New electric socket snapped and ripped off wall. Do I have rights?

grumbler

Wolff said:

Wolff said:

the socket cover has managed to pull out from the wall, the corner of the cover completely snapping off, and the plastic wall plugs used to fix the screws in the socket plate to the wall had also broke.

grumbler said:
Do you mean that the cord pulled out the socket together with the back box that was screwed to the wall? If nothing was broken except the wall plugs, then it's definitely was the electrician's fault.

So the plastic socket with the switches was screwed into the black box with plastic wall plugs.

This makes no sense to me. Only the back box can be fixed to the wall with wall plugs.

Back boxes have metal parts (nuts) with thread for fixing sockets.

GDB2222

Perhaps you will get better advice if you post a picture?

maisie_cat

Do you have a picture, because I cannot imagine the force required to break the face plate if that's what happened.
I have had various sockets, from the embedded in chiselled out brick/block/stone to the plastic plasterboard versions.
When I had a corded vacuum cleaner I was always yanking the cable, with the older sockets the plug came out but the newer sockets it didn't.
I have a newish socket in my kitchen and with some appliances the plug is really tight, I never broke a socket though even when getting really annoyed with it.

FreeBear

grumbler said: This makes no sense to me. Only the back box can be fixed to the wall with wall plugs.

Back boxes have metal parts (nuts) with thread for fixing sockets.

Sounds like it may be a plastic surface mount box - If it had only been fixed to the wall with a couple of short screws in to plasterboard, then quite possible it would come away without too much force. Boxes should be fixed to something solid like brick or a timber stud with screws long enough to penetrate the layer of plaster and go in to the wood/brick/concrete by at least 25mm.

If the screw holes have gone in to breeze block or crappy old lime mortar, standard wall plugs won't be suitable.

Jackmydad

The point is that I've never seen a socket physically broken through being used correctly. 
They're not designed to have the plug removed by snatching at the cable.