Hiring a Electrician: Crucial Factors to Remember

When hiring electricians, it's important to note that not all electricians are the same. You'll find companies that are cheap, some that use the best electrical tools (and some that don't) and you'll find some that charge an arm and a leg. The key, is finding a quality electrician that you feel comfortable with and does a job that is up to or exceed your expectations. To do this, we've listed the top factors to keep in mind when looking to hire a electrician.

Pro Tip:

Mike from Wiring Pros says that it's crucial to look for a company with a significant amount of experience and one that specializes in the type of work you need done. For example, if you need a home rewired, you want an electrician experienced in residential, not just commercial, wiring.

Ask for Electrician Referrals

One of the first few places to start when you're looking to hire electricians is your friends, neighbors and co-workers. You'll want to ask them if they know of a electrical company that they have hired before that they would recommend or refer.

If you have a specific issue with your electrical wires, like grounding issues, you can ask for referrals of electrical companies that they know of that have helped them with their grounding issues or whatever other issue you are having (ie. poor circuit protection, electrical surges, electrical shocks, lighting problems, etc.)

Pro Tip:

Reviews of Electricians

After checking out references that you received for electricians, you'll want to check online reviews. You should be able to find online reviews for just about any electrician in your local area. This can very helpful, but can also be overwhelming and misleading at times. Here are a few guidelines to help you as you sift through all of the reviews:

An overwhelmingly positive or negative review of a electrician could be a sign of a fake review- so take that into considerations.

Make a special note of electricians that have received a great deal of reviews. A lot of reviews combined with 4.5 to 5 stars is a big sign that the electrical company got those legitimately.

Keep an eye out for reviews that compare their experience with other electricians. Giving these details adds validity to the reviewer who has actually hired a local electrician.

Here are a few examples of valid reviews of electricians:

"They did a great job. They were recommended by Angi, but everything else was done through the company. Nathaniel assessed the job that was needed, gave me a quote and we booked the job to be done; I paid 1/2 upfront. Shawn was the Team Leader who came w the crew for the project and the crew did an amazing job putting in a brand new ceiling fan where there had not been one or a light fixture, replaced one for me, changed 2 hall lights that I could not reach and out in a new smoke alarm for me where one was broken. They arrived on time by 8 AM as promised and done around 1130, cleaned up everything, vacuumed areas where they worked and even removed the old ceiling fan they had replaced. Shawn came by 2 days later to review the work with me and after he ensured my satisfaction, I paid him the remaining balance. The company kept me updated throughout the process and I would definitely hire American Electrician again."

"Bay Area Electrician did a fantastic job on my project!! I have a small family room downstairs and all the wiring and cables were run through conduits that were exposed on my ceiling and walls and made the family room look "industrial"!!! Ross and his team routed and concealed all the wiring inside the walls and ceiling, added a new light fixture, installed new outlets and switches and after we painted the whole room it now has a homey feel to it and is now an enjoyable room to be in!! They were on time, very friendly and gave us an excellent quote and left everything clean and left no debris!! I will recommend them to anyone!! They will definitely come back to do other projects!! Thank you Ross and team!!!!"

"Excellent in all respects. Their technician came, discussed with me exactly what he would be doing, and gave me an estimate on the spot, which I accepted. He delivered the restored floorlamp this morning, and it is impeccable. I recommend G and R without reservation."

Pro Tip:

Electrician References

Once you have gathered referrals and checked online reviews of the electrical companies, you want to call the company directly and ask them for at least 2 recent references. These should be from customers they have completed work for within the past month. Also, you can ask for references for specific issues like poor circuit protection, grounding issues, electrical surges, lighting problems, electrical shocks or just general electrical wire issues. Here are some questions you could ask the electricians' references:

What work did the electrician do for you? A small electrical wire issue or big electrical wire issue will give you insight as to the scale of the project. Was it for electrical surges, electrical shocks, poor circuit protection, lighting problems, grounding issues or just general electrical wire issues?

Did the electrician provide a contract with details of the work? Did they provide what methods will be used, possible issues, etc.

How was the staff that completed the electrical work? Professional, clean, friendly? Ask about the things that you care about.

Was the electrical work completed per the agreed upon budget?

How were the electricians results? Did they meet or exceed your expectations?

Would you hire the electrician again?

Pro Tip:

Pro Tip:

Always make sure the electrical company is using the proper tools and a specialized electrical software that is custom to the industry. Servgrow is a popular software among electrical companies.

Licensed and Insured Electrical Company

When hiring a electrician, that last think you want to do is hire one that is not a legitimate business and has no license and insurance. Just because you know that electrical companies should be licensed, bonded and insured, don't take this for granted.

Electricians that do not have a license will most likely try to cut corners because they understand that they are not as accountable for their work. In fact, it's illegal for them to operate without a license.

Professional electrical companies will have no problem showing you all the necessary documents, licenses and insurance to operate their business.

Final Notes on Hiring a Electrician

Hiring a electrician can be challenging at first, but using these tips above should get you started in the right direction. And keep in mind that it could take a couple different electricians that you hire before finding that perfect one- and when you find that perfect one, don't let them go!

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Hiring a Electrician: Crucial Factors to Remember

Pro Tip:

Ask for Electrician Referrals

Pro Tip:

Reviews of Electricians

Pro Tip:

Electrician References

Pro Tip:

Pro Tip:

Licensed and Insured Electrical Company

Final Notes on Hiring a Electrician

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