Aggressive electrician demanding payment...what do we do?

[Midwest]

I'm not quite sure why you are asking for legal advice on an electrical forum and how we can help there. You clearly are unhappy with the situation (do you need electrical advice on that?), and as suggested, seek legal advice about the situation from someone who is qualified to give such advice.

I'm not quite sure the police would be vaguely interested in such a contractual situation, unless this guy is using threatening behaviour or is doing something criminal, of which on the face of it is not.

 

[Darkwood]

I don't think the OP is asking for legal advice here, just responding to comments made, I think like expressed this is been a very rough ride and they wanted to get some feed back from other electricians, when angry people shout loud it can be intimidating and make you question your own position and rights ... it is clear this character is one of the bad apples in our industry and sounds like they have anger management issues to boot.

 

[Midwest]

If you try and make a complaint with Stroma, I think you will find they will not intervene on contractual issues, they will only do so if it is about the standard of electrical installation etc.

In any case they first suggest you give the contractor the opportunity to correct things, but this doesn't appear to be the issue.

 

[Midwest]

I don't think the OP is asking for legal advice here, just responding to comments made, I think like expressed this is been a very rough ride and they wanted to get some feed back from other electricians, when angry people shout loud it can be intimidating and make you question your own position and rights ... it is clear this character is one of the bad apples in our industry and sounds like they have anger management issues to boot.

Well, thats got it off the OP's chest. Next port of call is CAB or a solicitor or even get the guy back to complete the contract he was employed for, but under more stricter an profiled conditions; perhaps the later is something member's could give guidance on?

 

[arbymeadows]

One thing which has not been mentioned, there are always two sides to an argument and we have only heard one. I am not suggesting the OP is lying, but I have been in a similar situation where I had to walk off site because the customer kept altering things and the costs escalated, so maybe there could be some misunderstanding, as Murdoch mentioned in his reply, perhaps the way forward is communication first in a friendly manner, then go from there, we have no idea what the sparks side of the story is.

Absolutely! There have certainly been adjustments made.

• We originally agreed to have a table in the workshop area fitted with plug sockets - but he informed us the table would have to be fitted in to the floor, and it just wasn't feasible, so we decided not to do that. We therefore moved the three sockets that were going to be in the table to various places around the room (two on the wall, one on the ceiling).
• We added one more radiator upon his advice (which we purchased).
• We asked him to move one pendant light, after he ignored the plan and put it in the way of the projector.
• We asked him to move plug sockets out of the way of the sink, after he ignored the plan and put plug sockets all along the kitchen counter.
• We mentioned installing a dimmer switch instead of a conventional light switch (mentioned, it was never done).

But, all of this work was literally completed last week - it hasn't hindered his time scale at all. He has spent over a month coming in for an hour or two every few days, to fiddle around. It took him three weeks to hang the pendant lights. Our changes have been minor, and most were the result of his poor work in the first place.

It took two weeks to even get him in to the door, so we were just eager to get the work started. We've ignored a lot of work he's done wrong (hand dryer, plug sockets, pendants in the wrong place) because we have just been desperate to move in and stop paying rent on two places. I think he misunderstands us as correcting his work as us being indecisive. He fails to acknowledge his wrong doings and quickly points blame.

I could totally understand his frustration if we'd been at all indecisive or demanding, but we created a plan, and had a very strict budget, so there was little movement on our end anyway.

 

[arbymeadows]

I'm not quite sure why you are asking for legal advice on an electrical forum and how we can help there. You clearly are unhappy with the situation (do you need electrical advice on that?), and as suggested, seek legal advice about the situation from someone who is qualified to give such advice.

I'm not quite sure the police would be vaguely interested in such a contractual situation, unless this guy is using threatening behaviour or is doing something criminal, of which on the face of it is not.

I'm not asking for legal advice - I've had no experience with this kind of work before, and had no idea if this was typical. I wanted to get some guidance on his behaviour from others in his field before I took it further and sought legal advice. This forum has been so helpful, and I really thank everyone so much for that.

 

[buzzlightyear]

we need the other party to tell us their side before we condemn him .
on hear say .

 

[buzzlightyear]

I'm not asking for legal advice - I've had no experience with this kind of work before, and had no idea if this was typical. I wanted to get some guidance on his behaviour from others in his field before I took it further and sought legal advice. This forum has been so helpful, and I really thank everyone so much for that.

first I would have gone to the citizen advice to tell you how to go on .I'm not hear to judge a person until the other party has spoken .I'm out .

 

[buzzlightyear]

just to say if you have signed a contract well all being good if not
tuff .

 

[Octopus]

He's been emailing/texting me all day asking for the 'interim payment', telling me that I've created a 'nightmare' for him by asking him to provide proof of purchase for the materials.

That's odd too - surely he has invoices from his supplier ...... even if such invoices include parts for other jobs its not too hard to cross them off .

 

[Midwest]

I'm not asking for legal advice - I've had no experience with this kind of work before, and had no idea if this was typical. I wanted to get some guidance on his behaviour from others in his field before I took it further and sought legal advice. This forum has been so helpful, and I really thank everyone so much for that.

As someone has already said, there are always two sides to an argument.

I think if you can, you need to arrange a site meeting with this chap, inform him of your disappointment & disquiet over his work, and come up with some proposals & a timeline for completion.

Otherwise, seek legal advice & prepare for a small claims court procedure, possibly.

 

[Strima]

As he is a scheme member you also need to ask him for a copy of his complaints procedure. Whether he provides this or not is irrelevant but his scheme would not want to be involved unless all avenues of resolution with him have been explored.

 

[simpson93]

He probably doesn’t want to show you the materials cost as he has added a load on for himself.

 

[simpson93]

If there are contracts of sorts and time scales in place, if you can pay someone else to do the work and then take him to small claims.

 

[buzzlightyear]

If there are contracts of sorts and time scales in place, if you can pay someone else to do the work and then take him to small claims.

how many times that sparks been on this forum trying to claim moneys from clients not paying. lots .so I have no sympathy for them people saying a spark has turned me over tuff. hard world is it .

 

[simpson93]

how many times that sparks been on this forum trying to claim moneys from clients not paying. lots .so I have no sympathy for them people saying a spark has turned me over tuff. hard world is it .

Bit of a bleak outlook on things, don’t have to sympathise with either side. but if either party has been wronged it should be sorted especially if they have evidence to defend there case.

I think in most cases the threat of going threw courts would scare most people into getting there act togeather.

I had done a customers lighting recently, landscaper redoing decking pathways etc to the sum of 26k and the workmanship was terrible bendy decking path falling to pieces refused to correct his work. All going threw courts at the moment. To say tuff would be abit too much of a kick In the teeth.

 

[Nigel]

If any of the work includes the following:

1. Electrical work within a bathroom or shower room.
2. New consumer unit (fuse box)
3. Adding a new circuit (This means taking a new cable from the fuse box)

then it means the work is notifiable to the building authorities which he should be dealing with. If so then he should be with a 'scheme', in which case he HAS to have a complaints procedure. Ask him for his complaints procedure in writing, take photos of all the work, record calls made to/from him.

I know this doesn't sound much but if it does go to court then it shows you have gone about things in the right way.

I don't know the legal implications of not paying someone, but if he is threatening you and clearly over charging then I really can't see that you are expected to pay. If he becomes too aggressive then you call the police..... or ask MDJ (above) to step in as he would scare me off!

Sorry but this is a completely pointless bit of advice.

 

[buzzlightyear]

Thier Are two sides of the coin on this story .and only from one side
if the story is true then i will stick my arms up high .

 

[telectrix]

Thier Are two sides of the coin on this story .and only from one side
if the story is true then i will stick my arms up high .

what. in that bloody spacesuit? surprised you can manage to lift a beer.

 

[Pete999]

what. in that bloody spacesuit? surprised you can manage to lift a beer.

Have difficulty spelling Beer as well I would imagine Tel, joke Buzz just messing with you.