Mugged by a good old fashioned cowboy - help

danielfulshaw

Never thought I'd be in this position but am enduring a horrendous builder experience and wondered if you can offer any advice. He was recommended by someone we know and we checked him out. He always came across as a smooth talker but he could start when we needed him to. From the first day he took down some fireplaces which almost got us into serious trouble as the neighbour hand't signed the party wall. i wanted to kick him out but my gf inssted otherwise. Then, all he worried about was when he was getting paid rather than doing a good job. The structural stuff was done quickly and signed off by building control but...
After asking him to re do some work he had not done to a good enough standard he walked off. We still owed him some money at that stage and he sent his guys round to do a few bits and pieces but he hadn't put in cables for the kitchen fitters that he was supposed to. So we had to get another electrican to do the work who found the electrics taped together and was shocked to see that the certificate noted he had done things he hadn't, like earthing the gas. He has also refused to return (stole) our keys so we had to get the locks changed and the skip we paid him to move is sat outside because he has refused to pay the skip company. Now I'm not sure if we need a rewire and how good elecsa are at sorting this out. If I send him a solictors letter he will just decalare himself bankrupt because that is the kind of guy he is. No pride in the job whatsover and we can't now move into our first house or decorate because we don't know how safe the gas and electrics are. Any ideas?

macman

Was he even qualified to do the gas and electrical work? A general builder would not normally be able to self-certify this work. If not, who signed this work off?
Having the gas supply checked for safety should be relatively straightforward, but the electrics are are another matter if you've already plastered and made good-no one else is going to sign off what they can't see.
At least you haven't paid him fully so you can put that towards getting in someone decent.

danielfulshaw

He got his guys to do it then had it signed off by a registered firm. As to the gas..I don't know, I think the same. I am getting gas safe out but can he do that with gas?? As I had a very busy Feb, my gf paid him the remaining money..she inisted on getting all the certs first so we don't owe him any money. And we thought, well, we have the certs and they are genuine so we should be fine and she paid him the money. Only now does the other electrician we have had in since think that he just made up the readings..

macman

Then you need to have a discussion with the 'registered firm' (and check that the are actually registered). If they've signed off things that have not been done then they have total responsibility, threaten to report them to the certifying authority if necessary.
Sounds like the actual install was done by someone who was not able to self-certify, which would ring alarm bells for me.
The same applies to the gas.
If you trust this other electrician, why not get him to test the system and see what else he finds?

danielfulshaw

Thanks. Will do. I have complained to Gas Safe who will come round and do an inspection. Elecsa have been very cagey about the process and will send us a form to fill out and make a complaint with. The other electrician we have had offered to write a report documenting what he saw from a visual inspection which is good supporting evidence. Don't want him to take readings because then it costs us. However, I still have the matter of him having not returned the keys to us despite frequent promises and requests and the skip. I have asked the skip company to dump it on his drive but despite promises they still haven't moved it. Considering get it dragged onto the road then the council can deal with it or hiring another company to move it and dump it on builders drive and to send him the bill....

macman

What makes you think that there is a problem with the gas installation? What is the basis of your complaint to GSR?
You can either sue him, which sounds like it would be throwing good money after bad, or use the Small Claims Process and do it yourself. Result might still be the same, but at least you won't have wasted too much money on it.
Surely the skip co want their skip back? If you dump it in the street you will get a large bill from the council...
If you are happy to move in without having the wiring properly tested that's your decision-you have the certificate after all.

danielfulshaw

If they have faked the electrical certificate then it doesn't engender belief in the gas cert and we might as well get it checked rather than be sorry. Yes, I would have thought the skip company wnat their skip removed too.

Ken68

NEW trademan to the job always rubbish what they see, helps to push up the price.

Curly

Ken68 wrote: »

NEW trademan to the job always rubbish what they see, helps to push up the price.

your talking rubbish if there wasent a problem there wouldent be a new trademan

Colour_Republic

Curly wrote: »

your talking rubbish if there wasent a problem there wouldent be a new trademan

I'd second that!

Sometimes people are shocked by the increase in price when another tradesmen comes round to sort out bodged works, this isn't because the tradesmen is bumping up the price it's because the homeowner has is most instances had the first lot of works done by a chancer who more often than not gets the work on a cheap price rather than recommendation.

In this instance it seems even a chancer can get lucky sometimes and completed a job well enough to get a recommendation.

If the new electrician is willing to write a report, he is unlikely to make up problems as he knows it will be seen by other people.

If I was in you position I'd get a few companies round and see what they say, don't offer any guidance on what other people have said just let each one do the talking, once you've done that you'll have an honest view of the problems and then go with the firm you feel most comfortable with

danielfulshaw

Thanks. I dare say that the first guy was not cheap! Well, we have to see what elecsa say and, I suppose, give them the opportunity to rectidy the bodging. Taped wires and no junction boxes, going across walls rather than horizontally and vertically, not doing wiring he was supposed to have done and no earth on the gas mains when it is ticked on the certificate are all no-nos - I don't need to be an electrican to know that.

I will, now stung, get 3 quotes if the first electrican is not coming back.