Kolb Electric Inc

I was contacted right away to pick a date and the workers were prompt, professional and answered any questions that I had. I originally just contracted for the electrical panel special, but because everything was done so well, I used them for the additional work. Later this summer I will get my attic fan repaired, and I plan on hiring Kolb Electric again.

They gave an estimate and advised it would be additional cost. I would like a refund because I do not want to pay more money.

The technician arrived exactly on time. The technician first reviewed my system and recommended against upgrading to a 200 amp panel as this would require an upgrade to the external wiring and would give me less in quality than what I had now. The existing external wiring is in excellent shape and is far superior to new wiring. The new breaker box would allow up to 30 circuits. He assured me the deal I had received via Angie's list was below normal cost when you included the free surge protector with installation. The technician marked all the existing wiring before disconnecting the system. The power was down less than 2 hours from start to finish. He cleaned up as he went. Then worked with me to label all the new breakers with the wiring diagram. He readily explained anything. When through I asked for an estimate for additional electrical work I am considering and he gave it to me in writing. Highly pleased.

All the work was done expeditiously and professionally by Tony. I had bought the receptacles earlier from a local hardware store. All other items installed were supplied by Kolb Electric. We had previously had attic fan ventilators installed through the roof but they never lasted more than 5 years or so. Tony advised us that a gable-mounted fan would be better and would last much longer since it would not be affected by rain and rust. The old fan's motor had rusted and burned out and that had been the story with others we had so we were glad Tony recommended the gable-mounted fan. Tony also recommended that we have a surge protector installed. He had checked our electrical panel and saw that it was ok although it was over 40 yrs old. That was good to know and it is a relief not to worry any more about various appliances being affected by electrical surges. We already had individual surge protectors on some things such TVs but it's nice to have the extra protection. We were impressed by Tony and greatly appreciated his advice, which included that we should go online to print out a discount offered by Kolb that we were not aware of. Tony also gave us a discount card to be saved and used for future work, which was great. Discounts are always nice. The fact that Kolb was able to get the work scheduled within only a few days of my calling the office was also much appreciated. I would wholeheartedly recommend Kolb for any electrical work one needs.

They were very prompt to come out for an estimate. He was very helpful with explaining the service. We have requested a refund for the Deal since it was not valid for a panel upgrade to a 200 AMP box, which is what we needed.

I bought the company special - electrician was very nice, did the job in no time, took time to explain warranty. Scheduling person called within 24 hours of purchase of special. They booked time/day convenient to us. Minor glitch in last moment communication - when I called customer service in day of service to confirm job would be completed 1pm-4pm with a call 30 minutes prior to arrival, asked if this means they would confirmed no later than 3:30pm and was told yes. I left my house at 4pm to drop of kids at soccer, got a call at 4:10pm that technician will be at my house within 20 minutes. Luckily my mother was visiting so she was home and open the door, but I had to turn around and go back home to pay the electrician and came just as he was wrapping up. So for punctuality I have a B but by no means does this reflect the electrician's arrival more what I described above.

It took three attempts following the initial purchase of the special offer before I was able to make contact with the company, as we got no response from the first two messages. The contractor showed up as promised and did an adequate job of installation; the outlet hole through the wall is neat, the cleanup was good, especially considering that the area he had to work in was not precleaned (we did not realize where the duct outlet would be run). The installation itself was only acceptable - the hole in the tile was not cut well, so it's both a bit large and somewhat askew from the fan as installed. This means that the cover must be twisted to just cover the hole; if it snaps into place normally, without being twisted, it leaves part of the hole uncovered. Not a big problem, just not very professional. The fan has had to be 'manually started' twice now, as for some reason it refused to start when the switch was turned on; a simple push with a finger got it going all right, but I suspect a sign that it was the cheapest fan possible. Again, not a big problem, but it does make the 'special offer' a bit less special. The contractor charged us more than agreed, but this was caught by the office and corrected without intervention from me. Overall, I would consider using the company again, but with some reservations.

Update - after writing the below review, the office manager at Kolb contacted me, apologized for his company's poor performance and returned my check for $125. He also sent a written estimate. I appreciate the professional response. Prior review - After reading reviews on Angie's List, I contacted Kolb and asked them to come out to look at a light fixture under my kitchen cabinet that was not working, and to give me an estimate for installing lighting in my basement. The young man that arrived was very pleasant. He reviewed the work that I wanted done in the basement and gave me an estimate. I asked for a written estimate but he did not provide it. He also examined the fixture in my kitchen and told me that no electric current was running to the bulbs in the fixture. He said the transformer was bad, and needed replacing. I asked if it would be more cost efficient to replace the fixture, but he assured me that Kolb would charge only $50 to change the transformer, whereas replacing the fixture would cost me about $125. I told him to order the transformer - he didn't have one available. He told me it would be available in 2 weeks. He charged me $95 and left. That was mid-December. After 2 weeks passed, I called Kolb to find out what was going on with the transformer replacement and my estimate. After some research, they called me back and said the transformer had not been ordered. I asked to speak to the Manager, who was incredibly unhelpful and then I spoke to the District Manager - who apologized for the snafus and assured me that he'd make sure to order the transformer immediately and address the deficiencies in their service. I asked him for a written estimate for the work in the basement - since I paid $95 and received absolutely no service up to this point. He assured me he'd send the estimate and again apologized. Four weeks later, as I was about to completely give up on hearing back from Kolb, I received a call to schedule an appointment for the transformer replacement (Kolb wants an 8-hour window of availability). Technician Jason arrived this morning and was very polite. When he tested the under-cabinet fixture, he found that the fixture actually works, but the dimmer switch was not working. So, in fact, the transformer worked. He suggested that we replace the transformer anyway, and I agreed. I asked for the estimate of work for the basement and he said he'd have to check on it. He gave me a bill for $275. I told him his manager had assured me that the cost would be lower, given the problems that had occurred. Jason then independently lowered the bill to $126.50. So, I spent $220 on replacing a transformer - when they probably should have just replaced the fixture - and still no written estimate for the work in the basement.

I was able to schedule the appointment easily. The installer arrived on time. He was very professional, very polite and very efficient. He explained to me what he was doing. He also answered a few questions I had regarding what they do for future projects here. The entire time it took was less than an hr. I haven't used Kolb Electric before, but when I need an electrician again, KolbI would be my first choice to call.I would highly recommend them to anyone needing an electrician.

This review was first written on November 25, and has been updated to include how it all shook out. I first contacted Kolb during the last week of September to have electrical service increased to the house, which would necessitate a new breaker box. I also wanted to have an outlet installed on the back of the house, and in a room directly above the box. Someone came out on Friday, 9/27, to review the setup and put together an estimate. We were told that we'd receive the estimate by Tuesday. On Friday, 10/4, I received a call from Mike G, who wanted to know if the estimate was what we expected and whether we had any questions. I told him that I hadn't received the estimate yet. Within a few minutes he emailed the estimate to me, dated 10/3. I found this acceptable, signed it and sent a scanned copy back to him. I also put down the $900 deposit for the job at that time. Mike told me that there were materials to be ordered and that someone would get back to me to schedule a date. I told him that I was hoping for October 17, 18 or 21st. He said "OK, great, we have plenty of time then." So far, so good, right? On October 8 I was on my way to work when I got a call from the office, telling me that the electrician was on his way to my house and would be there shortly. As we had not yet arranged a work date, this came as a surprise and I told him so; in fact I'd expected to hear from Mike on or about that day with regard to scheduling something, and repeated my hope that the work could commence late in the following week. The person I spoke to told me that he was looking at his calendar and neither the 17th, 18th *nor the 21st* were available. (I hadn't mentioned anything about the 21st to him--how did he know about that?) I told him again that I was driving and would call again later on. On Friday the 11th (yes, that delay was on me because I was seriously thinking about getting my deposit back), I called again to arrange a date of service. We settled on October 23, and I made arrangements for my mother-in-law to be at the house. | |According to my M-I-L, the 23rd went very smoothly: the serviceman was polite, and tidy, and efficient. He explained that the work had to be inspected by the City before they could finish the last details of the job, but it was essentially finished. I called the office and paid my balance. The following Thursday (10/31), the inspector came out and the work failed the inspection. This was explained to me as one of those things where you can never tell what the inspector is going to choose to care about; he'd come back out and make the adjustment, which would take maybe 20 minutes. We made arrangements for him to come out first thing the following Monday (November 4); I'd simply wait for him and then go in late to work. This part went off without a hitch. The serviceman came, he made the fix and was out of there. He told me that the inspector had to come back out, give the OK and they'd finish the last bits of the job. I wasn't even late to work by more than a couple of minutes! Fast-forward to November 21. I called the office and asked if there were any plans to come finish the work. I was told by the young lady who answered the phone that the inspector had to come out and that it could be another few weeks. Why it took less than a week for new work to be inspected and would take several weeks for the follow-up, nobody could answer. I asked to talk to Mike but he wasn't around. I left my contact info and asked him to get back to me. Mike never returned the call. Today is November 25. I called again today and asked for Mike again. When I got through to him, I asked what was going on and he told me that the last he'd heard, there needed to be a tweak--I interrupted him and told him that that had been done several weeks ago. He told me that he wasn't aware of that part and that my case has since been handed off to someone named Gus. I asked him to have Gus give me a call. So far I've heard silence. So the service people I have no complaints about at all: by all accounts, they were punctual, cheerful and efficient about the work they did. The communication at the office end, however, has been a disaster. Miscommunications, unreturned calls and general cluelessness have turned a relatively uncomplicated job into a headache that's gone on for over 60 days and still counting. UPDATE: On December 6, I spoke on the phone with several people, including Gus and a new guy named Ryan, who I was told was now handling my project. Ryan told me that he'd sent me an email a few days earlier (12/2), but I never saw this until he re-sent it the day of the phone conference. I outlined the entire thing to Gus, with the specific dates above and noted that the work itself was fine; everything was great in that respect but the communication has been not-so-great. I know that they were individually aware of some issues with this project, but I think it was during that phone call that everyone finally realized the scope of my problem. At that point the whole project was in a bit of limbo, as Baltimore City and BG&E were in a bit of a turf battle over whether the November 4 repair would be sufficient, Ultimately I received a phone call and email on December 16, saying that the final connection by BGE would take place on December 27. I returned the email noting that I'd be out of town, however someone would be at the house and that I'd let them know if something changed. There was no reply to this, however the workers did come on December 27 and the work went off without a problem. Curiously enough, when the first person came out to put together the estimate, my wife asked him to write up a second estimate for another small project the house needs (install a light fixture and switch with wall-mounted conduit). This estimate was written up but was never, ever discussed by anyone again. So at this point I'm basically torn. The work was great, the prices were reasonable, the technicians who come out are unfailingly professional and polite, but I have a hard time with the failure to communicate that takes place at the home office.

He was punctual, polite and diagnosed the problem quickly. All of the work was done in minutes and we've had no problems since.

Kolb was very responsive to our request for information - they really understood what we needed - and provided an estimate that was much more realistic and in line with our budget than other electricians we contacted. They were able to schedule the work right away and when it was convenient to us. Dave the electrician was super - very efficient and professional. Out of almost 70 switches and receptacles, only one switch had a problem, which Kolb fixed the day after we let them know about it. We are moving to a new house and now consider Kolb our "go to: resource for electrician services.

The electrician arrived at end of expected arrival window and from what we have been able totell, did a fine, perhaps even valiant job given they had to work at the top of a light pole in pouring rain with lightening threatening. However, the billing process has been unacceptable. I initially called several providers, only two of which could perform the service and give me a quote. I had each company clearly explain the expected costs so I could provide the estimates to the facilities director who had the ultimate say in determining the work to be performed. Based on their significantly lower estimate, and their generally good reviews here on Angie's List, I selected KOLB. When the the technician completed his work, I was hit with the first billing surprise: his billable hours start when he departs his prior assignment, and if he has no additional assignments, continue until he returns to the office. Also, I had to sign off on his reported "arrival" time which as I explained was actually the time he departed his last assignment and I had no way of verifying. Ten days later, I received the first "invoice" this was written as a memo with no details as to the make-up of parts or labor, only the total charges, and there was no indication that their 10% off online coupon had been applied. Also, the bill was dated as if sent on the same day as the service, due ten days after it was dated - and if there were any disputed charges they also needed to be reported in that same ten days, which expired the day I actually received it - clearly it was not sent on the day it was dated. I called the office and asked to speak to billing, after several calls where I was told the billing clerk was either not in, or "backlogged" I eventually spoke to someone not in billing, who said they could at least fax the detailed invoice, which they did. The "detailed" invoice at least provided detail of the labor charges - but at a different rate than I was quoted, and for more hours than than I had signed off on (presumably I got hit with the cost of the drive back to the office?). The materials section was even odder, it consisted of two items, the cost of the 9 wingnuts used at 23 cents apiece, and everything else listed as a Purchase Order number with a total cost of roughly what I had expected to pay for the entire job - 2.5 times the materials estimate I had been given over the phone. Also, there was still no indication my coupon had been applied, and several charges not included in there estimate were tacked on ("misc office expense" and "gas surcharge"). After several more calls to get some details on the materials and why it was 2.5 times higher than what I was quoted. I was called by another KOLB office on a holiday and a message was left asking when the payment would arrive - with no indication that the invoice was being disputed, and the original invoice cost cited as the amount due. I returned the to that office, but got an answering machine that listed individual staff to leave a message for - none of them the person that had called. I then called the DC office and again asked to speak to billing, amazingly, someone from billing was in. THey pulled up my invoice, and when I explained my concern they immediately got defensive and said of course they would NOT list out the items on the Purchase Order, and when I said I needed to know why it exceeded what I had been quoted over the phone, the billing clerk got very defensive and said that SHE wasn't the person that gave me that quote. She then implied that no one at KOLB would have given out a quote like that over the phone. When I asked to speak to someone that could resolve this issue, she said she would "forward it on" but let slip that the person that had taken my initial call and given me the quote was a different woman. When pressed she said that employee is no longer with the company (* - see update). So obviously they had someone that perhaps stepped beyond their authorization by quoting me a price, and that she was later dismissed, yet they refuse to honor that quote, even to the point of trying to imply I had made up the quote and it couldn't have been their employee. This is clearly a dishonest company, with flawed hiring practices, and they want us to entrust the safety of our homes and businesses to their repairs. I highly recommend that no one do business with a company following such practices. They may have fired that one bad egg (or perhaps her problem was she was the only truly honest employee they had), but at least one employee seems to have been instructed to deceive customers about their bills. We all make mistakes, and sometimes these mistakes cost money - to then lie to customers who think they are merely trying to resolve a simple billing discrepancy should permanently lose your trust from the public. * update 11-26-13, upon receiving an "updated bill" I found I have now been charged for interest on the now "past due" account. I called back and have at least been able to talk to someone claiming to be the correct person to deal with the matter. The person at the company I spoke to today (who has also indicated they have read this review) has disputed that the original person that gave me the estimate was dismissed. They then said they "had no idea why someone would have told me that about the original person I spoke to, may they had had their own agenda for saying that, to cover up something they did." More indication that this is a dysfunctional company. On the positive side, I was told the accounts receivable department will review the invoice to verify that the charge is at least accurate, and make a determination IF I can apply my coupon. I also learned that on Nov. 12, the issue had been forwarded onto the owner, but as of yet, the owner has not contacted me. They also bragged about the company having been in business for 90 years. Well 90 years ago it was not possible for people to verify the retail prices of specialty hardware to discover they are charging over a 100% markup, and there was no Angie's List on which to share that information. If the owner is hoping that the company continues for another 90 years, then it is time for them to get personally involved to resolve the significant personnel issues at the company, and the billing practices that do not stand up to 21st century scrutiny. Until then, I reiterate my recommendation to NOT do business with this company and my "F" grade. =============================================================== Update 12-11-2013 - reply to company response: After finally being contacted by the billing department, we have come to a resolution, and for that I have upgraded some of the categories of my rating, and increased my overall rating to D. I am not satisfied with the resolution which failed to address several of my key complaints - notably documentation of the price and specific part numbers we were being billed for under "Parts" and application of the companies 10% off coupon - which is still not reflected on the invoice, though it sounds from the company that they have included as part of the overall 20% discount that has been applied. So while I can't recommend that anyone does business with this company, it does seem that if you are persistent, it will "only" take about 3 months for them to address serious complaints - which I guess is better than never.

This was a difficult job because of the 18 foot ceiling height, but the guys did a great job maneuvering the ladder and not breaking the large light fixture, the 9 globes or the bulbs.

The service turned out just fine. There were no additional charges to the big deal. I wanted timers on the fans, and so, I went out and bought those. Then, they installed them. They were willing to buy it themselves and charge me for that, but I told them that I would pick them up myself.

Everything about this went well. Scheduling was easy and the receptionist was friendly and pleasant. The electrician arrived early in the timeframe given to me and was finished quickly.

Perfectly. Lowest price by $700 when compared against 3 other highly rated Angie's list electricians. Extremely professional, thorough, and courteous. Will definitely use again. Best contractor experience I've ever experienced.

Wayne was on time and completed the installs for the Bathroom Exhaust Fans earlier than the specified time. After checking the electrical connection of the ceiling fan which checked out okay, I was given the option to go head and replace the ceiling fan with a new one I had bought or keep the old. I decided to have the new ceiling fan installed. Before Wayne left, he checked the connection for the ceiling fan at the wall. The ceiling fan didn't turn on. So he replace the switch. The switch to turn on/off the ceiling fan from the wall has been working fine. The service from Kolb Electric was great and I liked the price of the "Big Deal" coupon.

It was an Angie's List Big Deal that I purchased. It was very quick. The guy was very professional, and very friendly. It was a little quick in the sense of his explanation but yet I got it. It basically took him less than probably 10 minutes. He basically just took off the panel, he had a surge protector, disconnect a couple of the leads put back on the panel, asked me to sign something and he was gone. He was very nice. I truly believe what they were charging was overkill but at the same time, I have to look at the final results. If you didn’t have the surge protector and if something happened, it would cost you more than $175 versus the other. I have individual UPSs and surge protectors and that costs thousands of dollars. I originally set it up and they said they wanted to come at 7:30. They called me the day before and they said they have a conflict and if they could come an hour later. I would recommend them to anybody.

Bought the bath fan replacement big deal. After a little miscommunication, we got the appointment set up and the install went without a hitch.

Showed up on time and installed the fan fairly quickly. The electrician cleaned up any mess he made and he didn't seem to annoyed by my barking dog.

They were prompt, they guy was very knowledgeable, he was quick and clean. The work that he did was very good. I have no complaints.

I bought an Angie's list big deal coupon for exhaust fan replacement. The price was great, about 50% off the original cost. When I called to make the appointment, the scheduler was professional and prompt. She arranged an appointment within a 5 day window. Wayne, the installer, arrived on time (8:05 am) and was done by 9:15 am. He was polite with me and friendly with my dog. The installation went smoothly and there was only one minor issue. The new exhaust fan is smaller than the old one. The fan cover didn't fit entirely over the opening, so Wayne used the original fan grate to cover the space.

great job, was on time and professional - the old fan was removed and new fan has light just what I wanted

Excellent. The job went smoother and quicker than the provider originally anticipated with no mess to clean up. They did an outstanding job, as usual.