When you’re choosing 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 get the job right the first time and give you the right price. >>
Step 1: Finding a Recommended Electrician
You can get recommendations for electricians from friends and neighbors. You can also search on-line for electrician Los Angeles or electrician Burbank, and so on. If you add the word reviews to your search, you can look through company reviews.
Another approach is to search websites that feature reviews. Reviews appear on many websites including Google Business, Yelp.com, AngiesList.com, and CitySearch.com. AngiesList.com is an excellent 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 details of how their jobs went.
When looking at customer reviews, take a look at the big picture. Is there one bad review among the many good ones? Is it just a grumpy customer? Is there a company reply that clears things up or says that it has corrected its employee? Once you have three or so recommended electricians, take a look at their websites.
Step 2: Check the Electrical Company Website
· Is it presentable and well-maintained?
· Easy to find what you’re looking for?
· Friendly, helpful, and not cluttered with hard-sell advertising?
· How many good testimonials?
If the website checks out, it’s time to interview the electrician.
Step 3: Interview
When you are choosing an electrician, pay attention to how comfortable you are, including your trust level. I’ve listed questions that you can ask. If you’ve 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 planning a remodel, ask away.
- Experience with your type of work
- Years in business. Most companies which have stayed in business a long time have managed 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 protect your home should their work create property damage. Workers Comp provides for medical 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 include the electrical parts that they install – that’s covered by 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.
- Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating. Ask for the exact company name that you should look and in which city. Sometimes, the BBB will use a slightly different name, possibly 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, particularly 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, no need to proceed any further with this electrician. But save the notes so that you can remind yourself later of which companies you’ve already ruled out.
Step 4: Look and Listen
While you’re gathering this information, listen to what is said but also pay attention to how the electrician acts and makes you feel. If you meet with the electrician, keep your eyes open, too.
- · Do you like the electrician?
- Do you feel comfortable and not under pressure?
- Does the electrician inspire your trust?
- Do the electrician and company employees seem to know what they’re doing?
- Do they seem to operate legally and behave ethically? Are they acting the way 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 way that is forthcoming and that you can understand?
- Does the electrician dress neatly and have a vehicle and tools that look well-maintained?
Electricians who are bidding jobs are on their best behavior. If you already notice that an electrician treats you or others in ways that concern you, better to find another with whom you feel more comfortable.
Step 5: Check Reviews When Choosing an Electrician
Don’t hesitate to check reviews. Customers are usually happy to give a good recommendation to help a deserving electrical contractor. You can find reviews for local electricians on sites like Google Business, the Better Business Bureau and Yelp. Spending a few minutes looking at reviews can save the headache of choosing the wrong electrician.
When leaving a review or checking reviews, you should consider the following things:
- How did your job go?
- Was your job done right the first time?
- If a return visit was needed, was the electrician easy to work with and prompt?
- Was company pricing competitive?
- Was the electrician within budget and schedule?
- Would you be happy to continue to use this electrical company?
Speak with at least three references. Listen carefully for enthusiasm or lack of enthusiasm about the electrician. Clients, past or present, may not feel comfortable saying anything negative. If 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 may be too low. How can that be? An electrician may intentionally omit items that the job requires, only to come back later saying that additional work needs to be done. On the other hand, some electricians may unintentionally bid low through inexperience. Either way, the electrician may ask for more money to finish the job or may leave you with an incomplete project.
Price is important, but when choosing an electrician judge the entire picture an electrician is showing you character, expertise, the ease of working with him or her, and overall value. A large 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 inconveniencing you. A very competent electrician can save you money by suggesting more efficient ways to do a job or to save on electricity. When you enjoy a good relationship with your electrician, it can save you both time and money.
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I appreciated the tip that you gave to choose an electrician who will offer guarantees on their work. My wife and I have been talking about finding an electrician to help us because we want to get our chandelier rewired, so it could light up. When we look for someone to help us, I will be sure to check if they will offer guarantees beforehand.
I wanted to thank you for these tips for getting an electrician. I’m glad you said that you should see how long they’ve been working int he business. I’m interested to learn if this could include times when they’ve gotten additional training to improve their electrical skills.
I love the suggestion that you gave to choose an electrician who is experienced. We have been talking about finding an electrician to put in new lights for our basement. When we choose one, I will be sure to check their experience level.
I thought that it was helpful when you suggested to check the experience of an electrician before you hire them. We are wanting to get our chandelier worked on, and it would be important for us to know that we could find someone who we could trust will do a good job. When we look for one, I will be sure to check their experience level first.
I hadn’t considered the importance of automatically choosing the lowest bid with an electrician. I’m looking to hire an electrician to fix some wiring issues I’ve been having. I’ll be sure to use your article to determine which service provider will help me out the most.
I love the tip that you gave to consider the pressure we feel with an electrician before we would hire them. That sounds like a great way to find one who we could trust and be comfortable with. My wife and I have been talking about getting help with our kitchen lights because they won’t turn on anymore, and it will be important for us to know that we could find the best one. To be sure that we could find the right electrician, I will be sure to consider how much pressure we feel with them.
I have been planning to hire an electrician because I received a complaint from my tenants about their flickering lights. I’m glad you shared this; I’ll make sure to ask my neighbor or and friends fro recommendations. I’ll also keep in mind to ask the prospective contractor to vice a license number and liability insurance.
I have experienced that a website explains a lot about a company and its standard.an electrical company with good ratings online and well-maintained website gives a good first imprssion. But this isn’t the only criteria for choosing the right person for the job. the blogs mentions the necessary questions that needs to be answered before hiring an electrician.
You made an interesting point when you talked about how it is important to pay attention to how an electrician makes you feel when you are looking to hire one. My wife and I are wanting to get some new laundry appliances and we are thinking it would be a good idea to upgrade our electrical panel so that it will be able to handle the new appliances. These tips you shared will be very helpful to us when we start looking for an electrician to hire.
That’s a good idea to ask about how long they have been in business and what kind of guarantees are on their work. My home was built in the 1970s, so there is a serious lack of outlets throughout the house. I will keep your tips in mind as I look for a contractor to install the new outlets.
I like how you mentioned that the electrician should return your calls in a timely fashion and arrive promptly to appointments. I want to have ceiling fans installed in my living room and bedrooms this month to allow for better air circulation. Reliability is definitely something I will look out for when researching electricians in the area.
I appreciate that you listed some helpful tips on how to choose electrical contractors. After experiencing electrical surges in the past few days, I’ve decided to hire an electrician to get our circuit breaker checked. With that considered, I shall then follow your advice to check reviews on Google Business, Yelp.com, and AngiesList.com to get an idea about how these professionals offer their services. Also, I’ll make sure that they have high BBB rating.
I want to get some new outlets installed in my basement this winter. That way, I will have more plugs for all of my Christmas lights. Thanks for explaining that I will want to consider finding an electrician that has a good rating form the BBB. That does seem like that could help to make find an electrician to do the job a lot easier and faster.
I like that you said I should interview an electrician about how long they have been in business. Electricians that have been in the industry for a long time means they have been able to keep their customers satisfied through the years. My sister is looking for an electric contractor for the house she’s building, so I’ll share this with her. Thanks!
I found it helpful when you suggested searching websites that feature reviews like Google Business, Yelp.com, and others to find recommendations. My husband and I want to hire an electrician that is reliable because we are looking to update the electrical wiring at home. We need to also have the breaker replaced as it keeps breaking down at night. We will do all your tips.
Thanks for telling me that I should check the website of the electrician I am considering hiring. It’s important to see if they have good testimonials online. I’ll definitely follow this tip of yours when I start looking for an electrician in town. Our fuse broke yesterday, but my husband was able to fix it. I still want a professional to check it out, so thanks for this!
I appreciate your advise about interviewing professional electricians and see how many years they have been in the business. This way, you’ll be able to determine if they are qualified and trustworthy. The last thing you want for your house is to have electrical issues because not only it will become an inconvenience for you and your family, but it’s also inviting danger as well. This is why hiring qualified and experienced electricians should be a norm.
It was helpful when you said that you could check review sites like the Better Business Bureau and Yelp in order to find an electrician that has good recommendations. My husband and I will take note of this because we want to have our electrical system maintained and serviced. We have been experiencing power outages since the start of the year, so it is critical for us to have our electrical system properly serviced.
It’s good that you elaborated on the tips to consider when hiring a professional electrician.
It’s good that you elaborated on the tips to consider when hiring an electrical contractor and they are capable of doing all the tasks within a given time period and safely.
Oh, hi! The recreational park in my neighborhood can be quite dangerous especially at night due to the lack of proper lighting and I feel something should be done to address the issue. I found it really helpful when you pointed out that relying on the service of certified electricians can certainly bring about the best quality in the eventual output provided. I’ll let the management knows about this so they can come up with a viable solution later.
Recently, my sister decided to upgrade her house’s structure, so she’s looking for an electrician to get her project started. It’s good to know we should inspect an electrician’s online presence before hiring one, so I’ll be sure to pass your tips to my sister. I appreciate your advice on hiring an electrician and how to interview one.
Thank you for explaining that you should check the reviews when looking for an electrician. I’ve been thinking about hiring one since I started noticing that our outlets in our kitchen are warm when in use. I’ll be sure to use your advice to find a good electrician to help us.
We all know electrical works are complex works to do, and an expert electrician should be the one to do the job.
I like that you talk about tips for getting an expert electrician. I agree that in finding an expert, options would be by recommendation or word of mouth from previous clients. Another one would be reading reviews online or on websites. This way, we can be assured that we get the expert to do the job.
My brother needs an expert electrician that needs thee electrical installation at his house. I appreciate that you discuss ways to choose the right electrician. We all know electrical works are complex works to do, and an expert electrician should be the one to do the job. I like that you talk about tips for getting an expert electrician. I agree that in finding an expert, options would be by recommendation or word of mouth from previous clients. Another one would be reading reviews online or on websites. This way, we can be assured that we get the expert to do the job.
I like that you talk about tips for getting an expert electrician. I agree that in finding an expert, options would be by recommendation or word of mouth from previous clients. In addition to the suggestions, it is better that you check the website and talk to the electrician and gather information about his expertise. We all know electrical works are complex works to do, and an expert electrician should be the one to do the job.
An appliance repairer is different from an electrician.
I appreciate that you mention their difference because we could recognize that electricians are more expert and experienced professionals that do electrical systems, like outlets, fixtures, and electrical panels. In getting an expert electrician, we must look for the license and ask for a warranty or insurance so ay we can secure the repairs to be done.
This is helpful information about differentiating an electrician from an appliance repairer. Because we could recognize that electricians are more expert and experienced professionals that do electrical systems, like outlets, fixtures, and electrical panels, a professional electrician must look for a license and ask for a warranty or insurance so we can secure the repairs to be done.
We are looking for an electrician to help us with the electrical concern at home; I’m glad I came across this article and learned tips for hiring the best electrician.
I like how you mentioned the importance of knowing the feedback from previous clients and their experience in electrical services so you would know how good they are in the industry.
I will share this with my husband and see how this can help us find the best electrician to help us at home.
I like that you talk about tips for getting an expert electrician. I agree that in finding an expert, options would be by recommendation or word of mouth from previous clients. Another one would be reading reviews online or on websites. This way, we can be assured that we get the expert to do the job.
We all know electrical works are complex works to do, and an expert electrician should be the one to do the job.
I like that you talk about tips for getting an expert electrician. I agree that in finding an expert, options would be by recommendation or word of mouth from previous clients. We all know electrical works are complex works to do, and an expert electrician should be the one to do the job. Another one would be reading reviews online or on websites. This way, we can be assured that we get the expert to do the job.
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It’s truly undeniable that your blogs are exemptional. Now, I have the knowledge on what are the important things that I need to considenr when choosing an electrician!
Do you have an advice on where I could easily find an electrician?
I am very happy that you’re sharing this kind of information!”””
I enjoyed reading this write-up about five tips for choosing an electrician. Thank you for sharing this informative content. Let us know if you need more about the recessed fire-rated access panel for upcoming content.
You would be amazed how many people just want a quote from us and never actually want to meet. We are over here in Fullerton and honestly it amazes me. We try really hard to deliver awesome customer service and most people just don’t realize the “range” of electricians that put a shingle out. Completely agree… always interview your electrician first before hiring someone to come in your home and work!
The lights in my basement won’t work for some reason even though I just had the bulb replaced when I was renovating the place last week, so I want to get the wiring checked in case the problem lies there. I appreciate your advice when you told us to verify first the number of years the electrician has been working and if they have liability insurance to protect our home in case something goes wrong on the job to ensure we get the repair job done right the first time. I’ll be sure to do this once I find a home electrician I might consider hiring to fix my broken lights soon.
For the electrical installation at his home, my brother requires the services of a qualified electrician. I appreciate you talking about how to pick the best electrician. Electrical work is difficult, as we are all aware, and should only be performed by a qualified electrician. I like that you offer advice on how to find a skilled electrician. I concur that possibilities for locating an expert include recommendations or word of mouth from prior customers. Reading online or website reviews is an additional option. We can be confident that we are hiring a professional in this method.
It was useful when you suggested checking review websites like Yelp and the Better Business Bureau to locate an electrician who had positive testimonials. We’ll remember this since my husband and I wish to have our electrical system checked and serviced. Since the beginning of the year, we have had power outages, thus we must have our electrical system well maintained.
Due to inadequate illumination, the recreational area in my neighborhood may be rather unsafe, especially at night. I believe this is a problem that needs to be resolved. I thought it was incredibly useful when you mentioned that using the services of licensed electricians may undoubtedly result in the greatest quality in the final product delivered. I’ll inform management about this so they can subsequently come up with a workable solution.
You made a good point when you said that an electrical contractor must have kept its clients satisfied if they have been in service for years. This is something that I will consider because I am planning to replace our circuit panel before installing new kitchen appliances next Friday. I want to only deal with an electrician that can complete the job right the first time, so your tips are helpful.
I believe that electricians who are applying for employment are acting professionally, and it is preferable to look for another if you already notice that an electrician handles you or others in a way that worries you. I should tell my acquaintance about this since they want to upgrade their home network and communication systems and are looking for an electrician that specializes in fiber optics. They feel a fiber optics-trained electrician will provide them with the know-how to build high-speed and dependable internet connections, boosting their home’s connectivity and technical capabilities overall.
It was a good tip when you told us to make sure the electrician we are choosing provides us with guarantees for their labor, if not a lifetime guarantee at least a several-guarantee to assure the quality of their work. I need to fix the light switch in my bedroom soon since it’s no longer working for some reason, but I don’t want to do it myself in case I end up causing a fire instead. I’ll be sure to take note of what you said while I look for a residential electrician in Clearwater to hire for the repairs soon.
I recently had a patio built on my residential property in Cowra since I wanted a space at home where I could enjoy outdoor dining with a good view of our beautiful garden, so I need to install lighting for my patio soon. It’s good that you mentioned that it’s important for the electrician we are hiring to carry adequate liability insurance and workers’ comp to protect our home in case of property damage and protect the electrician should they be injured on the job. I’ll take note of this while I look for an electrical contractor working in NSW to hire for the installation of my patio lighting at home soon.