Electrician Shopping - 6 Steps to Choosing the Right Electrician

Birk Gundersen

Oct 29, 2023 • 5 min read

When you are considering an electrician, look for someone with whom you can form a long-term relationship. It will save you a lot of time and money if you can find someone whom you trust to obtain the job right the first time and give you the right price.

Step one 1) Find Recommended Companies

You can get recommendations for electricians from others who live nearby. You can also search on-line for electrician Los Angeles or electrician Burbank, and so forth. If you add the term reviews to your search, you can look over company reviews.

Another approach would be 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. Will there be one bad review at good ones? Could it be just a grumpy customer? Is there an organization reply that clears things up or says that it has corrected its employee?

Once you have three or so recommended electricians, have a look at their websites.

Step 2 2) Check the Electrical Company Website

ï¿½ Is it presentable and well-maintained?

ï¿½ Easy to find what you're looking for?

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

ï¿½ Just how many good testimonials?

If the web site checks out, it's time to interview the electrician.

Step 3) Interview

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

ï¿½ Experience with your type of work

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

ï¿½ Contractor's License Number

ï¿½ Liability Insurance and WORKMANS COMPENSATION 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 offer a lifetime guarantee on their work. This wouldn't generally are the electrical parts they install - that's included in the manufacturer's guarantee. However, the electrician should give you at the very least a several-year guarantee on labor. Electrician Freuchie up to the life of your home is best.

ï¿½ BBB (BBB) rating. Ask for the precise company name that you should look and where city. Sometimes, the BBB use a slightly different name, possibly the formal legal name of the company.

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 this, specially the License Number. If you decide to go ahead, you may wish to check some of what the electrician has said. If you decide not to go ahead, you don't need to proceed any further with this electrician. But save the notes to help you remind yourself later which companies you've already ruled out.

Step 4 4) Look and Listen

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

ï¿½ Do you just like the electrician?

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

ï¿½ Does the electrician inspire your trust?

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

ï¿½ Do they appear 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 manner that is forthcoming and you could understand?

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

Electricians that are bidding jobs are on the best behavior. In the event that you already notice that an electrician treats you or others with techniques that concern you, easier to find another with whom you feel more comfortable.

Step 5) TAKE A LOOK

ï¿½ In the event that you haven't already, check customer reviews. The first section of this short article gives details.

ï¿½ Enter the Contractor's License Number in to the Contractor's License Board website for your state. See if you can find any "black marks."

ï¿½ Check the company's rating at the higher Business Bureau at http://www.bbb.org/. Ratings run from A+ to F based on customer complaints made to the Bureau. As an email, an "A" reflects exactly the same level of customer satisfaction as an "A+." The "A+" is earned by an "A" contractor becoming 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 your job go?

ï¿½ Was your task 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 the electrician within budget and schedule?

ï¿½ Would you be happy to continue to use this electrical company?

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

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

A bid may be too low. How can that be? An electrician may intentionally omit items which the job requires, only to keep coming back later saying that additional work should be done. Alternatively, some electricians may unintentionally bid low through inexperience. Either way, the electrician may require more money to complete the work or may leave you having an incomplete project.

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

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