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5 Myths About Electricians You Probably Still Believe

Sometimes we get a hard time as  an electrician as I’ll explain below. Some people have outdated ideas stemming from decades ago when the industry was less regulated. Here are 5 myths about electricians that you probably still believe – and which aren’t true!

1)     You don’t need to be an electrician to do a bit of home rewiring.

This is certainly not true and in fact very unsafe! To qualify as an electrician requires an industry recognised qualification which is undertaken during an apprenticeship lasting between 2-4 years.  The apprentice also has block release at college with course work and a final test at the end in order to qualify. This means that the trainee is exposed to lots of jobs making them very experienced and safe. If you know someone who knows “a bit about electrical wiring” you could be opening yourself up to a lot of danger. It is the training and variety of jobs that we do that makes us experienced. As more and more homes and businesses use devices and require a lot of power, any rewiring should be carried out by a qualified electrician to prevent overloading and fires.

2)     That you just have to cross your fingers and hope for the best.

Not true. If you use an electrician make sure that they are registered with the NICEIC or SELECT. This means that contractors registered by NICEIC are assessed on a regular basis and you will have a guarantee that the work will be of a safe and good standard. The NICEIC have the so-called NICEIC Platinum Promise. This means that should the work be of a poor standard and the electrician was NICEIC but is no longer registered or ceased trading, they will take steps to rectify the work. So if you select a registered electrician you will not have to worry.

3)     That they never turn up when they say they will.

That may be the case with some electricians, but we like to think we are different. Some electricians will over stretch and as a result always be running behind. We understand that work comes in at different volumes but we know that our customers may have made special arrangements to be off work and be in for our visit. So we will always try to ensure that we turn up when we say we will and call ahead if we are going to be late. We are running a business and we know it creates bad feelings when our clients are disappointed in us.

4)     They never finish when they say they will.

Sometimes jobs run over because of the complexity of the work or problems crop up which weren’t obvious before. It is not in our interest to over-run as we want to complete the job and move onto the next.  As technology demands increase within households and homes so too does the complexity of the job and so sometimes the time it takes to complete is longer than planned. Above all we want to ensure the job is done safely and this might mean spending a little more time on it.

5)     They charge what they want.

 Most regulated electrical contractors will provide a fair and honest quote before the work is started. If problems arise during the job which was unknown before the start then there may be an additional charge. It is similar to a car mechanic who finds problems during a service which require additional effort and parts. It is a good idea to get 2 or 3 quotes for the work and if they are widely different then dig deeper into reviews, qualifications and experience to see why this could be.

Here are Keith Gunn Electrical Solutions we believe in being fair and honest and reliable. All our electricians are fully qualified and insured. We are also and Edinburgh Trusted Trader and vetted by Trading Standards each year.  If you want safety, experience and a fair price then give us a call.