I called them because my electric bill was very high. I had crossed lines that were arching and needed a new panel. From start to finish they were professional, on time, did exactly what they said they would and the work was excellent. They explained everything to me in terminology that I understood and delivered what they promised. I would recommend them and if needed would use them again. read more

POWELL ELECTRIC IS MUCH TOO EXPENSIVE!!!!! I have two-foot florescent lights under my kitchen cabinets. One of the fixtures for a kitchen florescent light broke and needed repair or replacement. After seeing repeated TV commercials for Powell Electric, I called them to make the needed repair. The Powell electrician who came to my house gave me an estimate of $1,500 to replace the fixture. It seemed to me that this was a very "high" estimate so I paid him $99 for his visit and decided to look elsewhere for a less expensive option. I eventually called Joe Baune of Fastwire Electric and he replaced the fixture for $85. Needless to say, I will NOT be calling Powell Electric again. read more

Had some issues with my outlets and switches. Guy who came out to diagnose the problem said my wires were shorting out somewhere. Quoted $3,000 to fix the problem. Seemed a little sus so got a second quote from independent electrician who fixed the minor problem and charged me only $300. Slight difference. Hmmmm. Best to get a second opinion. read more

Charged $1,350 to replace 3 GFCIS & "cover plates" in home leaving messy "make up" done. Materials cost at home depot are very very cheap. Plus they offer a $50 "coupon" which I'm sure is GREAT for the uneducated customer! Fast forward to 2025 GFCIS don't work. (Installed in 2022) Robbery at its finest. Rip off, fast, lazy, Mickey Mouse work. read more

I'm really disappointed that I just paid $400 to have a breaker changed out. I have had this done in the past and paid $50. On top of that, the technician was supposed to come in the morning so my business was uninterrupted but instead no one arrived until 2:30pm when I had customers. I was told the higher price was due to their quick timing and reliability but what I experienced was unreliable and disruptive to my business. At the point that they got here, I really had no choice but to pay since I had already waited so long for this repair to be made since they didn't arrive when I scheduled them. I also had already paid a $100 non-refundable deposit just for them to even give me a price. I feel totally ripped off and next time will wait for my handyman! read more

First, the good: the technician Powell sent to provide me with a quote was considerate and kind. I've no complaints whatsoever about him and I thank him for his courtesy and honesty. Now, the unfortunate bad: I should have known from the way I was spoken to on my initial call that working with Powell would be unpleasant. The "hard sell" doesn't begin to cover what the gentleman who answered my call gave me. It was more like the "scare sell," which involved denigrating virtually every other licensed electrician in Los Angeles. Not directly, mind you, but indirectly, with phrases such as "Powell does things correctly" and "Powell isn't inexpensive; if you want inexpensive, use a handyman" and such like. Those are on the milder end of what he tossed my way. In fact, he did everything he could to discourage me from booking an appointment, and I should have listened. He called me "dear" more than once, and when I pointed out that one should never call a woman they don't know "dear," he didn't seem to know he shouldn't do that and blissfully continued on about how Powell is the best, how 75 years in the business don't lie, and how-- oh, yes, if we come out we charge you $99 (which would be deducted from the quote should one have work performed). The tone of the conversation was immensely condescending and not-so-subtly implied that any potential customer who questioned Powell's way of doing business was either cheap or uninformed. Ok, well, if I had a dime for every contractor who said they were the best, they did things right when others did them wrong, I'd be richer than Powell. On the day of the visit, the very cordial tech was clearly talking the talk-- which involved denigrating the work of other electricians (all licensed and with many more years of experience than he), upselling work and all the rest, but at least when I pointed out that I did not appreciate companies whose business model depended upon telling customers that all other work done was not up to "Powell standards" he ceased doing that. Now, on to the quote... the sum total of the work involved replacing broken things, but not installing new outlets or anything of that sort. No, these were maintenance issues: replacing a switch plate cover; replacing an interior low-volate entry buzzer video screen that's on the fritz (I would order the replacement screen); replacing a broken dimmer switch; replacing an incorrect outlet housing in a tiled wall (but nothing wrong with the GFCI outlet-- literally housing too big for tiled wall); replacing one outdoor bubble cover for a GFCI outlet to make it waterproof; checking and repairing wiring/switch box for one lightly flickering garage light. That was it. He suggested replacing the entire outdoor GFCI rather than replacing the bubble cover-- yet there was nothing wrong with the GFCI. When I queried this he said, "it's the way Powell does things. We take no chances." Translation to potential customers: upsell all the way! Again, I must stress how helpful this tech was, so this is not about the tech. It's about the company ethos. When he gave me the quote, I nearly fell over: it did NOT include the only thing that would keep a tech here for more than 30 minutes-- the flickering light-- and was nearly $1200. I was horrified and could only conclude that Powell did not want my business. I wrote the tech a check for $99-- he offered to get that fee waived, but I paid because I agreed to do so-- and BEFORE he provided the quote, I had to sign something that said I would pay $99 even if I didn't have work done-- so, fair dues-- and more important, as I told the tech, I felt paying the fee meant I could leave all the feedback I wished to on consumer sites. When I asked the tech why this quote was so expensive, he offered that Powell's advertising budget was millions upon millions per year. Well, that's not the customer's problem. And what does it say about their track record of retaining clientele if the advertising budget for such a sterling company means they must overcharge for small jobs? I called Powell because, yes, they come up in searches in my area and I guess that ad money is somewhat well spent. But when you treat customers like I was treated? You lose a lot of potential future business. Postscript: I waited to write this review until I received another quote from a similarly licensed and local electrical company with multiple decades in business. Their quote was not only 30% less expensive than Powell's quote, it also included the work to the garage wiring/switch box and included two more replacement bubble covers and one more replacement outlet cover. Their tech was also lovely and not once did he denigrate the work of others, try to scare me into unnecessary work or talk about how superior his company's standars were to those of other companies. Powell, take note, please. And ask your employees to stop calling women they have never met "dear." It's as offensive as your overcharging. read more

RIPOFF!!! Do not call! I had the unfortunate experience with Powell for replacement of 7 wired smoke alarms in my house. The service man came over to take a look, for which they charged me $99. After walking through my house for one minute he left to call to get pricing and had the audacity to come in and say the cost was $2600!!! For freaking smoke alarms??? I was shocked. He said that each alarm was $400 which doesn't even make sense because I had 7 in my house. I responded and said at Home Depot you can find these for $60 each. No explanation of the charges. Anyways, I got them replaced by the best electrician in the South Bay for 1/4 the price. Use All Tek, never and I mean NEVER call Powell. read more

Powell Electric - Lighting Fixtures & Equipment Near Me - Los Angeles, California

My wife called them to replace a blown GFCI breaker switch in garage, They refused and said they didn't work that way. They said we needed to seperate everyining out in 15 jacks so it wouldn't happen again. Then they said it would be 1500, and to give them a 400 deposit. When I called and cancelled they said they would refund deposit except 99.00. read more

Installed a surveillance camera. Arrived early in the morning on a rainy day. No complaints. read more

Powell Electric - Powell Electric van - Lighting Fixtures & Equipment Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Over 3 hours late and 0 communication throughout the entire process. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. Very unprofessional.

Can't say anything other than pure trash. they wanted $1350 to install a junction box and connect three wires ....complete joke... paid the $100 "im a sucker" fee and told them to bounce... if you enjoy getting extremely taken advantage of, give them a call. Really good scam... read more

I wish I would have researched reviews on this company. I used them years ago, and their prices were not this high. This company is a rip off. They wanted to charge $900 to fix a ceiling fan and install a Ring Flood Cam, where wires already existed for a present flood light. Then if you don't mention the TV special, you don't get the special. You would think if they advertise on tv, they would be a honest and responsible company. But no. Do not call this company. You will regret it. read more

Not necessarily disappointed with service but posting this review as a warning about common 'scams' to get people to upgrade a service call when much less expensive options are available. I had several smoke alarms beeping that were worn out. I was told that they could upgrade 5 units to latest code for 1,200! I went to Home Depot and purchased 5 replacement units for under a $100 and installed in 15 minutes. No special tools or electrical knowledge required. DONT BE LAZY AND JUST ACCEPT AN OUTRAGEOUS ESTIMATE FOR A SIMPLE FIX - use a bit of common sense (and Google if needed). I'm no great handyman but this was a no-brainer to do on my own and save over a $1,000. Can't blame a business for trying to take advantage of someone to put more money in their pocket, that's their business model. Just be aware and question what someone tries to sell you! read more

I wish my wife had consulted Yelp before she called them when I was out of town on business. Just like all the other reviews I've seen here, their $99 "Service Call" resulted in a grossly overpriced estimate for the "work" that needed to be done. Thankfully, she asked me about it. We ultimately got the work done by an honest electrician for a quarter of Powell's quote. read more

Powell Electric is a scam. $399 just fo come out to give the estimate to install a light fixture. Then they quoted $1500 for the work. UNBELIEVABLE!!! read more

After seeing their commercials on television, I decided to contact them for needed some electrical repairs. I left a message but nobody ever called me back. read more

My lights were not working, paid $99 to have a tech come and evaluate. He comes the next day and says I need a new dimmer for $399. I told him thanks but I'm not going to fall for your games! I went to my local hardware store, bought the dimmer myself $30 and within 10 mins up and running. I understand they need to charge a profit but $370 to install? Go kick rocks brah read more

Powell Electric - Attempted rape without Vaseline. - Lighting Fixtures & Equipment Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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I had a problem with a miswired 3-way switch. I was told that they needed to change one wire and that they could do it right away for $2800.00 I called another electrician, who did the same job for $450.00 and he was done in two hours. That's still a great hourly pay. I will never call Powell Electric again. read more

When I called to schedule an appointment the representative was very cold. I had a bad electrical line that went dead and got quoted over $11,000. Got the same job done for $2,000. These guys are a scam go somewhere else. read more

Absolute worst. Waited around all day for these people. Called them back a half hour after I had a missed call and they said they'd send the next technician. Called back an hour later and said they couldn't come after all. Super unprofessional. read more

Update: Sam at Powell Electric called and bribed me with a refund of my $99 service fee if I removed my one star review on Google. I removed it and reposted it on Yelp with a link to this post. (This explains the Google rating compared to Yelp) I was charged $99 for Luis to come out and confirm the electrical issue we already knew we had and paid another electrician to isolate (the gfi outlet in our bar area). The prior electrician opened every outlet box in the chain to confirm no issues in the outlets. Luis quoted us $3,500 without any investigation. The quote was to open every outlet box again, not just the bar area gfi outlet (the one we knew was the problem - the start of the chain outage). My husband asked, "what if the problem is in the first outlet?" (the gfi) as we believe it is, and Luis told us it would still cost us $3,500. We rejected the work, paid the $99 and then called my electrician brother-in-law. He confirmed no wire short between the fuse box and the gfi outlet in the bar area. The issue is the gfi outlet in the bar (no short in any of the wires). The wires in the gfi outlet were touching and the ground was not attached. If Luis had opened the gfi outlet like we asked him to, he could have fixed the issue in 5 minutes. Definitely NOT a $3,500 job! Almost got scammed by this company. My brother-in-law confirmed it. Always get a second opinion! read more

Was quoted $10,000 for a job we jot done for $3000. To get a quote we were charged $99. A waste of time and money

Called on a Tuesday spoke to a very nice gentleman that was kind enough to give me a next day appointment. My time window was between 12-3pm was told they'd contact me to let me know 30min before that they was en route. Welp they called me at 3pm to tell me they would be there @3:30..... 3:45 and no one showed up nor called. When you have been given a specific time window you're sitting there waiting. You could at least give a courtesy call and notify client that you're still running late. I had someone home waiting and that's just not nice. Anyhow hope all was well with technician. read more

Charged $499 to give a quote for a business-related issue. No biggie as it's against the total cost of the project... Except that the cost they quoted was $44,000!!! For reference, other quotes were around $8-9k. These guys are a total scam and seem to be in the business only make money on charging for quotes. AVOID THEM! read more

Can not give a lower score or I would have done so. Waited four days in the dark in half the house, for the excuses, didn't finish the last job. Can't come back until three more days. What????!!!?? Lame company with no integrity. I asked for first trip the next day, wasn't available so they scheduled end of day. Then they didn't show up. Now They want me to wait all day until 5;00, just to see IF they finish. Again. Seems like they just can't finish. Hiring someone else, in a Flash!!!!! read more

Wow, They came to my DTLA studio, to give a quote to run about 30' of armored cable, mount an outlet and add an additional outlet for a 220v dust collector. Last time I had a similar cable run for the same AC unit is cost me $750.00. So I was expecting a similar price. As a former electrical engineer in the UK but not up to speed with regulations and spec in the US an CA. I would estimate 1/2 day work. They quoted me $5900!!! The two guys who came seemed very embarrassed about the quote, they knew something wasn't right. And They wanted to charge me $200 for coming to give the quote. DO NOT USE! read more

Needed a 200amp panel and rewiring of a 1400 sqft house. These guys wanted $80,000!!!! Other bids were around $12-15k. Absolute trash.... And they charge you $100 to come out to waste your time. read more

I just wanted to let you know.Anyone interested in getting an electrical work done on their house?Call Powell Electric, they do an excellent job. It came and worked on my electrical box at my home and when DWP. Came to inspect it. They said whoever did this did an excellent job. The guy wasn't even there. 2 minutes he turned around and walked out. He said but good work, so it's worth the money to get it done right? God bless. read more

Zero stars is to high. Lazy incompetent technician. I paid 80.00 for nothing and received a 3000.00 quote. The piece is 18.00 at Loews. Stay away these people are thieves. read more

Powell Electric - Clearly burned - Lighting Fixtures & Equipment Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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They quote you $399 on the phone but the show up and say it's $1390 just to install a breaker and an outlet. If you decline you still owe the $399. They charge you $400 to give you a quote. Shady. read more

I just needed a dining room ceiling lighting fixture installed, they quoted $1250 which was a lot more than I was expecting. Then it cost me $99. They make it sound great because the fee goes toward the total cost, by there's no way in paying that much for what seemed like a straight forward removal and install. I don't recommend for small jobs, because they can just increase the invoice price so much that you wouldn't want to accept, hence your fee never goes toward any meaningful work other than the expensive quote. read more

Had some lighting issues and needed someone really fast . I had Ari Rohm come over and he was very professional and fixed everything to a T. I want sure what was going on as 2 of my outlets weren't working but he told me not to worry and got it all working in now time . Thank you and I definitely recommend moving forward read more

I have some electrical issues I need addressed so I called Powell a few days ago. They scheduled a window with me for 2-5PM today. I took work off in the afternoon and waited. Didn't hear from them until 4:10 when a supervisor called me to say they overbooked and want to send someone tomorrow instead during my work hours. I said no and explained I took work off based on the appointment we scheduled and I'm not going to do that again after they didn't show up. They offered to do it first thing Saturday. I asked them to waive the $99 service fee (which is already deducted from total amount if work is done) since they made me miss work. They offered me $20 off the $99 fee but wouldn't waive it and said it costs them money to go out to my place. I told him it already cost me money to miss out on work hours to be home this afternoon. They didn't care. Very unprofessional behavior and they hadn't even done work yet. If customer service is this bad when they are still trying to get money out of me, I cannot imagine how poor the customer service must be AFTER they've already been paid. Do yourself a favor and look somewhere else for an electrician. read more

Do not bother calling these guys, they are straight up highway robbers. They wanted to charge me $3,300 to extend a brass fitting 1 Foot. Wtf? I think they make their money from $99 consultation charges and give ridiculous bids to purposely not get the job so they guy can keep going to these consultations all day. Shit company with shit pricing!!! read more

I have used Powell in the past and was pleased, therefore I called them to make an appointment without researching. They do charge $99 to come out and give an estimate. In our case it was to upgrade a panel. A few days later, I decided to check Yelp. I saw there new rating and comments, and decided to cancel my appointment. When I called to cancel, the man on the phone asked why I was canceling. Since he asked, I figured I would be honest, and I told him I saw Powell's rating and comments on Yelp. He said to go to Google and read the reviews there. "They have 4.5 star rating on Google out of 1,600 reviews." I told him I rely on Yelp, and he said they are not a restaurant and literally hung up on me. read more

This company's business model is simple. Get their $79 and get out. I would give them zero stars if that were an option. I wanted to put 6 recess lights in my living room and they quoted me $7,340!! Are you kidding me?! I can redo a full bathroom for that amount. I got another quote the same day for $1,050. Essentially charging 150 per light and $65 for the dimmer + $85 for the control line. I matched this up with two other local companies and they were similarly priced so Powell Electric was more than $6,000 more for the same job!! Like I said, they simply just want to make money upfront knowing no one will pay their outrageous inflated cost. DO NOT USE, whatever you do or that $79 that could have went to groceries or dinner is in their greedy pockets. read more

In an earlier review, I gave "Powell Electric" a 5-Star score. My most recent experience was less than stellar. Upon reflection, I admit that I was disappointed with their pricing of my most recent job. But my negative reaction was amplified by poor communication on the part of Powell's staff. (Read on if you'd like to know more.) The rental property I referred to in the earlier post now has a tenant. After residing in the house for several months, they discovered that an outdoor electrical outlet did not work. I contacted Powell Electric to let them know that the tenant would call to set an appointment. Per conversation, there would be a $99 service fee to go to the house, evaluate the situation, and provide a quote for the necessary work. If I decided to use Powell Electric to do the work, the $99 fee would be applied towards the work to be done. Powell called to let me know that the electrician had visited the house. If I decide to have him do the repair, the price was "$300". At this point, I thought the quote wasn't so bad: $99 for the service call, plus $201 for the repair work (parts and labor). I requested that the office have the electrician call me and describe, in detail, the scope of work to be done. The electrician called. He explained that the electrical outlet needed to be replaced. Because of the outdoor location, he would propose to replace the older type electrical fixture with a GFCI outlet, and add a cover. I was fine with the proposal--but I was surprised when he quoted me "$399" -- $99 for the service call, and $300 for the repair (parts and labor). I was irritated. The job now cost 30% more than I was expecting. But I allowed him to complete the assignment--only because the tenant now had the expectation that the repair would be completed soon. Powell Electric did not provide a detailed invoice--one which identifies the charges for parts, versus labor. They only offered an invoice with a single aggregate price. To be clear, I could have bought the parts for about $70 (retail) and done the work myself. Based on my previous experience, I wonder if Powell Electric assigns a huge sunk cost to each call; if amortized into a "big job", this fixed cost isn't a big issue; but if this same cost structure is applied to a "small job", Powell becomes expensive and less competitive. In terms of communication: The consumer sees "the job" as a single event. Told that the service fee can be applied towards the work to be done, reinforces this mindset. If you look at how Powell Electric charges the consumer's credit card, and how they word their conversation, the service call and the repair work are two distinct billable events. The bottom line is that the inconsistency in the "value add" proposition has turned a "repeat customer" into one who might not call again. read more

Wow. This is a fine example why it is good to get three quotes for a project, and to never trust a company who charges a fee for consultation without first looking at independent reviews such as Yelp. Wish I learned that lesson earlier. By the time Powell Electric arrived at my home, I had already received two separate quotes of $3,450 and $4,850 from two other local companies for a 200A panel upgrade. Neither of them charged me a fee for their quotes. Powell Electric charged me $99 for a quote of $9,980 for the same 200A panel upgrade (which is provided as a boilerplate quote-see photo), plus an additional $4,290 to install two 50A NEMA 14-50 circuits within 25 feet of the panel in the garage. Had their quote been in the same ballpark as the others, I wouldn't have felt bad about the consultation fee, but given it was essentially a 'no-quote' they gave me, this felt like theft. read more

Powell Electric - Copy of the Quote provided for $99 - Lighting Fixtures & Equipment Near Me - Los Angeles, California

One might believe this is a company that makes its money off of electrical repair and installations. However, I'm pretty sure they make a lot of money just from charging inspection fees alone. In fact, I don't know how any homeowner could afford them. I suppose I should be thanking Powell Electric. It cost me $78 (after discount) for a technician to tell me that they would charge ~$800 to *replace* a single electric outlet and an outside security light. We're not talking about running new wiring behind the wall or installing breakers. Nope. Just replacing an outlet and security light. Checking some of the other reviews, it seems like I might've been getting the special. Of course, I balked at the hideously high price and ended up doing the job myself for about $60 bucks. It was an expensive way to get motivated, to be sure. But now I know I can take care of it on my own! Sincerely, I appreciate the lesson well learned. read more

They wanted to charge $4500 to fix what another guy diagnosed for free .. not all that cool - he still charged me $100 just to come and do nothing other than tell me they wanted $4500 .. that's a great way to get rich isn't it? $100 a pop just to outprice yourself - should have been no more than a $200 job.. no thank you - never again read more