Electrician Shopping - 6 Steps to Selecting the most appropriate Electrician

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 when you can find someone whom you trust to get the job right the 1st time and give you the proper price.

Step one 1) Find Recommended Companies

You can get recommendations for electricians from friends and neighbors. Also you can search on-line for electrician Los Angeles or electrician Burbank, and so on. If you add the term reviews to your search, you can 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 superb source of tips for contractors but takes a small annual membership fee. On AngiesList, you can view how customers rated their contractors, including electricians, and details of how their jobs went.

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

When you have three or so recommended electricians, check out their websites.

Step 2 2) Check the Electrical Company Website

� Is it presentable and well-maintained?

� No problem finding what you're looking for?

� Friendly, helpful, and not cluttered with hard-sell advertising?

� 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, pay attention to how comfortable you are, together with your trust level. I've listed questions that you could 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 in the event that you aren't talking with a recommended electrician and you're planning a remodel, ask away.

� Experience with your kind of work

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

� Contractor's License Number

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

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

� Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating. Ask for the precise company name that you should look and in which city. Sometimes, the BBB use a slightly different name, most likely the formal legal name of the company.

� Pricing

� Website address if you don't already have it

� 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 a few of what the electrician has said. In the event that you decide not to just do it, you don't need to proceed any further with this particular electrician. But save the notes to help you remind yourself later which companies you've already ruled out.

Step 4) Look and Listen

While you're gathering these details, listen to what is 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 seem to know very well what they're doing?

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

� Do they return phone calls promptly?

� Are they timely when meeting you for appointments?

� Do they listen to your questions and concerns and answer them in a manner that is forthcoming and you could understand?

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

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

Step 5) Check It Out

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

� Enter the Contractor's License Number into the Contractor's License Board website for the state. See if there are any "black marks."

� Check the company's rating at the Better Business Bureau at http://www.bbb.org/.  Check out the post right here  run from A+ to F based on customer complaints made to the Bureau. As a note, 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 provide a good recommendation to help a deserving electrical contractor. It is possible to return the favor later should a homeowner call you. Ask:

� How did your job go?

� Was your job 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 happy to continue to utilize this electrical company?

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

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

A bid could be too low. How can that be? An electrician may intentionally omit items which the job requires, and then keep coming back later saying that additional work has to 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 complete the work or may leave you having an incomplete project.

Price is important, 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 part of an electrician's value is that he/she gets the job done right and safely without taking an excessive amount of your time and effort and inconveniencing you. A very competent electrician can help you save money by suggesting more efficient ways to do a job or to save on electricity. When you like a good relationship together with your electrician, it can save you both money and time.