Had Five or Free come and install a hardwired EV charger and certify an old panel was…read moredecommissioned for insurance purposes. Both Elvin the estimator and Evan the installer did an excellent job. On time and the decommissioned panel letter was free (thanks Elvin!). The work was done really well, very clean install. Evan even swept the entire garage for me when he was done.

Here's a fun story:…read more On Sunday, May 24th, I replaced a lightbulb in a standing lamp in my bedroom and tried to turn it on. It didn't go on. I discovered that about 2/3 of my outlets and lights weren't working. I flipped switches on my electrical panel multiple times; power was not restored. I called Five or Free, went through a screening with an AI assistant, and got through to Chloe, a dispatcher/scheduler (i.e. not an electrician) clearly working from home, with a baby in the background. Chloe was sweet and helpful and got me an appointment on Tuesday, May 26th. I had to take the 2:00-4:00 slot (I work mornings), canceling a tutoring session to do so. This was my choice, of course, but I did want to get lights and internet working in my home. The electrician was a no-show on Tuesday. Soon after 4 PM (the outer end of the window), I called Chloe (again the AI rigmarole first); she apologized. She said that there'd been a miscommunication and that the electrician had gone to another job. I asked if he could come to me next -- despite it probably being outside of the electrician's working hours -- since it was Five or Free's mistake; she said no, contritely. She set up a visit for the next day. Electrician Tommy Wilson came on Wednesday, May 27th, checked the electrical panel, noticed that one breaker was loose, and said that he or another electrician would need to come on a different day and conduct a more involved inspection, probably going into the garage and checking out the panel therein. He did a write up of the issue and showed it to me (but didn't email it to me, as I later discovered). He said he'd contacted the scheduler and gotten me an appointment for Friday, May 29th, and that I'd need to pay $475 up front, which I reluctantly did. After the second inspection, Tommy explained, the electrician would give me an estimate -- in other words, the $475 was just the base fee; there could potentially be an additional charge depending on the nature of the problem and the scope of work required to repair it. I got stood up yet again on Friday the 29th and called another electrician, JC Electrical Repair Services. Juan Carlos (JC) squeezed me in on Saturday morning before his other appointments. He whooshed in, identified the problem (a standing lamp that needs to be retired), replaced the loose breaker, let me confirm that all lights and outlets were now working, gave me a safety recommendation (a space heater I'd been using was too powerful for my circuits and thus dangerous to use), and tightened all the screws on the electrical panel, noting that any electrician should do that during a visit regardless of the purpose of the visit. He did all of this over the course of about 25 minutes. Later on Saturday, Vincent from Five or Free called. (He had called a few days earlier to check in.) He apologized profusely, explaining that they were short-staffed and stretched thin. He mentioned that they'd hired an electrician who's in the military; this fellow had recently been called to active duty, leaving them an electrician short. I noted that I had actually missed out on income twice, canceling a tutoring session on Tuesday because I needed to book the 2PM-4PM window, then doing so again on Friday for the same reason, and was out $160 as a consequence. Vincent again apologized and said that my payment ($475) would be refunded, emphasising the need to wait 3-5 business days before the refund would go through. I explained that because the charge was still pending, I couldn't yet dispute it. (I will check my credit card activity every day until this is resolved.) Conclusion: Five or Free is a terribly-run company, understaffed and with too many parties attempting to coordinate with one another. It also hires less-than-competent electricians. JC Alameda Electrician Services, on the other hand, rocks. It's just one electrician, I think: Juan Carlos Curisinche Gonzales, 510 828-4993. Give him a call if you need an electrician in Alameda County.

Our heat pump's breaker went out on a cold spring morning, sparks and smoke, very dramatic. We…read morecalled Williams Electric and within about two hours Geoff was at our house pulling the (disturbingly melted) offending breaker from the panel. He also checked connections on and tightened down all the other breakers on the panel, so we can be confident that there's no other problems lurking in that box. Thanks Geoff for the quick response and thorough work! Our house is warm and cozy again.

We called Rhonda and Jeff during a stressful and urgent situation and they were the only ones who…read moretruly showed up when we needed help. Instead of immediately pushing an expensive on-site visit, Jeff took the time to FaceTime with us, walked us through what to look for, and helped us safely troubleshoot the issue in real time. They were calm, knowledgeable, and focused on solving the problem and not upselling. This was especially appreciated because several other electricians we contacted either didn't respond or immediately tried to charge ridiculous amounts without even understanding the situation. It's rare to find someone who is both technically solid and genuinely helpful, especially in an urgent moment. We felt informed, supported, and not taken advantage of. Highly recommend Rhonda and Jeff!! Highly recommend if you're looking for an electrician who actually cares and operates with integrity.

I recently hired Boyes Electric for two major projects at my home: replacing my subpanels last fall…read moreand, more recently, installing a new main electrical panel and a Level 2 EV charger. Both experiences were outstanding. From start to finish, their team demonstrated a high level of professionalism, expertise, and customer service. The technicians were extremely knowledgeable, courteous, and easy to work with. They took the time to answer questions, explain the work being performed, and ensure everything was completed correctly. What impressed me most was their responsiveness and attention to detail. Communication was prompt throughout the process, scheduling was straightforward, and the work was completed efficiently. The crew treated my home with respect, kept the work area clean, and thoroughly cleaned up when the job was finished. Their pricing was fair and reasonable, especially considering the quality of workmanship and service provided. It's becoming increasingly rare to find contractors who consistently deliver on all fronts, but Boyes Electric exceeded my expectations every time. I would not hesitate to use them again for future electrical projects and highly recommend them to anyone looking for a reliable, professional, and customer-focused electrical contractor. If you're looking for top-notch electrical work backed by excellent service, Boyes Electric is an easy five-star recommendation.

These guys did a fantastic job adding 4 light fixtures, 2 outdoor GFCI, wiring some outlets etc…read more While these are relatively simple job, retrofitting a century old house comes with a lot of caveats. From Sal coming to provide a quote to them managing Berkeley's permitting regime to making sure everything is done to the strict code, they did everything well with great communication and avoided delays for my plaster and paint crew to start on time. Would highly recommend this crew and would love to work with them in the future for any of our need.

We've used Sugi and his crew on 2 different projects, small and larger. Sugi was great in providing…read moreguidance to us to complete some parts of the work ourselves. When he and his crew took over they worked efficiently and kept us informed of what was going on as well as understanding our preferences when there were decisions to be made. The finished project met our expectations and has performed well with no problems since completion.

I had hired Kardon Electric to sort out a single electrical circuit issue and was impressed by…read moretheir professional work at a fair price. So, when I needed to upgrade the main panel from 100 amps to 200 amps, I contacted Sugi Kardon. A MUCH bigger job, I was extremely happy with the cost, scheduling, permitting, coordination with PG&E and the city. The crew was efficient, respectful, and the job easily passed city and PG&E inspections. I've added Kardon Electric to my contacts list and highly recommend them!

Alley Electric analized an electrical problem that we have been trying to solve for several years…read more They tested several components and found the solution.

We had a lot of electrical work done at our house in Fremont, CA (Niles District). The house was…read morebuilt in the 1940s so we needed to increase the amps to the house as well as grounding all the outlets and adding GFCI to some of them. The workers were responsible and courteous and we are very pleased with the work.

Just bought a house and I needed an EV charger installed. I was thinking if I had a good…read moreexperience, I would use them for more. Micah came out himself to do a site visit and then the EV charger install. Then I had them get my outlets and some other wiring up to code as well as installing an outdoor outlet and flood light. Great work, very respectful of your property, and highly professional. Micah is also ready to work with you around your budget. Happy to support a local business and have a reliable electrician.

Micah's team helped rewire my living room, dining room, and kitchen lights & receptacles. We moded…read moreaway from knob and tube non-grounded fixtures to more modern wiring. Micah came to personally inspect and provide a quote for the job, and the team (5-6 guys) did a great job working with my old house finishing in 3 days. The site supervisor made an effort to point out various decision points that needed to be made, and worked with his team members to find efficient solutions to roadblocks. When we added new adjustments to the originally planned work, Micah was able to resolve the price adjustments promptly and professionally. Would recommend if you want a job to be well done without shortcuts.

I called Esed hoping to schedule an urgent service repair after the circuit breaker for our furnace…read moretripped and I could not get it to reset and turn back on. I called several electrician's hoping to get a same day appointment and was not having much luck. When Esed answered my call he asked me several questions about what happened and what my panel looked like then proceeded to walk me through how to force reset over the phone. His kindness in walking me through it over the phone not only saved me the cost of having an electrician come out at short notice but also saved me from a cold night without a working furnace. Esed could have charged me for an in-person fix but instead offered to help me on a call. When I do have electrical issues in the future (old house with old electrical will definitely need actual repairs & upgrades in the future) Esed at Ideal Electric will be the first person I call! Thank you again Esed!!

I called Ideal Electric to come out since our refrigerator wouldn't turn back on after the breaker…read morewas turned off and back on. He had me send a photo of the breaker and he walked me through getting it back on. So grateful he took the time to do this over the phone when he could have easily sent someone out and would have been charged to do something I could easily fix. I will definitely be using them in the future. Thank you!

Installed a new sub panel with minimal wall damage. Hardly needed to patch my plaster walls. Highly…read morerecommended!

Incredibly, they were a no-show twice in a row, with basically zero proactive communication. Avoid…read more First, they messaged they could do the job a day after initial contact (Wednesday), gave me a time they'd be there, then simply never showed up. After messaging them about it, they said they forgot to schedule the actual appointment (!). Next, they scheduled an appointment for Thursday, when they showed up said they couldn't do the job as they didn't bring enough time and need additional components. Left again, rescheduled to Monday (!). And, lo and behold, no-show again on Monday. After 45 mins, I called their office and they simply said something got in the way and they can't help it. Honestly shockingly bad. Can't rate their actual service as I've never received it, just empty promises.