ComplaintsforMr Mike Electric

• Initial Complaint

  12/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hired 11/17 to replace sub panel because pool heater was pulling too much electricity & not working properly. Was told by 2 employees (1 being Mr. ****** son) that this was an easy job & would take approx. 4 hours. They were told at the time that my well was also on this sub panel. "No Problem". Same 2 employees arrived on 11/24 to do the job. While they were working I told them to let me know when water was off - again stating that my well was on panel they were working on. When they told me that they were done & heater was now working properly, I had no water. These 2 employees worked tirelessly trying to figure out the problem - to no avail. Eventually Mr. **** came to my home. It is now 8:30-9:00 p.m. Employees had been working on project since 11:00 a.m. He told me part of my water system was not working properly because it was bad - not because of anything his employees did. Told him I had my system inspected about a month prior & all was working correctly. He told me pressure valve was bad but he would replace it the next day for 1/2 price ($250.00). A 4 hour job turned into 12 hours. Next morning "********" called & said Mr. **** would replace pressure valve "free of charge". He arrived & replaced valve. I now had water but 2 of my tanks associated with my water system were still not working. I had my well/water system company come on 12/1 to look at the system. They told me the "transformer" was fried & replaced it. This cost me $173.00. I then received an invoice from Mr. **** for $800.00 (job was quoted at $1,500.00 of which I paid $750.00 for commencement of job - invoice should have been for $750.00). Now they were charging me $50.00 for pressure valve which was "free of charge". I sent an email to Mr. **** (so I would have in writing) stating I would pay $577.00 (minus $173.00 & $50.00). They will not accept & insist that I pay the full $800.00. He is threating to put a lien on my home. I would like to pay the $577.00 & be done with this.

  Business response

  01/03/2024

  We were hired to install a subpanel so her pool heater would work. She wasnt getting enough power to her pool heater so she needed to upgrade her pool subpanel to get the correct amperage. She paid 50% down and the remaining 50% was due after the installation was completed.
  The installation was scheduled and completed on 11/24/23. ******************** contacted us on 11/25 to complain that her well pump wasn't working correctly. Mr. **** went out to assess the situation. Most of her equipment is older and can experience failure due to incorrect amperage. We diagnosed the problem with her well pump as a defective pump relay which was labeled pressure release valve on her invoice. We replaced the pump relay, mechanically the pressure switch was broken. We charged her for the part but did not charge for the labor to install it. Mr. **** tested all her equipment before we left her property, including the water softener system, and advised her one of them was not working properly. She said, "one of them was broken. After Mr. **** Electric left, the office contacted ******************** to collect the remaining 50% payment for the subpanel installation. ******************** avoided our phone calls and the email with the invoice. We contacted her via email, and she responded that she had to pay the invoice less the charge for the transformer and the pressure release valve. She paid $173 to the water softener company to get the system working again because the transformer did not work, and she would not pay for the remaining work without deducting the cost of the transformer and the pressure release valve. She was asked via email for documented proof that the water softener system transformer was damaged by Mr. **** Electric. She did not respond. Mr. **** contacted her again for payment and advised her that she had until December 21st to pay us, or we would be forced to go through the process of putting a lien on her home for unpaid services. In ** it is our right as a contractor to place a lien on her home for non-payment of services and is our last resort. She responded by a complaint to the Better Business Bureau. We provided her with services that remain unpaid. We were hired to install a subpanel which was completed. We were not paid in full for the services performed. Our work is warrantied for a year.
  ******************** was particularly difficult during the installation process. The installation team complained to the office that she and her sister were in their work zone and even touched the wiring with her bare hands. Fortunately, the breaker was shut off but normally 240 volts runs through that line when it is live. Mr. **** Electric has added additional procedures for safety to address customers in the work zone. We will waive the cost of the pressure release valve. The balance of the subpanel job is $750. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/15/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  date occurred: 11/14/2023 I found Mr. **** Electric on Thumbtack and since I've never had any problems with the people I have hired on Thumbtack, I hired Mr. **** Electric. They advertised free service call to diagnose the problem and then they write an estimate to fix the problem. All fine and good. The tech came in, I explained the problem and he started checking. He needed a voltage meter, but didn't have one, so I let him use mine. Using MY meter, he found there was a loose wire, so he tightened the s**** and voila, the problem was fixed! I asked him if there was a charge, but he said he doesn't do finances and the owner would call me. Since there was no signed estimate, I figured she would call and tell me there would be no charge for today, after all, I was not provided an estimate and actually no work had been done. He was here less than an hour, used MY equipment to diagnose, and really did nothing but turn a s**** But when the owner called, she said the charge was $200.00!!!! I was irate so she took off $50.00. I was so upset I wasn't thinking and gave her my credit card information. After I had time to really think about it, I owed her NOTHING!!! Their advertisement says: What will happen during your service call?1 Determine the scope: Your pro will determine what needs to be done and why.2 Finalize price: Once your pro understands the scope of the project, theyll confirm the final price.3 Start same-day: If you choose to go ahead with the project, your pro can get started right away.4 Pay your pro: Once your project is completed, you can pay through Thumbtack. They did not live up to what they advertised!!!If he had said "If I turn this screw, it will fix your problem, but it will cost you $200.00, because that's what I get an hour". I would have told him that I DO NOT except that *****, and I do not want you to continue. But he just did it.

  Business response

  11/17/2023

  We are a small family owned and operated Electrical business in *************** called Mr. **** Electric. Services were provided to this customer. She is refusing to pay for ******************** rendered. We advertise on Thumbtack as not charging a service charge. We use flat rate pricing. ****** booked us directly through Thumbtack: Here is the request she sent us: "I have a fountain plugged into the outlet on the lanai and a TV and treadmill plugged into the outlet in the master bedroom. I bought an electric meter to see if they were getting electricity and they are both hot so I don't know why the things plugged into them don't work. they both stopped working at the same time." We scheduled **** to be her Electrician. **** was scheduled at 9 am but was late due to an accident that basically drove traffic in all major arteries in *************** to a halt, we notified her. Her response was "I am not impressed." **** arrives to her location in Naples and discusses her problem and begins to take out his tools to troubleshoot her problem. He discovered he doesn't have his meter on him (he left it at another jobsite). She has a plug-in reader which she offers to him to use. He accepts her offer and finds loose connections and fixes her trouble. She says she would like a quote to replace all her backstabbed outlets and switches. **** says he will let the office know. He completes his task and lets her know the office will be contacting her to collect payment for today. He leaves and Mrs. **** Electric (********) contacts her to collect payment. I advised her we charge $200 for diagnostics and the charge starts when tools comes out. She launches into how ********* said it would be free. We politely explained to her that licensed Electricians are not free. We do not charge a service call but charges begin when services are provided. We apologized to her again and explained we had new software: everyone was trying to learn to use it. She rebuffed and immediately said "that he didn't do anything but twist some wires."  We discussed our rates and how we charge when the tools come out. She was offered a $50 discount for her troubles. WE would charge her $150 for services provided. She initially provided her credit card but later in the day began blasting the office with messages through Thumbtack that she was not going to pay for any services and continued to harass the office staff. In those messages she admits that she was looking for free services and she would drag smear the business for free services. The credit card she provided has not been run so she has not paid for our services that she is disputing. 

  Customer response

  11/18/2023

   
  Complaint: 20874604
  
  I am rejecting this response because: There was supposed to be an estimate BEFORE any work was done. Or he should have notified me that he gets $200.00 an hour when he arrived! Something, anything! There was NO discussion of price! There was nothing on their site about price! Just that there is no charge for service call to diagnose problem, and when problem is found will discuss price! 

  That is like taking your car in to find out about a problem and when you go to pick it up they tell you that it will be $800.00, that it's fixed, without giving you the curtesy of an estimate when they said they would and find out all they did was change the $29.95 air filter! Businesses cannot and should not be able to run like that! Deceiving the customers with false promises. If I had contracted with Mr. **** electric for a service call of $200.00 then that would be on me and I would pay it without any fuss, but I didn't! I contracted with them to come find the problem, discuss the cost to fix the problem, the ability to agree or reject that price, and be treated with honesty and integrity. All of the other businesses listed on that page with ********* had a price to come out and find the problem. NONE OF THEM LISTED $200.00!!! Mr. **** Electric was the only one that posted service call for free to diagnose problem! Now I see why!   

  I will even pay $75.00 for him coming out here, for his gas and time but what they are asking is just too much for even the BEST electrician!!! The electrician that came out said he had NO CLUE as to pricing. You produce a signed estimate for me and I will gladly pay the price you are asking. You live up to your end and I will live up to mine. I have NEVER pushed back on a signed contract and won't start now. 

  If you are a "small family run" business I would suggest you start treating your customers with an up front charging system so that everyone knows where they stand! NEVER BLIND-SIDE A CUSTOMER!!

  I have been in businesses and know that you treat your customers right and they will grow your business for you!! 

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

  Business response

  11/20/2023

  We are a small family owned and operated business. The cost of business is high in ** these days such field and office operations, materials, shipping and insurance, ************** alone is the highest it has ever been in ******* and continues to skyrocket. The company was forced to change software programs because our previous software failed us so miserably. As is with any change, pivoting to new programs sometimes creates more headaches. All employees are undergoing new training for using our new software system.

  We are just a family owned and operated hometown Electrician. Our prices are more competitive than other companies, we try very hard to keep our prices fair and competitive for our customers. The national and market price for diagnostic troubleshooting on outlets is much higher than $200 for diagnostics and troubleshooting. We have not charged a service call fee like most electricians do. None of our employees are commission based and we don't sell services to the customer they don't need to pad profit. We do have procedures employees are expected to follow. Every employee has always been required to provide an estimate, present it to the customer and obtain a signature before any work is performed and after completion. Our work is warrantied for a year, we will rollback no charge if there is a problem. 

  As for advertising, the work that we obtain Thumbtack, the choices offered to a company likes our is limited to menu choices. There is no place for disclaimers or explanations on fee or prices. We do not charge a service call fee, so it looks like our services are free to some customers. We pay Thumbtack a lead fee for the job lead, the cost is anywhere from $20-$150 per lead depending on the job type. Our credit card is automatically charged when we obtain the lead, and the price varies from customer to customer and job to job. Thumbtack does not issue refunds unless the customer cancels.

  In summary, Mr. **** Electric is now being even more proactive ******'s negative experience. *********************** received electrical services from Mr. **** Electric. We performed services she requested. She refused to pay for the services performed after they were completed. She hasn't been charged and won't be charged for any services. **** drove to ****** from *************** in brutal traffic, forgot his meter at another site, basically **** had a bad day. We acknowledge that our electrician **** skipped steps in the customer service process, it was ****'s first day using the software. There is nothing more we can offer to ****** regarding this matter except an additional apology. We have provided one to her several times. We are sorry. However, we will not honor any warranty work for ****** because she did not pay for any services to Mr. **** Electric. 

  Customer response

  11/21/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩