Tough.
But price is very important when there is not so much money around.
Electricity is so important to get right. In case of house-fire Insurers look intently at the chimney and the electrics⊠as these are the âusualâ culprits (but not always)⊠they will then look elsewhere ⊠dependingâŠ
Someone who has had electrics done (perhaps on the cheap) by an uncertified person⊠has no come-back. In the event of a claimâŠInsurers will reduce payout accordingly.
Actually⊠my above comments relate to all/any work done if it could be deemed responsible for any incident which involves Insurance Claims.
I trust youâre not condoning breaking rules/laws just because youâre skint.
No
I look at the way people think.
That does not mean I agree.
Please stop trying twist my words and listen to what I say Timothy.
I simply asked for clarification Barbara which you have now given.
Iâd prefer Tim if you donât mind, when people call me Timothy I think theyâre telling me off!.
Itâs also a question of priorities. If you donât have much money, you spend it until itâs gone. If you start off buying the flatscreen TV etc etc etc then you may not have enough left to pay a registered electrician. Or you could put safety and ethicality first and start by paying a registered electrician and then see what youâve got left to spend on other things.
I called you timothy because you are introduced as such and someone else called you that.
I prefer Tim and I have no desire to tell you off.
You can also check the APE number which specifies the main type of work https://www.insee.fr/fr/recherche?q=ape&debut=0. My APE is 8129a DĂ©ratisation DĂ©sinsectisation, DĂ©sinfection. Which I am exclusively Pest Control. I do not do building work or gardening and generally avoid too much physical exertion (I get blisters using a keyboard!
Yes and No.
When we have had quotes for work done, the English speaking peeps have been less than honest than the French about insurances etc.
I think as you say it is the same everywhere someone thinks they can make a buck, most are honest, but often the loudest and most noticeable are not always as truthful.
Sorry Anna I wasnât taking you at your word. There can only be two answers to my mind and one is that you donât frequent the sort of areas where it goes on. The other is they donât let on to outsiders.
Ah bless Lol.
Well, I just see it as âbusiness is businessâ, as they say.
In my activity I know there are competitors who charge twice the fees I charge, and there are competitors who charge a half or a third. It doesnât follow that those who charge more are better than me, in my opinion at least, and it doesnât necessarily follow that those who charge less are worse, although often they are. Competence and value for money is a totally different issue from breaking the rules.
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Such is the power of the insurance coâs but insurers are experts at writing insurance contracts they can get out of paying rather than being experts at specifics, they call in the experts who like so many are far wiser after the event that we are getting paranoid. Not doing your old electrics in the case of my house and I suspect a good many others is far more likely to cause a fire.
lets go to kennels and pet sitters. Kennels and pet sitters need a certificat of capacity. kennels need at least 1 person to hold a certificat, pet sitters if sitting together one needs to hold the certificat but the other cannot sit alone. I only know one pet sitter that advertises a certificat the rest of them do not yet they skim the law and they know it often moaning at people for pointing it out. One of my clients went with a so called pet sitters at christmas they had 3 dogs and i was full to bursting. My number was given as an emergency contact. 4 days into the stay i had a phone call. I went round and found one of the dogs really sick and took him to the vets immediately. will not go into details but the dog had to be put to sleep and when i went round and told the people what had happened his response was oh well accidents happen. now i wanted to deck him right there but i did not. the owners upon hearing asked them to leave immediately and their response was well we want paying for the full stay and i said sure right after you have given me your insurance details for the vets bill as this was your fault. they packed and left, they claimed to be fully registered and that they were staying at home as requested. neighbour told us they were hardly there and dogs were locked inside and they were just down the local bar drinking all day and night. We offer live feeds so people can see us at all times and often am talking with clients at 11pm with them seeing their dogs. Next time you decide on pet sitters ask them, what home insurance do they have (they are not covered by yours in 99% of case) their certificat and their own insurance to operate and also public liability.
Another service: Concrete floor laying of foundations. I asked an english company who is registered for ground works for a quote on a concrete floor external with a small wall built on it on a stone base.
First they tried charging me over 3000⏠for 2 days work and i had to help with that job too. then they quoted me silly amounts to come and treat the concrete after too.
French quote came in 2 blokes 300⏠a day fr the pair. took 4 days as we did all the mix by hand over a wagon coming in as it was not possible to get it right with the ready mix as we had to work it bit by bit.
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Hi JohnâŠ
As I said⊠electrical installations need to be working safely⊠and that is regardless of their age.
You might or might not be amazed by the number of times I have heard this, in general conversationâŠ
"There wasnât much damage and itâs working OK at the moment⊠so whatâs the harm, " This seems to be the general reply⊠from folk whom I would otherwise consider sane⊠
"Oh yes, the electrics have been playing up recently⊠with the fuse box thingy tripping⊠no idea why. " (that is said⊠in the main, after new works have been done⊠although with us it happened with the old system as soon as we arrived 
)
âSometimes thereâs a faint smell , donât know what it is⊠yes, plastic maybe⊠but weâve never tracked down/or worried about what is causing it.â
This remark has been made on a number of occasions⊠regardless of whether or not new work has been done.
Why would anyone want to risk their property and their lives⊠by NOT getting the electrics done competently and safely.
Simple Anna you do not get the flat screen.
There is no argument.
But for some people they do not think like you and meâŠand maybe
some people have No money left.
if it can put a little bit of faith back in French workersâŠ
When we moved to our village north of Aix en Provence 6 years ago, I was recommended the local garage in the village. They have never let me down (or my daughter when her car broke down as well. We had a 9 year old Alfa GT and the garage serviced it well and once or twice refused to do the repair when it was too âAlfa-techniqueâ for him. He also corrected several little bits and pieces always free of charge. The manager/chief mechanic (he has 2 or 3 assistants) and his wife (receptionist) and most charming and courteous. When we had a big quote for changing all 4 shock absorbers he proposed we could pay in 4 goesâŠand his price was less then the local âSpeedyâ.
Also we have a Waterair pool (came with the house) and the technician who covers our area is also very competent and has come a couple of times free of charge to fix minor items.
Perhaps I am lucky, but these 2 experiences are somewhat comforting.
Is honesty dead ? Maybe for some people ! There are ârip-offâ merchants out there, English lots, but some French tooâŠ
Personally, I couldnât live with myself if by my actions I caused distress and harm to others. I am often told I am too soft hearted, but rather that than cause pain and hardship to others.
Like many others I have told the occasional âwhite lieâ, I could never say for example âoh that dress looks awful on you why are you wearing itâ, but to downright lie to profit myself no, no and no. I want to be able to sleep (if possible) at night without recriminations.
As for money, I have already said itâs not my God. I donât care what others have, what they do with it, how they came by it is their affair.
I donât feel the need to justify myself or to live in the past. My life is here and now and if I can possibly give a helping hand here and there so much the betterâŠ
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all our workers except our electrician were french.
So, about this phrase: âCalais tradesmenâŠâ Is this a spurious phrase akin to âcarpetbaggerâ?