Ripped off by cowboy

[Str82ais]

Hello all,

I just bought a flat and had an electrician install a new fuseboard, 2019 compliant, do some surface trunking to install new sockets, and prep the kitchen for renovation. Well, he turned out a “bad guy.” I could tell halfway in because he started saying that’ll cost extra to everything. His apprentice drilled six holes through the other side of the walls he was drilling through. Just to afix the surface trunking. I had chosen to do surface trunking to avoid chasing and to avoid redecorating costs. Needless to say, I am now redecorating!

By the end, it was evident he was rushing the job. Kept saying I wasn’t paying him enough and that’s what you get.

He said I would get a certificate. In the end, he rushed off in a huff and did not hand me anything. I paid him £1120. He said he was owed £250 more.

I got a new electrician today and he said he would charge £750 to “correct” the other guy’s mistakes and issue both flat and kitchen certs of compliance with regs.

What is going on? How should I have handled this better!

I am planning to live in the property, do I need to get certs at all?

Am I being ripped off? (YES!)

 

[Str82ais]

No we can't basically. You need to source a suitable competent electrician. The use of web sites such as Check a Trade etc etc, do not vouch for competency. Not the Schemes can validate competency, but at least they verify qualifications, insurance, test equipment etc.

Funny you say that, Midwest, because if you look up in the earlier posts, you’ll find people taking me to task on how well I instructed. I do think that absolute clarity in the instruction is very useful.

 

[Midwest]

Funny you say that, Midwest, because if you look up in the earlier posts, you’ll find people taking me to task on how well I instructed. I do think that absolute clarity in the instruction is very useful.

I don’t quite understand?

 

[telectrix]

sometimes clarity can be taken for interfering. just find a sparks and tell him to put it right, then get out of his way.

 

[Des 56]

sometimes clarity can be taken for interfering. just find a sparks and tell him to put it right, then get out of his way.

That is the advice that has been desperately needed to be given to him after the common sense advise he seems reluctant to accept

 

[westward10]

That line of four outlets looks suspiciously like a multiple outlet spur. As others have said any self respecting electrician will rip that lot out and start again.

 

[Deleted member 105166]

Well if hes on checkatrade complain to them about him. They will take him off the site and might stop him fleecing others.

Is that the stance they take in reality?
I thought that, like many advertising schemes posing as public services, provided you keep paying your £70/month (or whatever they charge), they stay happy unless of course they get hundreds of adverse feedbacks, or a feature on Watchdog. Maybe wrong, but doubt it somehow.

 

[Sintra]

Let’s not have a client vs trade battle here.

Define “hard work” — yes, I am looking for a discount on your quote and yes I do ask you to repeat the information you stated. Professionals are used to being questioned, people with a chip on their shoulder can’t handle it. They start pulling a fast one and try to deceive and trick and fool.

What are you jabbering on about now?

 

[westward10]

Checkatrade is a contradiction in terms because they don't check any trade.

 

[SJD]

Define “hard work” — yes, I am looking for a discount on your quote and yes I do ask you to repeat the information you stated.

Some people will over-price so as to be able to give a discount. I don't, I've just never liked working that way. You might find this approach puts some people off. If someone tells me they have found someone cheaper, I usually advise them to go with the cheaper quote if they are happy with it.

 

[Deleted member 105166]

Define “hard work” — yes, I am looking for a discount on your quote and yes I do ask you to repeat the information you stated. Professionals are used to being questioned, people with a chip on their shoulder can’t handle it. They start pulling a fast one and try to deceive and trick and fool.

Out of interest, why would a sparks want to give you a discount for rewiring a small kitchen? If you were a regular customer and a sparks is looking after half a dozen rental properties for you too, or there is another bigger job coming up, then possibly. Otherwise no, there's no shortage of good work in London, no discounts on parking and no discounts on fuel, despite buying it from the same garage 2 or 3 times a week.

There's also a fine line between questioning a trade to reasonably understand something as a customer/consumer/end user may find useful, and questioning to the point of doubting a professional tradesman and becoming a bloody nuisance in the process.

You mentioned early on you cut code. I'm sure if one of your customers kept debugging your C++ files and questioning aspects of how and why you've coded in a particular way, you'd quickly get arsey about it.

Treat the trade as you like to be treated yourself, then you'll find 99% of people you meet will be genuine, helpful and go the extra mile to ensure you're satisfied with their work.

 

[Str82ais]

I don’t quite understand?

I don’t quite understand?

I asked: can you advise on specific, clear instructions to conclude the job ASAP? You replied by saying you can’t advise. I am saying that it’s important because when things don’t end well, people blame the client for not having instructed properly.

 

[Str82ais]

sometimes clarity can be taken for interfering. just find a sparks and tell him to put it right, then get out of his way.

That’s unprofessional and I doubt the regulating bodies recommend such “get out of the way” advice.

My idea of a professional is that they understand their job well and CAN handle questions and respond well to clarity of instruction.

 

[Str82ais]

That is the advice that has been desperately needed to be given to him after the common sense advise he seems reluctant to accept

What common sense have I been reluctant to accept? Are you just all ganging up on me now!

 

[Str82ais]

Out of interest, why would a sparks want to give you a discount for rewiring a small kitchen? If you were a regular customer and a sparks is looking after half a dozen rental properties for you too, or there is another bigger job coming up, then possibly. Otherwise no, there's no shortage of good work in London, no discounts on parking and no discounts on fuel, despite buying it from the same garage 2 or 3 times a week.

There's also a fine line between questioning a trade to reasonably understand something as a customer/consumer/end user may find useful, and questioning to the point of doubting a professional tradesman and becoming a bloody nuisance in the process.

You mentioned early on you cut code. I'm sure if one of your customers kept debugging your C++ files and questioning aspects of how and why you've coded in a particular way, you'd quickly get arsey about it.

Treat the trade as you like to be treated yourself, then you'll find 99% of people you meet will be genuine, helpful and go the extra mile to ensure you're satisfied with their work.

All wonderful points. Let me take’em one by one.

Whether you like it or not, there’s HUGE disparity in quotes for the same job by trades. I am not a professional landlord, I am a first time buyer and am renovating the flat. I am not sitting on a big heap of dough nor am I going to get my money back by tagging onto the rent. Anyone who respects themselves will negotiate and try to get the best deal. There is HUGE disparity between your quotes, guy. Cannot repeat this enough.

I do question. I don’t interfere. I am not trying to cast doubt until I SEE evidence of it. I do pay attention to goings on.

I personally would love it if people sat next to me and double-checked my code. Not while I am coding but afterwards is absolutely fine. And I promise you I won’t throw a fit if they point at inconsistencies or say something is missing or not done at an adequate standard. But many of the trades that I encountered blabber on immediately about costing extra haven’t got all day and other stuff that does show them for their true colours. Many trades are not aware that we clients/customers are putting our lives/money/safety/aesthetics in their hands. They don’t give a ----.

 

[westward10]

No one is ganging up on anyone, from your pics the work currently undertaken is verging on DIY capability so you either need to address this or draw a line under it. Move on and find an electrician who will start from scratch but detail your requirements from the offset then leave them to it.