Electrical Damage from Exterior House Clean

waggat on 11/07/2022 - 10:15
Last edited 11/07/2022 - 13:24 by 1 other user

Hi all,

I always see comments in the deals posts regarding ACCC and the Ombudsmen etc so I figured this would be a good site to ask on.

We had an exterior house clean recently. Towards the end of it my wife's monitor went off. She later realised that all power was off. When she inspected the box there was water in there and sparking noises etc coming from the switches.

She called a friend who is an electrician and he was able to come out and fix it. He had to disconnect one AC unit and two light and replace a bunch of switches. The total cost will be about $900.

We contacted the cleaning company to hopefully get them to cover some or all of the costs.

So far they have said the following:

  • The TV was on and the power seemed fine when they finished

  • There was a puddle of water on top of the box before they started (also citing recent rain)

  • Made note of information they provide before the clean which states the following -

  1. IMPORTANT: WATER FINDS ITS WAY INTO AREAS THAT YOU MAY NOT REALISE IT CAN GET TO. IF THE POWER TRIPS THE AVERAGE DRYING TIME APPEARS TO BE 2-6 HOURS. YOU MUST CONTACT OUR OFFICE FIRST TO DISCUSS YOUR CONCERNS. IF YOU ENGAGE AN ELECTRICIAN PRIOR TO CONTACTING OUR OFFICE IN THE FIRST INSTANCE ANY CLAIM FOR COMPENSATION WILL BE VOID. IF THE ELECTRICAN DOES NOT CALL THE OFFICE WHILE ONSITE WE WILL NOT CONSIDER THE CLAIM. THIS ALSO APPLIES TO ALL OTHER CONTRACTORS YOU MAY ASK TO INSPECT OUR WORK. PLEASE CONTACT US FIRST IF YOU ARE UNSATISFIED WITH THE WORK CARRIED OUT.

Does the above claim have any real standing?

If they do not cooperate, is it worth trying to pursue further? Who would we contact in this case?

Cheers

Home & Garden

Comments

  • Xistn on 11/07/2022 - 10:17

    This is why you must read the fine print first, its there for a reason… to catch you out.

  • [Deactivated] on 11/07/2022 - 10:21
    +6

    Does the above claim have any real standing?

    not really, they can't just hand wave their responsibility away if they are at fault, they (and others like them) put scary wording like that to make you think twice / deter you from seeking legal action. all it means is that they won't cooperate and you'll have to fight them for compensation, if it was indeed their fault.

    If they do not cooperate, is it worth trying to pursue further?

    probably not for 900 dollars, but if you make them think that you would take it further, they might just decide it's not worth it and pay up. you just have to decide if it's worth your time and energy to fight them for the money

  • try2bhelpful on 11/07/2022 - 10:46
    +4

    That clause is bollocks. It, basically, admits they’ve been negligent in the past and been called for it. They should, at least, warn you to try and waterproof your electrical meter box before they started.

    You could, probably, take them to the small claims tribunal but it would, probably, not be worth it for a small sum. For future reference if someone has a clause like that it is a red flag to beware.

    Me, I would track down the relative authority in these cases and report these guys for dangerous work practices. This is, just, ludicrous.

  • iamherenow on 11/07/2022 - 10:47
    +1

    The tv was on and the power seemed fine when they finished

    I'd confirm times. Your energy provider, or internet provider may have connection/disconnection times available online. Could be helpful to have proof it disconnected when they were present.

  • kiitos on 11/07/2022 - 12:19

    Was the information provided before the job?

    • waggat on 11/07/2022 - 12:46

      Hi, yes it was. The statement I posted in the OP was from a document they provided beforehand.

  • abb on 11/07/2022 - 13:53
    +2

    $900 to replace a few circuit breakers? Not much of a friend!

    I agree with the other comments that these guys are dangerous - they've had this happen enough times that they needed to put some scary words in their terms of service. They shouldn't be pressure washing electrical boxes for their own safety, let alone the inconvenience and equipment damage

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