Quote:
Originally Posted by Shortie
I installed a new light on our post in the yard. I did not install it properly, tripped breaker and decided to call a professional. Looked in the yellow pages and saw an ad with a fish sign for an electrician and assumed they were religious and trustworthy. They came out, I had taken the top off the light, so all they had to do was rewire it. They did that quickly and very well. Then they looked at the breaker box. They noted that the 2 combination arc fault circuit breakers were outdated and stated they could be a fire hazard. They were 2 -15 amp breakers. They replaced them and I paid the bill (Christian company I thought). I later went to ACE hardware for some things and looked at the exact breakers and they were $49.52 each ($53 with tax). My bill from Family was $389.00 (parts at $106 and labor $292). I felt that the bill was high. I called the owner, he stated that he has to pay for good electricians, material, advertising, and overhead. He could not do anything for me. Bottom line - stay clear of Family's Choice Electrical Repair, Inc.
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I don't understand your post. Why do you need two circuit breakers for one lamppost? If two breakers are out of date, aren't all of the breakers in the panel also out of date? The total charge seems a little high, but you are assuming that the electrician will charge you the same price for materials as ACE Hardware, which is not the way it works. I would expect an electrician to charge more than retail price for materials because they need to maintain a full supply of materials available on their truck to perform most projects. Also, they are adding a profit to the job. So, you should expect to pay a premium price for materials for the convenience and expense of having them on hand. There is also travel time and expenses to and from your house.