Your experiences of competent body schemes, and which you personally recommend ?

[Des 56]

QUOTE 30/07/2010
My advice to anyone would be do not go anywhere near the NIC, during my correspondance they have been incompetent at best and down right arrogant at worst.

Times change and opinions as well by the sounds of it (my underlining by the way)


I wont say where that quote came from,because the person who wrote it will
Its pointless proclaiming one is better than the other

An electricans self esteem wont be raised in the eyes of his fellows by being a member of one scheme over another, whether it be D.I or approved contractor

Some of the finest people I have known in this trade have never needed or never wanted to be part of the Niceic, Eca or the younger Napit

Have a look,make a choice and live with it,the differences in competence for any is none


None of these organisations have the welfare of the trade as their priority or reason for existence any more

 

[electric67]

NICEIC might be the most expensive but I find they are also most respected by big customers. I have never had a problem in last ten years with them and have always found area engineers to be most helpful. Can't say anything about the other schemes though, because i've never used them.

 

[SW1970]

Hi Guys,

So over the next year I am planning to have a 'complete career change' from my current job in Electronics / Mobile phone development, to retraining as an electrician. I plan initially to do domestic work.

I have just finished my Part P Domestic Installer course, and already have scheduled the 17th Edition course at end of November... and also the (new) CG2395 course which replaces 2391 next year during first quarter 2012.

I am very interested to hear anyones views on their competent body schemes, and which is preferable with most... traders ? ... customers ? (for re-assurance)

I am aware of NICEIC and Napit are possibly the biggest of the schemes...are there any others worth thinking about ? Which in your opinion is the best ?


Kind Regards
Smiley

My advice is don't seek opinion, but work it out yourself. Draw up a matrix of the factors that you think are important. It could include items like customer service, price, technical support, assessment requirements(?), cost of notifications etc etc etc. And then find out from each scheme operator how their service operates and score it yourself. If you need help on a specific point, then maybe the forum can help there. There's a lot of opinion out there that doesn't really steer you in the right direction. E.g. "the assessment was stupidly easy". When I did my 17th exam there were guys there as practising sparks from the 3 big scheme operators who were moaning about struggling with an ohms law question after the exam. If they couldn't deal with that they shouldn't be sparks, but they were all signed up. How does that work then? (Rhetorical question).

I did the approach I've described here and then interviewed each scheme operator at an Elex show earlier in the year. They all gave comprehensive answers and allowed me to fill out my matrix there and then. When they realised what I was doing they gave even more comprehensive answers, and allowed me to ask them what their weak areas were. Rather like a job interview. I selected Napit on the basis of my assessment. To put it mildly, I got some SHOCKING answers from one of the other scheme operators, who insisted on ramming down my throat how rubbish the other operators were without any fact to back it up. You'll only be certain you've made the right choice if you do it yourself. A bit like the undertaking you make when signing a certificate.

 

[Dale200bhp]

Im an NICEIC Approved contractor, They are the best, NAIPIT are getting there though, Although alot of customers spec NICEIC Approved contractors. i.e. local authority, schools, council ect.

 

[dave_dsh]

Im currently with Elecsa, and like others ive had no problems at all. Their assessors are friendly and easy to get along with. However due to contraints from current clients im going to be changing to the NICEIC when my next renewal is due. Its a shame but the powers at be pay my bills.

 

[JamesBrownLive]

One thing that nobody seems to have mentioned yet, is that not all schemes let you in if you are just starting out. The NICEIC used to have a requirement that you needed to have been trading for 12 months before applying, and I think that is still in place.
ELESCA don't have a 12 month trading requirement.

 

[PJK]

Hi
I have been with NICEIC as approved contractor and domestic installer for two years now, and have my second assessemnt on Tuesday. The assessor has been very helpful and it appears they want to everything they can to make you get hrough the assessment process. ( it is still a bit of a sweat though). I have to have three past customers willing to let us in their homes and mess about with their electrics for an hour or so, no everyone agrees to this. Indeed for the initial assessment it was five jobs. NICEIC are not cheap but in my opinion they are one of the most widely recognised and accepted by all potentil customers. Their standards are equally widely known and respected. Overall I am happy with NICEIC and their support.
Peter

 

[Welchyboy]

I was with elecsa for 3 years and i must say, before my assessor arrived for the first time i was a bag of nerves, but after my assessment i was thinking 'my god was that all i was worried about', the 'Assessment' was a total joke!

i am now with the NIC DI and about to upgrade to A/C, purely for business reasons.
lets not kid ourselves they are all just fighting over our money and if you are a smaller fish(elecsa) in a big market then you have to attract your members somehow! the harder the assessment is, the less people will want to do it.

bottom line is i have been asked countless times 'am i NIC registered?' not once has anybody asked me about anybody else!

Im not bashing anyone else or their chosen body but its about selling your business as best you can, and lets be honest, right now NIC are by far the market leaders, if however the ECA or NAPIT pulled it out of the bag in years to come and took over the NIC then i would change over in an instant, i have no loyalties to any of them they are a means to an end.
but i would be pretty confident if i do pass my A/C assessment i wouldnt be too concerned about passing anybody elses!

as an added comment i have not had any problems with their tech support line