Certificate Software. What do you use?

[Voltimax]

Anyone that buys Hollycroft software is paying well over the odds.
It amazes me that they call it software, because it isn't stand alone, if you don't have word and excel, you're pretty much stuffed. For the money they ask I'd expect stand alone software. All it is is a collection of templates some of which are pretty lame, especially as has already been pointed out the estimating section.

 

[TPES]

Maybe a daft question but these prices for software are "One off prices" right?

Theres no annual subscription or any other fee's?

anyone help me out on which software to go for for all emergency lights and fire alarm certs aswell as BS7671 certs?

 

[telectrix]

ebay. all certs on a cdrom for a few quid, inc. fire and em lighting. some, though require open office to run, but that's free anyway. the one's i use are called national certs.

 

[telectrix]

ELECTRICAL TEST CERTIFICATES 17th EDITION SOFTWARE DISC on eBay (end time 17-Mar-11 09:57:00 GMT)

 

[TPES]

got to be worth it at that price, even if find out its no good...

I can see it doing the job though.. Seems very much the same as hollycroft software..

I really like the look of Home - PIRform for elecsa certs... But £75 every year for basic version...??

are all the rest yearly subscriptions.. (excluding ebay certs)

 

[IQ Electrical]

This all depends on what your requirements are, if you do many PIR's, EIC's a week then a good software package is far more professional and can save you and your chaps many hours with multi users and master databases etc.

If on the other hand, you knock out a handful a month then it would be pointless.

 

[telectrix]

the link i've posted is the ones i use. you can't run from the disc, you have to download into your pc. runs with open office. takes a bit of playing with to get used to it, but i find it excellent. does different clours for nic, napit, elecsa as well.

 

[DurhamSparky]

check NATIONAL CERTS ebay feedback!! i left him some and its his only neg one!! his certs are crap!!

 

[TPES]

So if you run a buisness with a handfull of blokes working for you you would recommend buying a decent software package? amtech.. easycert etc...

and if your a one man band then the ebay certs are a good choice?

I dont mind paying a one off fee for the software and an unlimted licence key that never expires.... but im not prepared to pay £££ subscription fee's

 

[telectrix]

check NATIONAL CERTS ebay feedback!! i left him some and its his only neg one!! his certs are crap!!

what don't you like about them. i find them OK

 

[TPES]

He has 100% positive feedback.... there is no neg?

So what didnt you like about the certificates? I'd be interested in seeing a printed out finished cert for myself

 

[DurhamSparky]

i am a one man band (actually 2 man band if you count Patrick who does work for me)

i use easy cert as its professional and yes i have to renew the customer care package once a year but its £60 and if i ever have problems or suggestions on the software they get looked into.!! i would not use any thing other from now on as its a brilliant system that logs all your certs in a safe place as well on a internet server should your pc crash!!

plus that £60 quid is a tax write off so im not fussed!

 

[DurhamSparky]

thats only for last 12 months!! mine must have just dropped out as it was 13-14m ago

 

[TPES]

So you have to buy the customer care package each year otherwise the software is unusable?

What version of easycert do you have..? you have all fire and eme forms?

 

[DurhamSparky]

i found them to be misaligned and a put together very poor. some fonts were different and in general they were nasty!

i used a trial version of easy cert at same time and i found that a much better system.!

eBay Feedback profile for nationalcerts

2nd off top!! i was tempted to go around and smash his face in with his comments he made via email when i asked for a refund!

 

[baldelectrician]

I use easycert

You need the package to get support or updates,if your program is working fine then it works without updates

I need to renew my package, but I will wait until the 17th update is released then renew then (you get a year from when you renew, not when the renewal lapsed)

That way it's an extra few months between upgrades

I must admit their software is good and they listen to feedback

I phoned up and complained that the EIC forms don't let you put in an X (unsatisfactory) in the boxes.
The guy said everything should be ticked OK after the job is finished. My point is that I will do a EIC after a CU change and if I find something wrong (outwith the CU, such as loss of earth continuity on a lighting circuit) I can't put down a cross

They said they would change it on their next update - it was done

Good customer service- you actually get to talk to somoene who knows what their company is doing

In have had their software for a few years and find it good

 

[davetherave1979]

im thinking about buy test soft wear at the moment got a big job to do pir 290 propertys cant make my mind up on the niceic own make or ametech any info on both would be great.

 

[DurhamSparky]

Good customer service- you actually get to talk to somoene who knows what their company is doing

you speak to brian!! i got him to release the Elec Danger Notification as a 7671 form rather than a NIC form

 

[davetherave1979]

so do you use ametch then

 

[baldelectrician]

im thinking about buy test soft wear at the moment got a big job to do pir 290 propertys cant make my mind up on the niceic own make or ametech any info on both would be great.

Hi Dave

Download the trial of easycert and have a play
Most good

 

[TPES]

getting abit confussed now...

So the software licence never expires? i can use the software for the next 10 years if i want to without paying a penny more...

But if i want to update the software to the latest addition then it will cost me £60 for the update and 12 months support?

 

[DurhamSparky]

yes! basically!

 

[TPES]

yes! basically!

In that case I'm going for it then...

 

[IQ Electrical]

In that case I'm going for it then...

Yes, the audience are shouting 'gamble' !!

 

[DurhamSparky]

much better than National Certs rubbish!

 

[telectrix]

only got them because there's so many health warnings now on a smoke packet, there's no room to write a bloody EIC.

 

[ringer]

I got National Certs and have not been able to use them. Went to use Emergency Lighting Cert and all references on them was to an out of date version of BS5266. Told them about this and they said they would amend and send me update - have heard nothing since from them. Totally lost confidence in them now.

 

[IQ Electrical]

To be fair, you get what you pay for here, if you want a nice, sleek up to date package with loads of features like automatic DB schedule printing, automatic PDF creation etc etc then stump up the cash lol!

 

[nikmet]

I used national certs for 5 years, drove me insane!! misaligned, tedious and time consuming crap, two weeks ago i bought pirform.
Pirform is 100000000% better to use, I installed it and gave them a call, 'Rob' the man behind pirform called me straight back and spent a good 30-45 mins demonstrating its features and many usefull shortcuts, the end results are superb!! I highly recommend pirform and the customer support shown to me, i just wish id paid for 'professional' software years ago!!

 

[DurhamSparky]

I used national certs for 5 years, drove me insane!! misaligned, tedious and time consuming crap

nice to see others saw what i told national certs!!

hmmm still got his address in blackpool.... might send him a skip!