Electrician Shopping - 6 Steps to Selecting the right Electrician

Povlsen Zhao

Oct 29, 2023 • 5 min read

When you're looking for an electrician, look for someone with whom you can form a long-term relationship. It's going to save you considerable time and money if you can find someone whom you trust to find the job right the 1st time and give you the proper price.

Step 1 1) Find Recommended Companies

You can get tips for electricians from friends and neighbors. Also you can search on-line for electrician LA or electrician Burbank, and so on. If you add the term reviews to your search, it is possible to look over company reviews.

Another approach is to search websites that feature reviews. Reviews appear on many websites including Google Places, Yelp.com, AngiesList.com, and CitySearch.com. AngiesList.com is a wonderful source of recommendations for contractors but takes a small annual membership fee. On AngiesList, you can observe how customers rated their contractors, including electricians, and information on how their jobs went.

When considering customer reviews, check out the big picture. Is there one bad review at good ones? Is it only a grumpy customer? Will there be an organization reply that clears things up or says that it has corrected its employee?

Once you have three roughly recommended electricians, take a look at their websites.

Step 2 2) Check the Electrical Company Website

ï¿½ Is it presentable and well-maintained?

ï¿½ No problem finding what you're looking for?

ï¿½ Friendly, helpful, rather than cluttered with hard-sell advertising?

ï¿½ How many good testimonials?

If the website checks out, it is time to interview the electrician.

Step 3) Interview

When you talk to the electrician, focus on how comfortable you are, together with your trust level. I've listed questions that you may ask. If you have already gotten glowing recommendations or it's a small repair job like fixing a broken light switch, you almost certainly wouldn't want to ask them all. But if you aren't talking with a recommended electrician and you're planning a remodel, ask away.

ï¿½ Experience with your kind of work

ï¿½ Years running a business. Most companies which have stayed in business a long time have were able to keep their customers satisfied. They've also gathered plenty of useful experience and competence.

ï¿½ Contractor's License Number

ï¿½ Liability Insurance and Workers Comp Insurance. It's desirable that the business carry at least $1 million in liability insurance to protect your home should their work create property damage. Workers Comp provides for health care for the electricians as long as they be injured on your job. Again, this protects you from liability.

ï¿½ Guarantees. Some companies provide a lifetime guarantee on their work. This wouldn't generally include the electrical parts they install - that's covered by the manufacturer's guarantee. However, the electrician should offer you at the very least a several-year guarantee on labor. A warranty up to the life of your home is best.

ï¿½ BBB (BBB) rating. Require the exact company name that you need to look and in which city. Sometimes, the BBB will use a slightly different name, most likely the formal legal name of the business.

ï¿½ Pricing

ï¿½ Website address if you don't already have it

ï¿½ Names and contact info for five clients

Take notes on all of this, specially the License Number. If you decide to go ahead, you may wish to check some of what the electrician has said. In the event that you decide not to just do it, no need to proceed any further with this particular electrician. But save the notes to be able to remind yourself later which companies you've already eliminated.

Step 4) Look and Listen

While you're gathering this information, listen to what is said but also focus on the way the electrician acts and makes you feel. If you meet the electrician, keep your eyes open, too.

ï¿½ Do you like the electrician?

ï¿½ Do you feel safe and not under great pressure?

ï¿½ Does the electrician inspire your trust?

ï¿½ Do the electrician and company employees appear to know very well what they're doing?

ï¿½ Do they seem to operate legally and behave ethically? Are they acting just how that you would want them to act towards you?

ï¿½ Do they return phone calls promptly?

ï¿½ Are they timely when meeting you for appointments?

ï¿½ Do they pay attention to your questions and concerns and answer them in a way that is forthcoming and that you could understand?

ï¿½ Does the electrician dress neatly and also have a car and tools that look well-maintained?

Electricians that are bidding jobs are on their best behavior. If you already notice that an electrician treats you or others with techniques that concern you, better to find another with whom you are feeling more comfortable.

Step 5) Check It Out

ï¿½ If you haven't already, check customer reviews. The first section of this article gives details.

ï¿½ Enter the Contractor's License Number in to the Contractor's License Board website for the state. See if there are any "black marks."

ï¿½ Check the company's rating at the Better Business Bureau at http://www.bbb.org/. Ratings run from A+ to F predicated on customer complaints designed to the Bureau. As a note, an "A" reflects the same level of customer satisfaction being an "A+." The "A+" is earned by an "A" contractor learning to be a paying member of the higher Business Bureau, which supports the Bureau in its work.

Step 6) Call References

Please call references. Customers are usually happy to give a good recommendation to help a deserving electrical contractor. You can return the favor later should a homeowner call you. Ask:

ï¿½ How did View website go?

ï¿½ Was your job done right the very first time?

ï¿½ In case a return visit was needed, was the electrician easy to work with and prompt?

ï¿½ Was company pricing competitive?

ï¿½ Was Electrician West Wemyss within budget and schedule?

ï¿½ Would Get more info be happy to continue to utilize this electrical company?

Speak with at the very least three references. Listen carefully for enthusiasm or insufficient enthusiasm about the electrician. Clients, past or present, might not feel safe saying anything negative. Should they express little enthusiasm or say something negative, take this into consideration when making your decision.

A Final Tip: Don't Automatically Choose the Low Bid

A bid could be too low. How do that be? An electrician may intentionally omit items that the job requires, only to keep coming back later saying that additional work must be done. On the other hand, some electricians may unintentionally bid low through inexperience. In any event, the electrician may ask for more money to finish the job or may leave you having an incomplete project.

Price is essential, but judge the entire picture an electrician is showing you -- character, expertise, the ease of working with him or her, and overall value. A big section of an electrician's value is that he/she gets the job done right and safely without taking too much of your time and inconveniencing you. An extremely competent electrician can help you save money by suggesting better ways to do a job or to save well on electricity. When you like a good relationship together with your electrician, it can save both money and time.

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