magicsurfbus
Free Member
I had a Maxview Crank Up satellite dish fitted by a freelance fitter back in March and used it over Easter, no problem. When I picked up the van from storage recently I noticed rust stains around the handle fittings, meaning water had seeped in and run down the metal shaft. My big concern was if there was also damp in the roof space so I called the fitter. He came back the following day, ran his damp meter over the ceiling and assured me there was no damp. He proceeded to do a lightning fast job of re-sealing the satellite assembly then cleared off faster than Scooby Doo in a haunted house.
Only thing is, I noticed that he'd removed the probes from his damp meter and was just sweeping it across the ceiling. I got some wet cardboard and checked if it would register the damp in it without probes, and it did. I asked why the probes weren't in and he muttered something about them not always being necessary. He then advised me that it was impossible to seal the unit against pools of water on the roof, and the manufacturers had said as much to him, so it was my responsibility to keep water off the van roof in storage.
The lying git - I had another service engineer round the other day who did a good job of locating an electrical fault, so I asked him if he could quickly check the ceiling for damp with the probes fitted to his meter. Sure enough the thing lit up like Christmas all around the ceiling near the satellite's cranking handle, so there is damp in the roof, and the previous fitter knew that the probes on his damp meter would have revealed it. Second guy's estimate for repair? Up to £400.
Now I know what you'll say I should do - I should moan like hell at the first fitter until he fixes the damp problem that he caused. The trouble is this - if he's devious enough to fiddle his damp meter, am I really going to get a proper job done if he takes my van off to his workshop out of sight for a few days? I think not - I think it'll be another botched rush job that he knows he's not getting paid for, and when the roof panel is put back on it'll hide a multitude of sins. I can see the problem returning and having to go through the whole messy business again.
So I'm putting it down to experience, and am going to switch all future business to the second guy, including repairing the damp. I happen to have a couple of other jobs he can do at the same time, and all future annual services will be with him. I lose money short term, but at least I know a proper repair job will be done. The first guy gets no more work from me so he loses out in the long term. So it goes.
Only thing is, I noticed that he'd removed the probes from his damp meter and was just sweeping it across the ceiling. I got some wet cardboard and checked if it would register the damp in it without probes, and it did. I asked why the probes weren't in and he muttered something about them not always being necessary. He then advised me that it was impossible to seal the unit against pools of water on the roof, and the manufacturers had said as much to him, so it was my responsibility to keep water off the van roof in storage.
The lying git - I had another service engineer round the other day who did a good job of locating an electrical fault, so I asked him if he could quickly check the ceiling for damp with the probes fitted to his meter. Sure enough the thing lit up like Christmas all around the ceiling near the satellite's cranking handle, so there is damp in the roof, and the previous fitter knew that the probes on his damp meter would have revealed it. Second guy's estimate for repair? Up to £400.
Now I know what you'll say I should do - I should moan like hell at the first fitter until he fixes the damp problem that he caused. The trouble is this - if he's devious enough to fiddle his damp meter, am I really going to get a proper job done if he takes my van off to his workshop out of sight for a few days? I think not - I think it'll be another botched rush job that he knows he's not getting paid for, and when the roof panel is put back on it'll hide a multitude of sins. I can see the problem returning and having to go through the whole messy business again.
So I'm putting it down to experience, and am going to switch all future business to the second guy, including repairing the damp. I happen to have a couple of other jobs he can do at the same time, and all future annual services will be with him. I lose money short term, but at least I know a proper repair job will be done. The first guy gets no more work from me so he loses out in the long term. So it goes.
Last edited: