Our dryer started to pop the circuit breaker every time the heat began. We assumed it was a problem with the heating element and called a repairman. He examined the appliance and told us the problem was probably the breaker.
Since we were in a bit of a hurry and couldn't get our normal electrician for over a week, we scheduled an appointment with Mr. Sparky. The day of the appointment, we received a call that they'd double booked and couldn't make it--but they would be available on Labor Day. I mentioned it was a holiday and we didn't expect that, but was assured it was no problem.
When the electrician arrived on Monday, he greeted us grumbling about having to be at our house on Labor Day. He obviously was VERY unhappy about having to work that day. He proceeded to take the panel off the wall and, after a few minutes, announced that the problem was a lightning strike that had blown out our panel. We were puzzled, since we had a top of the line surge suppresser, but he insisted that it hadn't been installed properly. He couldn't do the repair, but suggested we call our insurance and get a claim for what would be about $5,000 in repairs.
He assured us he would email us an estimate. Three days later, we didn't have an estimate, but he did stop by to pick up the tools he'd left behind. At that point he promised an estimate, again. A week later, I attempted to contact the company directly telling them our insurance company insisted on an estimate before moving ahead. We heard nothing.
We called another electrician. He came and said there was nothing wrong other than a circuit breaker that needed replaced and that our panel had a lifetime warranty. He fixed the problem in about ten minutes, marked it as covered by warranty and didn't even charge a service fee. He also said he saw no other damage to the panel or the surge suppresser.
So, Mister Sparky told us it would be $5,000 to fix the issue. The issue was actually resolved for free in under fifteen minutes by a professional. I know where we won't go again.