Rewire or not to rewire?

[riveralt]

Well the ball is officially rolling, as I now have a couple of sparks coming to see what is required and give me quotes.

Now all I need to decide is what level of protection I want from the CU, do I go for split load or separate RCBOs?

Craig

That should be decided by the person who designs the circuit for you!
A ten way split RCD board costs around £100.
A ten way RCBO board probably around £250 - though of course it will depend on how many circuits your have.

 

[1john]

Well the ball is officially rolling, as I now have a couple of sparks coming to see what is required and give me quotes.

Now all I need to decide is what level of protection I want from the CU, do I go for split load or separate RCBOs?

Craig

What you can afford is what it boils down too, individual RCBO's will make your life easier should you have a fault. They are costly though.

 

[ElectricianDirect]

Well the ball is officially rolling, as I now have a couple of sparks coming to see what is required and give me quotes.

Now all I need to decide is what level of protection I want from the CU, do I go for split load or separate RCBOs?

Craig

What you can afford is what it boils down too, individual RCBO's will make your life easier should you have a fault. They are costly though.

Visited job... After a look around and discussion with Craig I quoted 50 hours in one week to undertake most of the work at £17.50 per hire (I would deduct B&B cost out of this to save 3 hours travelling per day)...£875 with Craig's assistance would complete most of the work required and enabling Craig to decide the quality of materials to be purchased himself - if he wanted cheap stuff, then so-be-it (although I recommend MK and Envirovent fans)

Yesterday evening phone call from Craig...No problem - I'll see if I can rearrange something else for next week (I am unable to). Craig mentioned his "father" wanting to use somebody from Sale in Manchester...

Don't waste my time - my time is valuable and as a consequence I have overheads of over £200 per week and no income for next week.

The moral of the story - take a £200 deposit with every booking!!!![/b

And I worked through last weekend to ensure I could start Craig's on time much to the detriment of my kids

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[martinxxxxxx]

ElectricianDirect wrote The moral of the story - take a £200 deposit with every booking!!!![/b


How does this work?

I give free estimates - if someone phoned me and I told them I wanted £200 to come and look at a job I think I would not be quoting many jobs at all.

I also find it annoying when you give up a lot of time to quote a job and one is given the impression that one is a cert to get it. But really How long have you been in this game. People are fickle and they have a right to shop where they want - though it is bloomin annoying, especially when you log in a load of travel and computer time generating a quote, which is some times just used as a yard stick to beat the person (dads mate etc) they want to do the job into a lower price.

I feel sorry for you not getting it, but there is no point in sharing your disappointment with anyone but you wife and pub mates.

Icraig has done nothing wrong.

Do you accept this? If you do; you should really apologies to him for your comments.
Regards

Martin

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Icraig has done nothing wrong.

I believe he has.

If you do; you should really apologies to him for your comments.

I don't believe he is owed an apology at all.

"Craig mentioned his "father" wanting to use somebody from Sale in Manchester"? No mention up until then of his father being involved in this in any way.

I believe that the plan all along was to use this "somebody from Sale in Manchester" and that iCraig's sole purpose here, and in getting electricians in to take a look, was to get free design advice, but mainly to find out what it should cost so that he can then pay this "somebody from Sale in Manchester" less.

He started out apparently very keen that any electrician he uses should be qualified, registered, trustmarked etc...

I intend to get someone that knows what they're doing and is qualified/registered to do it.

I've just been on NICEIC's website and found 2 on there that are local. I assume to be on there they'll have to be on their trustmark scheme?

I've already got a couple of local companies in mind to do the work, so I am going to get them to come out for a quote in the new year.

Well if your up this way and don't mind dropping in to give me a quote?

I assume your NICEIC/Part-P registered?

Well the ball is officially rolling, as I now have a couple of sparks coming to see what is required and give me quotes.

And then when that's all done, casually mentions that his father wants to use "somebody from Sale in Manchester"


Yeah, right.

 

[ElectricianDirect]

ElectricianDirect wrote The moral of the story - take a £200 deposit with every booking!!!![/b


How does this work?

I give free estimates - if someone phoned me and I told them I wanted £200 to come and look at a job I think I would not be quoting many jobs at all.

I also find it annoying when you give up a lot of time to quote a job and one is given the impression that one is a cert to get it. But really How long have you been in this game. People are fickle and they have a right to shop where they want - though it is bloomin annoying, especially when you log in a load of travel and computer time generating a quote, which is some times just used as a yard stick to beat the person (dads mate etc) they want to do the job into a lower price.

I feel sorry for you not getting it, but there is no point in sharing your disappointment with anyone but you wife and pub mates.

Icraig has done nothing wrong.

Do you accept this? If you do; you should really apologies to him for your comments.
Regards

Martin

Martin - you're right!

I'm just p--'d off coz I worked all weekend up in Cumbria to be ready for start and had ear ache from wife as consequence of not spending time with kids

At end of month am down in Central London

Apologies to Craig....

 

[iCraig]

You know what, I am quite dismayed and ****ed off to see that you've posted this here Rick.

As I said last night there were several reasons why I cannot take your offer.
Firstly I cannot get the time off work to 'help' you do the rewire, secondly you knew the circumstance over a member of my family needing to go in to respite whilst the work is on going and I couldn't arrange this for the week we suggested and thirdly I knew you were busy the week after.

Also my father who also lives in the house does get a say in who we get in to do the work. He was actually concerned that you may do the week that you said and then leave the job half finished as you had to be in London the next week.

To be quite frank, you're professionalism is severely lacking for posting this on here. And I don't actually remember agreeing for you do to the work anyway, you just assumed you'd got it. And I did post on here I had a couple of electricians coming out and you just happened to be the first.

And the reason for my decision, not that I have to tell you is that the company we've gone with aren't a one man band and can do the rewire within our time frame. And I don't have to waste my own time off from work either!

In addition last night if you attitude hadn't changed on the phone from being quite amiable to just wanting to get me off the phone, I was actually going to offer you a few quid for your time coming down to see us last monday, but I definately won't bother now!

 

[iCraig]

believe he has.

I don't believe he is owed an apology at all.

Yeah, right.

What, you mean I am not allowed to decide who does work on my house?
The company in Sale are NICEIC registered. Also they weren't one of the original companies I had in mind if you really want to know! The first never even returned my phone calls, and the other came out to give us a quote and never actually rang us back to confirm the quote.

And the company in Sale actually gave me a full itemised quote too of all the work the would do...something which Rick didn't.

 

[RF Lighting]

Ignore BAS. He lives in an ideal world, where everything is just perfect, unlike the rest of us actually in the real world.

As for craig Vs electriciandirect, I don't know either of you , and I can see how it's a bit annoying for ED to have spent time looking etc, and not get the job, bt that's how this industry works.

Craig, You've done nothing wrong as far as I'm concerned. You've selected a registered tradesman who you seem to have a good working relationship with, and you are happy to allow into your house. I hope the job runs really smoothly for you.

 

[martinxxxxxx]

Well done ED it takes a BIG man to apoligies.

I can see this situation an I can see both your points of view. I have been guilty of thinking I have won a job before and been conviced that the wonderful rpport is as good as an order. It aint, for myself ANY job over one days work and I always produce a quote with detachable acceptance requesting a deposit and as I am on CAT people can see i have a reputation to look after. I am not teaching you to suck eggs here, we all get it wrong sometimes. Even if the customer is just fishing for information - they are not doing anything wrong (I mean when you brought a computer did you feel in anyway bound to the first store you looked in?) I think it is uop to me to put my best foot forward and convice the customer that there are benifits in using me -if I can't do that then I have failed (or they are ckever - JOKE)

But you have my respect for apoligising, Now mr criag you seem like a good chap, please be gracious enough to accept the apology.

We don't oftern have electricians finding customers on here - this is the3 fiorst I have seena and even if the job did not end up with another poster, they should still remain friends.

Peace

Martin

 

[1john]

Nice to get a customers perspective, assumption is the mother or all hicups! I know alot of tradesmen, some are really arrogant and think that they are the most important people around, they also get upset or even angry at customers for not accepting them for doing the work. As someone stated, you dont walk into one computer shop and buy the first PC thats infront of you, you shop around, find one that suits your needs and that will suit your life style. If a customer wants to get all mucky and loose a weeks wages helping out with electrical installations then they are prob quite upfront about it from the onset, I myself have found that 99% of my customers dont give a monkeys about what i'm doing, or how i'm doing it, they just want the job done in a good time frame to a good standard, not to be clubing on the end of a lump hammer for hours on end.

Craig, I hope the job goes well and you are happy with the end result.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Ignore BAS. He lives in an ideal world, where everything is just perfect, unlike the rest of us actually in the real world.

I guess I shouldn't have believed ED when he posted as if he'd been given the job (he hadn't) and when he said "Craig mentioned his "father" wanting to use somebody from Sale in Manchester" rather than "Craig said they had decided to go with one of the other companies they had in to quote".

 

[martinxxxxxx]

I guess I shouldn't have believed ED when he posted as if he'd been given the job (he hadn't) and when he said "Craig mentioned his "father" wanting to use somebody from Sale in Manchester" rather than "Craig said they had decided to go with one of the other companies they had in to quote".

Tis true I made the same assumption - as it is clearly written that way. But then I thought; when you lose a job you think you have in the bag you never really know why ( for me it is probably because I look too young to be trusted with electricity, even if I am actually in my 40s ), as I say, I have learnt customer are fickle. It is their house, their money, and in this case, their time, so they get to decide.

If I were ED I would review the way he "order processes" jobs and also review whether he should be asking customers to help on jobs. (If the customer requests to muck in then one has not much choice). But it is to be avoided. I hate to add but I will, IMO if ED charged the right money he would be able to hire help in himself and have someone working under his direction who is covered by his PLI and his ELI rather than be in the limbo created by having a customer help. I turn down offer of help from customers to unload my van, as they probably stem from politeness rather than a real desire to become part of my work force. I have had customers that have wanted to do some bit, in which case; i clearly define the limits of what I am doing, in order that there is not a question later as to what is my work, and what is their work, in terms of what I am responsible for guaranteeing.

It is hard being a one man band, but for bigger jobs it is worth putting in the customers mind that you will be tackling their job in colaberation with some one you work with regularly and that that person is also qualified or is your employee.

I would be really interested if icraig would share with us whether the company he has chosen was more expensive and if so by what factor than ED. As this could give us an important insight of how the customer perceives value.

Regards

Martin