I called crown electric. I told them that I needed to do two things. I had to install a ceiling fan in my basement bathroom. There was not one when the previous owner put in the bathroom. I told them that it was adjacent to an exterior wall but a hole would have to be put in. I said I would pick up the fan and the vent for the wall and I did.
I also needed a floor heating system hooked up. I told them they needed to fish the wire 8 feet along an exterior basement wall. A previous electrician had done it in 20 minutes. I needed to hook up a new circuit in the box. The phone guy, George, said two hours at for one guy at $80/hour. He said I needed a permit for the changes for the ceiling fan, I doubted him and told him that I would call ESA. I called ESA and they confirmed the need for the permit. He called Tuesday and said he that he had the $71 permit and his guy should be done in 2 hours.
The GUYS should up at 9:10, 40 minutes late, 2 of them. As they guy was going back to his shop to get the drill, he said it would be 4 hours for 2 Guys. I told him to have his boss call me. He did not. At 12:15, they finished the drilling and had nothing hooked up, they said they would not be done for a while.
They said the job would be 4 hours each at $80/each for 2 guys. So the job went from $160 to $640. The job was not nearly done 3 hours in. They forgot their equipment. When I called to dispute the quote he said I told him nothing of the hole in the wall, nothing of the need to fish wire. I told him that I would kick him out since he would not be running up the bill on me without end and for call me untruthful. Fine said George. He would be liening me. I would have to pay him.
Well, I might. But for everyone else out there, this is how they do business. Avoid them. I work in the industry. This site played a large part in me choosing crown. Most electricians are honest, give you honest estimates. Crown would have never would have gotten into my house with the 8 man hour estimate. He assumes that I will crumble in the face of the lien. I might have too. But when he called me a untruthful, and threatened me with the lien, their was no way they were finishing the job. You know $400 - 500 was probably the right cost for the job, and I was expecting 2 guys at 4 man hours maybe, but they were exploiting me, counting on the fact that I will crumble to their threats to force me to pay 4 times the original quote.
Do not ever deal with this company.