Only freedom will do

edinburgher

A little bit !!!!ed off with our electrician.

• Scratched my beautiful light fitting. I was able to turn the bulb so that it can't be seen, but careless with a £170 light :mad:
• Added an extra socket in the living room, but it's not level with the existing socket
• 'Fixed' downlights, only for them to stop working 15 minutes after he left
• Wired one of the switches back to front (i.e. left switches right and vice versa)
• Coming back for a 4th day tomorrow after quoting 1-1.5 days

Other more basic jobs of a high standard.

Am I being unreasonable? Chap is being paid nearly £2k for all the work and had good feedback. Are our expectations just overly high?

hiddenshadow

I hope everything gets sorted. I don't think you're being unreasonable. Our electrician was brilliant, but his son is DH's coworker so we had/have an existing relationship. That said, he was really great about details and we all walked through the plans for things step-by-step so we knew what would go where. I can't believe he's the only detail-oriented electrician out there, so hopefully yours can get there.

edinburgher

Think the main issue is the fact that English isn't his first language, the same annoying mini gaps in comprehension that occur with Mrs E's Dad (European)

hiddenshadow

Ah, yes, that can definitely pose a challenge!

gallygirl

Doesn't matter about language though - not damaging fittings and making things level are about taking pride in your work .

A_Frayed_Knot

I certainly don't think your being unreasonable, but then again i'm a bit of a perfectionist:o Welcome to the world of dealing with tradesmen:eek:.

A relative done a lot of my work, but i'm such a perfectionist it wasn't all smooth running. It was only after the below happened that I actually appreciated what they done for me.:o

1. Carpet fitter took 8 hours to lay hall and stair carpet - even then he made such a mess, I wouldn't even ask him back to correct it.:mad: Paid a fortune for that carpet, too.

2. Got radiator removed from bathroom and a heated towel rail installed, so floorboards removed, to get underneath to change size of pipes, after installing the towel rail, said to me "you'll need to get a joiner in to sort your floorboards out" and left. Whaaaat:mad: Was I expecting too much ?? or is it because i'm a woman ??

Which brings me to the radiators you are thinking about getting installed. I thought, they're lovely, but how do you get the pipe up the wall to come out quite high up ?? rather you than me;)

AlexLK

Don't think you're being unreasonable. Also, make sure he's not charging for all those extra days.

On another note, this diary progresses so quickly and the efficiency of Ed & Family really does make me sick ... think you've done more to the house in 2 months than we've done in years. :eek:

ourcornercottage

AlexLK wrote: »

Don't think you're being unreasonable. Also, make sure he's not charging for all those extra days.

On another note, this diary progresses so quickly and the efficiency of Ed & Family really does make me sick ... think you've done more to the house in 2 months than we've done in years. :eek:

Was thinking exactly the same myself!!!

PositiveBalance

Dear Ed (and friends),

I have a new thread. Please pop by for tea or coffee, cake or biscuits and a sense of new homeowner's superiority when you see how little I have done with it since I moved in[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]!
[/FONT]

edinburgher

A_Frayed_Knot wrote: »

Which brings me to the radiators you are thinking about getting installed. I thought, they're lovely, but how do you get the pipe up the wall to come out quite high up ?? rather you than me;)

Don't worry, they don't work like that

The pipes on most radiators actually come up from the floorboards and are attached to the *bottom* of the radiator. So even though the radiator is very large, it's fine as long as your boiler is up to the task of pumping water around the system. The pipes will be fairly standard in size.

AlexLK wrote: »

Don't think you're being unreasonable. Also, make sure he's not charging for all those extra days.

On another note, this diary progresses so quickly and the efficiency of Ed & Family really does make me sick ... think you've done more to the house in 2 months than we've done in years. :eek:

Thanks Alex, he's working to fixed costs, so he is only shooting himself in the foot! I'm aware that he is correcting some wonky wiring from the existing installation, but his repairs haven't exactly wowed me (for example, the on again off again light circuit).

We do seem to be particularly motivated when it comes to house stuff, unusual for us. Spanish electrician even tried a !!!!!! comment about me wanting him to finish quickly as if we were being unreasonable. I have asked him once per visit (3 days and counting) how things are getting on and what the plan is for the next day. Maybe he is used to customers not asking questions, but for £4-500 a day, I'd be more than happy to answer polite enquiries about the progress of my work :rotfl:

PositiveBalance wrote: »

Dear Ed (and friends),

I have a new thread. Please pop by for tea or coffee, cake or biscuits and a sense of new homeowner's superiority when you see how little I have done with it since I moved in[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]!
[/FONT]

I will certainly pop in, but they'll be no smugness, this is the supportive forum