overcharged by electrician

grumbler

MobileSaver said:

grumbler said:

MobileSaver said:

melb said:

he replaces the part with one that costs £7.59 from screwfix

Even if it had been the correct part does the £7.59 price include Screwfix coming out to your home to replace it if it fails in three months time?!?!

And what's the probability of it failing within three months time (assuming that it's the correct part for the job)?

£15 - that's about what can be added to the price.

I can also see an electrician plausibly stating they add £30+VAT on to any part they supply because they offer x months replacement warranty against the part failing.

OK. In this case that's exactly what I called earlier "culture of inflated charges" that "average customers" support by not questioning the price they are charged.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

andyhop said:

Common sense if a trades arrives after normal working hours that it’s been classed as a emergency and as such deems a premium rate. We are not sat at the phone waiting for you to call ! 

You sound like a absolute nightmare to deal with, we can’t be expected to keep endless amounts of stock in the average van, nor can we be expected to take you on your diagnosis, at the end of the day we have probably forgotten more than you think you know . 

Pay the man, dealing with the public as a tradesman is difficult enough at the best of times without dealing with folk who think they know what a job should take and cost . 

Does this mean tradespeople only do emergency work outside of hours? 

I think it's down to the customer whether it's an "emergency" or not, or perhaps more accurately worth having the job done sooner out of hours than waiting for a slot during the normal working day, and they would make that decision after being told what the normal hourly rate is and what the out of hours rate is.

If I call an electrician to fix my car charger and he says I can either come this evening for £90 a hour or tomorrow morning for £45 a hour, I'll say great see you in the morning. If he says it will be 4 weeks before a £45 a hour slot then perhaps it worth paying the premium to get it done sooner.

The OP is sketchy on the details but it is the trader's legal obligation to tell the customer what the price is or how it will be calculated, in this case that should be what the hourly rate is. If that rate changes depending upon the time of day that should be clearly given as well. For a distance or off premises contract it should be given in a durable medium. 

DB1904

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

andyhop said:

Common sense if a trades arrives after normal working hours that it’s been classed as a emergency and as such deems a premium rate. We are not sat at the phone waiting for you to call ! 

You sound like a absolute nightmare to deal with, we can’t be expected to keep endless amounts of stock in the average van, nor can we be expected to take you on your diagnosis, at the end of the day we have probably forgotten more than you think you know . 

Pay the man, dealing with the public as a tradesman is difficult enough at the best of times without dealing with folk who think they know what a job should take and cost . 

Does this mean tradespeople only do emergency work outside of hours? 

I think it's down to the customer whether it's an "emergency" or not, or perhaps more accurately worth having the job done sooner out of hours than waiting for a slot during the normal working day, and they would make that decision after being told what the normal hourly rate is and what the out of hours rate is.

If I call an electrician to fix my car charger and he says I can either come this evening for £90 a hour or tomorrow morning for £45 a hour, I'll say great see you in the morning. If he says it will be 4 weeks before a £45 a hour slot then perhaps it worth paying the premium to get it done sooner.

The OP is sketchy on the details but it is the trader's legal obligation to tell the customer what the price is or how it will be calculated, in this case that should be what the hourly rate is. If that rate changes depending upon the time of day that should be clearly given as well. For a distance or off premises contract it should be given in a durable medium. 

Here we go again, OP he's saying you don't need to pay. 

NSG666

melb said:

oh no forgot to say he didn't replace it with a rolec part at all.  In fact he fitted a wylex main switch.  work that one out!  Anyway I'm bowing out now and thanks for all your views - some of you actually read what I wrote which was a bonus.  As for charging him for trespass - I can make up any charges that I want can't I?  Or is that only for certain trades?

I've read everything on both threads. Started off by saying it sounds a bit expensive but pay up, then decided you were having your leg lifted and to pay a reduced amount. It now seems that a large part of the problem is you think you know what he has done and how much the parts he fitted should have cost but in reality you haven't got a clue. In one of your posts you say he fitted a part that costs c. £6.50 from Screwfix then you told us it was a Wylex but didn't give the codes that you could have easily read from the front of the unit. For info I've just checked on the SF website and the cheapest Wylex switch they have in stock and might possibly be suitable is £60. So if they've fitted a £60 switch that you think costs £6.50 your getting your pants in a twist based on your incorrect understanding.
You've also contradicted yourself in that you said you did some research between the initial phone call and the electrician arriving but elsewhere said you'd done some research a couple of days before. If you wanted advice then you should have posted an accurate description of what happened and what parts were fitted in your original post and perhaps this thread would have been done and dusted in a couple of pages.

All that said, you're melb from Leeds - can't you just do another gig on loose women and pay the man?!!

Section62

NSG666 said:

For info I've just checked on the SF website and the cheapest Wylex switch they have in stock and might possibly be suitable is £60.....

https://www.screwfix.com/p/wylex-nh-nm-100a-dp-main-switch-disconnector/53010

This^ would fit the desription and price (at Screwfix) of £7.59, but leaves other questions such as whether this is the part fitted, and if it is the only part the electrician used.

[some people will jump ahead and say a main switch/disconnector doesn't have the same function as an RCD, but we don't know whether the RCD function has been provided in a different (yet still fully compliant) way.]

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

DB1904 said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

andyhop said:

Common sense if a trades arrives after normal working hours that it’s been classed as a emergency and as such deems a premium rate. We are not sat at the phone waiting for you to call ! 

You sound like a absolute nightmare to deal with, we can’t be expected to keep endless amounts of stock in the average van, nor can we be expected to take you on your diagnosis, at the end of the day we have probably forgotten more than you think you know . 

Pay the man, dealing with the public as a tradesman is difficult enough at the best of times without dealing with folk who think they know what a job should take and cost . 

Does this mean tradespeople only do emergency work outside of hours? 

I think it's down to the customer whether it's an "emergency" or not, or perhaps more accurately worth having the job done sooner out of hours than waiting for a slot during the normal working day, and they would make that decision after being told what the normal hourly rate is and what the out of hours rate is.

If I call an electrician to fix my car charger and he says I can either come this evening for £90 a hour or tomorrow morning for £45 a hour, I'll say great see you in the morning. If he says it will be 4 weeks before a £45 a hour slot then perhaps it worth paying the premium to get it done sooner.

The OP is sketchy on the details but it is the trader's legal obligation to tell the customer what the price is or how it will be calculated, in this case that should be what the hourly rate is. If that rate changes depending upon the time of day that should be clearly given as well. For a distance or off premises contract it should be given in a durable medium. 

Here we go again, OP he's saying you don't need to pay. 

Here we go again, stating I've said something that I haven't.  

Andthen07

melb said:

just to clarify a couple of things - and yes I have copied this from the other board.  

the sequence of events:
phone call to electrician mid-morning asking if someone can come and help diagnose a fault with our rolec ev charger which is dead (therefore as no electricity it is not a danger to life I assume).
electrician rings back at lunchtime to say his electrician can call some time after 4.30 which we say is fine.
5.30 electrician arrives and says he needs to replace the rcbo in the charger and is going to get one
7.30 he returns and replaces the part
he replaces the part with one that costs £7.59 from screwfix
we then receive the invoice.  The electrician says this is an out of hours call. (his decision, not ours)
how could we possibly have obtained a quote for the work on the phone when we had no idea what work/part might be needed? the electrician on the other hand could have formed an educated guess that the part that had failed is the one that has a bad reputation for doing so (after all they install rolec chargers)
All the research we had done in the couple of days beforehand said it was a cheap part that took less than an hour to fit.
I agree we should have asked what their hourly rate was but that was the only thing that could be quoted. We have learnt a lesson there.
He is now threatening to come and remove the part he fitted plus even more extra late charges.  We have told him that if he trespasses he will incur charges.
Still no sign of the recording.  I hope he does take us to court.  We have seen off barristers in 2 court cases -one as defendants in a boundary dispute in full fast-track court (£11,000 legal fees for the other side) and took a builder to court and were awarded £7,000 (don't ask me how as the limit at the time was £5,000) and entered pre-court mediation with someone who sold us a duff car and got refunded most of the cost of the car.  Each time we represented ourselves and told the truth.

Admit you just love litigation and confrontation. Tradespeople should swerve you in the future, just like Trump you don't like paying invoices.

melb

Section62 said:

NSG666 said:

For info I've just checked on the SF website and the cheapest Wylex switch they have in stock and might possibly be suitable is £60.....

https://www.screwfix.com/p/wylex-nh-nm-100a-dp-main-switch-disconnector/53010

This^ would fit the desription and price (at Screwfix) of £7.59, but leaves other questions such as whether this is the part fitted, and if it is the only part the electrician used.

[some people will jump ahead and say a main switch/disconnector doesn't have the same function as an RCD, but we don't know whether the RCD function has been provided in a different (yet still fully compliant) way.]

yes that is the part that the electrician has confirmed in an email that he fitted

melb

andyhop said:

Common sense if a trades arrives after normal working hours that it’s been classed as a emergency and as such deems a premium rate. We are not sat at the phone waiting for you to call ! 

You sound like a absolute nightmare to deal with, we can’t be expected to keep endless amounts of stock in the average van, nor can we be expected to take you on your diagnosis, at the end of the day we have probably forgotten more than you think you know . 

Pay the man, dealing with the public as a tradesman is difficult enough at the best of times without dealing with folk who think they know what a job should take and cost . 

if a tradesman DECIDES to arrive at a time convenient to them that is their choice but don't expect me to bear the cost.  if I ring up to enquire about a job in the morning and they decide they will attend late afternoon/evening that is up to them.  Who mentioned we had diagnosed the fault?  We just said the charger was dead.  We offered no guess as to what had caused this.  This is why we called an electrician.

melb

Money_Grabber13579 said:

dil1976 said:

melb said:

oh no forgot to say he didn't replace it with a rolec part at all.  In fact he fitted a wylex main switch.  work that one out!  Anyway I'm bowing out now and thanks for all your views - some of you actually read what I wrote which was a bonus.  As for charging him for trespass - I can make up any charges that I want can't I?  Or is that only for certain trades?

Hang on this is completely different from what you have said, if he hasnt swapped the part like for like then that is different and the job is incomplete and unsafe. But think you are just making things up now for attention

How do you know it isn’t like for like? Loads of different manufacturers make products that do exactly the same thing - they might be called something different but if the specs are the same, there should be no issue. I recently replaced my old CDA oven with a Beko oven - accordingly to you, my new oven is unsafe…

Based on what the OP has posted, it seems like they are a serial after the event complainer and specialises in suing people…

wrong - the boundary dispute was brought to court by our neighbours who took exception to us erecting a fence on our land.  The judge called them liars and we won.  A builder took half of the money for a job and did a runner leaving us without a working kitchen.  So we took him to court and won so we could pay another builder to complete the work.  The car owner sold us a pup with falsified MOT and held together with cable ties.  We did MCOL and after mediation agreed a sum.