When you are considering an electrician, look for someone with whom it is possible to form a long-term relationship. It will save you lots 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 1) Find Recommended Companies

You can get tips for electricians from friends and neighbors. You may also search on-line for electrician LA 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 great source of recommendations for contractors but requires a small annual membership fee. On AngiesList, you can observe how customers rated their contractors, including electricians, and information on 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 just a grumpy customer? Is there an organization reply that clears things up or says that it has corrected its employee?

After 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 are considering?

� Friendly, helpful, rather than 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, focus on how comfortable you are, including your trust level. I've listed questions that you may ask. If you have already gotten glowing recommendations or it is 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 running a business. Most companies that have stayed in business quite a long time have were able to keep their customers satisfied. They've also gathered plenty of useful experience and competence.

� Contractor's License Number

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

� Guarantees. Some companies provide a lifetime guarantee on their work. This wouldn't generally are the electrical parts they install - that's included in the manufacturer's guarantee. However, the electrician should offer you at the very least a several-year guarantee on labor. A warranty 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 will use a slightly different name, possibly the formal legal name of the business.

� Pricing

� Website address unless you already have it


� Names and contact info for five clients

Take notes on all of this, particularly the License Number. If you decide to go ahead, you may wish to check some 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 enable you to remind yourself later which companies you've already eliminated.

Step 4 4) Look and Listen

While you're gathering these details, listen to what's said but also pay attention to the way the electrician acts and enables you to feel. If you meet the electrician, keep your eyes open, too.

� Do you like the electrician?

� Do you feel comfortable and not under great pressure?

� Does the electrician inspire your trust?

� Do the electrician and company employees seem to know what they're doing?

� Do they appear to operate legally and behave ethically? Are they acting just how that you'll want them to do something towards you?

� Do they return 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 could understand?

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

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

Step 5) Check It Out

� In the event that you haven't already, check customer reviews. The initial section of this article gives details.

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

� Check the company'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 as an "A+." The "A+" is earned by an "A" contractor learning to be a paying member of the Better Business Bureau, which supports the Bureau in its work.

Step 6) Call References

Don't hesitate to call references. Customers are usually happy to provide a good recommendation to greatly help a deserving electrical contractor. It is possible to return the favor later should a homeowner call you. Ask:

� How did your task go?

� Was your task done right the very first time?

� In case 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 pleased to continue to use this electrical company?

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

A 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 come 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 require 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 large part of an electrician's value is that he/she gets the work done right and safely without taking an excessive amount of your time and inconveniencing you. An extremely competent electrician can help you save money by suggesting better ways to do a job or to save on electricity. When you enjoy a good relationship with your electrician, it can save you both money and time.