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Thread: Electrical nightmares

  1. #11
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    Another fact:

    Most companies take the wholesalers list price and markup 20-25 %...which would explain the high prices.

    Some of us take the discounted price... offered to us by the wholesaler and add our markup ...which generally works out cheaper than the price you would pay... if you were to buy directly from the wholesaler.

    All wholesaler sell directly to the public ...not just the ones which use it as a clever sales pitch.... just the discount structure is different.
    Comments are based on opinion...not always facts....that's why people use an alias.

  2. #12
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    What was not shown is the labour cost and the hours spent on that job. I would of liked to see a detailed breakdown of material and labour to ensure those prices shown by Carte Blanche is in fact true. The two earth leakages charged, clearly is wrong and should be rectified, unless there is another sub DB they did not make any mention off. The customer is just as guilty for telling the guy to do whatever is needed without getting more quotes. In my opinion that was the electricians go-ahead to just replace rather than salvage parts and that was exactly the trap created by Carte Blanche.
    Then he is guilty for fitting too many circuit breakers (Is there a regulation for that)?
    Was a COC included in the price on completion?
    Was there re-wiring involved and what parts of installation was worked on?
    Are they comparing apples to apples with the other electricians E.L. replacement?
    Is this guy registered with DOL under a different company name?
    They did not convince me he gave a bad service and overcharged.

  3. #13
    Platinum Member Derlyn's Avatar
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    The big question is ? Why refund the client R28000 if you're innocent ? That refund is an admission of guilt right there.

    My last comment.

    Cheers and peace out ... Derek

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Derlyn View Post
    The big question is ? Why refund the client R28000 if you're innocent ? That refund is an admission of guilt right there.

    My last comment.

    Cheers and peace out ... Derek
    nobody is denying the fact that Mark Levy could be a crook...but if you going to target one individual ...make sure you get your facts right and lay the facts out in a manner in which people can identify the problems ...not this whishy washy flash clips.

    Then I ask myself this question ...why only target him... what about all the thieves issuing illegal COC's... i see literally by the day... why have they not investigated the DOL and why they dont do random checks on all the "registered electrical contractors" issuing COC's ...this industry is rotten right to the core.

    it uses a system which if you play the numbers game ...you can get away with hundreds if not thousands of false COC's before you are caught out...you might make the mistake of issuing a COC where one of my customer purchase or rents a property... then you going to get caught out... however i am finding that even then there is a good chance that if you send around a bunch of dodgy labourers you will get thrown off site and get away with it ...the customer will ask me to go ahead and just make it right...or just leave it as is... then I sit with the problem in 5 - 10 years when the customer sells the property... why ...because the customer doesnt want to spend the money fixing something which should have been done right before the property was sold... and the customer comes with bulshyte ...but you have been doing my electrical for 5-10 years ...why didnt you just fix it "free" of charge... i have learnt the hard way ...i make sure that if the customer doent fix the illegal COC i send an email to confirm that the installation is illegal with a cost to repair... if they choose not to spend the money ...at least i have it on record (i joined the CYA club a long time ago)

    This fella doesnt even feature in the real problems in this industry...did he actually do anything wrong... i would like to see real proof in a manner which we can identify the problem.

    Who is more at fault ...him doing what doctors do every day ...or contractors who drop off unskilled labour and charge electrician rates... issue illegal COC's etc etc etc etc etc... we could point finger all day long.

    let me not even get started with insurance companies... i have just got my vehicle back from a R55000.00 "minor" repair... talk about a bunch of crooks... and you wonder why they live like doctors.
    Last edited by ians; 29-Jan-20 at 06:59 AM.
    Comments are based on opinion...not always facts....that's why people use an alias.

  5. #15
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    another fact:

    If you switch off all the breakers including the main switch... then switch on the earth leakage and it doesnt reset ...it means either the earth leakage unit is faulty or you have not reset the unit (this applies to the newer units) to reset the unit... you simply push the lever right down to the bottom and then up it should stay up...it will not reset if you just try push it back up.

    If it resets and stays up then switch on the main switch only ...if it trips as you do this ...there is a good chance you have what we call a neutral fault (what they did in the video ) you then have to disconnect all the neutral conductors from the earth leakage neutral bar.

    if the earth leakage resets and stays up when you switch on the main switch ...then you start switching on the circuit breakers.
    Comments are based on opinion...not always facts....that's why people use an alias.

  6. #16
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    actually lets do talk about it... so I bump my car.

    Go to the panel beater for a quote... R55000.00 to replace the back door and the window.

    The assessor comes out to check the tyres and license disc is up to date (because if your tyres are worn or there is something not road worthy ...the claim is no longer entertained ...so a tip for you... make sure your tyres are good before an assessor arrives) ... scratches out some of the parts on the list...and the cost is now down to R30 000 ...a R25000 reduction in the price... sounds a bit like an electrician

    I make arrangements to drop off the vehicle for repairs and arrange that the vehicle will be ready for collection in 3 days.

    What i didnt know is the panel shop doesnt supply the goods anymore... the insurance company now supplies the parts...so they loose out on the markup...and dont blame them for throwing their hands in the air when the parts are not delivered on time.

    The panel beater is not involved in the replacement of the window... the insurance company makes a plan to get his "connection" to fit the window...so arrangements are made and confirmed via sms that they will be at the panel shop at 8 am on Friday morning.

    2.30 pm friday afternoon autoboys arrive... now the vehicle could not be completed in the time frame discussed and we have to sit and wait for 2 hours before the vehicle can be used ...to make matters even worse the window is not fitted right.

    To add to the wound the smash and grab is contracted out to another company...so now we have to make arrangements to get the vehicle back to the panel shop... we have to get autoboys to do their job right this time (by the way this is the 3 rd bad experience i have had out of 3 windows they have fitted) next time i pay the excess and get PG glass to do the job right first time... as the did with the first windscreen i had replaced...i am yet to experience a problem with PG glass... you may pay a little more but at the end of the day it certainly seems you get what you pay for... PG glass is more expensive but worth the excess.

    The lesson i learnt from this experience... you no longer make arrangements with the panel shop to sort out your vehicle... you get a quote from the panel shop to just do the spray painting and the rest is done by the insurance companies... supplying goods... fitting windows...smash and grab etc etc etc.
    Comments are based on opinion...not always facts....that's why people use an alias.

  7. #17
    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
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    I would bear in mind Carte Blanche producers do the final edits, not the folk interviewed. The potential for errors in continuity, especially highly technical ones, as a result of editing is extremely high.

    One problem is the visual is not always concurrent with the audio.
    The common example is that quick shot of the interviewer nodding her head might not have actually been taken at the same time as the audio which is of the interviewee making a point (that the interviewer happens to agree with).
    Similarly, a close-up of a device might not align with what the audio is saying, particularly if it wasn't originally taken at the same time as the audio...
    And the content most often is not shot in the same order as it is finally presented.

    It's a show. The producers are trying to convey a message. And there are all kinds of manipulations done to achieve "reality".

  8. #18
    Platinum Member Derlyn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ians View Post
    another fact:



    If it resets and stays up then switch on the main switch only ...if it trips as you do this ...there is a good chance you have what we call a neutral fault (what they did in the video ) you then have to disconnect all the neutral conductors from the earth leakage neutral bar.


    I disagree with the above statement.

    Even with a neutral fault, the earth leakage relay will not trip with the load circuit breakers turned off.

    The earth leakage detects an imbalance in current between the live and neutral and cannot do this without a load present.

    However

    If it trips when switching on the main switch only, then the chances are 100% that the earth leakage is faulty.


    Off the original topic, I know, but had to respond.

    Cheers and peace out
    Derek

  9. #19
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    Well in Cape Town we also have our share of crooks.
    There is no fast answer to how you can overcome this problem.
    You cant take everyone as crooks, but i always say to the customer get recommendations and
    If possible for another call out fee, get a second opinion.

    Another issue i have is the stupid (in My personal opinion the COC form.) There should be less stuff and forms to fill in, like one page.

  10. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave A View Post
    I would bear in mind Carte Blanche producers do the final edits, not the folk interviewed. The potential for errors in continuity, especially highly technical ones, as a result of editing is extremely high.

    One problem is the visual is not always concurrent with the audio.
    The common example is that quick shot of the interviewer nodding her head might not have actually been taken at the same time as the audio which is of the interviewee making a point (that the interviewer happens to agree with).
    Similarly, a close-up of a device might not align with what the audio is saying, particularly if it wasn't originally taken at the same time as the audio...
    And the content most often is not shot in the same order as it is finally presented.

    It's a show. The producers are trying to convey a message. And there are all kinds of manipulations done to achieve "reality".
    If you are going to destroy a persons income... you should also be liable for your mistakes.
    Comments are based on opinion...not always facts....that's why people use an alias.

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