8 Warning Signs When Searching For An Electrician

1. Expensive Advertising

It’s almost impossible to watch tv or listen to the radio without hearing an advertisement within the first 5 minutes. Though paying for expensive advertising is unavoidable for most companies, it does not have to be when it comes to local business. There are creative ways electricians can locally advertise without plastering your companies face all over the tv and social media ads.

TV ads are by far the most expensive ways to advertise. After that is tends to be a toss up between radio and social media ads. Not saying that you shouldn’t give the companies a chance, just know when you hire these kind of companies you have to make sure you are not footing the bill for a huge advertising budget.

A rule of thumb when hiring local home services in the 21 century is if you see them on the tv then chances are they are overpriced, but they give great service. If you are willing to put in the work in searching. There are better electrician companies out there with the same great service, but without the huge price tag.

2. Too Good To Be True Reviews

Despite Google’s best efforts to keep their review system as authentic as possible. Companies have figured out a way they can trick users that are looking too quickly at their google reviews. Home service companies have learned that you can jack up your prices when you offer great service. Because homeowners were sick and tired of the unreliable no calls/no shows of old school contractor. Marketers saw an opportunity to offer better service, but at a higher price.

There are a couple tricks you can do when internet searching for electricians near me. Here are a few tips and tricks to avoiding the electrician companies that are trying to price gouge you.

• Read into Google reviews with keyword filters focusing on price, quality, honest, and most recent.
• How many reviews is important, but can be misleading. Focus on quality of review not quantity.
• Local Facebook Groups
• Nextdoor App

Review Note: A 5 star company with 30 reviews can be better fit for you than a company with 4.5 stars with 400 reviews.

5. Getting Too Much Of A Sales Vibe

Simply put, if you get too much of a sales vibe from an electrician, plumber or any home safety service professional then (Nicely) kick them out of your house, and find another.

When it comes to home safety there is no room for sales tactics. Homeowners rely on electricians to tell them if their home is electrically safe or not. When you start adding sales into home safety you start getting into fear tactics and a misuse of authority. People need to trust safety professionals like electricians otherwise their home investment could turn into a pile of rubble.

Trust needs to be prioritized when hiring an electrician. Even though you may call an electrician for one thing, that does not mean electricians won’t cite electrical safety code infractions while they are there. You want electricians to do this. It makes homeowners feel safe knowing they have an electrician approved house. But, do not trust an electrician company that starts to give you all these different options about this, that, and how you can get your dream home. Best just to finish up the estimate and say thanks but no thanks.

6. No Social Proof Of Quality Work

Other than a company website. You have to be able to trace an electricians quality of work to other places like Google, Facebook, Nextdoor, or any other social media platforms. An electrician company should be posting customer photos of home electrical projects.

If an electrician company is not keeping up on their social media accounts, then it doesn’t matter even if they are the best in the area. No one will ever be able to find enough social proof to verify there quality of work.

7. Ask For Electrician Hourly Rate

Getting an honest & quality estimate from an electrician can be one of the hardest parts of your entire home project. Most home electrical projects can be estimated right over the phone with just a few questions. Though not all electrical projects can be estimated remotely. Most electrician companies are capable of giving you a rough idea of what it would cost to get your home electrical project done.

That being said most electrician companies do not do over the phone estimates. They require a home visit to see the electrical project first. But that does not mean that the electrician can’t tell you what their hourly rate is.

An electrician hourly rate always vary depending on where you are in the country. A realistic & reasonable electrician hourly rate ranges anywhere between $110-$200 an hour. You could try to find cheaper, but at those low of prices you have to make sure the electrician company is carrying proper insurance and state safety licensing.

There are electrician companies that are charging a lot more than that! Be careful who you hire. Until you find an electrician you can trust, the best advice in order to avoid price gouging companies is to get at least two or three estimates on home project first.

In order not to waste time and money on finding an electrician. Contact electrician company, and ask what their hourly rate is. If the electrician company refuses to give you an answer, chances are they are overpriced.

A lot of electrician companies are now doing flat-rate pricing instead of standard hourly rate. Flat-rate pricing is fine and can a lot times is the better way to do business. But wither an electrician does flat-rate pricing or not, they still have an hourly rate they use in order to build their flat rate pricing. There are good electricians companies out There you just have to do some creative searching.

8. No Company Insurance And/Or State Safety License

Finding an electrician that will install your home electrical project for real cheap might sound like a good thing. Sometimes you might find a great deal, but you need to make you are doing business with not just someone that knows what they are doing. You also need the electrician to be responsible and carry the proper insurances to cover any accidents that may happen when they do electrical work on your home.

Not to mention that you may be left without a warranty on your electrical project if anything happen months later. Remember cheap home projects result in expensive repairs. Do yourself a favor and find an electrician you can trust for years to come.