Appliance engineer won't connect cooker

[hairyben]

Looked at an 8 year old inbuilt single oven the other day. Tripping RCD, insulation readings well down after short heating up test, had to disconnect so she could use hob.

Advised a new one, it wasn't an expensive brand, but said she could have it looked at- up to her.

Today I got a call. App engineer was telling her he couldn't test it cos it was disconnected. And he wasn't allowed to connect it. No evan temporarily.

Okay said I, stick a 13a plug on it. He say dodgy. I say yeah, but FFS you're only gonna temporary test and remove it. No says he, I don't carry plugs.

So we have a man who looks at appliances for a living, but can't connect (and presumably disconnect) them. How does he disassemble an oven thats hanging on a short lead? And what kind of appliance engineer doesn't carry 13a plugs FFS?

I think he summed it up when he said to me on the phone "I don't need this, I wanna go home, I've got things to do."

I left them with the client (a widow) discussing him talking her through connecting it herself.

I'm pondering ringing her back to see what transpired, and if he left wtithout doing anything but charging her advising she creates a fuss.

 

[jj4091]

Can't you fit a new element for her?

 

[hairyben]

Can't you fit a new element for her?

I don't get involved in appliances, you spend so much time running around finding some who sells the right part, going there and ordering it, going there to collect it, going to site and finding its the wrong part, taking it back and re-ordering, re-collecting, going back to fit, that you end up undercharging cos if you added it all up you'd be charging more than the cost of a new app half the time. Then the customer is still ungratefull cos they've waited so long. And thats assuming it is the element, if not then the fun really begins.

So yeah, I advise the pro's and cons of replace/repair leave it to people to contact a app engineer, often the manufacturers own service arm is a good place to try cos if anyone wants to prove their machine can be economically repaired (fit for purpose) it's them.

so, anyone got an opinion, is this guy straight from "cowboys from hell" or what?

 

[rocks1]

yep deffo a cowboy hes got to uplug it and put a megga on the plug/wires to check it ,and find whats shorting out .then hes got to take it apart to fit the faulty part/s .name and shame him he just wants a easy fix and charge the earth