Express Electrical Service

BE CAUTIOUS: JR from Express Electrical Services came to my home because the GFI plug was not working. JR stated the plug was burned out and needed to be replaced at approx. $500. While at the home, JR advised I needed to refurbish the sub and main electrical panel. He stated that the copper connections of both panels were not maintained with oil at the connections; therefore, both needed to be rebuilt for approx. $5800. Things did not sit well with me with several things JR had said and I paid the service fee of $57.95. After having another licensed electrician come to the home the GFI plug was just tripped and did not need to be replaced. This electrician and others consulted could not explain what JR spoke about regarding the panels. I told their manager Hope, I am not interested in them returning to my home for any work and I will just say Express Electrical has unknown proprietary electrical processes that I do not want to participate in.

I just moved into an older home and was updating some of the electrical - DIY. I have experience with this as I have owned rental properties in the past and my father was a trained electrician. I was able to determine that the Main Fuser Breaker had malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. I searched google, instead of Angie's List - yes I know, shame on me. I didn't have internet yet and google on my iPhone was the quickest and I wanted to restore power. The main Google advertised provider was Express Electrical Service so I called and they told me they could be there within the hour and the minimum fee was $49.00. I explained what the problem was and a technician amazingly was at my doorstep within an hour. Now for the horror story. The electrician was extremely pleasant and nice but treated me like I was a two year old when I explained what the problem was and what I had done. He was like did you keep the white wire on the left side and the black wire on the right? I was like, NO, because the wires are all over 80 years old and they are all black. I know how to replace an outlet, the problem is the main breaker. So the electrician looked at the Main Breaker and said he needed a few minutes to write up an estimate. He came back to me with a price of $1,354.47 to replace a simple Main Breaker. I was like you must be kidding me? This will take five minutes to do. I was willing to pay dearly for the immediate response but not nearly $1,400! Then he said for $448.63 he was disassemble and clean the connectors on the breaker. Well, I knew the breaker was shot and he made no guarantee that this would work either. To add insult to injury he then quoted me a whopping $212.00 per outlet to replace an electrical receptor. I was like you must be kidding me - it takes less than 15 minutes to replace an outlet - that is almost $900 an hour for his service. I want HIS JOB! So, I sent him on his way, called the electrical company to disconnect power, removed the main breaker - researched where to find one locally and was able to purchase it for $75.00. I had my electrical power up and running within a few hours. I can't attest to whether or not this outfit is competant in their work, assume they are, but you will pay dearly for any work they perform. You've been warned!

I didn't have any heat. He was help me out and save me money. He was able to do one quarter of the house for me at a time, so i am able to have some electricity for heat, lights, and cooking.

Called the company due to power outage in the entire house. Unable to flip the breaker switch back on. Company stated they charge $99.00 service call and charge by the job. Robert came out and spent about one hour doing the above service. He was unable to turn on the electricity in the laundry room. He stated that we needed to replace the electrical panel due to the oxidation of the aluminum wiring. The cost of the panel replacement would be an additional $6946.00. He showed my husband his pricing book to verify the amount the company charges. Robert stated the replacement would be done the next morning. Called the company to postpone the panel replacement. Our home protection insurance company to sent out their electrician the next morning. He looked at the work done and was able turn on the electricity to the laundry room. He told us that the amount charged by Metro Electric was overpriced by his standards and should have been closer to $200-300. His quote to replace the panel was $3000.00. Called another licensed electrician, who gave us similar quotes - $200-300 for the late night work and $3000.00 for the panel replacement. My husband talked to Robert in the morning to discuss the high pricing. Robert reported that he is obligated to charge according the company's pricing book . I called Metro and asked to speak to the person in charge, Mario Camparino, Operations Manager. Received a phone call back from Denise Castro, office manager. I explained my concerns about the charges and was told that Mario would be calling back. Mario called back and stated that since Metro is a large company they need to charge more than the independents ( they have 65 employees who get health insurance, 3 weeks vacation, etc.) He told me , you cannot compare apples to oranges. He said the charges were explained when my husband called for the service, there would be a $99 service fee and then the company charges by the job. When Robert came out and gave the estimate of $2049, they had us over the barrel. My husband needed the electricity on ASAP due to the job he was working on, on his computer. When I told Mario, the cost of the panel replacement by the other 2 electricians, he defended Metro's pricing as fair. He offered to send me a $200 gift card, which I refused. Mario stated that we have access to the internet so we should have refused the service and called someone else to come. He said "that's how you found us." If we had completed the entire job with Metro Electric the total price would have been $8995.00. I feel Metro Electric pricing should be within the parameters of other electricians. Mario Camparino was unable to give me the name of the head of the company or CEO. Mario said his name was Jag or Jagget, but did not know his last name because he is based in Texas! I informed Mario that I would be sending in a report to BBB and other agencies for review. Mario said he was sorry that I was not happy, but they have PROFESSIONALS review and set their pricing book listings. He asked me if I was trying to tell him how to set the company's prices Beware to customers using Metro!!

Sergio and Robert were excellent and very proud of their completed work. Luke in customer service is always polite and courteous. He must have heavy hands for his calculator. lol. This is the second or third time that I have used the company and their services and recommend them above others that I have used in other properties. Todays work performed by SERGIO P. excellent worker and great personality. overall 10+