Residential & Commercial Electrician

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. If I were the customer, I would ask, "is your bid accurate, or will I be surprised at the bill?" I hate surprises when a bill is involved.
That is why I involve the client as we move along the job. There are often unexpected things when you are doing a job, especially service work.
I communicate and involve the customer along the way so they will not be supprised at the end of the job. Sometimes that means informing them mid-way through a job that to finish will involve more than expected. I will give them the option of proceeding or stopping.
They may not like the news, but they always have an option. That way they don't feel like an open checkbook and I am writting in the numbers.
That way, the client is in control of the job and not the other way around.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. Customer service and quality of work are more than just words for me. They are my philosophy of work. I show up when scheduled and my work is on time, on budget and NEC compliant. Many of my clients want to know more about their electrical system and I welcome their questions. If I can teach you more about your system, the more satisified customer you will be.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. The challenge of a job well done and a satisified customer. When I leave a job I know the customer has received a good value for their money and the job is NEC compliant.

There is great satisfaction in a job well done.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. How often do you get shocked?

Actually, not very often. If at all possible, I do my work "cold" meaning the circuit is not energized. If you pay attention to details, take your time and do not set up an unsafe environment, you can eliminate most of the dangers of being an electrician. Most people get shocked when they are too lazy to turn off a circuit, they forget to check the circuit or they are in a hurry.

Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?

A. Yes! I had a client who had some lights that were intermittent and eventually did not work at all. After 9 hours of tracing and following wires in the attic, I found her wires were burnt and buried under 2x4s, duct work and the ceiling. She had been complaining about the 9 hours, but when I showed her the burnt wires and the melted wirenut and told her I just saved her house from burning down, she felt better about the bill. She had had several "electricians" in the house before me to find the problem and nobody else could figgure it out. The real reason was that nobody else was willing to do the hard work to find out why. I saved her house and possibly her life and her daughters life as well. I walked away with a satisified customer and the personal satisifacton of a job well done.