The great pat testing scam

[RexT]

Hi guys,

I read through some of the bits and the general theme seems to be that we are being ripped off by people who are not actually doing what they say they do and are charging customers who believe that the job is being done properly. Would this not be a case for trading standards? It would certainly make me sick having done the 2377 course, bought a tester and quoted an honest rate to have this happen.
It sounds like it is a scam and as such should be exposed. Of course it does need the trading standards guys to be actually ineterested and also the customer to be a bit offended to support them.

Good luck,

Rex

 

[UNG]

At the stupidly low prices being quoted I don't see how these companies can cover the overheads of training, test equipment, office equipment and transport. I can understand that money can be made from the repair of the faults found but they don't make much effort to find them when they only have enough time to attach a sticker

 

[Notsosmart]

At the stupidly low prices being quoted I don't see how these companies can cover the overheads of training, test equipment, office equipment and transport. I can understand that money can be made from the repair of the faults found but they don't make much effort to find them when they only have enough time to attach a sticker

Hit the nail on the head there UNG, you would think that these testing companies charging these low prices look at PATesting as a loss leader, making up their profits on repairs. However with the paucity of skill or willingness displayed by their workforce so far I should imagine any repairs would be bodged also. (Or are they claiming for repairs anyway without actually doing anything?)

 

[Deleted member 9648]

Hi guys,

I read through some of the bits and the general theme seems to be that we are being ripped off by people who are not actually doing what they say they do and are charging customers who believe that the job is being done properly. Would this not be a case for trading standards? It would certainly make me sick having done the 2377 course, bought a tester and quoted an honest rate to have this happen.
It sounds like it is a scam and as such should be exposed. Of course it does need the trading standards guys to be actually ineterested and also the customer to be a bit offended to support them.

Good luck,

Rex

I dont think most of those who are on the recieving end of pat testing give a ---- on the quality of work they are getting.To them it is just another inconvenience and expense they could do without.....as long as they have fullfilled their legal requirement to have it done thats all that matters. Thats how these guys get away with it.

 

[m25maintenance]

when nobody is comming behind these lazy asses then i blame the school aswell.

 

[Risteard]

as long as they have fullfilled their legal requirement to have it done thats all that matters. Thats how these guys get away with it.

There is no legal requirement to PAT test per se.

 

[mogga]

errrrr there IS legals under HSE and pewr i fink

 

[Adam W]

The HSE website actually states in as many words (and a picture) that PAT isn't a legal requirement. It can however show compliance with parts 4 (properly maintained) and 5 (proper strength and capability) of EAWR, which is a legal requirement, provided they are 'competent' to do so in order to comply with part 16 (competent persons).
The main reason organisations get PAT done is because insurance companies, licensing authorities etc require it.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/myth/july.pdf

 

[nickblake]

wire puller i know what you mean brain dead work but little outlay and pays the bill but why do guys like this get away with it, and example i came accross when i was a regional manager for a card co .i hated that job by the way im a tools man , i was doing some work in an office ( all suited up tie and all ,and the company PAT Test guy came round plonked his tester down put the kettle on plugged three 4 way extensions together plugged in all 12 appliances into the leads and then pressed test whilst drinking coffee did nothing else exept put sticker on passed , one of my jobs was to replace a damaged cable on the vac oh he passed it , he left ,so i waited half an hour and rang his boss ,and back he came ,asking me who the hell i was soon shut up when i said i was an electrical engineer made him do the lot again ...without the coffee lol

oh and Aberystwyth university were charging £25.00 per item to test students equipment last year

 

[Phil]

oh and Aberystwyth university were charging £25.00 per item to test students equipment last year

at that price per item i would do it all day long

 

[Deleted member 9648]

at that price per item i would do it all day long

Me too........600 plus appliances per day.....I make that.....well a damn sight more than I'm earning now
Join the queue fella's.

 

[Liberator]

This plug was on an electric heater in the corner of an office, quite literally surrounded by piles (above knee height) of loose A4 sheets and files.. this was done by a well known electrical company in the Rubery area of Birmingham..

The arcing has actually burn a hole completely through the bottom of the plug, Im not sure of the melting temperature of these plugs but I was appalled.

The owner told me that the electrician doing the testing said he didn't need to open the plugs, it was just a PASS/FAIL on the tester.

When I did my City & Guilds PAT testing course, they never once mentioned or showed the students how to open, check, or fit a plug!!

 

[nickblake]

Stupid thing is how often do we come accross situations like that , i had exactly the same situation on a plug for a kettle ,red sticker on the kettle and the plug , yet they still used it , well did untill i cut the plug off, that stopped them , walked across the road bought a new kettle at £7.50 from tesco,s ,cheaper than the place burning down

 

[Phil]

i was supprised by the amount of people that pulled a face on the first day in the workshop on the 2330 when they had us doing plugs and commando plugs ect. they were all going this is rubbish, you get the gist... well when they came round to examing what had been done by at least 75% lets just say they had to go back to the bench and re-do them. was a lot quieter the second time round and a lot of embarrassed faces

 

[Liberator]

Recently during an interview with a large PAT testing company I was told that they expect 1,100 assets inspected and tested per week and that they believe it is quite achievable on many sites, and suggested that they might offer bonuses beyond 1,100 assets.

This means they were aiming at 220 units per day.

You can't say that its impossible to 200 tests a day, I can quite easily pull off 200 tests on a good day in the right environment.

It really varies, it depends on what PAT testing eqpt you use, your method of logging results, and mostly the environment you are working in.

Lets just say you enter an IT room for a large company, and you find 3 plastic crates full of spare IEC power leads, you telling me you couldn't knock out 200 tests in 3-4 hours just sitting in a chair at a desk?

On the flip side of the coin, if you're testing all of the equipment for a Mechanical/Electrical Facilities maintenance company, and its all 110v/400v tools, leads and the kind then I will struggle to hit 140 tests a day, sometimes less.

I don't like people saying if you're doing 200 tests a day, then your just slapping stickers on without testing. Those peeps saying that are either jealous, getting the wrong environments, have not developed the most efficient systems to carry out PAT testing from liasing with the clients, developing a labelling system, carrying out the testing, etc, or are just not motivated to work with a sense of urgency about them.

I heard somebody quote me a figure of 400 tests a day for one-person.... now I feel they must be just sticking labels everywhere without testing. But thats just because I feel I have developed the best systems available for PAT testing effectively and efficiently.

Maybe Im wrong, I dunno.

Also, I will only take a couple of "smoke breaks" during a full day of PAT testing, I never eat or stop for lunch as I feel this makes me sluggish and slow.