The first thing you need to know about this company is that they do not charge hourly - they charge by the job. I thought that would be a good thing because the electrician won't drag their feet to rack up more fees. Turns out, not so much. More on this later.
Another thing you should know is they don't charge for an estimate. All they charge you is a fuel fee for coming out to your house. $12 or $15, I think, which is much better than the $60-$80 other places will charge you for an estimate (though most of them will also roll that into the fee if you use them so that you don't end up paying for the estimate and the services). On the other hand, Electric Today charges you the fuel fee regardless of whether or not you use them.
My experience here was mixed. I called them up on a Wednesday and they offered me an appointment the following day. However, I asked them for a Friday appointment instead, and they gave me that Friday from 10-12 and told me I would hear from the electrician on Friday with a more specific ETA. Friday, 12:15, rolls around and I haven't heard from anyone nor has anyone showed up, so I called. Turns out, the person I spoke to 2 days prior never actually put my appointment in the system.
Some people would call that a sign and to move on, but I was convinced their pricing model was the best option. After all, if I went with another company and didn't like their prices, then I am automatically starting at the $70 or so for the estimate, plus whatever else My Electric would charge. That's how they get you.
Anyway, I did call a couple of other places to see if they could do same day appointments. When they couldn't, I called My electric back and scheduled an appointment for the following Friday. This time, everything went as planned.
I needed 2 services - a new wall switch for a light/ceiling fan fixture and a new security light installed outside. I was advised the total charge would be about $180. I had no idea if this was a good price, but I did know that if I said no, then I would have to get someone else out there and would inevitably end up using that other company, even if they were more expensive, because otherwise I would have to pay the estimate from company B and the $180 to my electric plus another fuel charge. Therefore, I said yes and hoped the work would take 2-3 hours to justify the charge (I had no where to be).
Unfortunately, the work took under an hour, which means I effectively paid $180/hour for an electrician. Chris was great - I like efficient people who get work done right the first time with minimal hassle and time - but $180/hour is highway robbery. I know, it is my fault for saying yes, but where do they come off charging those prices for work that only takes a short amount of time?
So, I had a poor customer service experience with my first appointment and got ripped off with my second appointment. Lesson learned. And again, this is not a bad review of the service itself. Chris would get all 5 stars, but the company he works for would only get 1 or 2 if it weren't for him. Hence the 3 stars. read more