JNA Electrical - electrician contractor. Think very carefully before you decide to use this contractor because you might regret it if you do.

This review exposes the incompetence of JNA Electrical – an electrician contractor in Mongomery Park, Johannesburg with a view to recommend prospective clients to think very carefully before deciding to use this service supplier.

When I replaced the carport roof at my premises in Krugersdorp in 2021 the overhead motor of the motorized wooden door had to be reinstalled and the electrical supply to the battery of the motor had to be reconnected to the ‘plugs’ switch of the distribution board for the outbuildings in the garage behind the carport.

Marius owner/manager of JNA Electrical, a ‘three-phase electrician’ registered with the Department of Labour did the work. Shortly thereafter the motor would not work and because Marius had shown me that it had worked when he had installed it, he assured me the battery must be the problem. I called out the security company that does the alarm systems and replaces all the batteries at my house. I was charged or a callout fee of R500 and for a new (fully charged) battery.

Within two days the problem recurred and I told Marius about this but rather than be charged another callout fee, I decided to have him come back when I was ready to have him do more work at my house – he had worked at my premises previously. In the meantime I strung a cable from the distribution board in the garage to the motor to give power to the battery. After a few weeks, the circuit breaker kept cutting off the power and I had to call out Marius to determine the source of the problem. Marius established that the extension cable had been damaged and charged me a call out fee of R800 for making this assessment.

When Marius returned to do more work at my house a year later, it became clear that the reason for the problem with the caport door motor battery was because Marius had connected the power supply for the battery to the switch labelled ‘geyser’ on the distribution board for the geyser in the laundry in the outbuildings. The geyser has not worked in 20 years and so it is always switched off at the distribution board. This is why the motor battery would not charge. I should not have had to pay a callout fee because the problem was due to Marius' incompetence. That was the first demonstration of obvious incompetence - STRIKE ONE.

In September 2022 when that problem was addressed, the carport lights were reinstalled after the roof had been replaced. I discovered within days that the lights in the laundry would not work unless the carport lights were burning. And so every time I wanted light in the laundry I had to go to the distribution board and flick the ‘lights’ switch for all the lights in the outbuildings to work or alternatively leave on the carport lights for 24 hours a day. The lights in the carport can be turned on and off separately, so why Marius did not do the job properly is inexplicable. That was the second demonstration of obvious incompetence - STRIKE TWO.

Two days after Marius had done electric work on the outbuildings, the motor of the electric gate to my premises ceased to work. The battery for the motor had been replaced with a ‘gel’ battery only two months previously and when I called out the armed response company that installed the battery, the technician discovered that Marius had connected the electric supply for the gate battery to that of the non-existent swimming pool pump – the switch marked ‘pump’ – the swimming pool was filled in with rubble months ago and the pool pump had been removed more than a year previously. There was nothing wrong with the new ‘gel’ battery but I had to pay the armed response company R500 for the callout. It was therefore entirely Marius’ fault again that there was a problem. That was the third obvious demonstration of incompetence - STRIKE THREE.

There will not be a strike four. It goes without saying that I will not have Marius on my premises again and that I will have to pay another electrician to sort out the problems. Legally I am not obliged to give Marius the opportunity to address the problems because he has shown himself to be dangerously *********** with electrical wiring and is not to be trusted in the execution of his work.

I will be demanding that Marius refund me for the expenses that have been incurred as a result of his incompetence and shoddy workmanship. The refunds I want are for the R800 that I paid Marius for the callout described above, the fee I have paid for the callout of the armed response company - R500 and replacement of the battery for the carport motor (price to be checked), the R500 fee for the second callout of the armed response company for determining the cause of the gate motor not charging and the fee that the electrician will charge to go through all Marius’ work and to issue a certificate of competence. These costs will run into thousands of rands. Two years ago, Marius re-wired all the electrics in my newly renovated house and (for a fee) provided me with a certificate of compliance stating that the work had been done properly. The certificate of compliance might not be worth the paper it is written on. What worries me more than anything is that there might be problems with the electrical wiring inside my house which can cause a short and a fire. This is a chilling prospect.

I will have to pay another electrician to examine all the electrical work in the house to ensure that the work has been done competently. Marius must refund me for this fee also. He has caused me a great deal of inconvenience, time wasted and annoyance. Marius’ incompetence is alarming as it can have extremely dangerous consequences.

The costs that have resulted from Marius’ incompetence must be recovered and I shall be seeking legal advice to recover my money.

Given that Marius is registered with the Department of Labour I had expected him to be competent and work safely. Had I known that he would show himself to be startlingly *********** and demonstrate shoddy workmanship I would not have contracted him to do work at my premises.

This has been a deeply offensive experience.

Anyone looking for an electrician should think twice before hiring Marius of JNA Electrical or face wasting time, money, patience and much inconvenience.