How to Spot an Unlicensed Electrician
The San Diego Electrical Professionals Society (SDEPS) is reminding households to be cautious about hiring unlicensed electricians. The SDEPS says a lot will be put at risk when hiring someone who has no certification, education, and training to install, repair, or maintain electrical systems in a property.
SDEPS President John Lucas says, while these unscrupulous individuals may offer lower rates, and unbelievably discounted service packages, households should not accept such offers. “Yes, they may save a lot, but those savings will never be worth the peace of mind, the safety of the whole family, and the possessions that might just get damaged if electrical fires occur,” Lucas warns. “What is worse is that, homeowners may have to pay more to get their homes up to code, when the time comes that they decide to put their house in the market, or worse get sued for hiring an illegal contractor” he adds. So how dangerous is it to hire an unlicensed electrician?
Media agency ABC News explained this in one of the feature reports they filed in their website. “If an unlicensed contractor nails you, you have next to no recourse. There's no license that the state can yank to threaten his livelihood. If you complain about him, he'll just change the name he does business under. You can't tap into his insurance policy because he doesn't have one. Even suing an unlicensed contractor -- and winning—is often futile, because unlicensed contractors don't have deep pockets.” The full text and video can be found
here.
So how do you spot an unlicensed electrician? Here are some of the red flags according to the SDEPS:
1. They offer their services on a door-to-door basis. Most legitimate contractors will not have the time to get around a neighborhood asking each household if they need an electrician today. 2. They refuse to acquire work permits for your home, or would even try asking if you could get one for YOUR home project. This could have legal ramifications because whoever applies for the permit, will be liable for the project should anything untoward happens.
Association of Edison Illuminating Companies3. They do not have ready information about their permanent office location, contact information, license number and permits. In some states, these must all be explicitly posted on their service vehicles. 4. They require a huge chunk of the contract fee for down payment. The general rule of thumb for paying initial fees is about 10% of the contract. An electrician cannot say that he needs more payment to pay for supplies, as most trusted contractors have credit lines from their respective suppliers.
Master Electrician5. They convince you that you need them RIGHT NOW. Apart from peddling their service to you even if you did not ask for their assistance, they will offer service packages that you need to avail right at the moment to take advantage of a hefty discount. The SDEPS all these are warning signs every consumer must heed to protect themselves from these individuals.
The San Diego Electrical Professionals Society says reliable licensed electricians will always secure the work permit on behalf of his client.