Gavin John Hyde

-
Esteemed
Arms
Patron
Just gone along the road to screwfix to pick up a click and collect order for tomorrow before they close. Place usually like a ghost town this time of night.
However, There is a lady at the counter with a pile of stuff including a small consumer unit, a box of sockets, switches etc and some twin and earth. She is having a conversation with the guy behind the counter who is being more than helpful in selling her all the bits and discussing her planned job.
She intends to wire up her shed with power and lights now spring is coming and is doing it herself. I know most of the staff in the store and he says to her you need somebody like him (me), she says how much would it be? I said ball park figure depending on cable run and the condition of existing stuff, clipped direct/conduit? etc.. £500+ if it involves a long supply cable and rod.
She said thats far too much and she is going to carry on doing it herself! I said I hope you are going to notify it and test it afterwards. Her response was a classic... My partner will help if i get stuck!! Is he an electrician? No hes a teacher! , what about yourself? Oh, I am a community mental health nurse!
Surely there comes a point with these stores where they have to stop people being a risk to themselves and others in buying things they dont really understand... She might have read a book and watched youtube but is not competent to do the job.
I have long thought that certain stuff should be restricted and only available to people in the trade and qualified or accredited somehow.
 
Whilst not disagreeing with the safety aspect of wiring or gas installations by unqualified people, I always find it strange that no mention is made of the ability of anyone to buy car brake or steering parts, and to fit them. Surely the danger risk is far greater, potentially many people injured or killed as oppossed to one. Also how many safety minded qualified electricians use their phone, eat or drink whilst driving? A high number I'c guess, but of course that 8s suitably forgotten.
 
That aussie firm who have taken over homebase give out free hotdogs on a sunday in Oz. I am hoping they do the family sizzle events in teh uk, but suspect it will attract the wrong crowd! should offer it to people spending x amount only. you wouldnt mind homebase prices then if you get a hotdog!
With the new owners taking a £584M write down on the business I don't think that will happen.

The trouble in the UK is you just get the scum abusing it, look at the Black Friday event a few years back with people going mad for sh!te TV's or the opening of the new Ikea store in Enfield.
 
With the new owners taking a £584M write down on the business I don't think that will happen.

The trouble in the UK is you just get the scum abusing it, look at the Black Friday event a few years back with people going mad for sh!te TV's or the opening of the new Ikea store in Enfield.
When they bought the company it turns out homebase had millions of quids worth of stock sitting in warehouses they had forgot about, i learnt this as when in a store i asked what the heck they were doing with spice girls wallpaper in 2017! they said then about the old stock and how this mountain of plastic storage boxes was part of it and thats why they are so cheap - they had sat in a warehouse for close to a decade. they have turned some homebase stores (mainly small dated ones with short leases) into clearance stores where this random stock goes to be sold cheap, they are then going to close some warehouses as they are surplus to requirements. the random stuff ranges from fittings, storage stuff, tools and furniture. its a case of what they find next in the warehouse. I bought a new light fitting that had a faded old homebase logo on the outside for a tenner, back in 2009 when on sale it was £49.99, so cant complain
 
When they bought the company it turns out homebase had millions of quids worth of stock sitting in warehouses they had forgot about, i learnt this as when in a store i asked what the heck they were doing with spice girls wallpaper in 2017! they said then about the old stock and how this mountain of plastic storage boxes was part of it and thats why they are so cheap - they had sat in a warehouse for close to a decade. they have turned some homebase stores (mainly small dated ones with short leases) into clearance stores where this random stock goes to be sold cheap, they are then going to close some warehouses as they are surplus to requirements. the random stuff ranges from fittings, storage stuff, tools and furniture. its a case of what they find next in the warehouse. I bought a new light fitting that had a faded old homebase logo on the outside for a tenner, back in 2009 when on sale it was £49.99, so cant complain
The HB in Earls Court was demolished and the are being turned in to flats the one in W12 is closing down in the next year or so and flats are being built on the plot, who the f!!ck will want to live in a flat on the side of the A40?
 
and this is how it sounds at home . mind you, Anfield has gone downbank, even allowing Geordies in these days.

if you look closely, that's me, the guy in the middle, just behind the "play" arrow
 
If there were restrictions on selling to non trade, we wouldn’t have DIY Dave to laugh at. And subsequently half the posts on this this forum wouldnt exist.
It keeps life interesting when you find a shambolic installation.
 
I wonder if Dan could tell us if on the plumber's forum they have all this debate regarding DIY gas jobs?Maybe a staff member could bring this question to his attention it would be interesting to know with their gas safe.
 
I wonder if Dan could tell us if on the plumber's forum they have all this debate regarding DIY gas jobs?Maybe a staff member could bring this question to his attention it would be interesting to know with their gas safe.
Recently had a problem with my Baxi combi boiler (hot water, no heating).
Found on Google someone who had had the same problem and had visited a couple of forums.
The advice given was either incorrect, or to get a Gas Safe engineer in.
 
you know the drill, spin. if you can't fix it with a hammer, it's an electrical problem.
 

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

Electrical Goods - Electrical Tools - Brand Names Electrician Courses Green Electrical Goods PCB Way Green 2 Go Pushfit Wire Connectors Electric Underfloor Heating Electrician Courses Heating 2 Go
These Official Forum Sponsors May Provide Discounts to Regular Forum Members - If you would like to sponsor us then CLICK HERE and post a thread with who you are, and we'll send you some stats etc

Advert

Daily, weekly or monthly email

Thread starter

Gavin John Hyde

Esteemed
Arms
Patron
-
Joined
Location
Somerset
Website
http://www.sulis-electrical.co.uk
If you're a qualified, trainee, or retired electrician - Which country is it that your work will be / is / was aimed at?
United Kingdom
What type of forum member are you?
Practising Electrician (Qualified - Domestic or Commercial etc)
Business Name
Sulis Electrical Services Ltd

Thread Information

Title
The joys of screwfix counters
Prefix
N/A
Forum
UK Electrical Forum
Start date
Last reply date
Replies
59
Unsolved
--

Advert

Thread statistics

Created
Gavin John Hyde,
Last reply from
telectrix,
Replies
59
Views
7,780

Advert

Back
Top