Electrician Shopping - 6 Steps to Selecting the best Electrician

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 a lot of time and money if you can find someone whom you trust to obtain the job right the 1st time and give you the proper price.

Step 1 1) Find Recommended Companies

You can get recommendations for electricians from others who live nearby. Also you can search on-line for electrician LA 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 superb source of tips for contractors but requires a small annual membership fee. On AngiesList, you can see how customers rated their contractors, including electricians, and details of how their jobs went.

When looking at customer reviews, have a look at the big picture. Will there be one bad review at good ones? Is it just 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 or so recommended electricians, check out their websites.

Step two 2) Check the Electrical Company Website

� Is it presentable and well-maintained?

� No problem finding what you are considering?

� Friendly, helpful, rather than cluttered with hard-sell advertising?

� 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, pay attention to how comfortable you are, including your trust level. I've listed questions you could ask. If you have already gotten glowing recommendations or it's a small repair job like fixing a broken light switch, you probably wouldn't want to ask them all. But if you aren't talking with a recommended electrician and you're intending a remodel, ask away.

� Experience with your type of work

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

� Contractor's License Number

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

� Guarantees.  Additional resources  offer a lifetime guarantee on the work. This wouldn't generally are the electrical parts that they install - that's included in the manufacturer's guarantee. However, the electrician should offer you at least a several-year guarantee on labor. A warranty up to the life span of your home is most beneficial.

� Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating. Ask for the exact company name that you need to look and in which city. Sometimes, the BBB will use a slightly different name, possibly the formal legal name of the business.

� Pricing

� Website address unless you already have it

� Names and contact info for five clients

Take notes on all of this, particularly the License Number. If you opt to go ahead, you may wish to check a few of what the electrician has said. If you decide not to go ahead, no need to proceed any further with this electrician. But save the notes so as to remind yourself later which companies you've already ruled out.

Step 4) Look and Listen

While you're gathering these details, listen to what's said but also pay attention to how the electrician acts and enables you to feel. If you meet the electrician, keep your eyes open, too.

� Do you just like the electrician?

� Do you feel safe and not under great pressure?

� Does the electrician inspire your trust?

� Do the electrician and company employees appear to know what they're doing?

� Do they seem to operate legally and behave ethically? Are they acting just how that you would want them to do something towards you?

� Do they return phone calls promptly?

� Are they timely when meeting you for appointments?

� Do they pay attention to your questions and concerns and answer them in a way that is forthcoming and that you can understand?

� Does the electrician dress neatly and have a car and tools that look well-maintained?

Electricians who are bidding jobs are on the 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 feel more comfortable.

Step 5) Check It Out

� If you haven't already, check customer reviews. The first section of this short article gives details.

� Enter  Click to find out more  into the Contractor's License Board website for your state. See if there are any "black marks."

� Check the company's rating at the Better Business Bureau at http://www.bbb.org/. Ratings run from A+ to F based on customer complaints designed to the Bureau. As an email, an "A" reflects the same level of client 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 often happy to provide a good recommendation to greatly help a deserving electrical contractor. It is possible to return the favor later should a homeowner call you. Ask:

� How did your task go?

� Was your task done right the first time?

� In case a return visit was needed, was the electrician an easy task to use and prompt?

� Was company pricing competitive?

� Was the electrician within budget and schedule?

� Would you be pleased to continue to use this electrical company?

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

YOUR FINAL Tip: Don't Automatically Pick the Low Bid

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

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