Spread your wings and fly away

July 2007

NICEIC man comes for his annual inspection. Hubby has to ferry him around from job to job and loses a days pay as well as having to put Diesel in his van.

Inspector fails him on something that has always been acceptable, that every electrician in the country does. a minor thing that will not cause any harm, then tells hubby as he leaves that he will need to do another inspection and hope that this helps him to make his mind up as to whether he stays NICEIC registered or not.

July 2007

An appointment comes through for reinspection, but we are going to be on holiday when it is made for. We have to cancel within 14 days which we duly do in writing.

Saturday

Come home from holiday, letter from NICEIC wanting over £300 for the fact he had failed first inspection. A few expletives later and hubby makes a decision, makes a few phonecalls to various people then calms down.

This morning

Two letters from NICEIC, one has the new date that he will be inspected (September) another has the fee for the re inspection over £250 as well as the £300 they want.

Stuff it he says, they can stick it up their .

He has decided to terminate his membership with them and try elsewhere.

Now here is the thing that really pees me off just slightly.

He has been in the trade for 20 years now, done all the exams, apprenticeship everything. He often goes on courses to keep up to date with all the latest recommendations and changes to the guidelines and building regs. He is good at his job and I am not saying that because he is my hubby, but his reputation for being quick, effective, honest (too honest for his own good) and doing good work precedes him. Currently for the firm he is working for, he is one of the highest paid electricians they have and they ask him to do jobs no one else will touch because they are too complicated or take time, because they know he can do them and quickly. He often goes into repair other peoples work and believe me there are a few cowboys out there.

He registered with the NICEIC as an approved contractor, when he was self employed, because he thought that having a name like that behind him was a good idea.

How wrong he was.

They charge and extortinate amount of money for very little support, in fact the NICEIC have leaflets which they will send out to people telling them how you can complain about an electrician rather than support you as one. If you phone for advice they rarely give it or they have no idea what you are on about. They do an annual inspection where they will go through everything and pick pieces in it if they can't find anything wrong, most of their inspectors are jobsworths. Half the time they have no idea what they are talking about and again offer little support. Every year he has a new inspector, there is never the same one for two years running. Their charges for their paperwork is extortinate as well. Last year the inspector wanted to fail him because he didn't change a fuse board. The woman concerned wanted a light changed and when hubby pointed out to the inspector that that was what he did he was told that he should have changed the fuse board as well. Hubby argued against this saying that you don't get called out to change a light fitting then tell the client they need their fuse board changed, but the inspector wouldn't have it. There was nothing wrong with the fuse board btw, it fitted in with current regulations. How would you feel if you asked an electrician to change a socket for you and you were told that he would have to change the fuse board as well? You would think you were being stitched up wouldn't you?

Part P came in - it was supposed to do away with the cowboys out there.Everything was going to be monitored tightly. To carry out a part P inspection you have to register as a competent person for which they charge you (the contractor) £1.50 for each piece of paperwork you fill in for each client. The inspector admitted that he could not inspect the electricians who were only part P registered and not full approved contractors because he didn't have time, there were too many.

Did you know that you can do a college course as an electrician, pass an exam, then join the Part P scheme after having very little experience? Here you are going to shout me down, but I tell you this is true. Yes it isn't supposed to happen but it does and I have met one or two of them. How does that stop the cowboys in the trade then? I could tell you a few horror stories he has come across yet no one is checking up on them.

There is a trade magazine hubby gets and each week there are a number of complaints about the NIC and how they treat the electricians. There are also a number of complaints about how easy it is to register on the part P scheme regardless of how much experience you have had with electrics. Oh and in case you think Part p is quite easy to follow, think again as thiswill show you it can be quite confusing, in fact there are building inspectors out there that haven't got a clue what it is all about!

There is a government registered scheme that he is now thinking of joining but it angers me that he is being treated this way, it isn't on especially when there are businesses out there where their electricians do some dreadful jobs yet they are not picked up on, why? because they make the NICEIC more money in the end that is why. Small business, single one man bands the NIC are not interested in ,you make no money out of them do you. The NICEIC is one of the most prominent registered schemes in the country and they really do try to be the only one. However they are not. There are others out there, which is probably why there are so many electricians leaving them in their droves!

Great I say, the bastards!!!

Hubby watching Aeon Flux.

-Thought you don't like this film, says I
- I don't, but its women in skimpy gear doing various acrobactics and getting into various positions he says.

Enough said.

......................................................................

Earlier conversation as he was flicking through the channel and Girls of the Playboy mansion comes on.

- Wonder what happens to the bimbos when he dies, he says

- His son inherits them, says I

- they are only after his money anyway, says he. They are so false.

- What the girls?

- no the boobs he says, before changing channels.

......................................................................

- Are we going to St Albans tomorrow says he

- yes says I

- Oh good, where do we park again?

there really isn't a sensible answer to that one well at least none that won't be offensive anyway.

And that dear reader has been the subject of conversation this evening. How exciting you say, not really says I.

Now i am going to log off, and go to bed before I may have to commit murder.

PMT has a lot to answer for.

See you tomorrow

Hubby is on the phone to his accountant.

He hasn't spoken to her for over a year.

He never makes contact with her at all she usually has to phone him.

it is usually me that chases everything up.

Several weeks ago he asked me to do something which meant phoning her, I said no.

I put my foot down.

I have enough to do I can't be bothered having to deal with everything else as well, so I said no.

Today threatening letter from tax man.

Today he phones his accountant.

At last result.

We don't actually owe them money for a change they actually owe us as we overpaid them one year, but in the way that goes round so slowly with the Inland Revenue, they take ages to sort this out yet still demand money from you.

a bit hard when you are now salaried and get tax deducted at source.

Then i find out the reason they are still asking is because the paperwork that he should have filled out he hasn't. He left it for me to do. Yeah like I can fill it out, like I know the answers to the questions on it.

Why the hell can't he do it himself as well as write the letter to the NICEIC that are trying to stitch him up big time bunch of uselss wasters who do nothing but pick on the small business man while the big companies get away with murder because they give them the most money

Not doing it, he can , I have better things to do.

An easy day.

Finished reading my book, though a historical romance the history side of it was interesting though slightly incorrect in parts but still it was a story and took me from reality for a while.

Went to Sainsburys (evil) to stock up on a few bits and bobs for dinner, met Simons friend and his mum, stood and chatted as you do - at least I now know where he got his 16th birthday party idea from (not going to happen).

Richard has been an angel by keeping out of my way.

Not happy about the weather still but can't do anything about it

So that was my day, not that much fun but relaxing anyway

how was yours?

Apparently, according to the email I have just received, a catalogue company thinks that this is the medieval look.

hmmm not what I class as medieval, don't think I will be buying

It is wet out there today.

So fed up with the weather, it is August and we have had nothing but rain with the odd day of sun if we were lucky enough to be anywhere where it decided to shine. Ok shouldn't complain, I am not flooded, I am not likely to flood, there are some people out there worse of than me, but honestly there are some days when I could just scream!!!

It is cold as well. Very tempted to put heating on, but won't, it is August afterall, but have no idea how I am ever going to get the washing dry.

And my mood is no better really. Well a bit brighter, not so down and decided enough is enough will try and sort myself out and get out of this rut I am in, but when the weather is the way it is, is it any wonder that looking through blogland so many of us are feeling down?

Hubby is working today. He is in fact officially still on holiday, but has decided to do a job for someone, which gets him out of my hair for a little while. As much as I love him there are times when he just gets in my hair, he fusses and I just want to be left alone. He is affectionate at times, wants a cuddle now and again, I just don't want to just leave me to read my book, look at my friends blogs or sew in peace. he has taken eldest with him, youngest is upstairs on the playstation, just hope he doesn't get bad tempered with it, my nerves are frayed.

Fortunately no dreams last night which is good, but still an unsettled sleep. It will get easier in time.

Decided if my eldest child is fortunate enough to have a partner/girlfriend/wife and they settle down to have children, being at the birth will probably not be a good idea. The sight of blood and pain makes him queasy and while I am all for men being at the birth of their child to be shouted at, hands squeezed and suffer as their other halves are in the process of pushing a melon through a needles eye, perhaps eldest should forgo this pleasure as he would be no good to anyone. Seeing his face as youngest hurt his hand the other day we really though he was going to faint. did tell him that it would probably be better if his future wife/girlfriend, had a c section as you don't see anything (unless you are like his father who had a good look to see what was happening and giving a running commentary), but that seemed to make him go a funny colour. I offered to show him my C section scar, which btw is bloody sore today and itching like mad despite the last one being nearly 9 years ago, he declined that offer which is just as well as by this time he was nearly green.

Honestly some of the conversations that come up over the dinner table is just mindblowing