Demand Letter

[ban-all-sheds]

If, indeed, it was damaged at all.

Well, yes.

But were I in the OP's shoes I think I'd be minded to leave the contractor to argue about that, and simply pass everything over to them.

 

[motorbiking]

via an email back with contact info.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Is there a risk that the contractor might play hardball? The DNO are going after the property owner, and the contractor might simply say "we did not damage it - nothing to do with us", leaving him having to take action against them, possibly defended by their insurer's legal team.

 

[Lectrician]

Do you get the feeling the OP damaged the cable doing the work himself, or it was a family friend? I can’t see any other reason why the OP is worrying himself and trying to deal with this. Hand it over to the person who was carrying out the work. Simple.

If the contractor damaged your car, your window, your gate post - you would expect them to sort the damage out at their cost. Why is this different?

 

[motorbiking]

not withstanding any statute to the contrary the claimant must prove its claim against the person it believes negligently damaged the cable.

 

[Sid1968]

No!!! lectrician i did not nor did a family friend damage the cable. If it was damaged by myself or a family friend i would have been honest about it.
I posted this topic so i can opinions how to deal with it

 

[Doggit]

Have you spoken to the contractor about this Sid

 

[Sid1968]

Iv sent him a screenshot of the bill.
I can assure you even before the contractor the cable was sticking out of the ground. He is the one who advised me to to ring up the distributor to make safe.
Feel a bit unfair laying it on the contractor

 

[Doggit]

Well you're not laying it on the contractor are you. If neither of you caused any damage, then neither of you have done anything wrong, and the bills not a valid one.

But to re-iterate (and without having to go back through all the posts); were you on site when the contractor discovered the cable, and did you see the work the electricians did.

It's a bit odd that there's been a live cable sticking out of the ground, as someone would have touched it by now, and it would have sparked when it rained. If we accept that the cables on your land, and so couldn't have been damaged when the supposed fence was replaced, is it possible that the bill was for linking the two lamp posts because the cable was on your land, but they did that work at a later date, hence the bill turned up later than the initial job.

 

[Sid1968]

When i say it was sticking out it was looped out open end buried if that makes sense.
What i will do is ask for evidence and clearly state that i will not be paying!!!!! And see what happens

 

[aesmith]

So will the contractor give a witness statement describing the cable as found (ie a cable end not properly terminated), and/or describing the works carried out by the DNO (ie putting a proper termination onto the end and reburying?

 

[Doggit]

What i will do is ask for evidence and clearly state that i will not be paying

I'd adjust that idea slightly, and firstly tell them what happened, then ask them to justify why they've sent you an invoice for work that wasn't done, and then tell them you won't be paying the invoice, as you're not liable for anything. Query why the invoice was raised 2 months after the initial work was done, and then suggest it looks like this was remedial work to remove the dead leg on your garden, and that you're not liable for that.

 

[stillp]

Have you taken legal advice?

 

[motorbiking]

You don’t need to refuse to pay yet.

When someone sends you a bill making a claim you start by asking that someone making a claim to state the basis on which they say they are entitled to make a claim

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I so hate threads, where there is no final conclusion. Its like a book with the last page missing