The great pat testing scam

[Kamikaze]

A dead give away is when the stickers are upside-down. Usually indicates the person has simply leant over the appliance without touching it.

 

[Adam W]

I did some PAT job which I was told all had to be done in a day because it had to be kept to budget.
There's me working my bottom off from 8am to 5pm, no breaks, pulling all the cables out to check them and get to the plugtops, where interestingly the previous tester hadn't stuck any of his stickers.
No fuse, wrong fuse, reverse polarity, plugtop on T&E... Missed those didn't ya sunshine?

 

[pattesting]

Hi I give 2 quotes one is for a full itemized list of all equipment with serial numbers and make and model fuse size and if changed what was one in it and any other repairs done and a certificate for each item.

Or a certificate just for all items tested with no full details done

 

[madmac]

This again is another example of the colleges and training providers making a quick buck by allowing any Tom,Dick or Harry do the C&G2377 and then tender for work as qualified Pat testers!!! when it was meant, as all of these courses were meant to be, as top up courses for experienced,qualified and competent electricians to get up to speed on the regulations and peculiarities of the job at hand.

 

[madmac]

Just been on a website for electrical qualifications and definitions.....and they are clearly saying that "domestic installer course" was simply to give kitchen fitters,plumbers,alarm engineers, etc a basic grasp of electrics so they could basically connect their equipment to a fcu! IT IN NO WAY WHATSOEVER DEEMS A DOMESTIC INSTALLER TO BE A COMPETENT ELECTRICIAN!!!
So all you guys that have paid thousands to these scam training providers and then believed their propaganda that you will be a qualified electrician have been lied to!!!

 

[Electricalserv]

Just been on a website for electrical qualifications and definitions.....and they are clearly saying that "domestic installer course" was simply to give kitchen fitters,plumbers,alarm engineers, etc a basic grasp of electrics so they could basically connect their equipment to a fcu! IT IN NO WAY WHATSOEVER DEEMS A DOMESTIC INSTALLER TO BE A COMPETENT ELECTRICIAN!!!
So all you guys that have paid thousands to these scam training providers and then believed their propaganda that you will be a qualified electrician have been lied to!!!

Madmac. No doubt you are correct in saying Domestic installers are not sparks. But the NICEIC are the only ones who call members Domestic Installers.

A Domestic Installer is someone who took a short course....Not to get mixed up with an electrician who works on domestics.

Btw the IET clearly state a DI with level 2 qualifications is not an electrician. A DI with a level 3 qualification is!

 

[madmac]

Btw the IET clearly state a DI with level 2 qualifications is not an electrician. A DI with a level 3 qualification is!

I also seen that and am now going to raise the issue with the union as the IET formerly the IEE have in the past not been able to clearly define what a competent person was and for them now with no consultation of the industry at large to declare that someone who completes a fast track training programme and then attains level 3 but may have no practical experience, is an "electrician" is quite honestly bordering on the laughable to say the least!

 

[Electricalserv]

Btw the IET clearly state a DI with level 2 qualifications is not an electrician. A DI with a level 3 qualification is!

I also seen that and am now going to raise the issue with the union as the IET formerly the IEE have in the past not been able to clearly define what a competent person was and for them now with no consultation of the industry at large to declare that someone who completes a fast track training programme and then attains level 3 but may have no practical experience, is an "electrician" is quite honestly bordering on the laughable to say the least!

Your right but how can you prove experience? From a previous employer? Well I'm sure that won't be as fool prrof as you think. Employers will be more than willing to lie for someones experience

 

[madmac]

Your right but how can you prove experience? From a previous employer? Well I'm sure that won't be as fool prrof as you think. Employers will be more than willing to lie for someones experience

I agree with you there mate, I wouldn't accept any word of mouth guarantee from a mob because the way this industry is at the moment there isn't an honest one amongst the whole shower! It brings me back to the tried and tested ways of proving experience and competency......Apprenticeship,adult trainee but basically any method where you gain your quals. and experience as a package and not one or the other, then when you get your grading and you want to jump around mobs you use the JIB/SJIB card/grading system as back up( not perfect either I admit), and you go to night school( as i have done on numerous occassions) to gain further qualifications in the industry that an employer will be looking for but over all it is a combination of all these things and not just quals. or someone saying you are experienced.

 

[alarm man]

Just been on a website for electrical qualifications and definitions.....and they are clearly saying that "domestic installer course" was simply to give ,alarm engineers, etc a basic grasp of electrics

cheers mac..:33: i know what you mean tho..:yesnod:

 

[DurhamSparky]

sorry to move off track a bit!!

why are we discussing the DI and electrician differences on a PAT testing thread!!

 

[alarm man]

sorry to move off track a bit!!

why are we discussing the DI and electrician differences on a PAT testing thread!!

because its not a iso 9000 thread..

 

[madmac]

Durhamsparky, look at what i wrote on 104.

 

[Mark_Burgess]

Durhamsparky, look at what i wrote on 104.

Then your post 105 took it off track.

As said wayyyyyyy back, tight fisted companies are getting the cheapest PAT testers in, all we can do is stick to what we do best and do a thorough job and sleep well at night.

 

[madmac]

Good on you Mark for keeping up the standard and I know I went off track a bit but it's all part of the bigger picture in our industry.

 

[gtrance]

Hi, I've read some of this thread with interest and have a couple of questions if that's okay. We run a furniture shop and every so often get a cold call from a pat testing company offering their services. Recently we accepted a quote from one company which was £50 + vat for up to 18 appliances and then 85 pence for every appliance there after. The up to 18 was agreed after we estimated we had about 15 appliances in our shop. Chap came round and tested each appliance by unplugging it, plugging it into a machine of some sort. Looking at the readout from the machine then plugging it back in and stickering it up. It took approx 1-2mins for each appliance. In the end he tested 13 appliances and was out in less than 30 minutes. I didn't notice any visual inspection as such nor do I know if he should have been doing more than what he did. Based on this information, does this sound like a quick rush job which wouldn't have been anywhere near thorough enough? If so, what exactly is the process for testing each appliance? Also, is £50 + vat about right for testing 13 appliances? I notice some of you mention you charge £2-£3 per appliance. Is this on top of a fixed callout fee or do you just expect to have a minumum number of appliances to do and therefore the job is worth it without a callout charge? Many Thanks Greg

 

[gtrance]

I did insert breaks between paragraphs in the above post but they don't seem to be working...

 

[i=p/u]

some have call out charge and some have minimum amount of appliances (under20) works in roundabouts.. yes he should do visual before testing as far as dismatle the plug, tugg at the flex etc... but what you have read some people arnt doing this as they seem it tests ok it is ok, but a test machine will not pick up some faults that a visual would..... if you read this thread yo'l see you dont always get what you pay for..

 

[Burnt Fingers]

We do £50 certificate Fee, plus Inventory fee of £50.00/100 appliances or £100/100+ appliances. Also charge for travel to site, and a basic £1.50 per item. Repairs range from £0.50 for a fuse to £30.00 for replacing a flex.

But no money can compensate for greasy, gross appliances in Fish and Chip shops..........

 

[Graeme Harrold]

Try a kebab house!!!!