What To Look For In An Electrician

The Cost of Electrical

As discussed in the section of our web site “what to look for in an electrician” I wanted to re-iterate the “beware of the gimmick” section on our site.  A brief look into the 2012 phone book is a prime example. One of the competitors has a page of coupons, most of which will require a significant initial investment just to take advantage of their specials.  As is often said “there is nothing for free” and/or “if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.”  Be aware of these large contractors and the associated gimmick.  Most of them are paying their employees on commission which means that their employees don’t get paid unless they sell you something even if you don’t need it.  Feel free to give us a call and we can review your estimate given by one of the other guys and let you know how much money we can save you.

 

The big box store.  There are a couple of large stores or depots out there that offer installation of electrical devices or products that they sell.  Like All Seasons Electric, they require their trade professionals to go through a background check before they are allowed into your home or business. But, unlike us, they tack on an additional markup of 10% 20% or even 30% for electrical services that they provide.  Having recently worked with one of the large stores, I had a customer we were working with contact us direct, that is, outside of the store, concerning the price of the electrical work they were having completed through the store.  The customer revealed to me the price that was quoted to them by the store.  My jaw almost hit the floor when I found out the price they were quoted was nearly 30% more than the price I had quoted and was charging the store.  Due to a contractual agreement we had with the store, I could not offer our services at our normal price.  I would strongly recommend that if you are having a kitchen remodel, basement finish, or even a light fixture installed that you contact us for a competitive estimate.  We can unusually save you 10-30% off the electrical portion of the estimate.  We can even recommend other trades that can do the same work offered by the big stores saving you $$$ off of your project. 

The work always goes to the lowest bidder- If you have ever moved into a newly constructed home, had a basement finished, or had your kitchen remodeled,  you may have noticed that the work, fixtures, appliances and so on are not of the highest quality.  That is because the general contractor will often accept the lowest estimate for the project in order to increase their profit margin.  In order for sub-contractors to offer the lowest estimate they have to either; provide under qualified or semi-skilled labor at reduced cost; cut corners during the construction process; or provide cheap or substandard materials.  I have been in several homes, more so recently, where substandard building practices and cheap materials have caused multiple electrical problems.  Don’t be a victim of this practice. Paying a little bit more a qualified electrician will often save you money in the future and will provide you with a better product.  Don’t expect a BMW if you are only paying for a VW.