[montagnard1969]

I have been an electrical contractor, journeyman electrician and apprentice for over 50 years. These type businesses are FRANCHISES and franchises business models dictate they always find other things to advise you of to make the bill go higher. They will check your panel, receptacles with a tension tester, your ground fault receptacles or circuit breakers with a testing device. Then they will tell you the news that this or that needs to be replaced. All businesses are there to make money, however some are more pernicious than others. Electrical contractors generally charge between $80 and $100 for a service call with one electrician and the truck and $90-$120 for two men and a truck. Service is gauged as travel time and time on site, some will provide travel and the first 15-30 minutes of labor depending how much time they spend in traveling to the site. The billing then is either by the quarter, third or half hour or portion thereof. The pricing you received is truly exorbitant and simply a high ball price. If you bite they make a profit of up to 70% on these jobs. Way out in left field as to their pricing. Again it is a franchise so they must pay a franchise fee to have the use of the logo, advertising, name recognition and use and any other amenities the franchisor offers under the franchise agreement. There are a lot of things that are not seen by the consumer regarding franchises and the costs associated with franchises.
In the best case scenario, call a local company and inquire about their service call charge and hourly rates. Then when they come out tell them what you would like done and about how much time and manpower [number of electricians] they think it will take to accomplish those tasks. You may then do the math and see if the estimate you receive is in line with their, or anyone else's charges, they quote on the phone.
Businesses are in business to make money. If you want cheap you will get cheap. Just remember a licensed and insured contractor has to cover all costs in their charges to make money. Licensing, insurance, worker's comp, 7.5% SSI, truck operating costs, inventory, office staff and the list goes on. If you have never run a business and think you are paying too much for a $120 per hour service call, think again. People don't think twice of paying an attorney $300-$400 per hour for their service. Their service won't potentially burn down your home!!! A well trained and reputable contractor in any business is well worth what you pay them. The yellow pages is not the place to find a contractor. Talk to your friends and neighbors and find out what their experience has been for any job you would like done. Word of mouth is the best advertising, yellow pages are the most expensive way to advertise. Food for thought.