Insurance companies hope you'll do it yourself. That allows them to reject your claim because you aren't "qualified! That's their catch all. "MUST BE APPROPRIATELY QUALIFIED"

The Regulator

Must be qualified to work on equipment hard wired to the electrical system. On the spot fines are likely if you've breached this regulation.

The Part

Is the part good quality? Is the part a fit-all type? Is it the correct voltage, wattage, material? Is it working correctly when you have completed installing it?

Statewide Appliance Spares - our local spare parts shop will happily sell parts to you. They prefer you to buy the parts from them, because you don't know if your paying to much or if the part is good quality or if it even meets the manufacturers specification. They have even started making videos to help you do just that.

Please don't call us when you fitted the new element and it still doesn't work! We don't attend DYI fails.

Don't be fooled, just because they sell it too you, doesn't mean they should have. When asked by the regulator they simply say the customer was made away that the part should be installed by a qualified person. It's a lie of course, but who can prove otherwise. But the plus for them is that they don't have to warrant the part because it was likely installed by an unqualified person. No downside!

DIY at your own risk

Hire a Licensed professional

DIY; BUT DON'T CALL US

It’s simple; DIY (Do It Yourself) or using a mate is risky!

You RISK your insurance
You RISK getting electrocuted
You RISK fines by the Technical Regulator or Office of Business & Consumer Affairs
You RISK not being eligible to return faulty parts.

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, a rethink might be in order.

Having said that, we also frown on DIY. But for very different reasons. Fault finding is about variables! The less variables, the less time it takes to find the fault! So if the oven doesn't heat, experience tells us where to look. But if the oven doesn't heat and Uncle Arthur had a go at fixing it; well low and behold the variables potentially just shot through the roof. An oven can't change its wiring! Put the control in upside down or cause a variety of other mechanical problems. We don't charge for the majority of 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!

What we don't plan on is the Uncle Arthur factor! He doesn't factor into our pristine, linear logic! So, if Uncle Arthur has say tried to replace the electric oven element(s); please save us both the awkwardness and call another repairer - one that charges by the hour preferably. If we get there and find the wiring has be altered or other evidence of DIY efforts, our fixed price offers are void! Charges for time will be made. We also have an obligation to report interference to the electrical system to the Technical Regulator. And last but certainly not least we won't remedy Uncle Arthur's muck up. Particularly the re-installation of panels, screws, covers, hardware etc. If you remove anything more than the shelves etc, that you might normally remove for cleaning, we won't re-install it! Also those things that have been cross threaded or put back incorrectly, they will remain as we find them, or as the case might be, not find them.

For us to deal with things that Uncle Arthur has mucked up or lost you must inform us before we accept to attend the job. We need to know up front what mess we are likely to face. One of the main reason we insist on knowing up front is because not all parts are available. A lot of hardware used by the manufacturer is not made available to the repair market. Also just because we work on ovens most of the day does not mean we know how every oven is assembled or disassembled. Uncle Arthur often dismantles the front panel, while in reality we never do and so have no idea how it might be reassembled without being there for the disassembling phase. Same goes for wiring. We don't carry a library of wiring diagrams and can't necessarily get one. So once the wiring has been altered, we may not be able to remedy that. BTW, for those who don't get the Uncle Arthur reference; its an alias for you in most cases, we were just trying to be a bit subtle (not our strong suit).

Why Use A Licensed Electrician?

Because the regulations require it.
Because your insurance won't cover you if damages or loss are incurred as a result of work done that is not legal.
Because the people who do work without the proper licenses are also not covered by their insurance
Because the people doing unlicensed work don't care about doing things properly.

How do you know if the work is done correctly?

The simple answer is you don't. Your best insurance against doggy tradespeople is make sure you get an ECC (electrical certificate of compliance) by law a registered electrician must supply such a form. Not sure what the ECC looks like, click here. If you didn't receive one, then you should chase the repairer up and get one. If you still can't get one then click here.