How Many Times Do tradesmen leave you dissatisfied?

[SALL2009]

When you guys use a taxi, do you pay from pickup point to drop off? Or do you also pay for the driver’s journey to pickup point and his return to his base after dropping you off?

 

[SimonH2]

SimonH2 Are you saying £500 just to change the consumer unit, half a days work.

Yes, that is what he was told it would cost - no they didn't get the job (or any other work); yes it was done for "considerably less".

Half a days work to change a consumer unit, I think you are clueless on what actual needs to be done for this process to be carried out correctly.
Such as an EICR prior to removal of old unit, there are nearly always something that is flagged up on the schedules that needs addressing, additional work at the board with tails, cable lengths, sleeving twisted and broken CPCs.
The earthing and bonding conductors normally need updating.
Once the new board is in place, then you can go about systematically doing the dead and live testing on all parts of the installation(continuity, r1+r2, IR, dead polarity, live polarity, Ze, PFC, Zs, RCD, funtional) then the labelling of circuits, displaying appropriate notices and circuit description/diagrams.

Unless your brief is to do a very comprehensive full installation check, then the limit of your testing is to ensure that the work you have done is safe and functional.

It's clear from other posts by qualified sparks in here in the past that few consider your scale of testing to be required.

So some "supply" tests (Ze, Zs ?, PFC) which take but seconds to do with the right MFT.
Then tests for each RCD.
Then for each circuit, R1+R2 and IR. IR done from the board end for all circuits, R1+R2 needs a trip to the other end to put a link on - or link at the board and test from the far end. So, if the farthest light fitting has correct polarity, acceptable R!+R2 and IR, then that's as far as you need to go for the purposes of certifying your work.

I believe anything more than that would be part of an EICR which you could recommend, but isn't essential for the purposes of your work.
Ditto a pre-work EICR. A few seconds doing a whole-installation IR will tell you if it's "all OK", or if you need to do further investigation. Any borrowed neutrals and such wouldn't show up without disconnecting circuits - ie a significant part of the job. Does anyone disconnect neutrals to check for borrowed circuits when doing an EICR ?


For my mates bungalow, I took the old board off first - did IR checks on each circuit, and r1, rn, r2 checks for each RFC. I also repositioned the back board, and cut holes to match the new CU. When the sparky fitted the new CU, the most time consuming part was taken up dealing with two faults in the new bits (faulty link in the neutral bars, faulty RCBO).

 

[Alarm]

When you guys use a taxi, do you pay from pickup point to drop off? Or do you also pay for the driver’s journey to pickup point and his return to his base after dropping you off?

Its factored in, to a degree.
Hence a possible £80.00 a hour.

TFL gives you the fare structure.

 

[SALL2009]

When you guys use a taxi, do you pay from pickup point to drop off? Or do you also pay for the driver’s journey to pickup point and his return to his base after dropping you off?

Its factored in, to a degree.
Hence a possible £80.00 a hour.

TFL gives you the fare structure.

Yes exactly it is factored into the fare.

Same should also apply to plumbers and other trades. Whenever I have had work done on my boiler etc. The engineer diagnoses the problem, quotes his labour and cost for the parts and lets me know when he will return with the parts. I’m sure he is marking up the price of parts (as you do). So this should cover the time it takes him to collect parts.

 

[Alarm]

Your trying to compare two different trades.

Parts and time are included, but when another part needs changing ( argue all you like) its chargeable.
A quote is for the works QUOTED for, not the additions needed when you find issues or the client has lied.
Going for a part that could be £3.00 and taking a hour to get there and being served and getting back is NOT going to be covered by a 50% mark up.

Biggest trouble now is the so called "clever cont" who surfs the net for the best prices and then complains your not only overcharging, but do not have it in the car and want paying for the time and petrol

What do you do.................?
Cannot be bothered to look up, but it would be interesting.

 

[EddieM]

Yep a PIR was performed, plus relevant doc issued. all above board. i don't know what it said.

 

[libby lou lou]

When you guys use a taxi, do you pay from pickup point to drop off? Or do you also pay for the driver’s journey to pickup point and his return to his base after dropping you off?

Its factored in, to a degree.
Hence a possible £80.00 a hour.

TFL gives you the fare structure.

London, maybe and that's pushing it.My mate earns £120 a day minus £50 costs.