Does my office require RCBO's (hence new DB)

[kevindgas]

robbing barsteward!! you should have phoned round and got estimates we would have charged 1/2 that!! unless it was really difficult then a bit more would have been added but i have never charged over £450


i wish i had customers that wanted to spend!!

I dont think its fair making this comment, this board is in a commercial environment and for all we know it could have been done out of hours.

There are too many variables.

whatever!!
OP didn't say it was out of hours! and we charge per the job not different if it is a councl house as opposed an office!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

The price for the job the electrician actually did may well have been a fair one.

But that's not the issue - the question is did he need to do that job, or was there a cheaper solution he should have discussed with his customer before going ahead with the more expensive one?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

we charge per the job not different if it is a councl house as opposed an office!

So you charge the same to replace a 3-phase DB in an office as you do to replace a CU in a council house?

How does that work then?

 

[kevindgas]

no. i don't work on 3 phase and if i did the labour rate would be the same materials are charged at cost plus 15%
the OP said its a 16way board not a 3 phase!
so stop picking holes like its a who's the best competition!! the OP asked and the reply given was in response to his question!

 

[londonboy]

...........
so stop picking holes like its a who's the best competition!! !

You said the electrician overcharged remember.

 

[comms]

No point arguing about it.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

no. i don't work on 3 phase and if i did the labour rate would be the same materials are charged at cost plus 15%

So the labour time and materials cost are the same for a 3-phase DB as for a CU in a council house?

And labour rates are the same out of hours as in normal hours?

No point denying that you think all those are the same because you called the electrician a robbing b*****d for charging £650 when you would have done it for ½ - ⅔ that because you charge per the job and it's not different if it is a council house as opposed an office.

the OP said its a 16way board not a 3 phase!

 

[browfish]

Thanks for all this.
the only alteration was to replace the lights fittins (wires above suspended ceiling) and instal a cleaners socker circuit (again wired aboe the ceiling and dropped down the walls in surface mounted mini trunking. There for i would conclude the board is not required.

I would have got more quotes however between me receiving their quote and saying no thanks, they had already fitted it. Looks like they may have donated a new board then.

thanks for your help

 

[SimonH2]

would have got more quotes however between me receiving their quote and saying no thanks, they had already fitted it. Looks like they may have donated a new board then.

I think you've summed it up there - they did work that you hadn't approved and therefore you have no contract under which they can demand payment. The other option of course is that they could put the old board back, but somehow I doubt they'll want to spend the manhours to do that.

Even if it was required to meet electrical regulations, they still didn't have the right to do the work and present you with the bill as a fait acompli. The only option they'd have had would have been to refuse to connect any new circuits if you weren't prepared to have the new board fitted.