Hiring an electrician is an important decision that can affect the value of your home or business. If you choose poorly, you may downgrade your investment. If you choose wisely, you will improve your investment. Not to mention that if you don't hire someone who is qualified for the job and carries all the necessary licensure required by your state, you may be violating laws, or at the very least you could be putting yourself at risk for damages and even fires.
* Get Recommendations from Family, Friends and Neighbors
The first thing you should do when you find that you need a Florence electrician is to ask friends, family and neighbors for some recommendations. You want to choose someone who has actually done a project similar to your needs.
* Check That the Electrician is Certified
This requirement varies by state and location. You want someone who is certified general journey level or master electrician. They have to have the right experience and education as well as pass exams to be a certified electrician.
* License, Insurance & Registration
Check to ensure they are insured, licensed, and registered with the right authority required by electricians in Florence before you even bother interviewing someone. If they're not insured with enough liability insurance and something goes wrong, you may be left to pick up the tab.
* Ask for Written Detailed Estimates
Always ask your electrician for a very detailed estimate in writing. Ensure that they not only put what is covered but what is not covered in their estimate so that there is no confusion about what you are being billed for.
* Know How is Billing Done
Is billing done hourly and if so how much? Is it done by project, if so how much? How much is charged if exceptions arise during the project and will they warn you if surprises have come up? Understand all that you can about how you will be billed.
* Ask for a Written Contract
Always get a written contract that spells out exactly what the electrician is going to do, for how much, and includes all the payment details including ways to pay. If the contract spells everything out to the letter about what will and wont' be done, and what is your responsibility compared to the electricians responsibility there will be less problems and confusion.
* Pay With Credit Card
If you pay your Florence electrician with a charge card and you find something missing in the quality of the work or that the work is not finished to your contract and to your satisfaction paying by credit can give you a little additional coverage. You can dispute the charge while building sure the work is completed.
When you seek to hire an electrician, whether for a small chore or a large chore, it is important to follow this checklist to avoid problems down the road. You want to keep the value of your biggest investment and you can't do that if you take shortcuts.
Once you have narrowed down your list of possible Florence Electricians, ask a few questions.
Questions to Ask a Florence Electrician
If you are interviewing electricians to do a job for you it's important to know what to ask in advance. It's okay to write down your questions as well as note what the electrician says so that you can compare their answers with the others that you interview. If you ask everyone the same questions, then you'll be able to better asses who is the best person to hire.
How long have you been an electrician?
You want them to have enough experience, usually an electrician apprentices at least four years so anything less than four years may not be enough experience for your job.
Are you certified and licensed?
You should collect their license number and find their certification. They should gladly give you that information so that you can check up and ensure that they're being honest.
What is the last project you worked on?
While you know that your project is residential it's important to find out what the last project they worked on. Commercial electricians are very different from residential electricians. While both can do the job, you want someone experienced with your type of job.
What type of electrical systems are you familiar with?
This will let you know whether they can tell you something about your own problem. They already know what you need since you've already talked to them, so they should try to explain to you how familiar they are with your needs.
Do you specialize in a specific type of work?
Again, you really want someone who specializes in your type of project. You don't want to take someone who is having a slow time of it to do your small project and have something more lucrative come along and they put you on the back burner.
Do you carry liability insurance?
Of course, the answer to this question should be yes. They should describe the limits of their policy and what it cover-ups to you in as much detail as possible so that you can be reassured that if something goes wrong you're covered.
Do you insure your contractors or employees?
You ideally want to hire someone who also insures their contractors and employees for liability insurance because that is the only way to ensure complete coverage in case something goes south.
Are you bonded?
There are two types of bonding; bonding that a contractor can get where they keep a certain amount of fund in an account to cover unexpected issues, and bonding of employees to guard against theft. You want both.
Do you charge hourly or by project? How much?
In order to avoid being shocked by the bill, understand how you will be invoiced. You can blow your budget with a bill that is 3 times the anticipated amount and theelectrical contractor is expecting payment on the spot. You can avoid this by thoroughly discussing how billing will occur.
Can you offer 3 references with whom I can talk about your work?
Even if the electrician was recommended by family or a friend it's important to get a couple more references that can vouch for the electrician. Get references from people who had a chore like yours completed is best. Do call them.
Do you usually perform your work in the time frame you quote?
By asking this question you can get a double guarantee that they will perform their duties in the time frame discussed. You can follow this up by asking the references if they finished the project on time.
Do you clean up after yourself?
This is important because some contractors are downright dirty. They will throw their cigarettes and lunch garbage right in your yard. By asking them this, they will answer in the affirmative and you'll be able to hold them to that as the job is being completed.
How do you take payment?
Some electricians will take credit cards, others only deal with checks. It's important to ask this question if you plan to pay by charge card, which is highly recommended due to the additional protections you can get through your charge card company.
What is your schedule like? When can you start?
Asking this question can determine if you are going to hire them now. Perhaps they can't get started for a month, but you want them to start now. Perhaps they must start now but you aren't ready yet.
By asking the right questions you'll be sure to hire the right electrician for the job. Be sure to interview at the least two or three candidates and get all estimates in writing before you finish with the interview. No phase in wasting time if the estimates are too high or out of line for the job you want completed.
Florence Electrician Pros is your local licensed electrician. We are here to serve the local community with emergency electrician services 24/7.
Florence Electrician Pros
Florence, SC 29501
843-212-4173
http://electricianprosflorence.com/
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