Electrician - Should You Ask For A Phone Estimate?
Posted by Darrell Boyd on Thu, Oct 20, 2011 @ 11:05 PM
Electrician: Should you ask for a phone estimate?
Ok, probably the most asked question we get here at Mister Sparky is can you give me an estimate over the phone? Well, allow me to explain why asking this question can potentially cause you a lot of grief and frustration.
Let's say you want a new dedicated circuit for a newly purchased hot tub. Here are just a few of the questions I would need to know just to start to begin answering that question. What brand of panel do you have? Do you have room or space in your panel? Is your panel 200amps? What route will the circuit take? What is the ampacity of the required circuit? Does it require all 4 conductors to be full size? Is there a 120V receptacle within the required distance? Is there any other metal parts or surfaces that will need to be bonded to the tub that are within 5'? OK, you get the point....
That's a lot to know as a homeowner and a lot to get right and that's exactly why it would be impossible to get an accurate phone quote. I know what you’re thinking..... I just want a price range, a ballpark price; you won’t hold me to it. Well, here's the problem with that. Some contractors will give you a low price just to get out to your home and then only to find out the price has gone up considerably. Now your frustrated because you thought you could get it done for $750 and now that that their at your home it’s really going to cost you $1500. Now not only are you frustrated but the contractor looks dishonest. He should never have quoted anything over the phone without looking at the job first. Be very cautious with phone estimates, as you can see by my example above there is no way you can get an accurate quote. So, the next time you call an electrician and want an estimate do yourself a favor an schedule him to stop by and look at the work you want done. If he says he can quote it over the phone........HANG UP!
By the way, this applies to all electrical work. Don't fool yourself by saying my job is so simple and easy they can easily quote this over the phone. Even something as simple as hanging a new light can have multiple issues that affect the price range. ie.... How heavy is the light? Is the box rated for this type of light? Will the circuit be ok with the new wattage being added to the circuit? What height is the light? Ok, ok, I could go on for days! I hope this gives you some insight into why you should always ask for a site visit and not a phone estimate.
We here at Mister Sparky will always stop by same day and when it's convenient for you. Give us a call for that next electrical project and we will quote it to the exact penny for you!