Am I expecting too much of the electrician?

[HaveringWavering]

My flat has a video intercom. It’s gone dead. Flat was built in 2012.

Have been trying to get a contractor to come and take a look but neither of the two who have been contacted will comment on whether these units are ever fixable. They just shrug and say “don’t know till we look at it”. The problem is that a new unit is nearly £300 and a call out will cost £90. If I don’t agree in advance for them to buy a new unit then there will be two call out charges. If they buy a new unit then I have to pay for it even if mine was fixable.

Am I missing something here? AIBU to think that someone who knows about these things could say “I look at a lot of these, most need to be replaced” or “x/y/z is a common fault, we can often fix them”. Obviously not expecting any guarantees.

The flat is rented out and it’s the agent who has been contacting the contractors. My suspicion is that they just want an easy life and think that I will fork out for a replacement without questioning it. I have asked on the building’s tenants’ forum and nobody else has had a similar problem.

Sorry for such a boring AIBU!

They really cant know until they've seen it. Its rare that a tradesman knows a particular piece of kit so well that they can diagnose it off the top of their head without looking at it.

They're really not being unreasonable.

Probably easier to diagnose yourself with the help of the internet to give you confidence if it's fixable or not, it's really likely either trivial, or too much trouble.

I think YABU, sorry. There could be any number of reasons it's not working, so telling you whether it can or can't be fixed just isn't possible without coming to see what the problem is.

But I don’t want anyone to diagnose it. I’d like him or her to comment on whether video intercoms in general tend to be fixable. Eg what percentage of call outs result in whole unit replacement?

Think of it like this. Imagine I know nothing about lights. An expert says “actually, a lot of the time a light stops working it is just the bulb. Easily replaced.”

It is so I can decide if worth gambling on paying a call out to diagnose and then adding an extra minimum of £90 to my bill if it ends up having to be replaced, versus paying £300 when it might have been as simple as changing a fuse.

They are on a good ticket with the way their work is engaged.
Because you're having to go through the agent they probably have a service contract and this allows for the set up you describe, in return the agent is able to guarantee an issue will be attended to and fixed, probably same day for initial visit if wanted. Service level guarantee for a price.
If I want to ask an electrician the same question, no agent is involved, they will drop by on their way home from some other job, have a look-see at the job (no charge or obligation) and tell me if they can do it then I can decide if I give them the job and they can order the parts needed. It would probably take some time.
So it's just a different ball game. If the property is rented you might be able to side step the agent but that will depend on if landlord is happy with that.

If you're a tenant you shouldn't be paying for this, the landlord should

@RealisticSketch

They are on a good ticket with the way their work is engaged. Because you're having to go through the agent they probably have a service contract and this allows for the set up you describe, in return the agent is able to guarantee an issue will be attended to and fixed, probably same day for initial visit if wanted. Service level guarantee for a price. If I want to ask an electrician the same question, no agent is involved, they will drop by on their way home from some other job, have a look-see at the job (no charge or obligation) and tell me if they can do it then I can decide if I give them the job and they can order the parts needed. It would probably take some time. So it's just a different ball game. If the property is rented you might be able to side step the agent but that will depend on if landlord is happy with that.

I’m the landlord.

@FuckyouCovid21

If you're a tenant you shouldn't be paying for this, the landlord should

I’m the landlord.

You're still being unreasonable, do the people even know what unit it is, how repairable something is will very much depend on what unit it is, also likely how it's been installed, and all sorts, you're asking too much.

Also don't really get the problem, buy the 300 quid unit online, if they can fix the current one, then you return it, if not, then you pay them for the time to install it. Might be slightly more expensive than having them buy and install the unit, but not likely that much.

You are expecting too much only in as much as they are probably not 100% familiar with your particular one and so are hedging their bets.

DD had a standard entry phone that stopped working. She also was quoted huge amounts (min £200) for someone to come out and look at it, and even then it was open ended. DH got her a replacement handset from Amazon for less than £20 and fixed it himself in half an hour. I know yours is different in that it will be much more sophisticated but that just illustrates I hope that I agree with you to some extent!

Great. Ball is in your court then. Ring round and see if an electrician will pop over to give an opinion on a casual basis to get the work. It's common where I am, but perhaps in places where trades are in high demand/low supply, maybe not as easy.
No-one will give you an opinion without looking at it.

@sirfredfredgeorge

You're still being unreasonable, do the people even know what unit it is, how repairable something is will very much depend on what unit it is, also likely how it's been installed, and all sorts, you're asking too much.

Also don't really get the problem, buy the 300 quid unit online, if they can fix the current one, then you return it, if not, then you pay them for the time to install it. Might be slightly more expensive than having them buy and install the unit, but not likely that much.

They’ve been sent a photo which shows the brand name. It’s the original unit installed when the flat was built. But I am just asking for someone to comment on whether video intercoms have common faults and are ever fixable. Is it really unreasonable to ask someone who fixes them for a living to comment in this?

But I am just asking for someone to comment on whether video intercoms have common faults and are ever fixable

But knowing that won't help with your video monitor. The one you have may be prone to breaking easily, but if the electrician comes out they may find it can be fixed, rather than needing a new unit. Would you rather then just say it needs to be replaced because 70% of the ones they see usally need replacing?

@AaronPurr

But I am just asking for someone to comment on whether video intercoms have common faults and are ever fixable

But knowing that won't help with your video monitor. The one you have may be prone to breaking easily, but if the electrician comes out they may find it can be fixed, rather than needing a new unit. Would you rather then just say it needs to be replaced because 70% of the ones they see usally need replacing?

Yes. Exactly that.

I am trying to assess the probability of it being worth agreeing up front to spend £390. Versus gambling that it can be fixed for £90 but losing my gamble and having to pay almost £500.

We had these in an assisted living facility I used to work at. The wiring itself from the camera at the door to the unit almost never fails. There is a tiny chance it's a loose connection from the wiring to the unit, which the electrician will see when he takes it out. The vast majority fail and need to be replaced. It's eight years old.

Are you the owner or renter of the property

Sorry I opened the thread and didn't refresh before I took 100 years to post.

I can see you are the LL.

You're kinda asking for a free diagnosis though. They're unlikely to know off the top of their head, they dont specialise in this, they work with lots of different electronics. They really wont know. They'll have to research it. People dont often give free advice out on their trade, you need to pay people for their knowledge.

Could you contact the company who made it to ask?

Yes, I think you are expecting a bit much of the electrician. No one is just going to "pop over and have a look" for nothing, their time is their income.

Having said that £90 is on the high side for a call-out even in London.

YABU.

In all likelyhood it would be cheaper and easier to just replace it rather than trying to diagnose where the fault is and then sourcing replacement parts, but you would need to actually see the thing to make that judgement.

@MyLittleOrangutan

You're kinda asking for a free diagnosis though. They're unlikely to know off the top of their head, they dont specialise in this, they work with lots of different electronics. They really wont know. They'll have to research it. People dont often give free advice out on their trade, you need to pay people for their knowledge.

I don’t want to use someone who has never fixed or replaced a video monitor before. If he or she has not then I’ll find someone who has. Someone who has should be able to comment on their experience of past jobs. My roofer was happy to do that, and the guy who repaired my tumble drier, and the boiler repair man..

Also, why don't you just get a replacement unit and if it turns out that the existing unit is fixable, just return the new one?

@UrAWizHarry

Also, why don't you just get a replacement unit and if it turns out that the existing unit is fixable, just return the new one?

The contractors aren’t willing to buy and return I don’t think and if they won’t even engage generally I’m not sure they will be interested in advising what unit to buy. They usually want to use their own suppliers and won’t guarantee they can fit something they didn’t buy themselves. I guess I could maybe do some online research though.

Just buy the replacement yourself and supply it. Any half decent sparky (and, to be honest, DIY'ers) would be able to swap it out using the existing wiring.