How to Choose an Electrician: Nine Questions Worth Asking
Almost everyone chooses an electrician under time pressure, which is exactly when people skip the questions that matter. These nine take five minutes on the phone and save a lot of grief.
1. Is the price fixed, and what would change it?
Hourly pricing transfers all the risk of a slow day onto you. A fixed price does the opposite. Ask specifically what circumstances would cause the number to move, and get the answer before work starts rather than after.
2. Who pulls the permit?
Panel upgrades, service work, rewires, EV chargers and new circuits generally need one. An outfit that suggests skipping it is telling you something about how they work — and unpermitted work becomes your problem at resale.
3. What happens if you open the wall and find something worse?
The right answer is: we stop, show you, and re-quote before continuing. The wrong answer is vague reassurance followed by an invoice with extra hours on it.
4. Will you diagnose before quoting?
For anything beyond a simple device swap, a quote given without looking is a guess. Guesses turn into change orders.
5. What is the warranty on workmanship?
Materials are covered by manufacturers. Workmanship is on the contractor. Ask how long, and ask whether it is written anywhere.
6. Do you answer the phone out of hours, and who picks up?
There is a real difference between a 24 hour line staffed by dispatch and an answering service that takes a message for Monday morning. Ask which one it is before you need it.
7. Can you give me a realistic arrival window, not a day?
"Sometime Tuesday" costs you a day off work. A two or three hour window is normal practice for companies that route properly.
8. Will you label the panel and leave documentation?
A labelled panel and a written circuit map is a fifteen-minute job at the end that pays for itself every time anyone touches the system for the next thirty years. Very few contractors offer it unprompted.
9. What are your reviews like for the specific work I need?
An electrician with glowing reviews for ceiling fans has not told you much about how they handle a service upgrade. Look for feedback on your type of job.
One more thing: the cheapest quote
When one quote is dramatically lower than the others, something is different — the scope, the materials, the permit, or whether the work is being done by the person who quoted it. Ask what is different rather than assuming you found a bargain.
Lightning Bolt Electric covers all 464 Alabama cities with flat pricing and a 24 hour line. Find your city or call (888) 633-7804.