Reporting an unqualified electrician

[andrew1919]

Hi, i recently had a new bathroom installed. The guy who did the work made a complete mess of it and ended up costing me a lot of money. At the start of the job he told me i didnt need an electrician as i was not making any fundamental changes to the electrics. I have later found out this is not true as under part P any electrical work undertaken in a bathroom (special zone) would need to be certified by a qualified electrican. The work that the guy did was faulty and he nearly started a fire as the electric towel rail he installed overheated and melted the switch. I have since had an electrical report done and all the faults corrected (faults were found with the wiring to the elcetric shower and to the new spotlights as well as the towel rail).

What i want to know is can i report this guy to stop him from doing this to anyone else? i have called trading standards who said i should contact NEICS (cant remember the exact name) but when i did they told me they couldnt help as the workman wasnt registered with them.

Would really apprecitae some guidance on this if anyone could help me. Thanks in advance.

 

[andrew1919]

as i said u let him do it

i cant believe you think this is my fault. how on earth am i, or anyone else, supposed to know the latest regulations are? surely your just trying to cover your own back by blaming it on the home owner. a responsible worker whould know what his obligations are if he carries out the work. if you truly beleive what you have just written then your just as bad as he is in my opinion.

 

[rocker]

Come one, be fair, if a member of the public with no background has an apparently skilled tradesman in who says he can do a job, why would the customer question this? It shouldn't be up to the customer to go researching whether somebody is supposed to be doing what they said they can do.

If the powers that be, who decided that electrical safety in dwellings is such an issue (which it undoubtably is), put so much effort into raising awareness as they do getting money out of honest sparks, we'd be in a much better position as the customer would know what to ask for.

 

[m25maintenance]

as i said if i hire a trades man im gona do my best to make sure he is a trades man. your house is the most expencive thing u will buy so why would you just belive what youe hear. this is not 1910 its 2010, its easy can i see you papers and id please, if he dont have get another worker, waste a day not £5000

 

[martysparky]

The good ol Grey Britain paradox like everything.

two valuable points above and both true I thinks.

 

[martysparky]

how on earth am i, a layman homeowner, or anyone else in that position, supposed to know the latest regulations are? .

Agreed and true too.

 

[ezzzekiel]

so he shows his papers and id and mr. general joe public knows exactly what hes looking at, recognises the nic emblem and understands what the 2382, 2391 mean etc etc....

 

[rocker]

Exactly. But if it was on the telly 'only have an electrician from ELECSA, NIC or Napit, otherwise you must get planning permission' then people would know at least to look for something. I've only been asked if I'm 'part p' by customers who have other trades in who have told them to ask - the general public haven't got a clue and why should they? There has been no pubicity for part p except in the trade press; you know, for the electricians to know who to give their money to. People always go on about 'part p doesn't work' and in my estimation this is one of the main reasons why: nobody knows it exists.

 

[UNG]

If the powers that be, who decided that electrical safety in dwellings is such an issue (which it undoubtably is), put so much effort into raising awareness as they do getting money out of honest sparks, we'd be in a much better position as the customer would know what to ask for.

You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned money this is in my opinion the primary driver behind Part P joe publics safety became a secondary issue when money could be raised from it and jobs created as that is all Labour wanted to do to make them look good

May be in the government cost cutting Part P should be scrapped as not fit for purpose

 

[Johno]

Yep, i don't think you can expect the customer to understand the ins and outs, half the bloody sparks don't.

This is a just a lack of educating the public about part p, which has been the problem since it was introduced over 5 years ago.

There definately needs to be a clearer rule so that joe public knows. If this means every spark has to be registered then so be it.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

I always struggled with the logic of part P only covering some installations,this is where the confusion comes from,most people dont know what they can and cant do. It has to be all or nothing at all.

 

[bluesky]

i checked the local council website, it says clearly that any elcetrical work in bath room should be finished by competent person, anyone one failed to do so could be fined 5,000 pounds,

try to contact labc, they will let you know how to report this guy

 

[acat]

Thats very true but I think you will find that the householder is also liable so who in their right mind is going to stitch themselves up.



Chris

 

[bluesky]

Thats very true but I think you will find that the householder is also liable so who in their right mind is going to stitch themselves up.



Chris

it is true, he really should have checked the guy's registered membership in the first place

 

[ezzzekiel]

yes he should,
my mother always insisted on corgi registered to service her fire, does she know why? no she just knows if its gas its corgi (she wont have a clue about gas safe but thats irrelevant here)

if she wanted a fuseboard she would call an electrician - not a jib or partp or niceic or any other form just an electrician, yet she woulde also be held accountable even though she only knew she needed an electrician


and at 75 with her only son being an electrician and having tried to explain it to her a million times she still none the wiser......

 

[topquark]

Would be simpler IMHO if most things needed to be signed off by a "registered person". That'd prob put a lot of cowboys out of the picture.

It's very confusing at the moment for householders as to what needs to be signed off and what doesn't. If everything except say like for like replacement needed signing off would that be better or worse ?