Hiring an electrician is not always an easy task. There are several factors to consider when dealing in this industry.

First, the barriers to calling oneself a professional electrician are small. People don't necessarily need a lot of fancy equipment or an office to start a business as an electrician. Therefore, individuals that have run a few wires before can try to trick you in to believing they are a highly skilled and experienced. If you have a van, a tool belt, and a business card you could fool a lot of people!

Second, there are many people out there who call themselves electricians. Look under 'Electrician' in the phone books and you will see what we mean…there are tons of electricians listed in each area. Also, there are often 'underground' electricians that are out dropping business cards and trying to get customers. Many times these are individuals who work for other large companies, but offer their services as electricians on the side.

Finally, there is the fact that many homeowners are clueless when it comes to electrical needs. For instance, when a painter says they have completed the job you can usually tell that the job is done to your liking. However, homeowners may not know an electrical job is completed correctly until it is too late. Therefore, it is important to hire a qualified electrician!

So what do you do when looking for an electrician?

We recommend:

• Asking your friends and neighbors to see if they have had good or bad experiences with a local electrician. Simply knowing that another person has had a good experience with an electrician prior to calling them lessens your chance of hiring a problem.

• If you have the time, call a few electricians to look at your problem. This will help you determine fair market price for your job. This does not mean you should always go with the lowest price, you should go with the company you feel most comfortable with and who you feel will do the best job. If an individual is offering a real low price you should ask yourself why.

• Always ask if the company charges a fee for your service call. Some electricians charge a fee for coming out and giving an estimate. However, you can ask them to waive the fee if you hire them

• Make sure the company or individual has insurance. Electrical services involve high voltage and plenty of opportunities for injury. As mentioned above there are many fly-by-night electricians that may not be insured. Ask them for their insurance company's phone number and call them to prove they are insured. If you skip this part you could be held liable for an uninsured electrician's injury while working on your house. Also, if they do something that ruins a major area of your house (such as incorrect work that starts a fire) they should be insured to pay for their mistakes.

• Ask the electrician what it will take to fix your problem. If you are looking for an extremely low price, the electrician may offer a solution that is really only a quick fix. It is worth the extra money to make sure that your problem is truly fixed…

• Always get a statement of work performed in writing. Keep this filed away. Make sure the statements clearly describe what work is to be performed.

• Ask if the electrician's work comes with guarantees. Make sure you get these things in writing. These are all factors to weigh when looking at the total estimates left by different electricians.

• Check in on the electrician's progress regularly…try to catch potential problems or misunderstandings before it is too late.

Good luck with your electrician needs!

Find out more information at Hiring electricians in Raleigh-Durham or anywhere.