Recent storms in Sydney have highlighted the reality of dishonest tradies performing electrical work for unsuspecting customers, and using these terrifying situations to scam people at a most vulnerable time.
An elderly woman was just one of the victims of the midyear storms when an electrician charged her hundreds of dollars just to tell her that she will need to contact Ausgrid for further advice.
Stories such as this highlight the importance of checking a tradie’s license when they perform work or checks around your home, and what steps you should take when natural disasters or energy outages strike.
What Can You Do?
To prevent these types of scams, there are a few things you can do to ensure you’re only working with reputable tradespeople.
- Once you’ve found an electrician with a good reputation, check their license online at the Service NSW website.
- Always ask to see their license when they arrive at your home, and if they can’t or won’t provide it you should turn them away and report them.
- Contact your local energy provider first if there’s a power outage or harsh weather conditions, they will generally be able to tell you what the issue is or if you need to request assistance from an electrician.
- Never attempt to inspect or fix electrical problems on your own, the hazards are far too great.
- Don’t work with any electrician who cold calls or arrives unsolicited at your house, as this is generally a bad sign.
When Might You Need An Electrician?
According to Fair Trading NSW, any time electrical wiring work is required in a residential, commercial or industrial setting, you must use a qualified and licensed electrician.
Here are a few examples of when you will need to contact an electrician to perform work around your home:
- Installation of fixed appliances such as air conditioners;
- Installation of lighting fixtures or replacing old fixtures with new ones;
- Installation of a new power point in the home;
- Adding ceiling fans if there’s no wiring already present in the roof;
- Repairing or altering anything with electrical wiring;
- Removing or adding to an electrical installation.
Attempting to do your own electric work, or hiring an unlicensed electrician can have serious consequences for both you and your home. Not only are there potential risks for injury and death from electric shock or fires, but you could be causing damage to your home which will later require costly repair work to fix.
Electrical work undertaken by an unlicensed person leads to fines of up to $40,000 for individuals, and even more if this work causes injury or death. Working with a reputable electrician is the safest and most cost effective way to go.
How To Find A Reputable Electrician
However tempting it may be, you should never consider DIY electrical work around your home. Although you may think you’re saving money and time, there are very dangerous and possibly fatal consequences to performing the work yourself.
Always use a licensed electrician, and ask them to provide a copy of their license when they arrive to work. If they’re unable to show you a license or refuse, you can check for it online and if their details aren’t listed, do not allow them to undertake any work, and report them to NSW Fair Trading for further investigation.
The team at Everest Electrical are proud to offer experienced and licensed electricians to assist with your electrical needs on Sydney’s North Shore and Northern Beaches. To speak to one of our friendly staff, contact us today on 0410 229 139.