DIYers/Builders...when will it end

[J&M Electrical]

How much longer are Builder and DIY'ers going to carry on 'de-valuing' our trade. It seems the more i read on here and the more i see out on site DIY electrics are getting more and more common. It winds me up that we go to college for 3/4 Years to get a qualification that enables us to work safely yet every Tom Dick and Harry can go into B&Q/Screwfix etc buy some cable and sockets, have a quick look at a diagram B&Q have kindly put up for them and then go home and bodge their electrics. The Gas lads seem to be starting to get it sorted but we haven't. Personally the only way i think this will stop is to give every qualified electrician a card similar to the Gas Safe card and make it law that electrical items can only be sold to people who hold this card. Am i on my own or do others feel the same? Sorry to rant but it makes my blood boil.

 

[Octopus]

The situation is not helped, by some members here, who hand out information to absolutely anyone.

 

[J&M Electrical]

The situation is not helped, by some members here, who hand out information to absolutely anyone.

Thats what annoys me aswell. I bet the majority of people wouldn't dream of doing any gas work, but they would play with electrics at the drop of a hat.

 

[oldtimer]

Sounds a great idea lets get the Schemies involved they can manage it and get a cut of our earnings or we could wake up to realise that this government and current economical climate will not sanction this.

Anyway joking apart welcome to the ****** of and frustrated club now every Friday I close the curtains put on scented candles get in the meditation position and chant pleasant thoughts then i wait for the phoneto ring with the "Builders let me down speach" and can you be a good chap and come down and sign off my electrics for Building Control. I kid you not it is always on a Friday

 

[oldtimer]

The situation is not helped, by some members here, who hand out information to absolutely anyone.

Point taken I for on agree

 

[oldtimer]

Thats what annoys me aswell. I bet the majority of people wouldn't dream of doing any gas work, but they would play with electrics at the drop of a hat.

Yep and the same people will pay £25k for a car and could not care less about the box under the stair and when I mentioned this to a customer he said yea but you dont invite friends in and say did you see my new consumer unit when you came in what do you think ?

Yep Ego before Safety

 

[i=p/u]

musten be that lethal if not that many die from it tho....

as for electricians givig out info to harry and his bucket full o dinaours, the other forums arnt so helpfull i.e appliance forums unless you have half a clue in what your talking about and looking for

 

[i=p/u]

we very ni e people on this forum, but i for one was glad of the pointers ive had over time

 

[Adam W]

JIB already do one, the problem apparently being that you can't get a gold one without doing the NVQ3, or some people can't get past the JIB simply existing to set pay rates.

In a weird way I like doing something which is a lot harder than it looks, although I still like to be appreciated; where I work there was this guy who had worked as a chippie for about 12 years, then one day he suddenly started working as a sparky. Needless to say he was rubbish at it, and went back to being a chippie, but it's not as if they would let me just turn up one day and start chopping up wood or tinkering around with engines without any kind of qualifications.
Some other guy had got a job out of the paper making up cable looms (cutting wire to pre-determined lengths and taping them together) and making up termination boxes (screwing DIN rail and Wagos into adaptable boxes) then after 4 years they let him transfer to production, working as a sparky. Again, he didn't have a scooby, then after a couple of months went back to taping up lengths of cable, mainly because he didn't like the dusty environment. What brings my wee wee to a boil is that standing at a nice clean bench and making what's on the picture effectively pays more than having gone to college for years, and crawling around under floors.

Rant over..... For now.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

I bet a high percentage of the guys moaning about DIY electrics wont think twice about changing the brakes on their car....and meanwhile on a mechanics forum somewhere there's a thread about DIY car repairs and how car parts shouldnt be available to electricians!

 

[piratebillybob]

when anyone can buy equipment off the net, asking for a gold card at B&Q wont stop anything.

 

[i=p/u]

thats it like one good spark two good labourers is whats out there..

electrics is a bill every month and does nothing astheticaly to most standard installations out there , so long as works it works, then you get odd person who does ask you to check if safe and like some fancy fittings and stuff but less than more, hey ho, i can paint, clean windows, dont think theres a million to be made installing cables and switches

 

[oldtimer]

Wow this post is certanly getting the comments

Also I kiss my gold card and put it under the pillow every night

 

[Octopus]

From what I encountered today I think I'm going into house clearances!

 

[i=p/u]

you want a food shop.... thats where cash is

 

[oldtimer]

you want a food shop.... thats where cash is

No I am not greedy 5 numbers and a bonus ball please

 

[mickys86]

Coffee shop, they make a fortune in profits......

Grass is always greener!!!

 

[i=p/u]

i am and want 5 and two stars

 

[Edd]

The situation is not helped, by some members here, who hand out information to absolutely anyone.

Lowers head in shame.. I just get carred away and enjoy thinking through peoples problems...
Now wheres that book on gas fitting......

seriously though I should think more about who I give advice too

 

[Adam W]

Coffee shop, they make a fortune in profits......

Grass is always greener!!!

I reckon dentistry is where the money is at - OK you have to pay some fit bird to stand next to you and write stuff down, and a grumpy bird to sit behind a desk being rude to people, but £30 for a quick checkup? Dick Turpin, mask etc!
There seems to be a 'massive skills shortage' as well - most of the dentists around here are fully booked.
I wonder if I can do a 5 week distance learning dentistry course...