How should i approach this?

lightspeed

I have purchased a property that needs some modernisation. My first job was to get someone to carry out the electrical work. By recommendation i chose a chap you lives across the road who is fully qualified, able to give me the appropriate certs and do the work as a foreigner.

He priced up the job (full rewire) and said "this job would be top end of £2000, maybe cheaper if you help and muck in". I thought that this was reasonable and gave him the work.

Anyway, the job is now drawing to a close (over 3 weeks later) and i have a few issues:

1) i have mucked in as much as possible, often spending 12 hour days at the house with the electrcian who to put it politely has been quite an a@@ hole.

Now, i have bitten my tongue for 3 weeks , done what he said and put up with his sh@t thinking that he may give us a slightly better deal (i honestly never thought that this would be the case, but you can wish)

During the job i mentioned that i wanted an alarm, he immediately jumped in and said i could get you an alarm (a good one) and we might even get it within the original price of 2K. I thought great, and agreed.

Anyway, the electrical job is excellent and i would not begrudge paying the 2K for this work despite the fact that i have helped. However, he has just fitted the alarm in my absence and quite frankly i am a bit angry about this.

Firstly, he says that the alarm will cost 200 - 300 squid fitted (not in with the price), secondly it is a DIY alarm and he has used existing cables and door sensors from the previous alarm, i asked for a third infa red sensor and he has found an old discouloured one in his garage and used that. The alarm looks like something out of the 80's, but it works fine.

I could have got a similar alarm fitted for £200 all in or paid slightly more and got something better. Having searched the internet i have found this alarm for £95 (he said he got a good deal off his mate for the alarm - no price quoted)

I am not happy, but will pay the retail price for this alarm and i am prepared to pay the equivalent fitting cost as i could have got elsewhere.

I have a sneaky feeling that he is going to turn round and say the total cost will be 2.3K (i am prepared to pay 2.2K). If he does quote this price how should i approach this being as he has already carried out the work for the alarm.

I hope i dont sound evil, but i have really had enough of his attitude and i feel that although the price for the electrics was ok and so was the work, the alarm is just not what i had in mind.

Thanks in advance

windym_2

I would wait until you know the price. Then give yourself a bit of time (come back on here and vent your anger) and then get back to him. You may be getting worked up about nothing (price wise that is). Hth.

P.S. We are converting a barn (after sacking the builder) and making a better job of it, we installed an alarm that I got on the internet at a fraction of the cost (for the same alarm) at my local electrical wholesaler.

weekendwarrior

£2000 for a foreigner sounds a bit steep!

Have you notified building control and got it inspected or is the guy NICEIC registered?

lightspeed

Thanks for the replies. Funny you you say its a bit steep because i have had conflicting opinions from a variety of people. Some said it was very good others, like yourself, said it was expensive for a foreigner. I will learn to get a few more quotes the next time i get a big job done, i just thought that it wasnt too bad and he only lived 30 seconds away (any problems just shout etc...).

He did explain what he was doing about building control and NICEIC but cant remember, i must check this, although i know that it was all cosha.

I have learnt quite a few lessons from this and do feel a bit angry about the cost particulary the alarm. We probably could have got the same job done at the same price far quicker without my help with a small firm.

Mumstheword

You could always bill him for your 12 hour days at a labourers rate

titewad_2

Lightspeed,whereabouts are you and what sort of property have you got?? I am in North Lincs and was recently quoted £1500 for the rewire of a large 3bed semi.No limit on number of sockets and that was a proper through the books quote including fusebox and relevent certification.

lightspeed

Hi, we are in Staffordshire. It is a large 3 bed semi and we have had a new consumer, full rewire, quite a few sockets in each room, electric shower connection, electric cooker connection, utility room wired, loft and garage rewired including all sockets and basic light holders.

I have spoken to the chap now and he has said £2200 including the alarm and its fitting, with relevant certs and paperwork.

He also plastered some of the chasing out's in the walls and has put the property back how it was prior to the work.

With regards to the final price, i wouldnt say that i was overjoyed, however, we have now got the job done.

Thanks for the replies.

kenshaz

lightspeed wrote:

I have purchased a property that needs some modernisation. My first job was to get someone to carry out the electrical work. By recommendation i chose a chap you lives across the road who is fully qualified, able to give me the appropriate certs and do the work as a foreigner.

He priced up the job (full rewire) and said "this job would be top end of £2000, maybe cheaper if you help and muck in". I thought that this was reasonable and gave him the work.

Anyway, the job is now drawing to a close (over 3 weeks later) and i have a few issues:

1) i have mucked in as much as possible, often spending 12 hour days at the house with the electrcian who to put it politely has been quite an a@@ hole.

Now, i have bitten my tongue for 3 weeks , done what he said and put up with his sh@t thinking that he may give us a slightly better deal (i honestly never thought that this would be the case, but you can wish)

During the job i mentioned that i wanted an alarm, he immediately jumped in and said i could get you an alarm (a good one) and we might even get it within the original price of 2K. I thought great, and agreed.

Anyway, the electrical job is excellent and i would not begrudge paying the 2K for this work despite the fact that i have helped. However, he has just fitted the alarm in my absence and quite frankly i am a bit angry about this.

Firstly, he says that the alarm will cost 200 - 300 squid fitted (not in with the price), secondly it is a DIY alarm and he has used existing cables and door sensors from the previous alarm, i asked for a third infa red sensor and he has found an old discouloured one in his garage and used that. The alarm looks like something out of the 80's, but it works fine.

I could have got a similar alarm fitted for £200 all in or paid slightly more and got something better. Having searched the internet i have found this alarm for £95 (he said he got a good deal off his mate for the alarm - no price quoted)

I am not happy, but will pay the retail price for this alarm and i am prepared to pay the equivalent fitting cost as i could have got elsewhere.

I have a sneaky feeling that he is going to turn round and say the total cost will be 2.3K (i am prepared to pay 2.2K). If he does quote this price how should i approach this being as he has already carried out the work for the alarm.

I hope i dont sound evil, but i have really had enough of his attitude and i feel that although the price for the electrics was ok and so was the work, the alarm is just not what i had in mind.

Thanks in advance

If he has done a good job,for agreed price,what is the problem,now you want a cheap alarm,give him a break,sounds like a personality clash

lightspeed

I agree, there was definitely a personality clash (i certainly didnt expect to be spoken to like his apprentice or treated like a skivvy), however, i think you are missing the point.

Through knowone elses fault but my own, an exact price was never agreed. It was two people trusting each other and it was insinuated that the price would be lower than 2K if i helped out.

I have previously said that i dont mind paying the 2K, but i was disappointed by the lack of effort that had gone into fitting the alarm e.g. trunking, in hall, visible cables throughout, one 2nd hand sensor etc...

I am not trying to pull a fast one, but instead feel that i was misled. If i had of known that it was going to be 2K anyway, i would not have dedicated as much time to helping him and paid a couple of hundred extra for a firm to do it in a fraction of the time.

First house, first job done, will know what to do next time... lesson learnt.

Thanks for the replies

Mikeyorks

.......... and pay by cheque .... so you have an audit trail.

GUMPO

Very sorry if this sounds unsympathetic but if he is doing the job as a foreigner then is it going through the books as it should? If not then you know he is fiddling his tax so why are you surprised he is prepared to fiddle you? :wall: