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is this a bad business practice for an electrical company?

Former Community Member
Former Community Member
a little background here, our home is a newly refurbished home in 2017 and it passed all the electrical inspection when we buy the home. Recently we've got a new contractor to do an EICR for us. Then here are the issues, they came and did the inspection, after 2 weeks, they only sent us a second quote and didn’t give us any report nor mentioning any coding (c1,c2,c3) nor anything unsatisfactory. When I ask for the EICR report, they told me that the certificate will be given after completing the work on the second quote and which needs to be carried out within 28 days otherwise we could be fined a lot of money from the council…… THAT'S FRIGHTENING!


But from what I known, I don’t think the work on the list is mandatory and some of them not even electrical related (see the attached invoice)… At this point, I don’t know what was going wrong as it does not mention anything that is unsatisfactory and I certainly not sure the total £672 is correct.


Discussion:

- Is this a bad business practice? 

- Are the work listed are mandatory before giving the EICR?

- What should I do next? 

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  • 0
    Not another one! ?


    Please clarify whether the property has been let or not.


    If you have paid for an EICR, it must be delivered to you. If you have not paid, do not pay until you have the report.


    Some remediation may be required, but clearly you will need the report to obtain quotes for the work. There is absolutely no obligation to use the same electrician.


    Good luck!
  • 0
    That price for repairs seems rather a lot for the work involved. I would quote that list to be a one man one day job, and I would expect to do it a lot quicker, maybe 4 hours at most.

    Most of them are 'improvement required' I'd guess, some, like 'Fly leads to metal switches' are a bit strange, surely there is already a earth/cpc cable in the back box, which would make it a 2 minute job for each switch if they need to be moved form the back box to the switch plate.

    £11 to put a crimp on a 10mm cable and re-terminate it? 5 minutes, maybe 10 if access is not great.

    If you have paid for the EICR, then they should issue that, with the list of faults. 

    I'd be getting the certificate, then asking others to give a quote for the repairs.

    The price for the EICR doesnt seem too bad.
  • 0
    There is one positive here. It is a detailed invoice of works to be completed.

    The rest is negative

    Lets start with this one. EICR is a separate entity and paid for separately.

    Legh

  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    Thanks for your advice Chris, sadly I've already paid the company for the EIRC. 

    It's a property already let out, so tenants are in the house. 
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    Great to know that's negative, I'll definitely get the report from them first... 

    Here I've attached what they wrote to me when I ask for the EIRC... 

    I was quite shocked at first, why I need to pay extra before I even can see the EIRC report??? 

    28e787dc061e6bd753459b2618667f91-original-screenshot-2021-02-04-at-17.05.06.png

  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    Thanks Alan! Questions: if I ask the first company for the EICR, and they give me an unsatisfactory one, I get the 2nd company with a reasonable quote to do them. Do the first company still have to come back to check and give me a final report? or the second company amend the report and give me a new one? Do I have to pay the second company for EICR?
  • 0
    They cannot withhold the EICR. If they do not provide it and they are registered with one of the CPC schemes then make a formal complaint to them. 


    Get other contractors to provide you with a quotation to do the work. 


    No requirement for flying leads in back boxes if one of the lugs on the back box is fixed and metallic. 


    At at those prices I might brush the rust off my tools and do the job myself!
  • 0
    aielectrical:

    Thanks Alan! Questions: if I ask the first company for the EICR, and they give me an unsatisfactory one, I get the 2nd company with a reasonable quote to do them. Do the first company still have to come back to check and give me a final report? or the second company amend the report and give me a new one? Do I have to pay the second company for EICR?


    No, the original (unsatisfactory) report should list every defect - together with appropriate certificate(s) (e.g. minor works certificate) showing that each of the problems has been addressed, is quite sufficient. Sometimes (e.g. where further investigation was required and subsequently found not to be an issue) you don't even need a certificate - just some written confirmation from a companent person that the issue has been addressed.


       - Andy.


  • 0
    £72 to find the water stop tap?
  • 0
    Personally I would first ask for the report and if they can’t produce it ask for a refund. I can guarantee your get it put right (if it actually needs doing) a lot cheaper than this quote. Whereabouts is the property?

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