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Thread: unhappy customer

  1. #1
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    unhappy customer

    one of my customers called me a couple of weeks ago to query a quote for COC repairs...he faxed the quote to me and asked if the quote was reasonable and if the items listed were valid...i read through it and answered yes...so he gave the contractor the go ahead...the house gets tested the coc is issued and the house is sold and he pays the contractor...he buys a flat and the same contractor is doing the coc and repairs...the contractor gives the estate agent the list of repairs gets paid and hands over the coc.

    the customer calls me about his new flat because he cant plug his computer into the wall plug socket because it was painted closed...so i say to him maybe the plug was painted over after the coc was issued...anyway i decide to go out and see what is going on...well the new flat has not had the repairs done as per the list and ever time you the contractor his wife tells the customer that he will be attending to it soon well are still waiting...i dont know how the contractor did the coc to start with because you cant put plugs into the sockets because most of them painted closed.

    so now we decide to go back to his old house to check if the repairs were done there...all i have to say is now i know why the contractor has gone from driving an old rusted beetle doing coc as a part time job after work to owning his own company and now driving a double cab 4x4 in a couple of months.

    i personally believe the certificate of compliance is a means to making estate agents quick pocket money from all the kick backs they get back from the contractors and get rich quick scheme for electrical contractors who do them.
    i also think nobody wants to take on the task of investigating these issues because it is tooooo big a problem already...the eca say it is not there responsibilty and will tell you to contact the contractor responsible to fix it yourself... the ecb say they just register the contractors... the deptment of labour say they dont have man power...and other private organisations like wendy knowler and co have just never responded to my email...but i also personally dont think they could handle this massive country wide problem.

    anyone want cheap coc's we dont even come to site and it will only cost you R500 this months special because i know there is no policing body so lets go wild....ooooops i forgot there is the AIA well i am not gona start with them.

  2. #2
    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
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    Wow! It's this sort of thing that gives the industry a bad name.

    I find it interesting that you talk about the ECA and ECB not getting involved. There seems to be a shift in policy there.

    I think DoL has always had a skilled manpower shortage to regulate the industry, but has been able to rely on the ECA and ECB to deal with the technical points raised. Certainly, many of the prohibition orders issued against electricians that I've been aware of were written up by either an ECA or ECB staffer and then pretty much rubber stamped by DoL.

    Maybe the ECA and ECB is withdrawing from being judge and jury?

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    This issue is one that irks and has done for years now.

    I purchased a property some years ago with a coc issued. None of my 7 complaints to the company nor the estate agents were taken seriously, nor the seller were taken seriously. I finally ended up paying an independent guy that came and sorted out the problems within a day or 2. Perfect example of where throwing more time ( read money) thrown after bad money was just not worth it.

    Bad news is obviously that the contractor got away with the slipshod work.
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    just me duncan drennan's Avatar
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    I think Debbie raises a very valid point - RoE or Return on Effort. There were certainly issues (non coc related) during the transfer of our house, but the effort that would have been expended to be "right" was just not worth it.

    I reckon that in many cases where the owner does become aware of issues with the COC that it is just simpler and less effort to leave it, or resolve it yourself. Less time, less stress, and effectively less money.
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    about 2 years ago i got fed up with sending in reports and complaining about bad workmanship and illegal coc so i tested a house made up the faults list but did do the repairs and boy was it one of those which pretty much needed a total rewire DB boards replaced etc...it wasnt 6 weeks and i got a call from the new owners lawyer... who threatened me will all sorts of legal action...i am still waiting to be procecuted...i do feel bad because the only person who suffered was the new owner who has more than likely just rewired the house to save themselves all trouble and i am still no wiser to how to resolve these issues.

    you wont buy a car without having it checked out by an independent person...yet you are prepared to trust the seller with a huge investment like a property.

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    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
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    Whoops! You lost me. You did do the repairs or didn't do the repairs?

    Just check over that post again please, Murdock. Why was the new owner caught with a problem?

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    "did not do the repairs"

    went back to edit but i dont how this forums works...it is not like the other forums i use you just click on edit and it gives you 5 minutes to edit...this forums the thread disappears until i re visit the site.

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    just me duncan drennan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by murdock View Post
    went back to edit but i dont how this forums works...it is not like the other forums i use you just click on edit and it gives you 5 minutes to edit...this forums the thread disappears until i re visit the site.
    Hmmm, I wonder if this is a javascript issue. Murdock, do you happen to know if javascript is enabled in your browser?
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    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
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    Some of murdock's posts have been tripping the spam filters and have ended up in the moderation queue. They've all been approved, of course. The aim is to stop spam, not genuine contributions to the debate.

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    Smile

    Speaking from the electricians point of view : Everyone expects you to pitch
    up at their house , and take a few readings with your multimeter , and then declare the place safe.

    The problem is , if the place is in a bad state. 1) You can't give a certificate - wich means you'll not be paid your R 750 / whatever you ask , and 2) The owner will trip over his heels and swallow his tung if you
    tell him about the state of his installation , and the R 15 000 it's gonna
    cost to do it right.

    So , you end up not getting paid for the Certificate , 'cause you can't
    give it , and he just gets someone else who's willing to say that the
    problems you pointed out is not that serious .

    Excuse my spelling - I'm afrikaans.

    THERE ARE STILL GOOD AND HONEST ELECTRICIANS OUT THERE.
    I DON'T HAVE TO LIE TO A CLIENT TO EARN MY MONEY.

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