Advice please

[ziggy95]

Hi,
Try and keep this as brief as possible.
We had an old bakerlite fuse board since we moved into our house some 16 years ago. An extension was built and the builders at the time the extra wires to this board rather than replace it as we were later told they should have, so it was something we always intended to get done, but money is always short and something else took priority.

Anyway prior to Xmas our gas boiler failed and we've had to rely on electric heaters since, then a couple of weeks ago the power went off and I heard a pop as it did from the fuse board.

Called out EDF hoping it was the main fuse but the chap said the board had fried and there was nothing he could do. He advised that we needed an 8 way 100amp with 30ma RCD main consumer unit and upgrade tails. Basically a cold and dark night ensued and next day up early we started to phone around local sparkies for someone to come and change the board.

After no luck one said he knew someone who could do it but he himself we have to come round later to test and sign it off because the other chap wasn't registered.

So being desperate we agreed, the other chap came round phoned through the board order to the wholesaler which we paid for £100.00 odd he then spent a good 5-6 hours installing and charged £250.00.

The main sparky has since phoned to come round and do the testing etc and said it will cost us a further £150.00 for this, so that's a total of £500.00.

I just want to get views on whether than seems about right as I'm pretty sure the EDF guy said to get the board he recommended installed including certs would be around £250.00 all in.

Thanks in advance

 

[ban-all-sheds]

The EDF estimate was on the low side, but you had two people do the job of one, so it's going to cost you more.

And what's going on is illegal, BTW - the second guy can't certify that he did the work when clearly he did not, so the LABC notification will be fraudulent.

//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:part-p

 

[wingcoax]

I would have thought around £300-£350 and 3hours for a board that size

 

[Johnmelad502]

Get the spark around to do his testing, get the certificate and then ask for a discount. When he asks why he should give a discount, tell him if it's a good discount you won't tell the LABC what he has done. He might even say we'll call it quits.

 

[oharaf]

Cannot believe you could not find a registered spark in Essex who could not do that job and Test and Certify it.!!!

You have paid the price in more ways than one.

dead simple, 1 spark does and signs his work off, not someone elses

 

[ziggy95]

Thanks everyone.

The problem we had was that it went on a Friday night so it was Saturday morning when we were trying to get someone to do the job that day. We need electricity for cooking as well as heating, then there's the freezer fish tank etc etc and have 2 kids so needed to get it done ASAP.

The sparks who suggested the young lad to do the fitting was busy so suggested the other do the fitting and he do the testing later on but at least we'd have power again.

The fitting took quite a few hours and was short notice so I suppose £250 wasn't bad, but we were expecting a lot less than £150 for the testing bearing in mind it was his mate who did the work.