Good place to go if you know what you want. Recessed lighting (HALO brand), outlet wall plates (including European style from Legrand), and under-cabinet strip lighting are great items to get at a reasonable price here. read more

This is a very rubbish store. I bought a leakage protector from their store, but it didn't work properly on the construction site. I wanted to return it, but they said that once you installed it, there is no way to return it. This store's service is terrible. I hope consumers will be cautious when buying things from them. read more

Solid place. We have forestry acreage and lots of land to maintain. We are not commercial electricians. We sent one of our workers to get about 5K feet of wire to run lights along our private road. No commercial account, no problem they sell to retail, walk-in customers. No shipping fees, great prices. Online may seem less expensive, but copper is very heavy. Shipping is sometimes about 50% the price of the wire!! Very friendly service, down-to-earth and very helpful. Our worker spoke mostly French and the staff there got on the phone with our office and we were able to sort things out & get the right product. read more

Worst place to buy the electric material. I buy a lot of breakers from them. Many of them used they sell me as a new box was close i didn't pay attention they were broken and they were put together with the super glue when I go there complain about it, they told me they cannot do anything.Just waste off money and time.Please find somewhere else to shop read more

I have been going to Universal Electric for years. The service has always been great. They have competitive prices. Items are usually in stock. When I've needed to return or exchange an item it has been easy to do. They work with you. I recommend Universal Electric to everyone. read more

This is THE WORST store you can try to get parts from... They have TERRIBLE relationship with Lutron and it takes MONTHS AND MONTHS to get even standard parts through them. WORST OF THE WORST OF THE WORST. Avoid them like the plague... read more

Great customer service and competitive pricing! Looking for specialty materials and they had it all. Very good prices also!

First time buyer, was recommended by a friend who's an electrician. What happen was the fuse at work blew and there was no power. We checked the fuses using a volt meter and it turns out the short popped 2/3 fuses and we needed a new one pronto. You can get these just at any homedepot so my buddy told me to go here. Drove there and the guy at the front desk was funny. He was cracking jokes left and right. Ended up helping us change the fuses at the store and advice on torquing it too. We decided to change all 3 for about $100 and got the store up and running. What a life saver. read more

I was looking for a Siemens FS140 whole house surge protector. It was not in stock anywhere reputable online, either on Amazon, Home Depot, or Lowe's web sites or local stores, with no estimated date for shipping. I made some calls. Universal Electric had it in stock. Not only that, but the price was 40% lower than Amazon's. I drove to the store soon after my call, the day before Thanksgiving, around 4pm. I was advised about which type of breaker I needed to mate with the FS140, how to make additional space for the extra breaker on my main 200amp panel, as well as breakers needed for the other lower-end SPDs I had already purchased online for my subpanels. Some of those quad breaker types are difficult to find, but they had them also. I'm looking forward to having my electrician install these parts soon, and hopefully less equipment damage caused by PG&E power surges. read more

I received a call and was so shocked that I had to search up the phone number. The number linked me to this company, Universal Electric Supply Company. Never have I experienced someone so rude over the phone. I answered with a hello, and they asked me to speak with my mother. Did they think I was a child or something? Not even a formal introduction with "Hi this is __ from ___, May I have a chat with you." The guy was straight up rude and assumed I was a child. Then I asked, why they wanted to speak with my mother and he said, "Yes, I need to speak to the homeowner." Then I replied, "My mom is not the homeowner." The guy over the phone had the audacity to cuss at me with "What the F###!" over the phone rudely and loudly. If they are going to treat their "potential customers" like this, then no one should be negotiating anything with them. The way they handled the call was very unprofessional. EDIT: the owner of this company informed me that someone has been using their number to call people to scam them. Just be careful out there! read more

Visited this place for special light fixtures couple day's ago. The only complain is there was only one person handling the whole store. There were at least 8 customers waiting for their turn. Any way, it took almost 45minutes to just get out of store. read more

I am giving these guys 5 stars - they have been amazing. I have no idea why they have such poor reviews on customer service, we have been helped each and every time we went in and the guys are hilarious. Granted a few times you have to wait - but electrical is a tricky business, people have lots of questions. But as we were going through our rehab, we redid electrical and I ordered some wrong switches/dimmers. We came here and they had a few of the items we wanted/needed in stock - we were also looking for Light Almond - NO ONE CARRIES this color, so frustrating because its by far the least offensive color other than white of course. UES did have some light almond in stock and the other items we needed were in one of their other stores and it was promptly delivered by Monday. We mostly worked with Brady - but you can tell all the workers jump in and help. Brady was awesome though, so patient and helpful - again, not sure why their service reviews are so poor, my experience was stellar! I would go back there in a heartbeat and will recommend to other people. Oh, and their pricing was less than Home Depot, Lowes and Amazon! I will definitely be back! read more

Very very rude place, and because they don't speak English well on top of being rude, it's really hard to communicate your needs. We were looking for two specific plugs for 30 amp and 50 amp twist locks for our food truck. My husband showed the clerk the photo of what we needed, and were handed plugs that the clerk said were correct. When we tried to install them, we found that they were not correct, and it almost cost us our job at an event where we needed the plugs for power the next day. When my husband went to take back the plugs today, which are in perfect condition except for packaging, the clerk would not take them back and was extremely rude to him. I understand that packaging is important, but honestly these are $120 plugs - we bought two of them - and a box is not going to keep them from being resold. Bad customer service, and bad advice were given. read more

I have been doing a big remodel of my home. I have bought a lot of my light fixtures here at UES. All that I got matched what I expected. Prices were fair and both Freda and Brady were patient with my questions. After reading the poor reviews that are here, I can understand why people are not so happy, but I have a tip for you. If you are not an expert at electrical parts and fixtures and you need help, then look for Brady when you get there. It is a mom and pop shop, not everyone is trained expert and not everyone has perfect English. So if you are an average consumer who can't show any patience, then look for Brady. He's awesome and has clear and concise communication. He knows his stuff and is courteous. I will be coming back here for all my more important electrical needs in the future. read more

I've been to Universal Electric a few times, and admitedly each time I experienced extremely long wait times and awful service but I have gone back since they are conveniently located within close proximity of my place of work. I went there recently and the service was so poor, wait time so long (over 30 minutes standing at the counter) and I was treated as if to be a piece of garbage almost as if they were doing me a favor by selling to me. I was there to pick up a part that was supposedly on hold for me and it turns out they didnt even have it in stock. Not only do they not allow refunds, they won't even allow store credit after 20 days even for a exchange. I could go on and on but the bad management, terrible..... awful customer service outweigh the benefit of convenience which was the only positive aspect. I don't make a habit of ripping stores but in this case I realize I could have benefited from reading some of the other poor reviews for this place. read more

Lighting is one of the most complicated aspects of remodeling. Add to that fact the revolution in new LED, designer and smart lighting products and applications, it can be overwhelming. On our renovation project, Brady at UES on Brokaw Rd. was a gift from the remodeling gods. Having done my own general lighting design research on the possibilities for our major home remodeling project I made an appointment with Brady at UES to help me select the right lights, switches, ventilation fans and smart solutions. He went through each room's architect plan with specific recommendations, demonstrating the lamp illumination and color and pulling data sheets for me to take home to discuss with my contractor. Our project had a diverse selection of products and if something wasn't stocked, Brady readily ordered it. Once the installation began, I had near daily email or telephone conversations with Brady and made multiple trips to UES for support. If a fixture was the wrong size or the wrong color, a switch didn't operate as we needed or we ran into an unexpected obstacle, Brady solved our problem. He tested transformers and smart switches in the shop and sent me home with his own stock if needed to keep our project on track. I understand how intimidating it can be to walk into a lighting, plumbing, stone & tile or any other building supply store and feel completely lost due to the enormity of the assortment and applications. I can also understand how previous negative reviewers of UES can feel snubbed, ignored or mistreated by the UES staff - it's not Nordstrom. My advice, lighting is complex. Do your homework and when you're ready to finalize your plan, visit UES and let them help you specify the lights, fill your order and support your project through completion. Anyone can sell you a product, but only a few good businesses stand behind the product they sold you. UES prides themselves on knowing electrical products, giving you a solution and standing behind their recommendations. Thank you Brady and UES for our fantastic lights, vents and very smart lighting solutions. read more

Extremely rude. Did not treat me remotely as a customer. Went in to ask about light fixtures for a bedroom remodel. Showed them a photo of the style I was looking for, they told me that light was not compliant with title 24 in California, and when I asked them if they could show me what lights would be, they instead just told me to "Google it". read more

I just came back from buying 20 can light CFLs from this place. This is my second visit to the place. No, I wouldn't consider them real customer service oriented. Prior to going there, I asked 2 questions: 1. Can you see if the item I purchased from you in September is available? I had my receipt from last time, had them use that information to find the part. They said they did. 2. Do you recycle used CFLs? For those who are trying to be eco-conscious about recycling used CFL bulbs, forget it. My response from them was that Home Depot does it not them. Guess what? Not any more.. My impression is Universal Electric just dumps them in the trash, leaching mercury into landfill and streams, just what we're not supposed to do. Too complicated , too much of a hassle to recycle, I'm sure. Service is not stellar by any means. Don't expect a greeting, don't expect a thank you after you've made a purchase. My observation- It was a waste of time calling them on the phone to pull the item before I got there. I came there and still had to wait. Nobody knew about the order. I was helped by a person named Christian, who was only slightly versed in providing customer service. He also had to ask me the price of the item I was buying. Okay... I was honest, but after the level of service, heck, I could just make up any price I wanted, if my mission was to be a jerk and get away with it. Now, I'm wondering if I got the same part as last time because, no, I don't want the restocking fee. Another note: Watch where you park your car on the lot. Even if there aren't a lot of cars parked there at a time, the delivery driver will make sure to pick the spot next to your car. He will park his truck so close to your car that you will need to be careful when pulling out. How considerate. read more

If you need helpful people and a weel stocked store, PLEASE go somewhere else! I called looking for some simple heat shrink tubing, and they assured they had exactly what I was asking for. They not only didn't have what I needed, they shrugged their shoulders and laughed at me for driving all the way down to San Jose. Save yourself and take a trip across the street to Frys! read more

I called them looking for a specific type of fuse. I was put on hold for about 3 minutes, then someone different answered and asked what I wanted, I repeated, she said "please hold", waited another 3-4 minutes, a third person picked up and said "who are you holding for?". I had enough and said I will not hold any longer. Finally, they got someone to help me, but instead of looking for the product in the inventory, he looked it up on Google to see what it was! Avoid. Would not do business here. read more

UPDATE ***They've moved to a new location along BROKAW, between 880 & 101. On the right if you're coming from 880. I call this place the Home Depot of electrical supplies. Whether you're a contractor or a weekend DIYer you'll not regret paying them a visit. The place is not too visible, but if you look carefully, there's a dingy looking lighting showroom in front. You can also enter through the rear of the warehouse into the store. HINT: Look for the sign board on the street next to the curb. I've found they carry everything you need to complete your home lighting projects. From chandeliers and can lights to conduits and switches. On a normal weekday, you'll mainly find gruff looking contractor-types in and out of the place. Once, I bought the exact same items there for a third of the price. A difference between paying about a thousand dollars and paying $300 plus change. Of course, its industrial packaging versus retail store blister card packaging. Tip 1: Always look for and speak to Thomas. He use to be an electrician and knows what he's talking about. Tip 2: Beware of a strigent return policy and re-stocking fee if you want to return anything. Tip 3: If they're out of stock on anything you need, have them check their other location up in San Francisco. read more

Add me to the long list of people dissatisfied with this company. I called, got put on eternal hold, and that was the end of that. EDIT: I called again, got transferred three times, finally ended up with someone who spoke a semblance of English and, to my amazement, the gentleman did not know what a "ring terminal" was!!! (?????) read more

Don't know why these guys are so RUDE! We got a phone call, and they never formally introduced themselves or anything. They just asked us questions, but we had no idea who they were so we were being reluctant to answer. He then cussed at us and hung up. We tracked down their company through their number. Not sure why they did this. read more

I have driven by this location but always thought it was just a warehouse with parts. I was surprised when Yelp recommended it for lighting fixtures so I stopped by - they do indeed have a showroom out front in addition to the large warehouse in the back. It's on the smaller side compared to some of the massive home renovation showrooms, but they have a lot of lights on display still and keep up with modern trends while maintaining the classics as well so it is worth your time to check it out if you are shopping for new fixtures. I worked with Brady who speaks very fluent English and I had no problem communicating with him or any of the other workers, contrary to some of the other reviews. We ordered bathroom exhaust fans, vanity lights, and ceiling fans as well as ELV dimmers for use with LED fixtures throughout the house. Prices were even better than I expected, service was great, Brady made sure I got all the right parts, and they even loaded my car for me even when I had a smaller load. I really appreciated the service and will definitely use them again for electric supplies in the future. read more

This is a huge electrical supply warehouse. I walked in to buy some specialized track light bulbs, but walked out with some fantastic under-counter lights, extra track light fixtures and other miscellaneous electrical. They are particularly strong with new LED lighting technology. Good prices. read more

I wish I could've gave a better review but they gave me NO choice. I have been a loyal paying customer for 5yrs. I have spent thousands of dollars but never had to return anything until today. I wanted to return some dimmers because my contractor suggest them but we bought 2 extras. I was told to look at your receipt. I said it would probably be a better idea for you to train your staff when ringing someone up that they should be aware of the ridiculously strict return policy so that they can then make the decision to take there business elsewhere like I plan to do now. We all have choices and I now choose to spend my money elswhere where their is an actual return policy. Don't waste your time. Now I wish I would have gone with my original purchase at Lowes for a few bucks more. read more

Previous reviews may be prior to Brady... because I shopped there a couple years before and it was a bit difficult finding my way around. I would say that their display area is not the most organized, but if you spend some time browsing you'll see they carry a lot of top brands and units. Otherwise it will be in their catalogs. I met Brady this time around and he was super friendly, patient with recommendations, and knowledgeable about lighting. I took his recommendation and upgraded all of my switches as well. No salesy pushes here either. I will be back for my landscape lighting needs. read more

Great electric supply co. I found everything I needed for my outlet project. I prefer to shop here over home depot because I don't have to: 1) hunt for a park. 2) dodge shopping carts 3) wander though all the departments when I know I just need an electrical part. If you know what you are looking for, save time and shop here. read more

I'm a repairman, contractor and I went here because they said they could redo some some 5 foot light fixtures I had . They say ''No problem just give us your number and it will be like $75. to fix the fixtures. we will call you next week.'' So after NO call, I go in 2 weeks later and they say that they lost my number. Ok great now my project is behind. My customer is asking questions but I still give them the benefit of the doubt. I guess that could happen. So now the guy tells me its going to be $120. I said but wai... he says nope, prices went up. I know prices don't just go up like that but whatever, I still need it done. ''OK fine just get it done for me please.'' 2 weeks later no call again, so I go in and the guy says no we didn't repair it yet. ME, ''well..." The guy Types some shit on his computer and say ''its going to be like $185 if you want us to do this''. (really?) I then took my stuff back and said never mind, thanks. After over a whole month of B.S. I couldn't stay there. I don't really yelp unless something is horrible or shady & they cant be trusted or even believed. What a joke. Get it in writing if you can pull that off with these ppl, give them a timeline and get a signature. Not people of their word. Not sure how I can ever go back. They ruined my relationship with my client who I was helping. Good luck guys. NOT TRUSTWORTHY and there is no way to make it right. You screwed my reputation with my client. Never again read more

They don't try to help you at all, very impatient. No one knows any information, nor can you understand what they are saying, let alone they don't understand what you are saying. Word for the wise, unless you are a professional electrician don't buy from here, you may end up buying the wrong thing and paying a ridiculous re-stocking fee, in which they helped you pick out the wrong thing,... so it wasn't even your fault that you bought the wrong one anyway. read more

I've been shopping there for years now, prices gone up, the service is OK depending who you deal with. Best if you have a good idea what you're looking for. read more

I've gone to these guys twice. First time their service was poor in that they seem to not appreciate your business. They have apparently no interest in their customers and no awareness of nor interest in customer service. I unfortunately went a second time some months later because they were close. It will never happen again. I had called ahead to ensure they had what I needed and was told they absolutely did. When I arrived--that was not the case, nor did they care. I now go to Bay Lighting and Electrical Distributors--very professional, very friendly and they value their customers. read more

Do not expect even minimal customer service at this place. The staff are very rude and not interested in your business at all. Their pricing is competitive but I was able to find comparable prices online and was overjoyed for not having to return to the store. read more

This is second time I went there. First time at the old location. Product quality is definitely superior than HD and Lowes. They may not have as many variety. Leo was helpful getting the things quickly and quite reasonable price. read more

eventhough i have purchase from them many time in the past few year, i come to realized that i don't need them any more due to rude staff, the wait is way too long, and bad attitude toward your customers. i'm going elsewhere!!! read more

UES is not customer friendly outfit. They have many stores in bay area, it's amazing how they stay in business with that kind of attitudes and knowledge. Those employees behind the counter are not experts, customers are often ill adviced and they don't seemed to have a worry in this world. It's a warehouse type of store that the contractors are familiar with. Don't go there if you expecting a courteous, well mannered treatment from the employees. You will find them very rude, even obnoxious sometimes. It's a place for where rough and tough necks are patronized. read more

Great customer service, extremely knowledgeable! I went in there thinking I was going to get ripped off because I'm a girl, but they helped me pick the right light fixtures and I saved a lot of money! read more

When I first read all the negative reviews, I was hesitate to go to this store but I was thinking why not? just to check out their showroom. During my visit, sales associate "Brady" was nice, friendly and very informative about the lights. We were pleased of how helpful he was during that visit, even though we did not buy anything.. just looking... A week later, I went in again and met Brady again. He recognized me and still answered all my questions. I feel that this store deserve a 5-star review. My experience is very different from other's past reviews. I would highly recommend everyone to try out, just like I did. The price is also very competitive to any store, including online store. They are cheaper and they can order just anything from the catalog for you. For example, if you found a light at home improvement store, bring the model number and then ask Universal Electric Supply to quote you the price. You may be able to get it from them cheaper than the other store ;) read more