PK & Altman Electric

Apologize in advance for the length of this review, but it was my very first time contracting any work of this kind, and my experience was complicated. |Chris came about a month beforehand to survey the job and give us the estimate. He was punctual and very courteous and professional. When we got the estimate the next day it was quite a bit more than I was expecting, but really I had no frame of reference and figured it was probably fair given the amount of work involved. |I had held off on buying the fans, wall controls and other fixtures because I was not confident in choosing the correct items for everything and figured that Chris could advise. He showed me online exactly what we needed for the track light so that was no problem, but he said we needed remote control transmitters for the ceiling fans. I had no idea what those looked like or how to get them, but figured I would probably find them at Home Depot with no problem, along with everything else. But the Home Depot salespeople didn't know what I was talking about. So I emailed Chris back to ask where I could find them, or could Altman Electric source them and just add them to the bill? No response. I then learned more about lighting and electricity than I ever wanted to know in finding the correct wall switches and fan controls, such as that you can't use a multi-location switch on a single-pole thingie. Who knew? I called Lutron, the company that makes the wall controls I wanted to use to ask them which ones would work, and got help from their customer service team. Found attractive Lutron fan controls that came with transmitters, but in the course of my research, read that a seven-level control for a 3-speed fan would produce annoying noise. Emailed Chris again to ask if ithat was usually a problem in his experience. Again no response. I go ahead and order the controls from the Home Depot website, hoping they will be okay, then later finally get an email from Chris saying that they will not, in fact, be good for the job, so I had to return them and find different ones; ones which, again, I got no help in finding. |The only other remote controls I found - online or in stores - were ones that got bad consumer reviews, came with lead warnings, or had been discontinued altogether. I got the Hunter remotes; the ones with bad consumer reviews. I also got wired controls from Lutron in hopes that we could install those instead. |Very frustrating trying to get any guidance or help on this part, which was a main reason why it was an entire month from estimate to work day. At first I thought that my job must be small potatoes for them and that that was why I wasn't getting the responses I needed,but then I saw their other job sizes and charges on Angie's List and realized that it was actually quite a sizeable chunk of work for them; at least in the residential arena. Not complaining about the amount charged. It was a lot of work. But relative to the size if the job, I didn't feel that I was getting the help I needed with the material sourcing. |On the day that the work was scheduled, Rafaello and Abdul arrived on time with Chris and did a great job installing all the items. They both were also gentle, courteous and professional.They were able to install the first fan with a wired control and it continues to work like a charm, along with almost everything else they installed. In regards to the other fan, however, they said they had to install it with the remote control because there wasn't enough wiring in the switch box for both the fan and the light. The Hunter remote control works well for the fan, but for the light it is every bit as unreliable as the online reviews indicated, so I asked them to come back and hoped they could just install a regular light switch next to the fan control. They said it could not be done, again because of the lack of wiring, but one of the guys suggested that a wire for the fan could in fact be run from the box to the outlet to the fan/light without having to run a second wire mold across the ceiling, but that they would have to come back and it would be another half days' work. |Well, this was what I'd wanted in the first place. Not really sure why it didn't happen on the day that the rest of the work was done, except that maybe the company just wanted to squeeze all the work into one day. On the day I'd asked them back, I had already returned the second wired fan control to the store, was about to have the drywall repair & paint done and didn't want to hold up the rest of the work. |When it came to the billing, there was some confusion about what the final amount was. Jeanette was actually charging me less than the estimate. That was of course great by me, but I wanted to know why the discrepancy. I thought it might have been because I had supplied all of the light dimmers even though they were included in the estimate, but I'm guessing that wasn't it because she quickly adjusted her total to match mine, and did not supply a reason as to why our totals differed. I am still wondering how she got to her total and whether I'd missed something. In all fairness though, the estimate did not include the installation of the kitchen light fixture or the dimmer switches in the kitchen & bathroom. I get the sense that those were thrown in gratis and I appreciate that. |I get why some reviewers have said she was rude to them. She does often sound stressed when she answers the phone, but if you keep your own voice even and neutral, she will respond in kind. |All in all, I am happy with most of the actual work that was done. I would probably even use them again based on the strength of their work on site, but still think that they need to listen more carefully and to be more responsive to clients' questions and concerns.

After a few halogens died I had been replacing them with the stock I had, but these didn't work. When this turned into 3 dead one's I started to feel the need to get it fixed, but I could not figure why all the new bulbs I was using would not work. Began to think i had a structural issue as I could not find power in the sockets. So took advantage of a deal to have them come by and look at this and a series of small issues that had puzzled me for weeks. It turns out that the issue was with the stock of replacement bulbs. Despite the fact that they were new, in reality I had purchased these 6 years ago, and they simply died in their boxes. Never thought this could happen. And I could not test for power in the socket because this was low voltage and the meter I was using was for standard power. Totally fixed in 20 minutes, but I would never have figured it out on my own. Well worth the $80, because they also fixed a couple of other power socket issues, etc.

There were two men here doing the work and they did everything in the 2 hour time frame so I did not have to additional. They were efficient and they cleaned up right away. Everything is working beautifully and I loved the price I received everything for.

This was exactly what I needed. The Big Deal was two electricians for one hour. They replaced my two light fixtures. Since there were a few minutes left over, I asked them to remove a broken light bulb in another fixture which they were happy to do. They showed up when they were supposed to, were pleasant and professional and took care of my job quickly.

The electrician called the company base and they tole him to bridge the power lines so we could have power and heat immediatley. This worked and they then called Con Ed to come to repair the line. The other electrician I had used arrived one hour later and charged $250.00 just to walk in the door!

When I called to schedule the appointment I had asked that the kitchen wall electrical outlet also be replaced with one that met code (for which I would be charged for the part). I was told the electricians would come with the outlet. The electricians unfortunately did not have the outlet and said the work order only said to inspect to see if the outlet conformed to code. Due to the snow, it would also have been helpful if they came with a change of shoes or shoe covers. My rug was wet with the snow from their shoes but no damage was done. I would certainly use these folks again.

Had to return to correct, but did it very quickly and I was satisfied.

They were great and they came out shortly after I made the big deal purchase. They were very professional and very thorough. The owner of the company was very pleasant. I spent more than the big deal price. I would absolutely use them again in the future.

I bought the 2-hour "Big Deal" on Angie's List to give them a try. Altman arrived on time, finished on time, did high quality work. This was actually a deceptively challenging job because of the mess of mis-run circuits from previous work, but they did everything the "right" way (well labeled, correct colors) and left it in a much better state than they found it. I could not be happier. My new go-to electricians in NYC. Thanks Pedro and Fransico! -josh

Took a few days to complete. I should have been at the location to direct the installation of the switch installed in the apartment. It's best to be there while the work is being done.

it did not go at all. If the owners or the bosses want to call me and schedule the job I will be happy to talk with them and update my review but as of now this is not the way I run my business.

We have used Altman Electric for over 9 years. They were always expensive but the workman were polite and they always called when they would be late. When something that they fixed did not work properly they came back and fixed it. Today some of my electric went out. I called Altman a little before 4 PM. The receptionist said no one was available today. I said it would be better if it could be done today because 1/2 of the bedroom lights were out. She put me on hold for a while. When she came back shes said someone was on his way. She said it was an emergency so the charge would be $300 an hour for the labor. What???? It was during business hours not the middle of the night. There is a difference between expensive and outrageous......even for NYC that is a over the top. We called someone else who was available right before 6 PM. He fixed it and the charge was a under $135. My rating is for the excessive charges during business hours, not the work. We were always happy with their work.

WE WERE INSTALLING A WASHING MACHINE, A PROJECT THAT REQUIRED THE OLD WIRING TO BE CLOSED OFF AND A NEW OUTLET AND WIRING TO BE INSTALLED. TIME WAS OF THE ESSENCE. I CALLED BEFORE NOON ON NEW YEAR'S EVE, AND WAS GIVEN AN APPOINTMENT ON 1/03. [WE WERE OFFERED 1/02, BUT MY WIFE WAS UNAVAILABLE.] CHRIS, A SUPERVISOR, CAME ON TIME, IMMEDIATELY GAVE US AN ESTIMATE WELL BELOW ANOTHER ANGIE'S LISTEE, AND SCHEDULED THE APPOINTMENT FOR NOON ON 1/04. AT 11:55 I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE ELECTRICIAN SAYING HE WOULD BE A FEW MINUTES LATE. WHEN HE DID ARRIVE ABOUT 12:15 HE COMPLETED THE JOB IN LESS TIME THAN EXPECTED, TOOK OUR CREDIT CARD AND GAVE US THE ANGIE'S LIST DISCOUNT WITHOUT MY WIFE ASKING. [I HAD MENTIONED ANGIE'S ON MY INITIAL CALL.] SO FAR, SO GOOD. UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN THE WASHING MACHINE INSTALLERS ARRIVED, THEY DISCOVERED THAT THE OLD ELECTRIC LINE HAD NOT BEEN PROPERLY CLOSED OFF, LEAVING A LIVE WIRE IN THE WALL, WHICH MEANT THEY COULD NOT PROCEED. MY WIFE CALLED CHRIS, EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM, AND WITHIN AN HOUR ANOTHER ELECTRICIAN ARRIVED TO FINALIZE THE INSTALLATION, THIS TIME CORRECTLY. WHEN I RECEIVED A SECOND INVOICE FROM ALTMAN I WAS CONCERNED WE MIGHT BE CHARGED TWICE, BUT THE SECOND VISIT WAS MARKED "NO CHARGE." MY ONLY MINOR COMPLAINT WAS THAT THE ORIGINAL INVOICE SHOWED A TRAVEL SURCHARGE OF $45. I CALLED FOR AN EXPLANATION AND WAS TOLD THAT WAS A STANDARD FEE BECAUSE SOMETIMES THE ELECTRICIAN MUST TRAVEL A LONG DISTANCE TO REACH THE JOB. I REMINDED THE RECEPTIONIST THAT WE ONLY LIVE ABOUT 2 MILES NORTH OF THEIR OFFICES, AND THAT NEXT TIME THAT SURCHARGE SHOULD BE ADJUSTED, BASED ON THE ACTUAL DISTANCE TRAVELED, OR A THE VERY LEAST DISCLOSED. NONETHELESS, GIVEN THE VERY FAIR PRICE THAT WAS CHARGED OVERALL; THE PUNCTUALITY OF ALL OF THOSE WHO WORKED ON THE JOB; THE FACT THAT ALTMAN WAS WILLING TO TAKE ON A RELATIVELY MINOR JOB FOR A NEW CUSTOMER REQUESTING PROMPT SERVICE; AND THE FACT THAT, IN THE END, THE INITIAL MISTAKE WAS IMMEDIATELY RECTIFIED AT NO ADDITIONAL COST, I WOULD USE ALTMAN AGAIN AND WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO OTHERS.

Very professional electricians who showed up at appointed time.

They are punctual and do good work. They are a little pricey but they are easy to business with.

They were really excellent – 5 stars. It took about 6 or 7 hours. They were 50% the cost of other estimate & they’re just nice guys. Libby was helpful scheduling everything. Chris did the estimate & he was good. The installers were good.

Two individuals arrived on time, took an hour and a half to install the fixtures. Laye, who was in charge, was knowledgeable and eager to help. I had hired this company a couple of other times over the past several years.

I received the 10% Angie discount and negotiated a lower (half) 'transportation fee' given that I live a relatively short distance away. The workmen arrived just a bit after the window, performed the work in a reasonable amount of time and cleaned up well, packing the old light fixture for garbage and bringing it downstairs. Would not hesitate to use their services again.

They are reliable, prompt, they really seem to know what they are doing and they are very good.

I was very happy with the service of Altman Electric. He was expensive, but he was very good. He had also done some installation of lights for me in the past. He was on time. I never had to have call back or anything. I would use his service in the future too.

I needed to have a defective circuit breaker replaced. When the appointment was made, I was told that the minimum charge would be $150. No mention was made of a charge for "travel time." The electrician did not arrive during the time window specified, but after I telephoned the office, he arrived shortly thereafter. He replaced the circuit breaker using a breaker I had purchased at Home Depot for $3.50. In addition I asked that two other (identical) beakers be replaced. Amazingly, even though this call was only about replacing circuit breakers, he did not know if he had any with him. In addition, his english language skills were marginal. After he replaced all three breakers (elapsed time 45 minutes) he called the office for the price: $275 !! I was was told that the breakers were $35 each (vs. the $3,50 I paid at Home Depot!!) and that there was a $35 charge for travel time. I spoke on the phone with the woman who made the appointment and she insisted that she remembered the call and that she had told me of the "travel time" charge. She had not. She also insisted that if it was written on the work order, I would have to pay it. In fact, nothing was written on the work order, so the charge was eventually dropped. The final charge was $150 + $70 for circuit breakers + tax for a total of about $240. Altogether, I felt this was a very unsatisfactory experience.

Fast, efficient, courteous service. Highly recommend Altman Electric

Altman sent a very competent guy to inspect the job and work up the estimate, which was quick clear and accurate as to the job requirements. Unfortunately, they then sent over a worker who removed the ceiling fans and put in the pigtail lamps, changed out the switch plates and installed most of the dimmers. He did not check for current, so all of the previously "dead" sockets still had no juice; placed an ivory colored plate next to an white one, using mismatched screws, one too large for the hole and removed a light fixture in the bathroom that he then had to reinstall as it's removal was not in the work order. Responding to my complaint and after many phone calls back and forth to set a new appointment, they sent over a very good guy who did the rest of the work in one day (why wasn't he sent over the first time?!) but didn't inform me how outlets needed to be replaced, as per agreement. Since these cost $30 per outlet, I would have like to have been told prior to getting billed. Once the job was done, it took 3 more interactions to get the payment processed due to confusion or inattention on the part of the support staff. The end result was fine (though I had to run around and turn the screws to the vertical, the mark of a professional job) but the whole process took up a lot of my time when it needn't have. Everyone was personable throughout but it was something of an ordeal.

They were REALLY great!! They were very diligent about getting the fixture in so that the medicine cabinet would fit and even patched the wall so the fixture would be in place for the cabinet and would not have to be moved again. They worked quickly and efficiently and were totally professional. I HIGHLY recommend them- very impressive.

We gave them a down payment for a service but they never delivered; they cashed the check and I never heard from the again. The guy was very congenial on the phone when I told him what we needed. We were planning on changing our utility provider but they needed us to upgrade our system first. Altman was supposed to figure out what we needed and submit a price quote but that never got done. The down payment was intended to get the ball rolling and that would have been a decent price if they had done the work.