Repair to electrical service panel
Installing an additional circuit in an older home with a massive, ancient main breaker box, I inadvertently touched a ground wire to the hot bar in the back of the main breaker panel. Oops!. Half the panel was functional, the other, not. Unwilling to deal with the large, cylindrical 100 amp fuses of the ancient main breaker box, I got on the phone to find a nearby electrician. Steve, from Rosedale Electric, answered the phone. I told him what I'd done. He asked me to take a photo of the panel and breaker box with my phone, and send it to him, so he could diagnose the problem before estimating type of diagnosis that might be necessary, in order to set up a service call time. I did. He called back immediately, queried me further about the genesis of the problem, and told me someone could come by that day. As the landlord, I did not want to lurk in the tenant's basement in the meanwhile, and wanted to know if he could give me a specific time space for the call. He did so, telling me it would be not quite two hours later. That alone made me somewhat relieved.
The electrician, Scott, arrived promptly (a welcome relief, considering scheduled repair and maintenance calls made with other contractors), and cheerfully, patiently, answered all of my questions as he worked. The repair was effected. When assessing payment, I was told he could not take a credit card payment (a minor blip in the process), that it would have to be either cash or cheque. Fortunately, a bank machine was close-by, so the transaction was made with little delay. I asked for an invoice, and was told it would be sent by email. Happy I did not inconvenience the tenant any longer than I did, I hopped in the car and made my way home.
The invoice was in my email box by the time I got back.
The one upgrade to their service that I would appreciate, would be an option to pay by credit card, or direct deposit.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $210.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Add option to pay by credit card or direct deposit.
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Ensure they have a cheque available, or adequate cash at the time of service.