Electrician not happy - help!

novicerenovator

Hi guys,

The electrician was quoting us £12 per fitting on top of our original quote from the builder to fit brushed brass fittings. We said we'd source them ourselves instead and have gone for a range from Electrical Counter (can't link to it as the forum won't let me)

They've asked how much they were (£250 roughly for a mix of fixed, gimbal spotlights, sockets and switches) and immediately said they'll be rubbish, will blow, they can't give any guarantees etc! And they're not happy we're going with Philips GU10 dimmable bulbs either and say we should have gone for fully integrated ones (which we aren't keen on doing)

He's also said the spotlights should be 68-73mm in diameter but the ones we ordered are 84 - is this a major issue or can he work round this?

Are they right to say these things or should we insist they fit what we would like?

Any tips on how to handle the situation would be great!

bengalknights

As long as they certify to say its installed safely then wouldnt worry about the guarantee as the manufacturer should cover that.

If anything goes wrong will cost you the labour though.

Risteard

They're right that integrated luminaires are massively better than cheap crappy GU10s that you've bought for pennies.

Invariably when customers buy their own stuff it's cheap and crap. I would double the labour element if they insist on doing it, or just refuse permission for them to supply.

My sympathies are very much with your Electrical Contractor in the scenario you describe. I also would provide no warranty for anything not supplied by me.

silverwhistle

Risteard wrote: »

My sympathies are very much with your Electrical Contractor in the scenario you describe. I also would provide no warranty for anything not supplied by me.

A similar situation for my GF who installs security systems: she goes to a lot of effort to support and rectify problems but there is no way she can do so if the customer provides their own.

Grenage

Use what you want, but as others have said you'll be responsible if they fail. Integrated lights are better, but more expensive; I don't like spotlights, but where we have used them they're integrated.


Have the ceiling holes already been cut? It's a faff making them bigger.

novicerenovator

Thanks Grenage for your considered reply.

I don’t see how the products we’ve bought from Electrical Counter would differ wildly from whatever crap the electrician would get from Screwfix or some other trade site.

AS IF a sparky would come back to the house 6 months later to fix anything he did himself - we didn’t come up the Clyde in a banana boat!

Risteard

novicerenovator wrote: »

whatever crap the electrician would get from Screwfix

Electricians don't use Screwfix. It's a DIY shop. Their LAP brand is some of the worst rubbish made under the pretence of being electrical accessories.

Risteard

novicerenovator wrote: »

AS IF a sparky would come back to the house 6 months later to fix anything he did himself - we didn’t come up the Clyde in a banana boat!

They do. A one year warranty isn't unusual. It won't apply to customer-bought materials though.

cybervic

Ask them what brand of fittings they are getting and see if it's better. It is true some cheap and unbranded one can create hazard and cause fire. A decent make such as BG is completely fine.

As for spot light, maybe holes has be drilled into the ceiling? if it doesn't fit then it would cost you more labour to make modification to fit your spot light

SHAFT

Risteard wrote: »

Electricians don't use Screwfix. It's a DIY shop. Their LAP brand is some of the worst rubbish made under the pretence of being electrical accessories.

They do unless you claim to know every single one personally.

Risteard

SHAFT wrote: »

They do unless you claim to know every single one personally.

They really don't.

The only possible time is late at night or on a Sunday when everywhere else is closed for an emergency part. (Although anything non-standard or non-domestic won't be stocked.)