to assist and in a polite way explain if and when hes out of his depth, and from what ive read he may be too deep but then again he may be just learning the legal ropes .
Think you need to go down the pub and punch someone to vent your anger!!! No offence meant

 

[bugsy]

This is going to be a lesson you wont forget in a hurry,
in retrospect I bet you wish you had installed the bonding sorted the sockets had a happy client got paid and proberbly got a recomondation

 

[Darkwood]

Thankyou lenny for the edit, its a friendly site and not a scene from 'Life on mars' their is more than one way to give an opinion and still put across your point.

 

[Davey101]

Speaking from an employed electricians point of view, i.e not a trading electrician-

Pretty harsh from calv- a mistake was made, simple as that.
The OP should have checked the bonding, as it becomes his responsibility after undertaking the work he has done, as a trading electrician, he should have checked this first- lesson learnt.

The best solution is to have a word with the customer, explain that there is no way forward as it stands, and that as a gesture of good will, the bonding will be done free of charge (you could try getting them to pay for the cable, but this may be pushing it). It will be a bit hard to swallow, but at least it wil be done and finished with. I presume the sockets are the ones in the conservatory? These need to be made live I'm afraid, you cant leave them dead. Its your responsibility to get these working again. Just find the feed to them, and connect them to the ring, via an FCU.

IMO

Edit- just noticed that she isnt paying for some other work that you did for her. Its your word against hers, we cant know who is right or wrong, but personnaly, I dont blame you for witholding the certificate if she owes you money.

 

[bluesky]

it is really annoying that the clients refuse to pay, if the work is not finished can the electrician just leave the job there until get paid? saw a lot of this happening on construction site....

 

[uksel]

Hi guys I recently posted a message on here regarding a problem I have. Basically i fitted a new kitchen for them and new electrical circuits. RCD board and all. I noticed that the gas and water had no earth connection on them so told the lady and she didnt want me to do it as i would charge her because it wasnt part of my estimate. Also when i put in the new ringmain 2 sockets on the downstairs stopped working. The house needs a rewire as the wiring is in a right mess as are the old fuse boards and this problem would have been sorted out then. She was refusing to pay me for some other extra work that i did so i didnt give her a certificate until she sorted it out. She has now got in touch with the NICEIC who im registered with and they have sent me a letter about it. they want a response by 11th Feb. What do you people think about this?



Regards
Paul

Maybe you should have stuck to fitting kitchens mate instead of using your part P to do house rewires

throw the book at you I say

and plaster it all over the news so everyone gets the picture

 

[wattsup]

The perfect scenario why part p is flawed, you can still do dodgy work legally...if you pay the protection money

 

[andyb]

The perfect scenario why part p is flawed, you can still do dodgy work legally...if you pay the protection money

On the contrary, it shows why part p is needed.
Pre 2005 eagleeye would of done the job as he has, invoiced, got paid & then gone on to the next job.
Now with part p, the householder has been able to talk to the niceic, they have come down on eagleeye & he will have to make the installation safe. Also he can have his registration withdrawn making it illegal to do this type of work without notifying in advance. And finally there’s the issue of defined scope (which I think is wrong) if he is registered in their defined scope scheme then by fitting a consumer unit & running new circuits he has already laid himself open for prosecution. Let’s hope this is not the case, but with all its flaws, this case shows that part p is having an effect. It needs more enforcement and better awareness and the scrapping of the defined scope, but there is a need for it.

 

[Guest123]

Constructive criticisms to aid the OP are fine.......verbal attacks on his character are not!!!.

We all have strong feelings I'm sure, but this is a public forum that anyone can view.


Keep it civil.


Thanks.

 

[baldsparkies]

The perfect scenario why part p is flawed, you can still do dodgy work legally...if you pay the protection money

It's not part P thats flawed, Its the way governing bodies offer quick fix courses for a fast buck so that non electrical trades can register under the scheme. What would happen if chippies or painters or bricklayers could do a one day gas safe course for a couple of hundred quid. Lots of propertys blowing up is my guess.
No the bottom line is every man to his trade. If this chap had installed the kitchen and left the electrics to a time served registered electrician he would not have this problem.

Unfortunately the customer has not got a voice on this forum, and its the customers safety that needs to be considered not just ours. Whilst I fully apreciate the need for moderation, and keeping things civil as responsible professionals, there are going to be strong feelings on this subject and rightly so.

 

[garyinderby]

I think this is getting out of hand, i have just finished my "quick fix" "throw money at it" coarse, and have had to work hard to get my qualifications. ive got 30years of experiance in the construction industry, c&g Bricklaying advanced. a HND in building studies, and a BSc in construction management. which included building design, structual engineering, surveying, environmental design.

So please everyone stop disparaging other trades. how many sparkies out there can set out a house? or work out the sheer forces or bending moments in a wooden joist or steel beam. so please alittle respect please to all proper tradesmen.

 

[bugsy]

Don't get too upset gary but this is an electrical forum and you did ask for opinions,
I could'nt build a brick wall to save my life but then im not a brickie

 

[dufjax]

Don't get too upset gary but this is an electrical forum and you did ask for opinions,
I could'nt build a brick wall to save my life but then im not a brickie

It's real easy just buy one of those brikiemates - don't even need to bother with a course… Apparently!!!

 

[kduck]

Is it me, but I always check first before I quote for any job if there is 10mm to the gas and water, Even if the job is only to connect an oven up. This is the way I was told and if there is not any bonding and the customer does not want to pay, I tell them the risk and walk away!
People may have given you a hard time about this but think of the risk you have put the customer in.
If I was you I would go round there asap and put the bonding to the gas and water, the NICEIC will not be happy about this left in that state, even if she will not pay Its unsafe to leave it and you were the last person working on it. So what have you put on the EIC where it says bonding of extraneous conductive parts ie gas water???????

 

[baldsparkies]

I think this is getting out of hand, i have just finished my "quick fix" "throw money at it" coarse, and have had to work hard to get my qualifications. ive got 30years of experiance in the construction industry, c&g Bricklaying advanced. a HND in building studies, and a BSc in construction management. which included building design, structual engineering, surveying, environmental design.

So please everyone stop disparaging other trades. how many sparkies out there can set out a house? or work out the sheer forces or bending moments in a wooden joist or steel beam. so please alittle respect please to all proper tradesmen.

Here, Here, Respect to ALL PROPER TRADESMAN. As far as working out the sheer forces or bending moments in a wooden joist or steel beam, I wouldnt have a clue. I would leave that to someone like yourself and as a tradeseman, that would be a responsible and competant attitude.
As I have said earlier, Competants is not about knowing what you can do. Its about knowing what you CANT do. But there are those who will look it up on the internet, find a few answers and Bingo now I know as much as you, and it only took five minutes. Those are the guys we have to watch for,and thats where all tradesman have to be vigilant.
That said no one has the right to be disrespectful, we all had to start somewhere.

By the way Gary which 4x4 do you drive, L200, Nissan Navaro, or Toyota Hilux. Hee! Hee!