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!

You seem to be asking for quite a lot.

You want an electrician who specialises in repair of video intercoms, who will have an in-depth knowledge of faults of your particular unit. To then give up their knowledge to say “oh it’ll be this”.

Just fit a new one. Stop being tight.

@Chicchicchicchiclana

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.

It is London, yes. I’m being quoted £90+ Vat for first hour plus £44 for each subsequent hour or part thereof.

@BullOx

You seem to be asking for quite a lot.

You want an electrician who specialises in repair of video intercoms, who will have an in-depth knowledge of faults of your particular unit. To then give up their knowledge to say “oh it’ll be this”.

Just fit a new one. Stop being tight.

I said very clearly that I did not want in depth knowledge of my particular unit, just a general comment on intercoms. Like @MissConductUS was kind enough to give upthread. I might see if I can find a DIY forum, there’s probably a board on MSE that would work.

If the intercom unit is faulty, no electrician is likely to be able fix it or will attempt to, any more than they could fix a TV. They will just order and fit a new one. If it's not faulty and the problem is that a wire is loose or fuse has blown, they can sort that.

just a general comment on intercoms. Like MissConductUS was kind enough to give upthread. I might see if I can find a DIY forum, there’s probably a board on MSE that would work.

You acknowldges MissConductUS post but are still looking for more advice? I thought the reply was pretty conclusive, in that you would almost certainly need to replace the unit.

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.

Why are intercoms always not working? What’s that about.

@AaronPurr

just a general comment on intercoms. Like MissConductUS was kind enough to give upthread. I might see if I can find a DIY forum, there’s probably a board on MSE that would work.

You acknowldges MissConductUS post but are still looking for more advice? I thought the reply was pretty conclusive, in that you would almost certainly need to replace the unit.

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.

What’s wrong with gathering a few different experiences? She has anecdotal evidence but she’s not an electrician who has seen a lot of them.

There's probably such a range of potential products and faults that they're not willing to guess basically which is sensible. What if they said 80% are fixable then this proves to be in the 20% that isn't. You would still have 2 call out charges and the product cost. In your situation I would buy a replacement then try and sell it on if not needed. Have you checked to see if these items sell on places like ebay? I know its extra hassle but could save you money and time in the long run.

What if they said 80% are fixable then this proves to be in the 20% that isn't.

Then I have gambled and lost, but I based my gamble on the best information available and I am at peace with that.

Google the model and the problem and see if its comes up in any electrician forums. You'll have to educate yourself as there is no incentive for the tradesman to do it for you.

Op what make is it?

What’s wrong with gathering a few different experiences? She has anecdotal evidence but she’s not an electrician who has seen a lot of them.

Nothing wrong with getting several opinions, but an electrician's opinion will also be just that, their opinion. Yes they may have fixed a lot of them, but they may be different brands, or models, so very few will actually be specifically helpful for your problem.

@HaveringWavering

What if they said 80% are fixable then this proves to be in the 20% that isn't.

Then I have gambled and lost, but I based my gamble on the best information available and I am at peace with that.

The fact is that modern electrical devices like this are seldom worth fixing, if it's even possible to do so. It's not like a washing machine where you have a significant degree of mechanical things that can wrong as well as the circuit board. You'd be best just replacing it.

By the way, when one of these failed at my old AL facility we didn't call an electrician. We had one of those on staff. We called a company that specialized in the sale and service of intercom systems. Most of their work was in apartment buildings in NYC, but they were happy to come a bit further north to us. Surely in London there are a few such firms.

If you want to try to repair it you probably need to get a specialist in. Most electricians deal the majority of the time within wiring, fuseboards and lighting. They aren't all experts on all gadgets.

@MissConductUS

By the way, when one of these failed at my old AL facility we didn't call an electrician. We had one of those on staff. We called a company that specialized in the sale and service of intercom systems. Most of their work was in apartment buildings in NYC, but they were happy to come a bit further north to us. Surely in London there are a few such firms.

Yes, I believe that is the type of company that has been contacted @MissConductUS, I just said “electrician” for ease of reference.

What are you expecting?

They won't come out for free, nor should they. So that's £90.

Then, if it needs fixing it's £300, either paid upfront or £390 including another visit.

It's simple really and whilst I know it seems a lot of money, these people have families to feed and bills to pay too. 9 years out of an electrical appliance seems ok.

The website of the first one says they specialise in intercoms, alarms etc.
I don’t know the name of the second one.

@MessagesKeepGettingClearer

What are you expecting?

They won't come out for free, nor should they. So that's £90.

Then, if it needs fixing it's £300, either paid upfront or £390 including another visit.

It's simple really and whilst I know it seems a lot of money, these people have families to feed and bills to pay too. 9 years out of an electrical appliance seems ok.

I’m not asking anyone to come out for free! I am asking them to give their opinion over the phone as to whether the unit is likely to need to be replaced.

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..
Not comparable - Tumble driers can still have component level repairs done and parts are easy to get for most.
So are roofs.
Even if an individual component has failed on a video intercom (screen, speaker, etc) it is unlikely the exact right parts would be available and repair would be uneconomical. As a PP said, if the fault is due to a wiring problem between the units, that is something an Electrician could fix, probably quite quickly. It is highly unlikely you are going to find someone who fixes these all day every day, like a roofer for roofs so you are making an unreasonable comparison

I’m not asking anyone to come out for free! I am asking them to give their opinion over the phone as to whether the unit is likely to need to be replaced

As a former contractor (not electrical) I learned my lesson good and hard about this one.

If 20 people rang up with the same query, and I’d replied ‘yeah, that model is pretty fixable, it’s the noggins that go, I’d say 20% chance I can fix it‘

That 20% of unfixed ones would go bloody nuts. YOU said you can fix most of these. IM NOT PAYING THAT.

As a contractor It’s really not worth speculating until you’ve seen it. The client invariably latches immovably onto the best case scenario and won’t let that go.

You might be lovely and understanding OP, but you’d be in an absolutely minority.

Typo there. 20% chance I cannot fix it.

It is highly unlikely you are going to find someone who fixes these all day every day, like a roofer for roofs so you are making an unreasonable comparison

It’s a company that specialises in intercoms and security systems.

It’s a company that specialises in intercoms and security systems.

They're not going to be experts on every single make & model of intercom ever made. They might never have seen your particular one before, or so rarely they can't comment on if it's a known or fixable problem. That's like expecting your GP to diagnose cancer without any further investigations.

and security systems.
So, as I said, not just intercoms.
Not comparable with a roofer.