Yet another spark robbing customers!

[D Skelton]

Just got back from a customer who has asked me to quote for rectifying some issues brought to light during a recent inspection. The customer came to me because the previous spark had let him down and failed to turn up when supposed to on four different occasions.

Turns out this NIC 'approved' contractor had given the customer a PIR instead of EICR and made up a bunch of pony recommendations and codes in order to get more work. I'm slightly confused as to why he didn't follow through with his robbery as it seems it would have been easy money but essentially, the customer now knows he may as well have been given a blank piece of paper and I have now been tasked with providing yet another report for the customer, at more expense. At least this time it will be worth something!

Here's an example of some of the codes given:

- No RCD protection - Code 2? (not needed as install is pre 16th)
- No circuit charts - Code 2?
- Non working light - Code 1???????
- Old DB needs removing - Code 1? (Bearing in mind it was dead and not connected to anything)
- Three cracked sockets - Code 1 (made up)
- Exposed wires in light fitting - Code 1 (made up)

And after all of this, there was not a cross or a LIM in sight on the schedule of inspections?!?!? Surely if there are exposed live wires, the requirements for basic protection haven't been met at least?

Shame as this customer can't exchange his lease with the new buyer without the report which is being requested by the freeholder before he is prepared to sign the relevant paperwork.

I'm just ranting now because I hate robbing ba****ds and it just goes to show, yet again, that being an NIC 'approved' contractor, or for that matter an approved contractor with any of the other scam schemes isn't worth the paper it's written on!

I've got the details of the contractor. Name, address and phone number and have been given free reign to do as I please with those details as soon as I'm finished with the customer. Oh am I hoping to have some fun!!!

 

[D Skelton]

to much time on hands and not working ?

I wish! However I'll always take the time to try and better the future for me, my staff and other hard working honest sparks, but that's just me.

 

[Dave 85]

What systems?!?!? There are none, no one cares!



If I had recorded a few different codes, maybe not been very professional with the paperwork then no, however if I had made a dozen problems up, charged the customer £150 for a worthless piece of paper and coded everything wrong then I'd only have myself to blame if you were to confront me about it.

You don't hear the criminals confronted by Matt Alright and Dom Littlewood complaining do you? Coz they only have themselves to blame!

And there is a vast difference between being unprofessional, unqualified or inexperienced and being fraudulent in my opinion.

There is a vast difference between someone who goes around, fleecing terminal cancer sufferers and little old ladies of tens of thousands of pounds and leaving their homes in an unliveable state whilst in the process robbing every local building supplier blind then folding the firm and starting again.....and somone who charges someone £150 for a report which contains innacurate findings. The former are the kind of people who feature in cowboy builders. The latter are not.

And with regards to you claiming to be (or not to be) a violent thug....you say that you are going to go to a complete strangers home with the intention of starting a confrontation, simply because you disagree with his EICR report and if he 'kicks off' you will assault him so severly that he needs to spend days or weeks in hospital. On his own doorstep.

Hmmmm......

 

[madseb]

im sorry but in most cases "phsyical rekoning" is all they undertand. people are to quick to jump on there high horse, untill its thier mum, nan. grandpa. or such thats rippped off. then they want revenge.

take for instance the riots (although unconnected) if just one person had clocked the little robbers on thier chin the others would have taken a momnet to consider thier actions and that of the consiqueces.

im sorry but if i found a "trader" to be doing this as said above. i would do the same. be it because i value the trade, that i have spent many years aspiring to, or just the fact that i cant spare to see people ripped off. just this paragraph is getting my blood boiling.

you pay your money, you deserve a good, honest and reliable service.

many times i have walked away from a job unpaid. as it was just a case of the "old dear" didnt know how to replace a fuse or a wire had come loose.

im old school. but im honest. and i expect everyone eles to be the same.

 

[D Skelton]

im sorry but in most cases "phsyical rekoning" is all they undertand. people are to quick to jump on there high horse, untill its thier mum, nan. grandpa. or such thats rippped off. then they want revenge.

take for instance the riots (although unconnected) if just one person had clocked the little robbers on thier chin the others would have taken a momnet to consider thier actions and that of the consiqueces.

im sorry but if i found a "trader" to be doing this as said above. i would do the same. be it because i value the trade, that i have spent many years aspiring to, or just the fact that i cant spare to see people ripped off. just this paragraph is getting my blood boiling.

you pay your money, you deserve a good, honest and reliable service.

many times i have walked away from a job unpaid. as it was just a case of the "old dear" didnt know how to replace a fuse or a wire had come loose.

im old school. but im honest. and i expect everyone eles to be the same.

Here here!

 

[D Skelton]

There is a vast difference between someone who goes around, fleecing terminal cancer sufferers and little old ladies of tens of thousands of pounds and leaving their homes in an unliveable state whilst in the process robbing every local building supplier blind then folding the firm and starting again.....and somone who charges someone £150 for a report which contains fraudulent findings.

Fair point, but theft is theft IMHO, end of.

And with regards to you claiming to be (or not to be) a violent thug....you say that you are going to go to a complete strangers home with the intention of starting a confrontation, simply because you disagree with his EICR report and if he 'kicks off' you will assault him so severly that he needs to spend days or weeks in hospital. On his own doorstep.

Yet again, I repeat myself...

I wasn't the first person on this thread to start talking about violence. What sort of person do you think I am? I don't just go knocking on doors and beating people up!?!?! But if delivering a letter to someones house, whether they come to the door or not, is enough to provoke someone into assaulting me, then it is them that will end up in hospital! That is all I meant.

If someone wanted to confront me on my work on my doorstep the last thing on my mind would be to 'kick their ---'! Instead I'd relish the challenge! Even take note if there was anything to learn! The difference is I know I'm good at what I do and don't go round ripping people off!

It seems to me that you're missing the point of the original post. You should just carry on going about your day to day business with your blinkers on and let the trade you love so much dissappear down the slippery slope to oblivion it's already on. Like madseb said, when it's your mum or your nan being ripped off, don't bother coming on here moaning about it.

I'm getting bored now...

 

[Swicade]

Tbh i wouldn't go to to someone's doorstep meself as i'd be too worried about being put on me arse (i can cluck to good as any other man) but you as you see fit.

I would however make my views clear to any other tradesman if i bump into them in a wholesaler's/public area....as i did with a plumber afew years back who charged one of my customer's £300 to replace a £30 heating timeclock.May have been the cowards way out (surrounded by others tradesman who agreed the plumber was a rip off) but at least i got no bruises.

 

[RISElectrical]

Were his tests ok? Did you check his readings? Did he correctly verify bonding etc? Did he fail to report anything that could cause the home owner a danger? With regards the exposed wires, are you sure you have checked 100% that these didn't exist?

My point is did you carry out a full test and inspect to verify what he said is false?

Your jumping all over the inaccuracies of his report but have you fully checked and can you be sure he didn't do anything for his 150....

 

[D Skelton]

Were his tests ok? Did you check his readings? Did he correctly verify bonding etc? Did he fail to report anything that could cause the home owner a danger? With regards the exposed wires, are you sure you have checked 100% that these didn't exist?

My point is did you carry out a full test and inspect to verify what he said is false?

Your jumping all over the inaccuracies of his report but have you fully checked and can you be sure he didn't do anything for his 150....

Come to think of it, there were no test results, just a hyphen through every box, so yeah, I can be sure that in the hour this guy spent there, he did nothing for his £150.

 

[RISElectrical]

I wonder if when a solicitor or a doctor for example gives inaccurate advice whether other doctors turn up on there doorstep in the evening?

At the end of the day nobody should go to someone's HOME to confront them, it's unprofessional (I realise he may have also been unprofessional with his report). If it was a national company would you go to the directors house?

 

[alarm man]

as the saying goes.one mans meat is another mans poison,only skel knows what he saw,and only the other spark knows what he saw,wether to approch this spark on his own doorstep to argue the difference between tests could end up a bit nasty either way,skel can only report what he saw as he has done on here,without the other side we wont know,but scrapping in the street over regs is a bit small time really,only the customer can ask for a more detailed answer from the original spark with questions given to them by skel and see where it goes,imo anyway.

 

[D Skelton]

I wonder if when a solicitor or a doctor for example gives inaccurate advice whether other doctors turn up on there doorstep in the evening?

At the end of the day nobody should go to someone's HOME to confront them, it's unprofessional (I realise he may have also been unprofessional with his report). If it was a national company would you go to the directors house?

Arghhh! How many times! If it was just innaccurate, I wouldn't give a monkeys other than to have a moan up about it. The fact is this guy was clearly trying to rob his way to more business!

 

[D Skelton]

And now you've got me thinking about national companies, who on here can honestly say they wouldn't like to head on over to Bob Diamond's house and give him a good slap if they became aware of its exact location?!?!?!

Off on a slight tangent I know, but I do just hate scumbag theives!

 

[Jay Sparks]

So report away, LABC will do nothing, CPS operators will do nothing, Trading Standards will do nothing.
One of the biggest cowboys in my town rides around in a van plastered in NICEIC, FMB, C&G logos and according to the rules he is competent.

Eye, but what do you think of my new alloys??????

 

[Mark_Burgess]

I recon D Skelton will be back at home with feet up and beer in hand way before the other guy has noticed a letter has been dropped through the letter box.

I think the other guy will do one of 2 things, ignore it or or confront it with the customer or D Skelton, until the letter has been dropped off we will never know.

Damn right the customer should get the money back!

 

[RISElectrical]

I still don't see how or why it is D Skels problem, it's just making work for yourself. Tell the customer and let the customer complain if they want. I don't think it's for us to police.

True we see cowboys work and quotes everyday but that's just they way things are. That's how decent honest people get work and the rip offs soon get found out.

Today for example a customer told me how much he had been quoted for the supply of a switchboard, it was clearly 10k more than what it should of been but I never once felt the need to write a letter of complaint to the company, instead I was just happy with the fact he went with my quote instead...

...I didnt mean to annoy you mate, I just think its not your problem and getting involved in a contractual agreement that doesn't involve you is unprofessional and not what I'd recommend

P.S. most companies directors addresses are publically available if you want to start a crusade