frizbeedog
04-19-2008, 02:49 AM
Six months ago or so, I go to give an estimate for a simple bedroom remodel. 5 receps, 2 switches, 1 overhead light, 2 wall sconces, 2 smokies, dedicated circuit, AFCI....simple project, no problem.
Apparantly the problem was the price for the work....because they ended up hiring someone else. And that was the end of that.....or so I thought.
A couple of weeks ago I get a service call to fix some wiring that others had installed. Looking at the name on the work order, I say, I know that name from somewhere. When I pull up in front of the house I know for sure where I know that name from.
Homeowner starts to show me all the problems, as I offer my sympathy and frustration for their delima. She say's to me, the guy they hired was in the process of getting his liscence......Clue #1. She goes on to list all the problems which I confirm and sympathize with.
The guy would show up, work for a bit and then gone. Somedays not show up at all. She says he talked fast and worked slow. Then she lays the whammy on me...."We had to buy him tools to do the job." (clues #1, 2 & 3) There's me picking up my jaw off the floor. At that point I was stunned, and couldn't speak because I had yet to reset my jaw. Then she says, "We couldn't get him to come back and finish, and now he won't answer the phone." You don't say.
I say, "I can't fix this all today due to other scheduled work but will get you in as soon as I can."
She say's, "will the price be the same as before?"
I say, "No, I have to remove everything that has been installed and start over." Time and material now.
We got her rewired and inspected over two days with some additional work requested and ended up making more money than origianally contracted for.
We provided a letter to the customer documenting the violations found, along with State information about construction fraud for consumers, along with some pictures documenting the shoddy work. Permits and inspections were not perfomed for the original work, but that was no surprise.
Sad that this goes on and people fall for it. Happy that we could make it right. Last I heard from the customer was that the hack was giving the money back. But who's his next victim going to be?
This is one receptacle of the ten that he installed. They all looked like this, voltage readings all over the board.
The splice was found in the attic where he tied into an existing cicuit. Underneath the tape is the classic hook splice.
The switches could not be removed from the box due to the short as possible wiring method, and I don't know how he got them installed in the first place.
1559
Splice box in attic where I found the hook splice.
1560
And more technical prowess.
1561
No problem here
1562
A new splice and some demo'd wiring. The cut wire leaving the box was still live.
1563
Not a staple found anywhere, or smokies. He was confident his work would not start a fire I think.
......and so it goes.
Apparantly the problem was the price for the work....because they ended up hiring someone else. And that was the end of that.....or so I thought.
A couple of weeks ago I get a service call to fix some wiring that others had installed. Looking at the name on the work order, I say, I know that name from somewhere. When I pull up in front of the house I know for sure where I know that name from.
Homeowner starts to show me all the problems, as I offer my sympathy and frustration for their delima. She say's to me, the guy they hired was in the process of getting his liscence......Clue #1. She goes on to list all the problems which I confirm and sympathize with.
The guy would show up, work for a bit and then gone. Somedays not show up at all. She says he talked fast and worked slow. Then she lays the whammy on me...."We had to buy him tools to do the job." (clues #1, 2 & 3) There's me picking up my jaw off the floor. At that point I was stunned, and couldn't speak because I had yet to reset my jaw. Then she says, "We couldn't get him to come back and finish, and now he won't answer the phone." You don't say.
I say, "I can't fix this all today due to other scheduled work but will get you in as soon as I can."
She say's, "will the price be the same as before?"
I say, "No, I have to remove everything that has been installed and start over." Time and material now.
We got her rewired and inspected over two days with some additional work requested and ended up making more money than origianally contracted for.
We provided a letter to the customer documenting the violations found, along with State information about construction fraud for consumers, along with some pictures documenting the shoddy work. Permits and inspections were not perfomed for the original work, but that was no surprise.
Sad that this goes on and people fall for it. Happy that we could make it right. Last I heard from the customer was that the hack was giving the money back. But who's his next victim going to be?
This is one receptacle of the ten that he installed. They all looked like this, voltage readings all over the board.
The splice was found in the attic where he tied into an existing cicuit. Underneath the tape is the classic hook splice.
The switches could not be removed from the box due to the short as possible wiring method, and I don't know how he got them installed in the first place.
1559
Splice box in attic where I found the hook splice.
1560
And more technical prowess.
1561
No problem here
1562
A new splice and some demo'd wiring. The cut wire leaving the box was still live.
1563
Not a staple found anywhere, or smokies. He was confident his work would not start a fire I think.
......and so it goes.