Hire a Licensed Professional
It's simple; DIY (Do It Yourself) or using "a mate" is risky business!
You RISK:
They say "God helps those who help themselves". Well that might be so, but the Technical Regulator has a very different view! And he's armed with on-the-spot fines as a means to convince you that a rethink might be in order.
Having said that, we also frown on DIY attempts - but for very different reasons than just legal compliance.
Fault finding is about variables! The fewer variables, the less time it takes to find the actual fault! So if your oven doesn't heat, our experience tells us exactly where to look first, second, and third. We follow logical diagnostic pathways honed over thousands of repairs.
But if your oven doesn't heat and Uncle Arthur had a go at "fixing" it first... well lo and behold, the variables potentially just shot through the roof! An oven can't rewire itself, put controls in upside down, or cause mechanical problems on its own. We don't charge extra for fault-finding in our fixed price offerings because most of the time, the problem is pretty obvious to us. Why? That's simple - it's what we do all day, every day!
What we don't plan for is the Uncle Arthur factor! He doesn't factor into our pristine, linear diagnostic logic! So if Uncle Arthur has, say, tried to replace electric oven elements or "just had a quick look inside"... please save us both the awkwardness and call another repairer - preferably one that charges by the hour and enjoys solving puzzles created by well-meaning amateurs.
Here's our policy: If we arrive and find evidence that wiring has been altered, components have been incorrectly installed, or other DIY efforts have been attempted, our fixed price offers become null and void! We'll charge hourly rates for the additional time required to untangle the situation.
We also have a legal obligation to report any unauthorised interference with electrical systems to the Technical Regulator. And last but certainly not least - we won't remedy Uncle Arthur's handiwork. Particularly the re-installation of panels, screws, covers, hardware, or anything else that's been removed, cross-threaded, lost, or incorrectly reinstalled.
If you've removed anything more than the shelves, racks, or trays that you might normally remove for cleaning, we won't reinstall it! Those components that have been cross-threaded, forced into wrong positions, or put back incorrectly will remain as we find them - or as the case might be, as we don't find them.
For us to deal with Uncle Arthur's "improvements" or missing components, you must inform us before we accept the job. We need to know upfront what potential mess we're likely to face. One main reason we insist on this transparency is that not all parts are readily available. Much of the hardware used by manufacturers isn't made available to the repair market.
Also, just because we work on ovens most of the day doesn't mean we memorise how every single oven model is assembled or disassembled. Uncle Arthur often dismantles front panels and control assemblies - components we typically never need to remove and therefore have no experience reassembling without witnessing the disassembly process firsthand.
The same logic applies to wiring modifications. We don't carry a comprehensive library of wiring diagrams for every oven ever made, and manufacturer diagrams aren't always obtainable. Once original wiring has been altered, we may not be able to restore it to proper working order.
BTW, for those who don't get the "Uncle Arthur" reference - it's often an alias for you, the homeowner. We were just trying to be a bit subtle about it (subtlety isn't our strongest suit, as you may have noticed)!
We understand that customers sometimes feel frustrated when we decline to service DIY-attempted repairs. Please know that we appreciate your trust in our services and genuinely strive to provide the best possible experience.
To ensure both quality outcomes and safety compliance, we respectfully ask that you seek alternative services if DIY repairs have been attempted. This policy helps us maintain our professional standards and, more importantly, avoids creating unpleasant or expensive situations for you.
We'd rather be upfront about our limitations than take your money knowing we can't deliver our usual standard of service. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Because the law requires it! But beyond legal compliance, here are the practical reasons:
People performing unlicensed electrical work typically aren't covered by insurance, don't follow proper safety protocols, and frankly, often don't care about doing things correctly - they just want to finish quickly and cheaply.
The simple answer is: you often don't - until something goes wrong!
Your best protection against dodgy electrical work is ensuring you receive an ECC (Electrical Certificate of Compliance). By law, any registered electrician performing electrical work must supply this documentation.
Not sure what an ECC looks like? Click here to see an example. If you didn't receive one after electrical work was completed, chase up the tradesperson immediately. If they can't or won't provide an ECC, click here to report unlicensed electrical work.
We're not trying to be difficult or unsympathetic. We've built our business model around predictable repairs with known variables. DIY attempts introduce chaos into our systematic approach, making it impossible to offer fixed pricing or guarantee timeframes.
If you're handy with tools and enjoy tinkering, we respect that! But please call us before you start pulling things apart, not after. We're happy to advise whether a repair is suitable for DIY (spoiler alert: very few electrical appliance repairs are), or if you should leave it to the professionals from the start.
Your safety, our reputation, and legal compliance all depend on doing electrical work properly. Let's keep Uncle Arthur in his lane - and your oven repairs in ours!
