MyBuilder and other Electricians support thread.

[spynage]

Hi

THIS POST IS FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF BRINGING LEGITIMATE ELECTRICIANS TOGETHER WHO HAVE PROFILES ON MYBUILDER RatedPeople AND OTHER SIMILAR WEBSITES.

Please kindly DO NOT post if you don't seek work this way.

I get the alot of my work on the MyBuilder.com online tradesperson website. As it's not possible to communicate directly with other electricians and tradespeople on there I wanted to create a space where we can communicate and share experiences. I've tried using the Q&A section on my builder but posts are heavily censored and moderated.

Please post below if you have a profile on any of the following review based sites : MyBuilder, Rated People, (more will be added if suggested)

What's really got my goat apart from having an answer heavily censored for posting links to products (was trying to give advice to a homeowner who was having a problem with their elderly mother randomly turning on light switches) was the following.

This is just an example. Its the dodgy profiles and fake reviews of other tradespeople I'm in competition with. It costs money when a potential customer shortlists you on mybuilder, so you don't want to be up against some cowboy who will do a shoddy job for half the price.

This profile has no less than 41 reviews in this month of December. The same amount as I have in about 2 years. They are mostly in pigeon English. This 'electrician' is also not registered with a competant persons scheme as far as I can see yet they have reviews for changing consumer units?

SEES: 98% Feedback, Electrician in London - https://www.mybuilder.com/profile/view/sees

(will add more as I see fit)

MyBuilder has already had various articles written about it in the media. It works for me this website that's all I can say. They're not however completely rigorous about fake reviews and qualifications. It doesn't seem necessary for instance that an electrician bidding for a job changing a consumer unit for instance be registered with a CPS scheme. I think they should.

There are many expamples as far as I can see. Lots of reviews in poor English. I'd like to put a list together of all these unregistered people with SPAM reviews. If you have any suggestions and if I'm allowed to I'll post them here.

Rated People and MyBuilder website profiles cause concern

A BBC journalist was able to advertise as a handyman on trusted trade sites despite no experience.

www.bbc.co.uk

Please get in touch.

Thanks

Spynage

 

[FatAlan]

I think the moral of the story is that from a consumer point of view it is still a luck dip as to the quality of the tradesmen the get. The trade sites are only in it to get as much cut as possible. If it still works for you then you carry on using them. What qualifications do you need to be a handyman?

 

[telectrix]

What qualifications do you need to be a handyman?

1. need to be able to hold a hammer by the butt end; paintbrush not by the bristles; and biggest of all.... a 4mm slotted screwdriver is not suitable for 10 x 3 pozi screw heads (but it does help to get 30 years of paint out).

 

[Pretty Mouth]

I am not registered with a CPS but still do notifiable work, including the occasional consumer unit change, using a 3rd party certifier to notify the work. It can be done legitimately.

What makes you certain that the profile you have linked to is not legitimate?

 

[Midwest]

I am not registered with a CPS but still do notifiable work, including the occasional consumer unit change, using a 3rd party certifier to notify the work. It can be done legitimately.

What makes you certain that the profile you have linked to is not legitimate?

Whats your mainstay of works, domestic, commercial or industrial? How much on average does your 3rd party charge you?

 

[Pretty Mouth]

Whats your mainstay of works, domestic, commercial or industrial?

Almost exclusively domestic

 

[Midwest]

Almost exclusively domestic

Edited my #5?

 

[Pretty Mouth]

Edited my #5?

Ah, I see. Initially, ~2 years ago, about £100 for a board change, and ~ £50 for say work in a bathroom. He would turn up and have me show him photos and all relevant tests. Now, peanuts. I don't think he charged me anything for the last 2 jobs. I work for him regularly, and as he says, I'm more rigorous in my testing and inspecting than he is.

 

[spynage]

I am not registered with a CPS but still do notifiable work, including the occasional consumer unit change, using a 3rd party certifier to notify the work. It can be done legitimately.

What makes you certain that the profile you have linked to is not legitimate?

41 reviews in this month alone is impossible. You can't win 41 jobs complete them in less than 25 days. I have 48 reviews after 4 + years although I don't use it exclusively. But I know what it takes. Do you have insurance btw for your work? But registered guarantees your insured and also that you have a minimum competancy.

 

[Baddegg]

I think you know the answers here mate........his prices are lower than yours, my builder couldn’t care less about what he charges as they still get they money....obviously not being cps registered saves him a fair few quid in silly things like scheme membership, notifications and testers and calibration etc.....I personally can’t stand these websites as you are potentially bidding for a job that’s already gone with no guarantee of even meeting the customer (even if you are shortlisted) and reassuring them why they need a tradesman such as yourself.....been said before but I’ll say it again.....it’s a race to the bottom on there ?

I don’t think it’s fair to put the fellas picture up on here either mate, I appreciate it’s already out in the public domain but he hasn’t chosen to be put on here in a detrimental light, if what he says in there is true then he is certainly more than competent to do the works and the fact he doesn’t mention cps membership may just be his choice as he understands most of the general public in the domestic arena have no idea what it means anyway ?

 

[Pretty Mouth]

41 reviews in this month alone is impossible. You can't win 41 jobs complete them in less than 25 days. I have 48 reviews after 4 + years although I don't use it exclusively. But I know what it takes. Do you have insurance btw for your work? But registered guarantees your insured and also that you have a minimum competancy.

Sure I have insurance, why wouldn't I have it? Do you think there is a requirement to be registered with a CPS to take out insurance?

Incidentally, the guy that signs off my work, time served with 15 years experience, got 75% on his recent 18th edition exam. This compared to my 98%, exam only, no update course. When he gets any tricky fault finding, or he changes a board without searching for borrowed neutrals on the stairwell beforehand, or he needs any work involving water doing, have yourself a guess who he calls. So you're right, being registered guarantees minimum competency.

Your competition appears to be well qualified according to his profile. How do you know he's not registered with a CPS? I thought it was one of the requirements of these sites, for electricians to be registered.

 

[spynage]

I think you know the answers here mate........his prices are lower than yours, my builder couldn’t care less about what he charges as they still get they money....obviously not being cps registered saves him a fair few quid in silly things like scheme membership, notifications and testers and calibration etc.....I personally can’t stand these websites as you are potentially bidding for a job that’s already gone with no guarantee of even meeting the customer (even if you are shortlisted) and reassuring them why they need a tradesman such as yourself.....been said before but I’ll say it again.....it’s a race to the bottom on there ?

I don’t think it’s fair to put the fellas picture up on here either mate, I appreciate it’s already out in the public domain but he hasn’t chosen to be put on here in a detrimental light, if what he says in there is true then he is certainly more than competent to do the works and the fact he doesn’t mention cps membership may just be his choice as he understands most of the general public in the domestic arena have no idea what it means anyway ?

I don't agree. I don't think I'm loosing out on price particularly. I know after 8+ years using review sites its impossible to get 40+ reviews in less than a month. It doesn't need to be a race to the bottom if your competing with people on your level who are genuine. If people take the reviews seriously why shouldn't you be awarded work based on your feedback? Also you assume there is a shortage of work available driving down prices. In my area that doesn't seem to be the case.

Your right alot of the general public don't understand what CPS means, but maybe they should. MyBuilder has a good FAQ for homeowners on what to expect from an electrician. Plenty of my customers ask for certificates but your right most don't.

 

[spynage]

Sure I have insurance, why wouldn't I have it? Do you think there is a requirement to be registered with a CPS to take out insurance?

Incidentally, the guy that signs off my work, time served with 15 years experience, got 75% on his recent 18th edition exam. This compared to my 98%, exam only, no update course. When he gets any tricky fault finding, or he changes a board without searching for borrowed neutrals on the stairwell beforehand, or he needs any work involving water doing, have yourself a guess who he calls. So you're right, being registered guarantees minimum competency.

Your competition appears to be well qualified according to his profile. How do you know he's not registered with a CPS? I thought it was one of the requirements of these sites, for electricians to be registered.

I ask becasue there's no guarantee that you have insurance. Being on a CPS scheme should let a homeowner know you are guaranteed to be insured. Why don't you get registered anyway? Sounds like you may even save some money of your paying him. Doesn't it get awkward with clients when they ask for certification?

 

[Baddegg]

I don't agree. I don't think I'm loosing out on price particularly. I know after 8+ years using review sites its impossible to get 40+ reviews in less than a month. It doesn't need to be a race to the bottom if your competing with people on your level who are genuine. If people take the reviews seriously why shouldn't you be awarded work based on your feedback? Also you assume there is a shortage of work available driving down prices. In my area that doesn't seem to be the case.

Your right alot of the general public don't understand what CPS means, but maybe they should. MyBuilder has a good FAQ for homeowners on what to expect from an electrician. Plenty of my customers ask for certificates but your right most don't.

Why is it impossible to get 40+ reviews?....how many people work for the firm?......let’s face it the vast majority of the general public are now onto these sites and understand a percentage of the reviews are bogus, most of the small callout/little jobs I pickup are purely because I was the first to respond....which reinforces my point that on that site you are possibly throwing your money away as they “sell” the lead to (they say 3) realistically it’s probably much higher number of tradesman

 

[Pretty Mouth]

I ask becasue there's no guarantee that you have insurance. Being on a CPS scheme should let a homeowner know you are guaranteed to be insured. Why don't you get registered anyway? Sounds like you may even save some money of your paying him. Doesn't it get awkward with clients when they ask for certification?

If I say I have insurance when I haven't, then I'm committing fraud. Any client can see a copy of my insurance documents if they ask to, which is as good a guarantee as any.

My 3rd party guy doesn't even visit the site now. I send him the EIC, he notifies it and bills me a token amount. I'm very lucky really, because for the amount of notifiable work i do, it's cheaper and a whole lot less hassle than being registered myself. My business perhaps lacks the prestige that comes with having eg. the NICEIC logo, but most people don't care. I get asked very rarely, and to my knowledge, I have only lost work once due to not being registered. I did go for registration earlier this year, but that's another thread...

Blue Flame Certification - Review

In addition to the 4 main, well known competent persons schemes (NICEIC, ELECSA, NAPIT and STROMA), there is apparently another, lesser known option: You can (allegedly) register with Blue Flame Certification and notify all your notifiables through them. I attempted to register with them...

www.electriciansforums.net

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

I used mybuilder when going alone to get more online presence and have done maybe a dozen jobs in 3 years on there. always quick local ones. You are competing against some dubious outfits and the website only want you to buy leads and make them money. Rated People much the same, I was on there as I managed to wrangle a free membership at an expo and when i rang to cancel they extended it, still actually have £30 of free credit to use but not bothered.
I am on checkatrade and i know some people dont like it or the several hundred quid in fees. from my perspective its worked. it brings in several thousand of work each year and in 2020 I have had numerous well paid jobs from there I wouldn't have got elsewhere. for £13 a month on top I can have my company in the local directory sent to thousands of homes, I cant even get leaflets printed for that cost and again it works., I get numerous jobs from it. Customers search for a tradesperson by area and decide who to contact and I find they like the process.
Looking at the accounts over £9k of work was directly from checkatrade this year. as long as the figures work out I will stay on there.
its a similar thing for a plumber i know, he gets numerous boiler replacements from the site and swears by it.