5 questions to ask your electrician

Just because they’re called professionals doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re not prone to failure—or worse, they might not even be professionals!

Hiring an electrician on a whim has a huge chance of failure and will make your electrical problems worse. Sometimes, the electrician will act like a master electrician (a licensed electrician for both design and installation) even though they’re not.

Listed in this article are the five important questions that you should definitely ask before hiring an electrician.

Do you have an electrician’s licence?

This should be your first question the moment you meet your electrician. This is essential for you to know what kind of expertise he has. If he fails to show you any license or some sort of document that states his credibility, don’t hire him! You should never risk your life or house by hiring someone without a licence.

Do you have your insurance?

If an electrician doesn’t have any insurance, any accidents that may occur can possibly be on you. Working with an insured electrician will not only save you additional costs, but also give the feeling of relief knowing that safety is given priority when doing their job.

Can they provide references?

Although it may seem awkward to ask the electrician directly for references, it’s still acceptable to know the quality of his work based on their previous job orders. As mentioned before, don’t risk the safety of you and your home by hiring an inexperienced electrician.

Who will do the actual work?

The person you’re talking to may not be the one who’s going to do the work. It’s important to know who’s going to do it since there may be a chance that you will be coordinating with two or more electricians—which means you must pay them both their respective rates.

Another reason why you should ask this is because you need to know more about the assigned electrician. Master electricians charge more than journeymen (apprentice-level electricians). You might be surprised on how much you’re actually paying if you don’t know their qualifications.

How much will your services be?

And last but not the least, the payment. No one wants to be charged an unreasonable amount, right? If the electrician refuses to give you an exact amount for his service, immediately refuse. They most likely charge by the hour, which will definitely cost more than it should.

Electricians who state their service fee for the whole project upfront are more likely to get hired than those who have hourly rates. If the electrician gave you an offer, don’t immediately take it, analyse it first if it’s an acceptable fee for the job. And don’t forget to ask for hidden fees!

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Don’t worry about asking these questions, professional electricians will happily answer them (like all professionals should do). Since their jobs require them to be exposed to danger, it’s only natural for them to provide heaps of assurance to their clients.

So, before typing in the words ‘electricians near me in North Shore’ on Google, be sure to keep these questions in mind to avoid possible problematic outcomes.