Electrician cuts installed cables because they are dangerous!!

[Manator]

Hello Everyone, long time posting but it's a good one. 

My son-in-laws mother had a chip pan fire, she is in her 80's and very independent, as a result the kitchen had to be gutted and rewired. They asked my daughter if they wanted the house rewiring whilst the work was being undertaken as they could not afford it at the time they declined. Anyway the electrician has supplied and fitted a new consumer unit and installed outgoing circuits a 4mm radial for the kitchen sockets and a 6mm 32amp supply for the cooker. The kitchen  light is fed from an unswitched fuse spur in the attic. He has cut and left open the old kitchen light feed and switch and cut both the lighting circuit and the socket circuits. The house is now left with only power in the kitchen and the kitchen light.

I spoke to him via phone and told him he could not cut off the supply, he said "I think you will find that I can" so I asked him for what reason he said "because it is dangerous". This conversation went on with me asking for the insulation results for the existing circuits and what in his opinion was so dangerous. The conversation ended with him telling me to f off.

So they have left an uninhabitable property with what I can only describe as criminal damage. Now we have to wait until Monday to take it up with both the insurance company and the main contractor.  

 

[Badger]

Why would the spark just cut the wiring instead of trying to rectify the problem or at least leave the old circuits along and just install a new separate board just for the kitchen 

 

[Murdoch]

Call to Trading Standards ...................... and his scheme

Pillocks like this do more harm to the trade than bob the builder does.

 

[ProDave]

I assume this is the insurance paying and organising this? So THEY should sort it out?

 

[Manator]

I agree Prodave we will have to wait until Monday to get it resolved. I am just annoyed at being told to f off when I remained calm and just stated facts. He obviously underestimated my knowledge lol.

 

[Sharpend]

He probably had less knowledge than you and thus felt backed into a corner. 

Personally I’d take this up with the insurance company and the appropriate scheme, and I’d push for a full rewrite as you are not confident in this spark or builder to safely rectify the damage as done, only problem with that is that is possibly why he cut the cables in the first place and the insurance company will probably pay the same company and guy to retire it.  I’d fight against this though. 

Oh and good to see you back. 

 

[kerching]

I can see this getting 'messy,''

sit back, act numb, let him dig his huge hole then drop on him like a metric ton of dog faeces

 

[Andy™]

I can see this getting 'messy,''

sit back, act numb, let him dig his huge hole then drop on him like a metric ton of dog faeces

id do that too, let himself dig a deep hole then mention you know a lot more about electrics than he does

 

[Manator]

I am seriously going to ask the scheme providers if they think it is allowable to unleash these so called electricians onto the public given the fact that they clearly do not understand the regulations and the law. They were supposed to be getting the property ready this weekend for her to move back in. If he had left the cables in situ and not connected I could have lived with that, but to cut them so they could not be used is just so wrong.

 

[Tony S]

This is an old chestnut. As I recall an electrician (other than a DNO official) can not cut off a supply or parts of an installation as they have no legal right to do so. They can warn or issue an advisory danger notice, it’s then up to the householder to follow up on the warning.

Cutting the cables sounds like criminal damage to me.

PS. You don’t want to be there if a DNO engineer declares an installation unsafe, they turn in to Hitler’s twin brother.

 

[Rob.]

I would tend to agree with Tony here, he wasn't asked to work on those circuits. 

As he's just taken it upon himself to cut them, rather than leave them disconnected. I'd be looking at criminal damage. 

Did he give you any test results in the end? 

 

[Manator]

No test certificates issued as yet Rob. However I have Sidewinder on side and I would hate to see the outcome when he has finished with him lol

 

[kerching]

However I have Sidewinder on side and I would hate to see the outcome when he has finished with him lol

I can see this not having the outcome that the other bloke envisaged

He WAS probably thinking he would get a nice rewire out of it

instead he will doubtlessly have to double  his toilet paper budget to account for the new orifice which he is about to have ripped

 

[steptoe]

never underestimate who you are working for,

I almost feel sorry for this bloke, I think he is about to get an education in electrickery,,,,,,,

 

[binky]

that is an untterly rediculous siutation. I serously doubt the insurance comany would want a customer without electric in the rest of the house. Ok so he probably needed to cap cables in the kitchen area but how hard is it to change a few fuses / MCBs if ccts have been altered from ring to radial and make safe ends?

 

[kerching]

Not knowing age/general health of your Mother BUT could you exploit the route of elderly/alone/vulnerable  when reporting this to the contractor/insurance company.  They will be non too happy at a policy holder being left in potential danger due to a pillock's actions

 

[rapparee]

Was he planning on coming back the following day to finish the job and just left the 'dangerous' circuits isolated for one night, or was this his job permanently fixed.

 

[binky]

I suspect he was just fishing for more work. We have neevr had the righ to power down dangerous ccts, unlike gas fitters, we have only ever had the right to advise of danger.

 

[Rob_the_rich]

Gas fitters don't have the right to disconnect. If an immediately dangerous situation is identified, we ask permission to disconnect. If refused then tell gas "dno" who do have the right of entry and disconnection.

 

[Rob.]

Disconnecting is one thing. Vandalising by cutting the cables is another thing in its entirety.

For all we know it could just be a couple of faulty accessories to blame.