When looking for any service professional, picking out the right one can be a difficult task. As such, knowing what electrician to use is not always easy, especially in markets where there is an abundance of options. Despite this, when a breaker is blown, or you are looking to go through a major electrical renovation, you often want to just pick the first electrician you can find.
Of course, the best choice for a homeowner is to have an electrician in mind before ever actually needing one. In the real world, this is not usually the case though, so when yourself in need of an electrician don't be too rash in your choice. By remembering to consider a few important variables, you can greatly affect the quality of your electrical work and save money and time in the long run.
Price
Naturally, price is going to be your first concern when looking to hire any professional for a project. The key to examining price is to remember that it is not the be all end all of the decision making process. Using price as the sole determining factor of a project, especially electrical work, can have dastardly consequences down the road. A poor electrician can cause increased energy costs and in the worst scenarios bad wiring can cause fires or power overloads. Look for a low price, but don't stop there.
Quality
The natural extension of price is the quality of the service. As expressed above, having too low a price can often mean a lack of quality. With that in mind, look for an electrician who will offer an exceptional quality of work in everything that he does.
Anyone knows that you are better off only needing an electrician once than needing him over and over again for the same issue. If you sacrifice quality for price, you'll often find that you end up spending more in the long run. One easy way to judge a professional's quality is how he presents himself. If you feel comfortable talking to him and see that he cares for himself, he probably cares about the quality of his work.
Punctuality
This is one factor that is often ignored when dealing with a service professional. After all, this person is already making a bunch of money to come out here and tell you things about your house you never knew. So what if they are a bit late?
In reality, punctuality should be an important consideration when looking to hire an electrician. You can't be late to your work, so why should you tolerate him being late to his. Beyond just showing up on time, see how quickly your electrician responds to phone calls and whether he gives you an exact time or just a window. You may not realize it, but a really good electrician will be there when he says he will.
Reviews
If you are finding electricians on the internet, you probably already have seen a variety of reviews on the service professionals you are considering. Before making up your mind based solely on a star rating though, consider what makes up a good review. You may not realize it, but the truth is that people can buy positive reviews online.
With this in mind, don't just trust that 5 star rating. Actually look through the reviews and search for substance and the reputation of the website displaying the reviews - some sites do very little to validate reviews. A general "the greatest!!!" 5 star review is not as meaningful as a 4 star review where the person actually breaks down why they ranked the electrician as a 4 and not a 5. Also, be wary of any company or individual that does not have at least one neutral or negative review.
Because electricians are expensive, there is bound to be someone out there who was upset for some reason or another. After all, negative experiences are twice as likely to be reported as positive ones. If reviews look too good to be true, they probably are.
Warranties & Guarantees
Any service professional worth his time is going to offer some form of guarantees. The last thing you want is for someone to come out and replace a breaker only to need to come back out two weeks later to replace the same one. Make sure that whoever you hire for your electrical work offers this sort of service guarantee that, should things go wrong, it won't come out of your pocket.
Overall Value
After assessing every one of these factors, you are now able to accurately gauge and put together a list of potential candidates. Remember that an electrician is a service professional who should be held to a high standard. If you are not comfortable for any one of the reasons above, take that person off of your list and move on. The best way to measure overall value is to consider all variables.
Compare
Now that you have established the overall value for a variety of plumbers, go about comparing them to one another. The well-prepared home owner goes into any situation with a list of electricians, plumbers and handymen. Knowing this, when the time does come to choose an electrician, go with one who you can see yourself working with again in the future.
Examine every option available and contemplate each of their strengths and weaknesses. Go back through the online reviews, consider any warranties or guarantees, look at how punctual they are, consider the quality of their work, and lastly look at the price they offer. Putting price last may be difficult, but it is worth it.
Remember, this choice is something that you are striving to live with the rest of your time as a home owner. Make sure you trust the professional you are hiring, and make sure they can give you the best service at the most competitive price. Keep in mind that having a long term relationship with an electrician can have some advantages down the road.
Posted by: Ahmed Muztaba