I agree one body that encompasses all and actively polices its members. A place a customer can take an unresolved issue and get something done. Eutopia, then he wakes up and realises that we are in the same old world.
Great idea, can't see it working.
I suppose it's how you define cowboy, mato on the rogue traders thread, what a muppet and you probably wouldn't let him change a lightbulb, yet on his van was a gs sticker. Maybe a lie maybe or not that particular individual. Yet the truth is that there are people I have come across, gs or oftec registered who probably shouldn't even be behind the steering wheel.
Yet I digress, my pet hate, oftec, couldn't give a monkeys about unregistered installers or technicians, just to persecute people who decide to pay money to them to be a member of their "umbrella" to show joe public that they work to the correct and safe ways of working. You then go to a service or breakdown, been looked after by the bloke with the big hoover who doesn't know what oftec even stands for, right its fixed or serviced, but, here's a list of non compliances single skin tank, tank base, soldered fittings on oil line, no fire valve etc etc. Well it's been ok for however many years and "Fred" never said anything, you're just trying to rip me off. Then I have to go through the please yourself, but its all documented on that bit of paper I'm leaving you, so when it goes pear shaped my backside is covered.
So is "Fred" a cowboy? To me yes, to the customer no. Thats a problem.
Had a problem on a worcester install 32/50, puffing away like Ivor the Engine. Call in to worcester, send engineer out, spends three hours, changes oil pump, motor and what ever else, he leaves boiler running fine. Next morning when cold back to square one. Next worcester engineer comes out and in ten minutes its fixed, design issue with blast tube, new one has hole in it so photo cell can see flame. Was the first engineer a cowboy, no, he was a gas boiler engineer who just happened to be in the area and had done the necessary training but no experience. Second guy, oil engineer, lived and breathed oil problems.
The whole things gone too far, too many regulators, and I use the term "regulator" very loosely, their happy getting our money for nothing in return. Who's going to change it, the government, no, too busy fixing everything else, the "regulators", no, why should they change something that works for them, us, no, just voices in the wilderness. You can put the world to rights in the pub over a few beers with your mates, but unfortunately I can't see things changing, well for the better, I can definitely see things getting worse.
I know, lets us all stick 2 fingers up to gs oftec and the like and stop paying their wages and stop them from trading, then introduce something that covers everything and employs good knowledgeable individuals and not just failed engineers.
Rant over but I do reserve the right to add to it.