Electrician Shopping - 6 Steps to Selecting the best Electrician

Putnam Reynolds

Dec 23, 2023 • 5 min read

When you're looking for an electrician, look for someone with whom you can form a long-term relationship. It will save you lots of time and money when you can find someone whom you trust to get the job right the first 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, etc. If you add the word 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 recommendations for contractors but requires a small annual membership fee. On AngiesList, you can see how customers rated their contractors, including electricians, and information on how their jobs went.

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

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

Step two 2) Check the Electrical Company Website

ï¿½ Is it presentable and well-maintained?

ï¿½ No problem finding what you are considering?

ï¿½ Friendly, helpful, and not cluttered with hard-sell advertising?

ï¿½ How many good testimonials?

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

Step 3) Interview

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

ï¿½ Experience with your type of work

ï¿½ 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 many useful experience and competence.

ï¿½ Contractor's License Number

ï¿½ Liability Insurance and WORKMANS COMPENSATION Insurance. It's desirable that the company carry at the very least $1 million in liability insurance to safeguard your home 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.

ï¿½ Guarantees. Some companies 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 give you at least a several-year guarantee on labor. A guarantee 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 in which city. Sometimes, the BBB use a slightly different name, most likely the formal legal name of the company.

ï¿½ Pricing

ï¿½ Website address unless you already have it

ï¿½ Names and contact info for five clients

Take notes on all of this, particularly the License Number. If you opt to go ahead, you might 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 particular electrician. But save the notes so that you can remind yourself later of which companies you've already ruled out.

Step 4 4) Look and Listen

While you're gathering this information, listen to what's said but also pay attention to how 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 what they're doing?

ï¿½ Do they seem to operate legally and behave ethically? Are Website link acting the way that you would want them to act towards you?

ï¿½ Do they return calls promptly?

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

ï¿½ Do they listen 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 have a vehicle and tools that look well-maintained?

Electricians who are bidding jobs are on the best behavior. In the event that you already observe that an electrician treats you or others in ways 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 into the Contractor's License Board website for your state. See if you can find any "black marks."

ï¿½ Check the business's rating at the Better Business Bureau at http://www.bbb.org/. Ratings run from A+ to F based on customer complaints made to the Bureau. As a note, an "A" reflects the same level of client satisfaction being an "A+." The "A+" is earned by an "A" contractor becoming a paying member of the Better 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 help a deserving electrical contractor. You can return the favor later should a homeowner call you. Ask:

ï¿½ How did your task go?

ï¿½ Was your task done right the first time?

ï¿½ If a return visit was needed, was the electrician an easy task to use and prompt?

ï¿½ Was company pricing competitive?

ï¿½ Was the electrician within budget and schedule?

ï¿½ Would you be pleased to continue to utilize 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 into consideration when making your decision.

YOUR 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 that the job requires, and then come back later saying that additional work needs 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 finish the work or may leave you having an incomplete project.

Price is essential, but judge the complete 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. An extremely competent electrician can help you save 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 both money and time.

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