I manage a commercial property and we do not have power. The owners of the building told me to contact Nielson Electric because they were recommend by Alameda county. I scheduled my appointment and met with Joshua. Seemed like a nice guy. He gave me a bid for 6 figures which is what I was expecting for a job of this size. My frustration came about when I asked him for a bid. I needed to get this job done asap and was ready to get started. I sent him my email, sent numerous text messages and they did not send me my contract. It is baffling to me. I should not have to chase vendors to give me a contract to start going. It's bin 10 days and no contract. I'm actually happy it happened this way. If they didn't bother to send me a contract. They would not bother to do the job. I do not recommend. read more

Nielsen Electric - Electricians Near Me - Alameda, California

Ask for Erik I used Nielsen Electric back in 2014 at my personal residence and they were great in doing the job on short notice as well as price. Now, at a different location as President of a 64 unit Condo HOA here in Alameda, we are working on installing an EV Charging station. I called Erik at Nielsen and he made an appointment for the next day and he knew exactly how to quote the job. read more

I had an appointment with these folks, I live in Alameda where this business is located, actually just round the corner so not much travel time for them. No one showed, I called, no live person, an answering machine, left nice messages ( benefit of the doubt,) no replies, nothing. We all get bothered by wasting an afternoon on service companies that don't show, however most call with an excuse or an apology. Not Nielsen Electric :( This company has been in business for a long time, but I believe the ownership split and this is what's left. read more

I'd give 'em ten stars if I could. Following is just one reason why: A year or so ago, Scarfy got a wild hair to do a little light electrical work around the house. The resulting emergency situation occurred (naturally) on a Friday night. We were a bit panicky at the time and unable to immediately get a hold of Nielsen - always our first choice - so we went with this other guy, who we were able to get a hold of immediately, likely due to a dearth of business. He came by the following day and somehow, despite the fact that he appeared to be only slightly more acquainted than myself with the subtle and mysterious nuances of electrical mechanics, managed to get the crib back on line. However, he claimed that while dicking around in the circuit box it "exploded in [his] face", that the insulation on the wires leading into the box was melted, and that all the wiring in the house was most likely fried and that we had better seriously review our fire insurance policy as we were currently domiciled in a veritable tinderbox. (No joke, he actually said all this shit.) He then informed us that he didn't do the kind of work that was required in our little firetrap, which made me think that there might somehow be some validity to his outlandish claims. With that he went on his merry way, whistling a happy tune, with 200 more sheets of folding money in his pocket than he had when he arrived. (This fellow is no longer in business, otherwise I would provide his name as a warning to others. Decorum, decency and the fact that I can't remember his name prevent me from doing so at this juncture.) Well, I don't know about you, but wondering every night, as I lay me down to sleep, whether or not I'm not going to be immolated in the interim makes me a tad nervous. In an heroic attempt to make a long story a bit shorter, Nielsen was on the scene shortly thereafter. They gave the place a thorough once over and reported back that everything was A-OK, that as far as the electrical situation in the pad was concerned, the moon was in the seventh house and Jupiter was aligned with Nikolai Tesla's sac and that there was absolutely no need whatsoever to worry. (They appear to have been correct. As I say, this was a year or so ago and we have had relatively few electrical fires in that time. In fact, I can't recall a single one.) For this they charged us FUCKING ZILCH! Let me repeat that: FUCKING ZILCH! If you have electrical issues and you live in Alameda, or any area serviced by them, Nielsen Electric is the only outfit to even consider. Anything else is second rate...on a good day. read more

Nielsen Electric - Electricians Near Me - Alameda, California

Moved into a new(to me) home with old electrical problems...Eric and his partner took care of the problem it seemed to be no sweat...on top of all the work, my special son had a difficult time dealing with the lights going off and acted out...Eric stepped right in to help me and my son...Without hesitation, Eric agreed to come back the next day to work...My son was at school...The next day all was done and exactly as I requested it...If you need electrical help call Nielsen Electric,Inc, they are great in more ways than one! read more

I needed a bit of work fixing mistakes a previous owner had left me with in the purchase of my house. Other electrcians had come by and said it might take hours and quoted high fees and then told me I should get rid of all knob and tube and upgrade. I then called Nielson and Eric came out. Told me it would cost 'x' and not take too long and behold the problem was solved... He even helped fix a few other things and offered suggestions to some projects we have down the line... He's the first person I'm calling! 10 star service! read more

Power problem in one of the units, some outlets and lights quit working. Found that power only coming out of one side of main breaker, pulled it and found connections corroded and burned. Put it back, now no power. It's Sunday, (Memorial day weekend), called Nielsen electric and Eric came and took a look. He went back to his place and found the pieces to replace in the power box. To make a long story short he fixed the connections, installed a new breaker and got all of the power working and it was still light out. Thanks Eric for the reasonably priced fast and completed Sunday service. Nielsen Electric was the only same day response of all the electricians that I called. Nielsen Electric saved the day! read more

They came promptly and did a great job. We will call Sid the next time we have an electric problem. We have rentals and it is nice to know who to call. read more

It surprises me that the reviews here were 5 star. There was a time when small and family owned meant attention to detail and a caring response. It seems that family owned in this business means that Grandma didn't pass the message to the granddaughter so that each time we called the wife or daughter had no clue where things left off. In short, the handling was unprofessional. Moreover, the company provided details regarding private business information to third parties. Nielsen himself seemed stand up enough but he said one thing to us and another to others about the same project. In the end we found a way more stand up and professional family owned electrician who did the job right, professionally and reasonably priced. Skip Nielsen's double talk and hire T.E.C instead. read more

Very reliable, came within hours of my phone call. We had to have our fluorescent lights in our kitchen fixed. He had everything that he needed on his truck, had to replace the ballast was done within the hour. Very reasonable prices.........Nielsen Electric was the four company that we contacted. I love the fact that they send you a bill. Everyone at Nielsen are very friendly. read more

I see some have had similar experiences... Nov of last year, i contacted them via their website's "contact us" feature. They simply never contacted me. On 10/21/15, exact same thing. Put in a request for a quote, not a response, email, text message etc..... People may say "pick up the phone and call them..." I say "NO". I don't like the phone, and, if they didn't want to offer electronic communication, they should not make it available to the consumer. If they aren't interested in the work, simply say so.... Thx read more

I have used Nielsen Electric several times for a home we own in Alameda. He has always been very responsive, easy to reach and accommodating. And, he is a very knowledgeable electrician, and knows what he is doing. I have even called him on a Sunday morning, and he was at the home before noon, and fixed the electrical problem! His prices are reasonable, and for a recent, simple, over-the-phone walkthrough fix, he wouldn't charge even me. A real pleasure to do business with. Gary H. read more

I've owned a few old houses in Alameda, and used quite a few different electricians. None were great; some were downright dangerous. Then I used Nielsen Electric. The first time I used Nielsen they came out on short notice, in the middle of a long holiday week-end, and fixed a serious problem that was periodically sending a burst of flame up the stucco. Yikes! They came out, diagnosed the problem quickly, had it permanently fixed in a few hours, and were very pleasant and upbeat. I was expecting a bill about three times the size. Initially in gratitude, but now just because they've proven they're always this great, I use them every time I need electrical work done. They're quick and pleasant to work with, explain what they're doing and why, and really know how to work with the wiring in older homes. Whether my job is large or small, I rely on Neilsen. Great work and superior service at more reasonable prices than the competition. Can't beat that. read more

I am local Realtor® in Alameda. Sid is 'old school' Alameda. He can tell you information about Alameda that long time Alamedians do not even know. Sid and his band-it of misfits will get the work done. Whether you have a complicated electrical problem, some ungrounded wires, upgrading your electrical, double lugging, or old knob and tube wiring - Sid will evaluate it and fix the problem. He runs his business 'old school' and it shows. Sid does his work right the first time, he is responsive, knows his trade, and has his business down. So I know when I hire Sid & and his crew my clients will be satisfied with the work done. read more

I called Saturday morning around 10:30am and left a message. I received a call back from Sid within 30 minutes. He walked me through some trouble-shooting on the phone and suggested I call the power company -- turns out, it was on the power company side and it was completely resolved within three hours. He was kind and generous with his time and knowledge. If I have future electrical needs Sid will be the first one I call. read more

My 5-star review is contingent on Eric or Ron doing the work. I've had a great experience with both of them, but not necessarily Sid. So make sure you get one of them out! Eric and Ron are reliable, friendly and knowledgeable, and have fixed our issues with no fuss at all over the years. I highly recommend them! read more

The person working for Eric missed one knob and tube and installed the electrical using a white wire as return without labeling. He also used a salvage breaker box, and didn't clean up. If we could sue, we would've but it is awhile back. Eric himself is a very good electrician but his worker was bad and unreliable. (He even Stole food from us) I want to make the distinction that Sid, Eric's brother has fixed some of the goofs. But the company we hired later for another project "cleaned up" the breaker panel. All in all we spent a fortune paying people to re-do their work which was also pricey. read more

Really nice folks. Came by on pretty short notice and stayed until the job was done, even though it turned out to be a little harder than expected. Very happy with the results. read more

Eric Nielsen is a wizard! We had a complicated electrical problem in the commercial warehouse we live in. Two other electricians came out, charged us their minimum service fee, and couldn't fix the problem, which involved converting high-voltage commercial wiring down into simple Decora wall switches for kitchen lighting. Eric spent hours tracking down the inexplicable wiring routes (where one circuit ends in a breaker box upstairs while the one next to it ends in a downstairs box, etc), figured out and explained our circuitry, converted our wall switches, fixed another problem we hadn't known about, and charged less than the service fee the other electricians charged for just for their (unsuccessful) visits. This an old-style family business and it shows. Great expertise, great value for the price. Wish I'd known about them before. read more

Eric was here at my house in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland within an hour, fixed the problem within 10 minutes, and charged a reasonable rate. He let me know the way to prevent the problem from re-occurring, again at a very reasonable rate, and we have scheduled it for a future day. His mom also called me "hon" on the phone, and I like that. read more

Very bad experience!!! Customers Beware!!! Bad customer service: They didn't want to even consider working out an issue. And wierd electrician too. I don't really care that the guy and his 'helper' were odd, as long as they did honest and good work, which was not the case. Problem: Power outage in garage. They came out quickly and got power back with a temp fix until they could give me an estimate on how much the major job would be (Digging trench, connecting new wires, etc) Meanwhile they left multiple wires exposed and hanging out of sockets. Never got back to me even after 3 weeks of my constant calling. The 'temp' power solution lasted only a few hours and I called to have them come back and just check the work again but they never did. They said "we told you it was just temporary" ...but were they ever gonna come out??? Then they immediately billed me for 2 hours of work without ever following up. Unfortunately my wife paid w/o consulting me. I had to call out another electrician to get power back and they couldn't believe the crappy work Nielsen did and left behind. They were shocked it was Nielsen. And even more shocked that they would bill me for the shotty work! I called Nielsen to talk about the charges. I was even willing to pay for their time to come out, but not their work. They said they no and are quite ok with the service they provided. I do not know how a company that has been around so long can be so unprofessional and incompetent. p.s. - My new electrician found a way to fix using the wires that were in place already. So on top of all this, Nielsen was trying to gouge me too! Customers Beware!!!! Very F**ked Up read more

I was looking for an electrical contractor and chose Nielsen Electric because I wanted a company that was in Alameda which is where we live. Nielsen Electric's website, was very impressive, a family owned business that goes back 75 years, passed down through the family, all born and raised in Alameda. I called and made an appointment on Friday, 1/8 for an estimate. Eric Nielsen showed up right on time, seemed like a nice enough guy. We had a home inspection report, which made things easier for Eric to see where the problems were. My husband who also grew up in Alameda and knew the family name, walked around with Eric discussing the repairs needed and everything seemed fine. Eric was supposed to get back to me on Monday 1/11 with a proposal, today is 1/19. I have made several calls to the number he lists on his website, no answer, no recorded greeting. I have sent several emails with no reply. The family history on the website is true, however, Sidney "Sid" Eric's brother, does not work with Neilsen Electric in Alameda any longer, even though it appears that he does. I did a little research and was able to locate Sid Nielsen, S.J.N. Electric in San Leandro. I gave him a call, he said that he would "make it right for me" He is coming out tomorrow...Look for my Yelp review for S.J.N. Electric in San Leandro, I'll let you know how it worked out. read more

6 months after Eric solved another electrical problem for me, the power went out in another apartment. I called Eric and he came out in a couple of hours. The problem was caused by a leak that corroded a connection and circuit breaker. He fixed it in the rain and told me to caulk the hinge above the breaker door. Eric saved the day again. He is good at troubleshooting problems and his rates are very reasonable. read more

When my husband and I moved to Alameda in 2001, we discovered our newly purchased home needed electric work. Fortunately, we found Nielsen Electric. Our garage was wired with extension cords, not in code, and a general electric mess. Then we found certain electric problems within our home. Nielsen Electric took care of all of our electric issues and continues to do so today with professionalism, quality work, and reasonable pricing. This is a wonderful resource for our community. read more

We moved to a new house and needed some electrical work done.We were lucky to to have Eric and his team to have the work done right.They were able to find more problems that they fixed with a very reasonable price .Quality of work is outstanding.They seem never been in a hurry , spending quality of times fixing everything.I would recommend them to anyone that that need electrical help. read more

We recently had Ron return to do some electrical work in a bathroom and to install a new light fixture in our patio. He was thorough, knowledgable and a very agreeable person. We've used Nielsen Electric many times over the years and highly recommend this Alameda company. read more