7 Things to Consider Before Hiring an Electrical Contractor

When it comes to repairing your home’s electric circuit, you don’t want an unprofessional messing up with your wires, cables, fuses, breakers and whatnots. I tremble, even thinking of allowing a stranger with no credibility into my house to see why the electrical connections are not working fine. I assume you feel the same.

Today, I’ll share with you some useful tips that you must keep in mind before you go ahead and hire an electrical contractor:

1- Do some research:

A house’s electric circuit is a sensitive thing to handle. Start off with researching your local electrical contractors. Make a list of the best ones. Ask your neighbours, friends and family if they’ve hired any of them. If yes, are they reliable and how successful was the job done? You can then contact the few potential electrical contractors that you have shortlisted and check if they have what you need.

2- Check if they have licence and insurance:

The main thing that separates a professional electrical contractor from an unprofessional one is licence and insurance. Ask the electrical contractor that you are interested in hiring if they are licensed and insured. If they are, it is a sign they take their profession seriously. Beware of uninsured contractors. They would sue you in case an accident occurs while they’re working on your property.

3- Frankly ask for a quote:

A professional person or company would give you a quote only after knowing the needful service. A good electrical contractor might even offer to have a look at the site free of charge in order to give you the right quote for the job. If the contractor is not giving you an estimate, it means they are unprofessional and want to make more money than actually required.

4- Check the electrical contractor’s website:

It’s not a sure-fire way to know if the potential contractor is good, but it still gives you an idea about them. See if they can do what you require from them. Contact them on their website. A quick response often shows professionalism. Look into their history if that’s available.

5- Pay attention to his attitude:

Attitude says a lot about a person. If the electrical contractor has a positive and friendly attitude, it will be easy for you to trust them. You can only explain the problems to them openly if they are easygoing. If you find that the contractor’s attitude is too know-it-all type, avoid them. Hire someone who listens to your concerns without rolling their eyes. Furthermore, if the contractor is not responding in time, it shows that they will continue to do so throughout their job.

6- Ask for references and testimonials:

An electrical contractor who is good and takes their clientele seriously will always keep references and testimonials at hand. They would understand how important it is to gain their potential client’s trust. Ask the contactor if they can give any references of their past customers. They should not refuse if they are professional. Even if they don’t have any testimonials close by, they can always get them for you. That is only possible if their past jobs had been successful. If not, you should move to your next option.

7- Not all contractors on the Yellow Pages good:

If you’re thinking, “Oh! They are on the Yellow Pages. They must be really good.” Think again! Anybody can be on Yellow Pages these days. Don’t rely solely on that and do your research thoroughly.

Featured Image by flickr