ComplaintsforStephens Electric Co., Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  06/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  After **************** ********************** (the owner) sent two electricians out to my home, I had a third electrician come out to check their work (i.e., due to the lackadaisical attitude his son, *****, displayed).Long story short, the third electrician found that Jared ********************** (and his co-worker) did not electrically ground the following items:- 60 outlets - 15 single light switches - 10 double light switches - 5 triple light switches - 4 ground fault interrupters - 4 recessed lights - 1 ceiling fan Also, none of the recessed lights were installed properly; ***** just crammed all the new wires up into the existing holes in the ceiling.In addition, the ceiling fan was not installed correctly (the light was wired correctly, but the fan was not).When I contacted ****** **********************, he said would only return $112.00 (i.e., due to my pointing out that he also overcharged me for hours that were not worked).From there, I sent ****** ********************** a certified letter (with return receipt) requesting that he return my money since I not only paid him, but then I also paid for rework.However, according to the ********** SE **** ************ when the letter was delivered to him, he refused to sign for it (which automatically returned it back to the post office).Due to all the mistakes and shortcuts Stephens Electric took, I had to pay $2,000.00 to a third electrician (i.e., *******************).As such, I would like ****** ********************** to refund my money (as follows):$1503.00-$112.00 = $1,391.00 $2,000.00-$1,391.00 = $609.00 In essence, the total amount I am requesting be returned to me is $1,391.00 + $609.00.This amount comes to $2,000.00.In a nutshell, I have tried several times to resolve this with Stephens Electric (on my own) and am now reaching out to the BBB for assistance.Thank you,*****************************

  Business response

  07/09/2023

  This is in response to complaint 20140077-656f7

  I just received this via Mail July 5 2023

  i never received any notice in my PO Box about a certified letter so I did not refuse it. 
  Stephens electric was called out to ***************** home to replace some switches and gfi outles. We were there for 4.5 hours only. There is no way possible to change out the quantity of devices she listed in that time frame. So that claim has been highly embellished. She was satisfied with the work we  done and paid the invoice the following day and wanted to schedule more work in the days to come. She called me a few days later and said she had hired another electrician that was now working on things she wanted done. She began to criticize everything we had done so I told her we would be happy to come back and resolve any issues she had. She would not allow us to remedy anything or even let us come back to see in person what she was talking about. I have several text threads stating exactly that. She refused any corrections of said complaints. She just wanted a full refund. It is common practice that  if someone is dissatisfied with a contractors work ,you should give them a chance to remedy any issues to make it right. She would not allow that to happen. So I feel like she was just trying to get the work done for free. 
  I pulled an electrical permit from city of ******************************** for that work. I was not able to send them out because she hired another electrician before that could be arranged. I told her that I could send him out to see if there were really any issues with our work but she said its too late now.That process takes about a week sometimes depending on their work load. I cannot request a inspection of my work if someone else has been working over my work and Im not sure the person she hired was a licensed electrician by the ****************. ***************** also had other major work going on at her property without proper permitting in place. Due to her not allowing me to see what issues she had,I have no way of knowing if our work was undone by the gentleman she hired or not. 
  Because she would not allow us to fix any concerns she had, I dont think I should refund that amount. I did refund 1 hour of labor $112.50 due to a complaint over a charge. She cashed the check. I tried on several attempts to satisfy her complaint but she would not entertain that idea. Only wanted a full refund. 

  Customer response

  07/16/2023

   
  Complaint: ********
  
  Dear Sir or Ma'am,

  Please see the attached signed PDF (i.e., this is my second signed statement to the BBB).

  In a nutshell, I am rejecting ****** **********************' (of Stephens Electric, **********, **) statement.

  In my mind, this issue is not resolved; his statement is full of fallacies.

  12 Jul 23 
  Dear Sir or Ma'am, 
  Regarding complaint #********, I'm writing in response to ****** **********************' answer to my original letter (i.e., dated 26 May 23). 
  On Tues, 28 Feb 23, I paid Stephens Electric $1,503.00 for electrical work at my home. On Mon, 6 Mar 23, a third electrician (i.e., ***************) found following errors: 
  - 60 outlets were not grounded - 15 single light switches were not grounded - 10 double light switches were not grounded - 5 triple light switches were not grounded - 4 ground fault interrupters were not grounded - 4 recessed lights were not installed properly - 1 ceiling fan was not installed properly (and did not work properly) 
  99 total errors (above) On Mon, 6 Mar 23, I sent a message to ****** ********************** (with photos) about these problems and asked for my money to be returned. On 6 Mar 23, ****** ********************** said the ninety-nine errors were all "honest" mistakes. However, as I told him . . . ninety-nine errors are not the result of "honest" mistakes. Instead, ninety-nine errors are the result of shortcuts that were taken. After Stephens Electric compromised the safety of my home, I did not want anyone from this business to return to my house. The reason for this is because I no longer trusted them. Instead, I asked the third electrician, ***************, to accomplish the rework. 
  In essence, *************** did the following: - Rewired (and grounded) all electrical items (listed above) - Repaired a nicked wire (which ***** ********************** did not repair) - Tightened all screws (on all outlets and switches) - Installed four recessed lights by first removing the old electrical boxes and mechanically working the installation from inside the attic (above each of the lights) - Rewired the ceiling fan (so that both the light and fan are now operational)  Just to reiterate, on 6 Mar 23, the third electrician pointed out all the problems. With that, I have photos and videos of *************** explaining how the electricians from Stephens Electric did not do the work properly. Regarding ****** **********************' statement that I am "just trying to get the work done for free" . . . this is a cop out on his part. It is also a false and pathetic response. The reason I am continuing to press this issue after the check has long been paid is due to the 'principle' of it. Since ****** ********************** is apparently not able to formulate a valid detailed response as to why his electricians did not accomplish the work properly, his default answer is . "she was just trying to get the work done for free." 
  Also, on a different note, the reason ****** ********************** returned $112.50 to me is because he overcharged me fin his favor). 
  And let's get it correct, Mr. ************************* out of the blue, you contacted me to tell me you were returning $112.50 (i.e., after you knew I had discovered all the shortcuts). In essence, ***** ********************** sent back $112.50 (out of $1,503.00) to make me go away (so to speak) because he knew I was not happy about being cheated. In a nutshell, the $112.50 was a cover for himself just in case I decided to elevate this matter further  to the Better Business Bureau, the ******* Electrical Board, or Small Claims Court. 
  Moreover, this is the first I have become aware (after reading **********************' response) that he "pulled an electrical permit from the ******************." 
  Really? If ****** ********************** did that, why did he not tell me about it? Why is this the first I have learned of it? And why would he do that knowing that the third electrician had already unveiled the shortcuts that were taken? As I stated to ****** *********************** the third electrician was already in the process of fixing everything at the time of my informing him about the problems. 

  Regarding pulling a permit in an effort to check their work, I believe this is a false statement on ****** **********************' part. 
  It is my belief that ****** ********************** knows that his son, *****, takes shortcuts. Also, his statement that he tried "on several attempts" to make things right is false. It was quite the contrary; in essence, he sent back $112.50 in an attempt to make me 
  go away. 
  Regarding the question from the Better Business Bureau (of **********, **) about whether this issue with Stephens Electric is resolved, my answer is. . . "no, this issue with Stephens Electric is not resolved." 
  As far as how I would like to proceed, I have told ****** ********************** that I want my money returned to me. Returning my money is the only fair thing for Stephens Electric to do since they took ninety-nine shortcuts and created ninety-nine errors (which all had to be reworked). In his writeup, ****** ********************** states it is common for a contractor to be able to remedy any errors. 
  With that said, though, why would anyone trust a contractor who betrayed them the first time (i.e., taking ninety-nine separate shortcuts with their home)? If ****** ********************** took his truck to a mechanic who created ninety-nine separate problems and a different mechanic (outside of that organization) pointed it all out to him, would he allow the first mechanic to touch his truck again? Or would he want the second mechanic (i.e., the one who did not try pulling the wool over his eyes) to fix the problems? And, also, Mr. *********************** would you want to pay twice for the same work? Or would you want the first mechanic to reimburse you? In addition to reimbursement of my $1,390.50, I would also like for ****** ********************** to reimburse me $497,00 to compensate for the cost I incurred to the third electrician, ***************. With that, the total reimbursement should be $1,887.50. All issues *************** resolved were due to the mistakes created by Stephens Electric and he is willing to testify to that in Small Claims Court. 

  I can be reached at ************** for questions. Thank you, ViC/4CeLt6:04-- ***************************;
  P.S. On Thurs, 6 Apr 23, I told another contractor (named ****) about my ongoing dispute with Stephens Electric. As a bit of background, this other contractor, ****, just happened to be present in my home on the day that Jared ********************** and his co-worker were there (i.e., on Mon, 27 Feb 23). After I told **** about the problems which were later identified, his response was... "now I understand how they did all the work so quickly; they just took a bunch of shortcuts and did it all wrong." If this matter goes to Small Claims Court, I believe that this individual, ****, will testify (as a witness) on my behalf as well. 
  CC: 1_ Better Business Bureau (**********) 2. Mr. ******************** ******* Electrical Board 3. Mr. ************************************************************************************************ for tracking purposes, please note that the complaint number is ******** (not ********-656f7, as ****** ********************** listed within his reply).

  Thank you.
  
  Sincerely,

  *****************************

  Business response

  07/18/2023

  It is not my intention to use this platform as a back and forth with ms ******************** work we did for ***************** was changing out (11) outlets and (6) switches. 
  (3) recessed lights,ceiling fan. As I stated in previous response,I tried on multiple occasions/conversations via phone and text to correct any issues she had at no charge to her. She refused any and all attempts to make right anything that she thought wasnt done to her satisfaction. She was satisfied and happy with the work so I was shocked when a few days later she had hired someone else to come and inspect our work she says ,when there was never a phone call or text stating that she had found anything of concern prior to hiring someone else. Only after she had hired someone else did any of this began.we were scheduled for the following week to come back and do more work so Im a little confused for the need to hire someone else.we have done work before on another home for ***************** and she was complimentary of the guys work and our company,so this was confusing ( the sudden 180). I have multiple text threads of our conversations.  The quantity of items she listed is absolutely incorrect. We gave her up front pricing before we started the work.we charged $225 per hour for (2) guys for 4.5 hours. The hourly rate was for changing out devices.  She was upset that the lights we installed for the upfront price of $165 per light (includes fixture) was done faster than she thought ,we have several combined years of experience in this and have developed a certain speed in which we can do these, as with any trade, when you do this type of work daily for years ,you can do it at a reasonable speed.  I refunded an hour of labor because she complained after the fact that installation was done faster than she thought so I was trying to make a customer happy. All the outlets we changed out were absolutely grounded and installed properly. The ceiling fan was not dropped.***************** was constantly distracting my electricians by asking multiple questions and having them stop what they were installing to come look at something else. I have tried everything possible short of refunding the job to satisfy her ,but she would not accept any reasonable offer. I offered to come back myself (not my electricians) to see and repair if needed anything she thought was not right ,but was not allowed because she hired someone else before letting me know her complaints. I offered to send electrical inspector to inspect our work but she refused. I did purchase an electrical permit from city.Im at a loss of any way to reason with her. Thank you for your time on this matter.

  thank you 

  ****** stephens 

  Customer response

  07/25/2023

   
  Complaint: 20140077
  
  I am rejecting this response because: 

   

  I understand about *************** not being certified . . . however, this doesn't change the fact that Stephens Electric did all the work wrong (that I hired them to do); I'm not a culinary professional, but I can tell when something hasn't been baked correctly; I'm not a licensed plumber, but I can tell if a plumbing job was done incorrectly. 
  

  
  

  Also, as a *****************************, myself, I do have some knowledge of how electrical work is done; after *** pointed out the problems, I had no problem seeing them for myself.

  With that stated, I do not agree that the complaint should be closed in Stephens Electric's favor.

  Is it possible to leave the complaint open (so others can see for themselves what happened)?

  Also, what about the credibility of my word against Stephens Electric (due to the photos I have)?   Was ******************* letter even necessary for this complaint to be valid?

  Isn't this complaint strengthened by the fact that I have up channeled this to the ******* Electrical Board and am suing ****** Stephens in Small Claims Court?
  

  
  

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

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