NICEIC Certification Scheme NICEIC Rant

[cakey]

Cakey - I should be more like that, I'm crap at complaining! It's like if you complain about your starter in a restaurant, I worry that my main cousre will then be laced with the chef's special sauce or the like!

I feel that if I complain, he might be even more picky and horrible next time.

I don't do biscuits but i do make him a cuppa like I would anyone who is visiting my house (I work based from home).

Thanks everyone for your posts so far, some funny ones too!

I agree with you about complaining in restaurants..... Always a last resort. And I too make tea and if there are any digestives about he can have them too because I'm a nice guy but not so it might mean he won't pick on me so much. As said above we are the customer and come to think of it never mind tea and biscuits id like a few gifts from them on thier visit to keep my custom. A nice pen maybe or a Christmas card like the the bank give me. What u reckon?

 

[jedisparks]

For me it's just about treating people the way you would like to be treated, basic manners one man to another, whether I'm paying or not. If someone thinks it should be moved then go for it, I'm not worried who sees it, no names mentioned anyway. I'm also perfectly happy with being picked up on there is anything wrong with my work, that's the whole point isn't it.

 

[Dave 85]

Get yourself down elecsa/ECA mate, they're all nice as pie, easy going, only want 1 small assessment job which you can choose and generally just leave you to get on with it and treat you like the proffessional that you are.

 

[jedisparks]

I agree with you about complaining in restaurants..... Always a last resort. And I too make tea and if there are any digestives about he can have them too because I'm a nice guy but not so it might mean he won't pick on me so much. As said above we are the customer and come to think of it never mind tea and biscuits id like a few gifts from them on thier visit to keep my custom. A nice pen maybe or a Christmas card like the the bank give me. What u reckon?

Gifts?! yeah that would be nice but i'll settle for be treated as an equal instead of like a dog turd.

 

[jedisparks]

Get yourself down elecsa/ECA mate, they're all nice as pie, easy going, only want 1 small assessment job which you can choose and generally just leave you to get on with it and treat you like the proffessional that you are.

I will certainly give them a look nd maybe a phone call. I'm genuinely interested in other people's experiences with other scheme providers.

Thanks for that

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Stroma are £245 all in.

 

[saveloy]

Stroma are £245 all in.

At last someone who can break the monopoly.

 

[RWJ]

Are you on the DI or AC scheme.. Remember the DI engineers are often experienced local AC's paid by the NICEIC to do assessments.

He might have a chip on his shoulder about you being competition.

The guy who does the DI assessments round here (Scott) has his own electrical firm (and is an AC).... He's a nice guy for the record.. although I've never met him in a professional capacity.

 

[UNG]

Having been on both sides of being assessed and being the assessor I can understand that personalities can react but there are some that are so far up the darkside.

I did some assessing of workshops for the National Caravan Councils Approved Workshop Scheme a while ago and it can work both ways had a site whose arrogance while trying to book the visit on the phone didn't bode well for a good visit, the notes on the previous assessment visit for another site indicated an attitude problem with the workshop manager and other people mentioned his arrogance, during my visit there was no problem and he couldn't have been more polite. On another site I had to be very insistent on seeing all the documentation which due to their filing system was mislaid or misfiled and also not having on open display in the waiting area the mandatory documents required by the AWS made me possibly appear aggressive towards them as I insisted that this needed to be sorted to receive a favourable assessment

On the other side I have in other businesses been assessed by the NICEIC, SSAIB and various other bodies and never had a problem with the people they have sent out

I have often thought that it would be useful if you had to fill in a questionnaire about your assessment and how well the assessor did

 

[RWJ]

I have often thought that it would be useful if you had to fill in a questionnaire about your assessment and how well the assessor did

I like it!!!!

We should lobby the schemes

 

[Geordie Spark]

Despite your clearly a Geordie, i cant read what your typing without straight away going into Glasgow mode.

Aye, well .......... there's not much difference ..... Weegies are like Geordies but with the brain kicked oot !!!

(the Weegies tell it the other way round though!!)

 

[wade88]

Aye, well .......... there's not much difference ..... Weegies are like Geordies but with the brain kicked oot !!!

(the Weegies tell it the other way round though!!)

Both however are responsible for 95% of Britains fake tan consumption....

 

[41steve]

I remember on my first assessment 11yrs ago. One job was a smoke detector off a local lighting cct. he said it should be on ist own cct. i showed him the onsite guide which proved him wrong.

i even gave a good reason, the circuits tend to be turned off in the student houses i was working in.

he got his own back as he recommended i do the 2400 and 2391 courses even though the the day went well and the testing was ok.

i already had my B&C Cert and HNC.

its best to agree with them, they just want the brownie points when they forward thier reports!!

 

[malcolmsanford]

What was that assessment for Steve back in 2001/2

 

[wildgoose]

My colleague is with the NICEIC and like you, an experienced Spark. He has had similar concerns with his assessments and is now considering moving to another scheme provider - an easy process because the new provider will assist with it!!

I don't have any problems myself with ECA/Elecsa. Have to say they are very helpful, polite and reasonable. Probably this is why the combined membership of ECA/Elecsa is growing at a healthy rate year on year??

Also heard favourable feedback about Napit too!!

 

[Dave 85]

The thing I always hear is that NIC is there for the clients benefit, ECA is for the contaractors. I know quite a few self employed electricians and they're all Elecsa registered (as am I). I think full ECA registration is now every bit as recognised as full NIC when it comes to big commercial jobs (so I've heard).

 

[41steve]

To be a member of the NIC.

 

[High Tower]

I had Bob Sanders, senior district engineer, he is the boss man, he's above the rest of them. He couldn't have been kinder or more down to earth, even made conversation to try and put me at ease and calm my nerves. He diddnt make a fuss when my nerves made me overlook glaringly obvious mistakes with my testing that I carried out while he was there, such as not disconnecting the main earth while testing Ze.

I couldn't have been happier with the assessment, my only grip is that head office is useless and SLOW!!

 

[41steve]

The thing I always hear is that NIC is there for the clients benefit, ECA is for the contaractors. I know quite a few self employed electricians and they're all Elecsa registered (as am I). I think full ECA registration is now every bit as recognised as full NIC when it comes to big commercial jobs (so I've heard).

Well said Dave

 

[lurch]

I'm with Elecsa, and can only highly recommend. The Inspector is fine, courteous and we have a chat about righting the worldsd wrongs before commencing the assessment. If theres an issue he points it out and "suggest" a remedy in order not to put a corrective action in place, if there is a choice. The support team on the end of a phone are quick and extremely helpful.

Its now the 21st century and there is absolutely no need to have little Hitlers roaming around under the guise of the NIC. There no harm in good manners.

Have a look around mate, gone are the days when the NIC had the monopoly, but there are still some inspectors that seem to think the NIC is the be all and end all.