I called this company on a hot summer day when my tenant called me and told me her power went off. I was running around town with my two kids, so in a hurry I decided to call the first company I saw on yelp. I really wish I had taken more time to look for a more reputable company.
First, be aware that this company has multiple listings for different locations all over the city. If you look at their other listings, you will see the many poor reviews that they have received.
I received multiple phone calls from different people after my initial service request. They repeatedly told me that there is a $165 charge for emergency dispatch, and that once they do an inspection, they will let me know what the cost of the actual work will be. When the technician got to the house, a guy named Steven Miller called me and said he wanted me to pay the dispatch fee upfront before anything is done. He then sent me an email to get my written authorization to charge the credit card. All of this seemed a bit odd to me... the multiple phone calls, the written authorization, the fee up front... but I didn't think too much of it and just proceeded.
About 10 minutes after I paid for the dispatch fee, Steve calls me back with his technician on the phone to tell me that they have to charge me another fee for the diagnostic. I told them that my understanding was after spending $165 they would be able to tell me what's wrong and give me an estimate on the cost of the work. He then proceeded to repeat everything that he and another one of his employees had already told me over the phone multiple times. I told him that I did not feel comfortable proceeding forward and that I was going to call around to see if other companies have similar practices. He then had his other employee (a woman with a courteous voice) call me to try to reason with me. I told her again that I was going to call around and if this is common practice, then that's fine, but if not then I will be leaving a long review for them.
I got off the phone with the woman and called another local electrician. This man was honest, prompt and straightforward. He came out within half hour and fixed the problem for me under 10 minutes and charged me a third of what Thomas Edison had quoted me for simply coming out and finding out what the problem is (not including any work done).
Needless to say, I will be sticking with my honest electrician from now on. Steve did call me again to tell me that he would not charge me the $165 as a courtesy to make me happy. I thought for a second about not leaving a bad review, but I decided that I cannot let this company get away with unethical practice. This company needs to know that people are not stupid and this kind of bait and switch business practice will only backfire. Simple honesty, trustworthiness and respect for people is the way to go.
