It is me being naive. When reading the review on Home Stars, I felt very confident when calling the company, and the service did not disappoint, compared to the other electrical companies I called. This was my first time dealing with an electrical company. The ladies were very professional and pleasant. With our discussions, I provided the details of my requirements, measurements and pictures; made the appointment, reconfirmed the appointment the day before.. and all was great. I was told that if the master electrician had any questions, he/she would call.
The day of the appointment - An hour past the appointment, I called, and was told that Mike was on the way. AND told, that the work may not be done today, which, was quite upsetting to me as i had taken time out of the office to be at home for this. I emphasized that the work needed to be done today, or I had a back up guy.
Mike arrives two hours past the appointment, and reviews the work. I explained my situation, and he said he will see what he can do. I was told that within half hour to 40 minutes, his team would be over. An hour and half later, they did show up. Good guys.. and very pleasant and jovial. Two electricians and two apprentices. It was a lot of work, so I guess that was why Mike got a larger team to help.
They were very efficient but forgot ladders so spend about half hour waiting for equipment. For safety reasons, they wore their work boots in the house, and they had just come from a construction site, so there were mud/clay pieces tracked everywhere they worked at. The quality of work is ok.. these are electricians.. and finesse and details are not their strong point. Like, the chandeliers (chrome and crystal) were marked with finger prints, and crystals were not hung properly; a crystal was dropped, and cracked so I had to order another one.
And then there was the bill... I paid $85 per hour per electrician, and $42.50 per hour per apprentice. More or less, I think this is acceptable.... could have done without one apprentice. The bill was a shock at first but have come to accept the fact.
In short, my experience have taught me to make sure to ask for several quotes; service people don't necessary read the emails and communications sent; this company is great for wiring, etc, but to have the finer things done, i am not sure if this is the company for that, and don't rely 100% on Home Stars feedback.