Ex-Employer Signing off in my name AFTER i had left the company.

[Jackalakin]

First of all, a big hello to everyone, I am new here!

So the story goes....

Bumped into an old colleague while in the local plumbcenter, I knew him from a company I worked for with him a while back while , The guy in question had also left the company we worked at together, He say's in passing conversation, "It was bad wasn't it, when they were signing gas work off in your name after you had gone". Not wanting to look like a rabbit in headlights and i knew nothing of this, i just replied with an "yeh, yeh I heard about that".

Left the shop, got straight on the phone to Gas safe, and found I had been taken off the companies list of registered installers , but it was 1 whole year after id left, they couldn't access the data and the local gas Audit bloke/investigator would call me as he could. Bear in mind I was the ONLY Gas safe employee at the company and was there when we registered/had our audits etc.

Got off of the phone with him yesterday after him confirming that they have in fact signed off work in my name!!!:32:

So now I am waiting to hear back from Gas safe to do further investigations,

The best Advice I can give is as soon as you leave a company, inform gas safe that you need to be taken off of that companies register. maybe this is a common practice and I am the daft one, but I've learnt my lesson now.

Has anyone had this happen to them/someone they know?
What do you think will happen to the Company?
Do you think I have grounds to sue them?

 

[AWheating]

It's fraud, they have broken the law in a number of ways and I hope they get fudged over for it.

 

[AlexGas]

You know the number...

 

[Jackalakin]

The number? for Gas Safe you mean? or something else?

I have contacted them already, still eagerly waiting to hear back from them

 

[Ray Stafford]

You can report them, but suing them personally would be tricky.

When you sue, you are asking the judge to award a sum of money in damages. If you win, you have to be able to quantify those damages. In this case, you don't have any broken bones, damaged property or lost earnings. You might claim that your reputation has been besmirched, but you have to prove an ACTUAL loss, not just a potential one.

 

[REDSAW]

impersonation of a gas engineer, a licensed person registered with the government eg. doctor, policeman, gynacologist etc.
5 years inside!

need a price on forging your details only which is retrospective to the damage you have inccured?!

 

[bright spark]

All I can say is that gent!! Has put your name to lots of jobs. If something goes wrong there your necks on the block. So you've got to screw him or a crap job could dirty your name any time down the road for the rest of your life.
its an awkward 1 but no one put a gun to his head to falsely file just to save himself money

 

[gasmanrob]

Damages is easy £1000 for every job signed on your name in order for you to attend an confirm the job is up to spec and satisfactory to your professional opinion. After all they used your name so you should be happy with the installation. Oh plus loss of earning as your provisional services were used without personal gain or knowledge of such practises taking place.

 

[Neil K]

Unbelievable Jeff!

 

[newcastle phill]

Is it an esablished business with a long history.
Thing is you sue smaller places and they just wind up to avoid paying damages ?

 

[Ray Stafford]

Damages is easy £1000 for every job signed on your name in order for you to attend an confirm the job is up to spec and satisfactory to your professional opinion. After all they used your name so you should be happy with the installation. Oh plus loss of earning as your provisional services were used without personal gain or knowledge of such practises taking place.

It just doesn't work like that Rob.

The OP is not actually any worse off, right this minute, as a result of the actions of his ex-employer. Put it another way, if you could wind back the clock, and prevent the guy from signing the OP's name, would the OP have any more money in the bank?

No, he wouldn't. Speculating about what he might have charged, had he been asked, is not going to impress a judge. Thats like saying you might have had an accident when someone cuts you up on the road. "Might have" isn't winning you any damages.

What his ex-employer has done is criminal, and should therefore be dealt with by the criminal legal system. Not the civil system.

 

[snowhead]

Has put your name to lots of jobs. If something goes wrong there your necks on the block.

No, that's easily solved if the O.P can prove he wasn't employed there at the time.

 

[bright spark]

It's easily solved alright. It's up to you to solve it now by bringing proceedings against former employer now. Rather than 20 years down the road if there's a defect with an installation.
Basically, you don't want to get your name implicated in anything even if you are proven to b innocent in the end. Mud sticks and people will remember your name locally for the wrong reason.just say there an accident. Headline, gas fitter arrested. Your name in paper. Every1 heats you. 12 months later, your found totally innocent in court but in that time, your screwed