Byington Electric

I have been using Byington for a few years. Every time I've had them out to one of my properties. They've done an excellent job. This company is definitely a five star but I understand they are very busy because they do good work. Highly recommend

I manage several apartment buildings.  Byington does our annual certification on all our buildings.  Recently, Byington completed the Fire Alarm upgrade with the horns in all the bedrooms of an 11 unit building.  I was extremely impressed, and grateful, by the professional CLEAN and prompt completion of the project.  All the tenants commented on how there was no damage, dust or problem with the installation.  Roman and Luis were outstanding with their communication with the tenants on the time line.  I can't speak highly enough about the work they performed.  Thank you both (and Byington) for getting the job done!

I was in property management for many years and regularly used Tim and Byington Electric, who was always reliable and did an excellent job. Fast forward a few years to the present, and I can not get him to return a phone call or email to look at some electrical projects that I need done.

Roman and Danny have been working on our building in San Francisco to bring us up to fire code. From the moment I met these two guys I knew we were in excellent hands! They're both highly skilled, considerate of our pets and go the extra mile to get the job done right.
Thanks Roman and Danny, we really appreciate you!

I am a property manager and have been working with Tim at Byington for 20 plus years they currently handle all my buildings.  They do a great work and they are very responsive.  They also have the best rates.  If you need a
Electrician for small or big jobs call them.  They are great!

Installed new fire alarm system for the entire building per new City code. Byington Electric is very professional, efficient and well organized.  A pleasure to do business with.  I have used them in the past and I have never been disappointed!

Best thing about them was that they walked us through the whole thing and explained to us what needed repair which shows their honesty because other places make things up just to rip you off, I called them many times and sometimes the issue was a really small issue and since I was a frequently returning customer they didn't charge me anything since the problem was very minor. Thanks to Tim!

By chance I have found an excellent  Electric Company in San Francisco and that includes the Telephone Secretary Carolyn to the Electrician Zachary who solved my electrical problems..  The service from both was A-1.

Byington is a wonderful family company founded by the Grandfather of three of the current Electricians who are working in the company along with  approximately 12 plus other electricians and employees.

The whole experience was exceptionally good particularly as I am home owner not a big business and my problems were resolved.   Based upon working with some other repair services in the area I strongly recommend Byington Electric Corp. for your electrical problems.

I have been using Byington electric for some time now. Anytime I have questions they always have the knowledge to give me adequate answers and resolutions. They have helped me complete many remodeling projects including my personal home. I'm very impressed by their punctuality, there efficiency, their attention to detail and their well mannered customer service. I would highly recommend Tim and Matthew Shaon for any electrical or fire safety need.  I always try to support local business and family owned and this is what this company has been since day 1

This is for SF property.  Completely unprofessional in every way. Call and call and call and call. Finally, you get someone, then it's we have to check schedule, then no call back.  Call again.  Then they have no idea what you are talking about.  check the schedule again.  Days go by.  No call. They simply are incapable of making an appointment or calling back.  Waste of time in every way.

Did this 4 times in March and April 2020.  Never again. These people are clueless, scattered, and beyond help.  If you want to deal with the most unprofessional people in SF, call them and try to make an appointment, worthless in every way.  If you like to waste time, call them..

They have some organizational problems at the moment.  One worker arrived at my home not having brought the right tools, and not understanding exactly what he was supposed to do, suggesting that I make another appointment.  Very unprofessional. And then they have lost invoices. As well, it takes them forever to respond to emails and estimate requests.
Until they get professional help - organizational, billing, staffing--they will lose customers who would prefer to call other  electricians in SF. This one is run like the Keystone Cops.

I have used Yelp for years to help me make decisions on going to a business for whatever I need, but I have NEVER left a review of my own. This time, however, this business in particular has driven me to take a moment to write about my experience today.

This is mainly for the office/front desk guy who was incredibly unprofessional and RUDE. I got a call from a number I didn't recognize so I didn't answer (I get TONS of telemarketer/scam calls so I typically don't answer unless it's someone I know or a message is left). But, no voicemail. Then the number calls again a minute later so I figured it wasn't a spam robot so I answer and it was Byington saying this was about a maintenance request I submitted through my apartment building's property management. So I was excited to finally hear from them and I was super nice to the guy, even briefly apologizing and explaining why I didn't answer that first time but glad they tried again and we were on the phone about my maintenance request. He said it was no problem at all and seemed nice and understanding, breezed past that, and we set up for the electrician to come that day, everything was positive, cordial, good. I thank him and we hang up... or so he thought. He actually DIDN'T HANG UP and proceeded to talk trash about me and other customers who don't pick up their phones, causing problems for them, etc. He was swearing about the f***ing customers with the problem and blaming me/us for being stupid. I heard the entire conversation between him and another person next to him, and decided I was done listening to his garbage mouth about 2-3 minutes in. He didn't even know I was still there. I've never experienced anything like this before over literally NOTHING. Nooooothiiiiing! I picked up the phone and he got to check me off their list today, but I still get insulted and disrespected. What a winner of a company!

(The electrician who ended up coming didn't do much and just left saying there wasn't even a problem so that was whatever.)

If you have a choice, unlike I did because my property management company has some kind of contract with them, then GO ELSEWHERE or be prepared to pay to be berated behind your back, or if they're sloppy like today, it'll be to your face!

I looked around at several companies as I had a significant issue of complying with the new fire regs in a multistory building in SF in a timely fashion.  I couldn't have been more pleased.  Tim is wonderful to work with. His guys are professional, efficient and helpful.  Pricing was competitive. I will use Byington for ALL my electrical needs in the future.  They were a ten plus!!!!

While working on our apartment building Nick installed dimmer switches for us. He was professional, polite and easy to chat with. He did a fantastic job. He also saved me from the drama of my husband electrocuting himself because he likes to be helpful' and handy.  Thanks Nick for gift of ambient lighting. You're awesome!

Have been using Byington for years couldn't say enough great things! They are efficient and always very responsive. Matt has been wonderful to work with and is very professional. I recommend you go through Byington if you want the job done right!

I needed help with a call box as soon he arrive new the problem fixed it right away.I truly will use them again for call my electrical needs.

I'm really glad I decided to call Byington Electric when I needed my electrical panel replaced. They were extremely helpful, showed up right on time, and got the job done in a timely manner! I was a little nervous to call anyone because of COVID, but sure enough Nick and their other worker came prepared wearing masks and gloves. Nick knew exactly what needed to be done and how to do it, it was apparent that he's been doing this for a long time. Overall, very professional, knowledgeable, and friendly. I would recommend them to anyone who needs electrical work done in the SF Bay Area!

Tim from Byington Electric is fantastic to work with, very professional and really knows his stuff! I am a property manager here in San Francisco and we use Byington Electric for all our electrical jobs (large and small). Additionally, a big shout out to Caroline (who answers the phones) as she is always happy to provide us information regarding dates of work completed at our buildings or assist in scheduling new jobs. Check them out! You won't be disappointed.

I've personally worked with Matt on a number of my projects and have also referred him to a number of my clients. I can always depend on him to be on time, give me an honest bid and deliver quality work.

Had Byington install some light fixtures in my apartment. Great turn around time from call to service. Fairly priced and the guys showed up on time. definitely recommend them.

I have had such a tough time finding a great electrician who was available, friendly, and knowledgeable. I needed updates on my old electrical outlets and I was afraid anyone I would find, would end up leaving the projects looking messy, crooked, etc.
Zack was fantastic. On time, personable, professional, super can do, attitude, and very tidy with his work (past electricians would leave wire scraps, dust from drilling, etc.) I have an eye for things being done neatly, and he was super careful about ensuring everything he did, was done right and safely, but was also as appealing to the eye as possible.
Zack was awesome and I really appreciated having the peace of mind that someone who was confident and informed, was taking care of the old wires and safely updating my home.
Thank you, Zack!
Heidi

I have experienced nothing but great and accommodating customer service from Byington Electric.  They are specialists in fire alarm systems and have serviced my building's system for many years.  Matt is professional and very knowledgeable especially about the new San Francisco City fire ordinances and building requirements.  It's reassuring that he is on top of all the complicated upcoming changes to the laws so that his clients can stay compliant.  Thanks, Matt!

Caroline in the office was a pleasure to work with too.  She was very accommodating and scheduling was easy.  Thanks, Caroline!

I would not hesitate to recommend Byington Electric.

All of my kitchen outlets stopped working I was in need of help. I called several other companies and was treated poorly over the phone.  I called Byington it was like a ray of sunshine very helpful and supportive over the phone. They had a technician out to my place the very next day and had everything up and running again.  The technician was very friendly and helpful. I appreciate the quick service and that they were very professional.  From customer service on the phone to the technician in my place I was extremely pleased. I will refer this company to all my family and friends.

I called Byington because half of my house didn't have power and they came out promptly to resolve the issue. The guy who showed up was very professional and knowledgeable. I was referred by a friend who has been a loyal customer and has nothing but good things to say. I saw all of the yelp reviews and almost didn't go with them but glad that I did! Thanks again!

This place is a joke. I live in an apartment so I was forced to use them by my management company. Absolute terrible experience!

I had a basic outlet installed and the technician was nice and did a good job. Problem came when the bill arrived several weeks later much higher than the estimate with no breakdown of parts and labor. I naturally wanted to see why the bill was higher than expected so I asked for a more detailed invoice.

Long story short, they absolutely refused to be transparent and provide an itemized list of parts.
Their attitude and response was that I should just send a check and be done with it. Very unprofessional and unpleasant people in charge of customer service. I mean it's laughable how bad it is.

Do yourself a huge favor and do not give Byington Electric your business. Trust me, they don't deserve it.

the moment he arrive new the problem fixed in minutes it's great to know a company that one can count on and trust Thank You.

After all that Byington did show up. They did finish the work. They did a great job. They are great guys but they are over worked and take on too much work. They can't give the great customer service they used to give.

Why would you contact them...they'll never call or email back?

Just don't even bother.

Horrible customer service.

When explaining a current electrical problem the response I got was: well, what do you want me to do about it? .....ummm, take a look and fix the problem! I was then transferred to another person who started asking me the voltage of the power source; I don't know I'm not trying to electrocute myself to try and figure it out.

Taking our problem and money to an electrician who is happy to help.

It saddens me to write this review- had I written it 2 years ago when I first used Byington Electric, this review would have been vastly different. At that time, they were responsive and efficient hence why I trusted them again two years later...

I am a property manager here in San Francisco. At one of my buildings in the Panhandle, we received a request on Christmas Day that our fire panel was in trouble and sounding. Byington said they would get out the next day; its Christmas day so understandably we agreed.  Then we received another request on December 27th to which Byington said they were going to take care of it again. Fast forward to January 11th, we received another complaint that the alarm was now going off on a daily basis. Called Byington, they apologized that they didn't know what was going on. Received an additional complaint on January 18th and then another on the 20th and 21st. They could not meet with me, even though I constantly called, until January 23rd!! Met the technician on the 23rd- on my way there I received a call and had an emergency at another building in the mission so, had to leave the technician at the property who was supposed to certify the panel. Upon investigating the building the next morning, the panel was still in TROUBLE. Frustrated, I called the office again who reassured me the certification took place and was not in trouble when the technician left. Again after constant calls, and constant excuses, Byington could not pick up the keys to the building to finish the project until February 1st which they returned the same day because they fixed the issue. Byington said it was some smoke detectors that needed replacing. On February 2nd- I received an additional complaint that the panel was still sounding. I called again and they said they were going to go out again to investigate. No one came back to my office to pick up keys but some how the office called me to say it was taken care of? Apparently there was some miscommunication and the keys were not supposed to be returned to my office and (to no surprise) the smoke detectors had not been replaced yet. Again, after constantly calling the office. The keys were picked up again on February 8th but was it taken care of that day? No. Because I received a call from the Fire Inspector and we now had a complaint on our building. It wasn't until February 15th that Byington Electric informed me the fire panel needed to be replaced. It took them nearly two months to figure this out!! Furthermore, they had lost the keys to my building and needed new ones! They ordered the replacement panel and it finally arrived for them to replace on March 3rd. San Francisco has a new requirement- a form that needs to be filed out by the servicing party and mailed to the city. I filled out my portion of the form and emailed it (with confirmation) on March 2nd so it could be filled out during the certification the next day. The office informed me it would be in the mail. March 16th- still haven't received my form back. When I contacted the office I was told, I would receive it by the end of the week. March 24th, still no form and this time I get no response. March 29th, still no form but this time I am told the person who handles this is out sick....I call on April 3rd- still no form. It is April 13th- still no form.

Even after all of this...I would have to say I have been pretty patient considering.... I gave them another chance and used them on another building...On March 31st, I received a complaint, same issue- panel sounding, about a building in the Western Addition. Byington said they would go out. Great! Left keys for them at office. No surprise but they were not picked up. I checked in with the office at 3:00 pm wondering if they were actually coming and the office told me they already went by the property and was given access by a tenant. Received an additional complaint on April 2nd- again called Byington. I was leaving town on April 6th so I called on the 5th to make sure everything was taken care of. I was reassured by the office that there would be no more sounding...And I quote...All we need to do is certify the panel. Here we are, April 13th, received another complaint about the fire panel sounding....When we called the office we were told to silence the alarm because this was on the schedule for tomorrow. Furious, I called and asked why they haven't already taken care of this and why they couldn't get out today- in my opinion this is an emergency and was told We've had emergency after emergency and haven't had time. It's not going to happen today. Why am I constantly being pushed to the back burner?? This request was from March 31st!! And I was told it was already taken care of!! Furthermore, after a very unprofessional and heated response from Matt I was told he was going to take his sticker off my panel. Big surprise when I went by the property 30 minutes later, his sticker was not on the panel. Never was.

I manage over 114 residential units and 10 commercial buildings in SF.  We have been using Byington for our fire alarm system and other electrical since the beginning of 2016.  Tim and Matt and the crew have been great to work with.  They communicate well.  They know their business.  They clean up after themselves.  No complaints!  With the new fire alarm codes, it is good to have a knowledgeable company in your corner!

I cant even start to explain the nonsense. But this place is slow, flakey and has huge communication issues.

I'm sorry I gave them a second chance. What a waste of my time. Lets just say its been almost 4 weeks and the issue hasn't been fixed. my advice to you: KEEP LOOKING.

boo on this place.

A person with a company van had his dog off leash in the park.  The dog came running very fast at me and my on leash small dog.  My dog screamed as I picked him up.  The owner came up yelling that the dog was friendly. I yelled how was supposed to know that.  He then said that the dog that I was holding and who was quiet was the aggressive one.  I have no idea how he could say this.  The discussion got heated.  When he finally realized that he should apologize the woman who was with him decided that she should mouth off.  The man said that his father owned the company but that the number on the side of van was his cell phone.  If this is how they treat someone who is walking their dog in the park, how do think they would do with your family, employees or customers.

Very helpful and responsive.  I was ill and missed their call - they returned within 2 hours and took care of the problem.  Thank you.

As promised.

i had a serviceman come out at the time agreed. I was also called by the office 15 minutes before as requested. Job was done within an hour as agreed. I would highly reccomend them.

Totally unprofessional and not respectful of your time.  

I was connected to Byington through my property manager after a light switch stopped working in our apartment.  I spoke to Alan and, when he was unable to send someone out before we went out of town for a few days, we agreed upon a date for 2 weeks later.  The day arrives and the electrician never comes.  Odd and particularly annoying as I have two toddlers and keeping them both home to wait for someone is tough.  After 2 hours of waiting, I called to see what was happening and am told Alan is out sick but that our technician is out in the field.  The receptionist said she'd call me back.  Several hours later, she calls me back to reschedule.  I asked if it was possible for someone to come out that day (the light switch is in one of my kids' rooms and we'd really like it fixed!).  She says that they cannot and that my technician is out sick.  Yikes.  Sounds like there's a lot of illness going around. (Unsurprisingly, when reading the reviews, I read several other customers who'd had trouble with no-shows and when calling in, being told the techs were out sick.

I agreed to reschedule for another day and she asks me if someone can come Monday. I'm unavailable during the time slot she has and I ask if we can do Tuesday.  No.  How about Thursday?  Nope, but they can do Friday.  I tell her I can't do that day and I hear her talkign to someone else in the office. She puts me on hold and then the man who she was talking to gets on the line.  You need to give us some times that work for us so we can come out to do this.  I tell him I've given a few times the following week but can't do the days the receptionist suggested.   He proceeds to berate me for not having more availability.  I calmly told him that I'd speak to my property manager to see if she has any other electricians who might have more availability and he says fine, do what you want and hangs up on me.  

So, to recap: Byington makes an appointment, does not show up for scheduled appointment time, refuses to send another technician out when their first didn't show up, and then yelled at me for not catering to their schedule when rescheduling the appointment.  

No thank you.  Luckily for me, my property manager has a thick rolodex and was only too happy to connect me to another company.  She will no longer use Byington for any of her properties and if you want a professional company, I'd look elsewhere.

While there were some real issues with customer service, some were overblown on my part after talking with the owner. He was forthright and honest about the situation and deserves some credit for addressing them with me.

Updating my review now that the company has come to perform the service. They are worse than I could have imagined.

1. came unprepared without supplies
2. speaks very little english
3. claims that something cannot be done when my property manager, who is not an electrician, has fixed the same issue in the past.

This company is inconsistent and incompetent to say the least. I have yet to speak to a single person who is helpful or knowledgable.

Again, the fire alarm went off. It is Sunday and ear-splitting. I called my landlord who said he didn't think Byington had anyone on call on Sunday. Fortunately he called someone else who walked him through what needed to be done. And now my landlord is leaving Byington and will use the new guy. That should make things much better. I've had 2 previous experiences with Byington and they are beyond awful

A gentleman named Ron just saved my day.   An employee dropped her work keys in a busy street.  Ron found the keys, called us and waited to meet for a hand off.  Thank you so much Ron.  We need more people like you in the world.  I plan to pay it forward!

We needed electrical work done in our building and was referred here by another highly reviewed Yelp business. He said he couldn't do the work but Byington could. So I called them up to set an appointment and no one came by. I called back and they schedule an appointment for the next day. That time expired I called the office and they said they will get back to me which they never did.

I told the landlord and he said he knew the owner personally and I told him my fustrations with them and he said he will give him a call and to explain our situation. The next day he said the owner will call his office and send someone out.

Next day came, nothing. I gave up and called someone else and they came right away. So by now a full week came by I get a phone call at 9 am in the morning, Hi this is so and so from Byington. Were going to send someone out today to fix your electrical problem. I said, Don't bother sending it. He was like, No? I said, We needed someone LAST week. I called you then and still no one came. I already got someone else to come down and fix it. Thank you. And hung up.

We needed the service like the day of the first call. Having to wait a week with tenants being upset of the malfunction was too much. Avoid this place like the plague. You've been warned.

Just had outside flood light installed by Byington replaced as they were incorrectly installed, and the light switch for it was also done incorrectly.  I would not u se this company for any electrical work if you want it done right the first time and not have to pay for the work twice!  
Frank M.

The quality of their work is very good.  Everyone is impressed with the quality.

Unfortunately, the administration of the job and relationship with the SF Building dept is extremely poor.   They didn't know anything about LED lighting issues, and acted like victims when the inspector challenged them on how it was done.

After the work was completed, it took 3 months of effort to get the inspection scheduled, executed and finalized.  Many calls went unanswered for weeks.  I finally had to rip out the LED lights and even go the building dept three times to deal with it myself.   The director of electrical inspection had to call Byington to get them to call him back.  He didn't.  I had to call him to get him to call the director back.  A sloppy and disorganized manager.  Very frustrating.  
And, many inspections were cancelled the day-of the inspection.  I was told don't worry, they won't charge us for that.  But they did.  I ended up paying almost $800 in permit fees for a kitchen-bathroom remodel.  

They are very sloppy businessmen.  And, getting a job completed in SF requires knowing how to deal properly with the City.   They failed miserably at that.  It's too bad because their workers are very good.

If you've got an electrical problem that needs to be fixed, Byington is probably your best bet. Tim and his guys are excellent- they know what they're doing hands on without a doubt. I've been using this company for a few years now and am very happy with them and the work they do. Licensed and insured- Highly recommended!

They nice man came and fixed my apartment.  My doorbell works, the mystery lightswitch is solved, and the outlet by the couch makes things light up again.  Took over a week to get them out here so minus 1 star.

I came home from a super stressful day to find my power out. I expected it to be out tomorrow morning, so I was quite irritated that it was out early. I called my landlord, and he put me in touch with Byington Electric. The man I spoke to on the phone was helpful, cheerful, and polite, and he sent a worker out. The worker came and between his fixing the problem and my first phone call was probably a total of 20 minutes.  I was ecstatic!

I will begin by saying that the serviceman fixed the problem; my light now turns on & off, good. The arrival time was changed twice, which was annoying, but not too much of a problem. The problem was the customer service, and it was well below par. I was greeted with hostility by an aggravated serviceman who told me it took too long to open my door. He dragged his ladder onto my wood floored flat and didn't bother to place a rug down when he mounted, which scratched my floor. I did not receive an apology or even an acknowledgement in either case. He did fix my light, but there are many options when it comes to electricians in the city and I would give my business to someone with customer orientated service.

This company is an absolute joke.  While Reggie who seems to handle scheduling, is a nice person, they clearly don't have their act together whatsoever. I first contacted them in November to schedule an estimate to add some outlets to my home.  I was promised a call back that week with available times and never heard back.  I tried them the following week, was again promised a call back with times and nothing.  I let it pass, I was busy, the holidays came and then finally I just really wanted these outlets dealt with.  So, I called back, they took two people to find my initial request from nearly two months prior and had to call me back twice to figure things out. Once they found my initial paperwork, I was then told they'd call in a couple days to finally schedule something.  2 days turned into 4 (I called in this period to follow up and was again told they'd get back to me with an appointment time in a day or two) and they finally called and after months of trying, we actually made an appointment.  Brilliant!

Today was finally the day of the appointment.  I worked from home and planned my calls and meetings around them in order to meet the manager/owner at my home between 10-12 this afternoon.  11:45 came and no word so I called and once again, Reggie was nice but had no idea who I was.  Had to call me back after finding the work order and explained that it was actually his boss who was due to come to my home but he hadn't even come into the office yet.  Reggie explained that once he does, they'll give me a call.  This means clearly he'd be much outside the scheduled window we had.  

Reggie calls me back to give another update and says that unfortunately they have to fully reschedule for another day.  Unacceptable.  I asked to speak to his boss, was put on hold forever and finally got a call back saying they'd be here between 2-3 today.  In that time frame I called my landlord and asked that she PLEASE engage another electrician as this company is clearly a MESS.  We are doing just that.

Such a waste of time.

One of the best electrician companies in San Francisco.  From estimate to finished job A+ rating. From the beginning estimate I could tell that Tim knew what he was talking about and had the right suggestions on what needed to be done for a circuit panel upgrade for an older house built in the 1920's.  Also I liked how he was able to take requests like adding a 200amp panel and moving the placement of electrical pipe and meter for a better placement that did not ruin the look of our house.  Most other electricians who gave estimates insisted that the ugly PG&E meter be placed on the front of the house, on the outside, would of been an eye sore.  Others insisted on just replacing the old fuse box with a 100 amp service, which would have basically given me exactly what i currently had, where did the word upgrade not come out of my mouth. Another contractor who did an estimate even wanted me to go to city planning and do his job for him by getting plot plans and pulling permits for the job.  I mean come on what am I paying for, if I wanted a DIY than I'd do it myself.

Tim from Byington was direct and to the point and made the panel upgrade a breeze.  He was able to listen to some special requests from the customer, me and make the right adjustments and still keep the job under budget.  Phi the electrician was fast and friendly and got the job done professionally and quickly.  And the whole crew there were responsive to my calls whenever we had any requests.  Even Reggie at their office was excellent at returning calls and making sure that the electricians arrived on time.  All in all I am very satisfied and happy with the work.  Now my home has a modern circuit breaker, no more replacing blown fuses... Yikes.  And now there is room to grow.  Wow a 200amp system gives loads of room to add 20 more circuits... Yep, now that's what i call an upgrade.

Called them to do some work at my elderly parents home in the city. Guy sent was not very pleasant and we had to call someone else to redo some of the work. The guy who was there was in a hurry and really didn't listen to what the problem was. They also are very slow in returning calls and never compensated my parents for having to get someone else to correct their work.

They installed a light in my closet which I had to get replaced later because they did not do it according to building code.