Has my electrician unnecessarily fitted a new shower?

[scottishlandlord]

Hi folks,

Hope you can help me out here. Here's my story.

I've got a property in Bristol, a maisonette with the bathroom upstairs. Couple of weeks ago the tenants reported the electric shower wasn't working properly, which was only installed last year.

I got an electrician whose website advertises them as shower repair experts to go out and check the problem. They reported that the element had gone, and I needed a new shower. They duly fitted this, but reported that it wasn't working as the water pressure was too low in the bathroom. They put this down to the water board doing works on the street, and reported it to the water board for them to come out and check the pressure.

Water board came out, pressure was fine at the external connection and in the kitchen on the ground floor, but very low on the first floor in the bathroom.

So I got a plumber to come out. He found that one of the stopcocks in the cupboard in the bathroom was only half open. Opened this, pressure is now back to normal and the brand new shower works perfectly.

Now, it seems to me that the root cause of this whole problem was that the water pressure was low due to the stop cock being partly closed. The electrician didn't check this, and only identified this as a problem once they fitted a new, and probably unncessary, electric shower, which when they left wasn't working.

I've had a bill for £30 from the plumber, which I'm delighted to pay. But I've had a bill for £320 from the electrician, which I'm not minded to pay as I think they've mis-diagnosed the problem from the start.

Am I wrong to argue that the electrician has totally failed to identify the problem, and that I'm not going to pay them £320 when this should have been a £30 fix?

All advice welcome!

 

[mfarrow]

scottishlandlord

It all depends on what was wrong with the shower in the first place. What were the symptoms as described by the tenants?

Why was the stop-cock turned down? Who turned it down? It's possible even that the plumber turned the water only 1/2 way on after he replaced the shower, thinking that would be enough to give you full pressure, and failed to link the two when he turned it on.

Without seeing and testing the original shower, its difficult to (dis)credit the electricians work.

Unfortunately, however, there are people out there with specialist 'repair' advertising (like a certain large gas company ), who will try it on for a new unit whenever they can. But unless you get independant advice, it it difficult to determine whether you have been the victim of one.

 

[seco services]

My first argument would be that if the shower was only fitted last yr then it would be still under manufactorers warranty and they would of fixed the element free.
Did you tell them it was only a yr old ?
Second i'd be very surprised if the element had failed after only a yr more likely a tco.

You haven't let them take the old shower have you ?

Without seeing and testing the original shower, its difficult to (dis)credit the electricians work.

Even if the element had failed it don't warrant a new shower.

 

[simond]

You can't prove anything and owe the electrician £320.

Personally, there is no way I would entertain carrying out any work for a landlord without being paid on completion, there and then.

You guys have a terrible reputation for hassling to get the work done and then querying the bill.

Yes, it is possible this contractor had your trousers down, but there is only one thing worse than a landlord, and that is an absentee landlord.

Apologies to any Landlords out there who pay their bills, I was one once!

 

[Mikefromlondon]

Scotish landlord, just pull your trousers up, (depends if you are not wearinng a kilt! you have just been shafted dry, pay up now, and next time consult DIYnot first.

No! tell you what, why don't you tell them as they had fitted a new shower and it did not work, and as per their instructions, you called the water company to come and test the pressure and their results were fine, so in the end you called in another electrician who said the shower they had fitted was faulty. So it has now been removed and replaced with the another one, and they can come and collect theirs, and tell them that you owe them noting, presumably the old shower is still OK and it stopped working due to someone tampewring with the stopcock. Get your old one refitted by someone else! shaft them back.

 

[simond]

Yes, you tell them.

Tell them you weren't there, you know nothing about plumbing or electrics, but you know they ripped you off.

It will sound especially convincing in front of the JP in the Small Claims Court. And it will involve a trip to Bristol to find out.

I've had to take a fair few LLs to court over unpaid bills. I make them travel as far as possible, and I've never lost. But then I have never ripped someone off.

It may be you have been had over, and if you have, it is a bad mark against our trade.

But realistically, you cannot be certain and that means you have to pay. Don't give your profession a worse reptation than it already has.

 

[seco services]

Personally i'd tell the spark to shuff it where the sun don't shine.
Take his new shower. He missed 1 vital check that he should have known better to check flow/pressure.
Let alone on a faulty shower but to fit a new one and not check, only a muppet misses that.

 

[Agile]

It all seems pretty obvious to me what is most likely to have happened!

Stopcock was partially on. Flow rate poor. Element burnt out !

Electrician advises a replacement shower and you agreed SO YOU HAVE TO PAY HIM!

The electrician is no plumber and fails to look for the stopcock.

Plumber is a plumber and finds the stopcock and turns it on full SO YOU HAVE TO PAY HIS VERY REASONABLE £30.

I dont see why there is any argument over this.

But next time call a plumber first. Many can replace showers too. Not all though.

 

[seco services]

I dont see why there is any argument over this.

Cause another jobsworths has tucked him up.

Stopcock was partially on. Flow rate poor. Element burnt out !

So he told him, poor flow won't blow an element, it'll activate the tco first before even damaging an element.

Electrician advises a replacement shower and you agreed SO YOU HAVE TO PAY HIM!

He more likely agreed due to knowing no better, Sparks to lazy to get off his fat arse and get spares and wants an easy money maker.

 

[Nige F]

Yes, you tell them.

. Don't give your profession a worse reptation than it already has.

Landlord - a profession