Why Use a Licensed Electrical Contractor?

Are you ready to have some electrical work installed or maybe an electrical problem or two repaired? You have to consider "How much is this going to cost me?" People advertise things like "the lowest prices in town", "I'll beat any estimate", "No job too small or No job too big", "I'll fix any problem" or "I can do it all". This sounds very good and maybe they really do know this profession that well.

In reality if they are the lowest price in town and can beat any estimate they may not have a state certified electrical contractor's license, proper insurance or bonding. They may be supplying low quality electrical material or even worse- used electrical componets (you wouldn't beleived some of the things we have seen). You also have to consider if they will be in business for possible warranty work required in the future, they may lack enough capital to finish your job properly. Yes, it costs money to protect you, the consumer.

"Lowest Price","No job too small, No job too Big", "I'll fix any problem" or "I do it all" are red light warning signs of a novice not knowing what they are talking about or someone who cuts corners or does not follow the law.  How do you know they will still be in business in year or two from now to cover their own guarantee or warranty.  A couple of my favorite comments in many of the ads posted include "I'll fix any problem" or "I do it all". Really, if they could do it all, they would have a great job working someplace making really big money.

Is every licensed and insured electrician better than an unlicensed electrical person? Not necessarily!  I'm not criticizing the unlicensed persons' ability to do their job properly.  There are some unlicensed handymen who do have good skills. However most have enough knowleget and ability to "get by" or to "get it working".  Unfortunately when you are dealing with your homes wiring poor workmanship and wrong or even dangerous wiring are not always obvious.  Just because the light is working does not mean that the wiring was done correctly or to code.  Too many electricians licensed and unlicensed figure that since the wires are behind the walls, no one will ever know if they take shortcuts. 

What happens when there's a major safety problem with the job and you can't resolve it with the contractor? The local or state licensing board is a very powerful dispute resolution force for the consumer if they have a problem with a licensed, insured & bonded contractor. What if the unlicensed & uninsured person damages your home because of an accident or a mistake in the wiring job? Sure you can sue them but you probably can't collect anything because they don't have anything of value to lose. You are just plain out of luck and you'll have to pay someone else to fix it again. Also, check with your own insurance agent about who is financially responsible for the uninsured worker(s) that might get hurt while working on your property, before hiring them.

Before doing business with any company verify if they are registered, licensed, bonded and insured. Additionally find out how long have they been in business? Reputable service people and companies are easy for you to contact. They should have a business card or photo identification, business address, phone, fax line, cellular number, e-mail address and maybe even a website that you can contact them through. Check with the Better Busines Bureau and the state licensing board to see if there are any complaints against them.  Also be sure to ask for and check references.  Also, in California every licenced contractor is required by law to print their license number on every single item that will be seen by a customer.  That includes vehicles, business cards, websites etc..

Ask for references and photos of some work done by the company you plan to hire.  Professional electrical work should be neat, tidy, straight and blend in with the existing structure as much as possible.  Conduit should lay flat and you should not see gaps or crooked boxes or conduit.

If you think paying a professional is expensive, you will be shocked to see how much an amateur will really cost you in the end.

A very high percentage of our service calls are to repair work that was previously done by handymen, unlicensed contractors and sometimes DIY homeowners.  Unfortunately sometimes the "cheap" or "quick fix" that was done by someone in the past can cause expensive problems down the road.  Yes, the problem may be temporarily solved, but improper electrical work can lead to more serious( and sometimes dangerous) problems in the future.  Untangling poor electrical work can be a lot more costly than doing it propery in the first place.  It can take many times longer to repair a problem that was botched by a sloppy electrical repair job in the past.  There is an old saying, that there is never time to do it right the first time, but there is always time to do it over.  Quality work should last and not need to be re-done.

At Point Loma Electric, we stand behind all of our work 100%.  We guarantee your satisfaction and will do everything possible to ensure that you are happy with our service.