Home owner advice!
Have you been told by a retailer “we have installers who can install your appliances for you?”
Have you been encouraged by cheap or fixed prices to go ahead?
Maybe this helped you make a decision on your purchase and saved you the hassle of finding someone else to install your appliance, sink, toilet etc.
But…
Retailers such as appliance shops, tile and plumbing retailers, Bunnings for example – and many others – use contractors that might have a fixed price for their installations.
Here are some thoughts before you say yes!
Almost every installation that I have seen installed via a retailer has been sub-standard, with some of them being dangerous – like the rangehood I worked on yesterday.
Why?
When a retailer has a fixed price – for an unseen installation – they are asking a trades person to install an appliance for a set cost, regardless of the complexity of the installation.
Why is this bad?
In order for these contractors to make money in many circumstances, the contractor will have to cut corners to be able to make enough money from the installation.
What does this mean for the customer?
The job will often be sub-standard, non-compliant, or dangerous. The cost to the customer can then be substantial down the track.
- The customer might have no warranty – manufacturers often ask for a receipt of installation and a compliance certificate showing that the installation was done legally – even more so in recent years as they can then use it to exclude a warranty claim.
- Should the manufacturer attend the property and the installation is sub-standard or non-compliant, the warranty is void
- The product disclosure statement of your home insurance always states that any trade work that is done is done in a professional manner that complies with Australian Standards. Potentially you have no home insurance if the tap leaks and your kitchen is damaged, the tiles fall off the wall, or your house burns down due to an electrical fault.
- Should the appliance or tap, toilet etc. stop working due to the sub-standard/non-compliant work, you will then either have to replace the item at your cost, or have it repaired. You pay twice for the same thing. Not a great outcome for an expensive oven for instance.
The rangehood
I mentioned above a rangehood that I worked on yesterday. The rangehood has been installed in a manner in which it cannot easily be isolated from the electricity supply – this is illegal. The duct work is sub-standard, ugly and has sharp edges.
This has created a dangerous situation for the home owner – and there are some other sub-standard features of this installation which effectively devalues the whole kitchen.
*** A bad outcome for the customer ***
While I am not trying to say to home owners – use me – as I am better than retailer’s trade staff, I am trying to educate you to choose wisely, and understand the possible outcome of your choice!
If you have been offered a trades person by a retailer, and you are considering using them, ask these questions:
- Can your trades person come out and give me a quote
- Can I have their name and license number (then check it with Fair Trading)
- Will I get a compliance certificate issued (or similar from other trades)
- Will I get a receipt and warranty
- Are they insured
If they say no to ANY of those questions, choose someone else, they are putting you or your families lives or home at risk.
If you want a good outcome, then choose a reputable and good contractor…
… but still ask them the same questions as above 😉
Bye for now,
Greg
Electric Greg 