Staples Electric LLC

The whole experience was very positive. Craig returned my call shortly after I'd left a voicemail, and we agreed he'd come out the following Monday to take a look at the tasks I needed done. He brought along one of his crew who promptly diagnosed a problem with my kitchen light fixture and started working on replacing it while Craig and I discussed the electrical panel replacement. We agreed that they would come back on Wednesday morning to do the work. They showed up on time, did an excellent job, and they included a whole house surge protector as part of the deal. I would definitely use them again! Unlike another poster, I have no complaints. I feel my job was handled very professionally, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him.

After recent bad experiences with contractors I went off the high scores in Angies List and had the acclaimed Craig Staples come to our home and perform an estimate for fixes to our electrical system. He clearly told me this would be a free quote. He arrived a bit late, but was friendly and seemed knowledgeable. He did indeed send me a quote for the work later that evening, with a labor and material cost estimate $1480.00. I called Craig and told him that was more than my budget would allow and we agreed on $1200, which was confirmed via email: ?Confirmed? As I mentioned on the phone, I?m concerned about the weather and the schedule and working outside. We have a service replacement scheduled tomorrow in the am, but I?ll contact you tomorrow and we?ll firm up the times then. I appreciate the opportunity to help you guys out, Thx! Regards, Craig Staples Owner/Master Electrician Staples Electric LLC 7039447678 www.StaplesElectric.com From: John van den Bosch [>] Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 8:05 PM To: Craig Staples Subject: RE: Staples Electric LLC +++ estimate for electrical projects 02/03/10 Craig - as discussed, this scope of work for $1200 is agreed from my end. Pls send me a quick confirmation email My wife Juliana will expect you at the house around 12:00 - pls call approx 30 mins before you get there - her number is > Best regards, John? Soon after we agreed this, I discovered that there was a mistake in the scope of work ? it said replace bedroom ceiling fan, and I wanted a second bath fan replaced. I called Craig. He told me that installing bathroom fans was much more labor intensive than replacing ceiling fans. We verbally agreed on an extra $100 for this work, the total now coming to $1300. Yesterday Craig completed the work. His team was approximately 1 hr late. Craig did call to apologize. His team did complete the work professionally, although I question whether leaving a non-GFI outlet in my bathroom is correct. Last night he sent me a text message telling me he sent the total due. I checked my email and found the following: ? As we discussed, we?ll see you tomorrow (Friday 02/05/10) at 1909 N Adams St. @ 7:30 for checkout and payment. Total due is: 02/02/10 = checkout: $224.00 02/04/10 = Items listed below: $1300.00 Total Due: $1524.00 Terms: Cash/Check, due upon receipt of invoice.? I tried calling Craig, and when he did not pick up sent a text message telling him I did not agree with the price. He called me after and started telling me about the ?Checkout Fee?. Craig told me that as part of the estimate process he went to the house and opened up panels, ?I got an hour of his time for free?. However, this is absolutely not what he and I agreed: I was told he would do a free estimate and Craig did not mention anything about this fee before charging me nor document it in email. I told him I did not agree, he started speaking more loudly. Tired of his comments I said ?look: it is not what we agreed, I will pay you the $1300 we agreed?, next he hung up on me. A few minutes after he called me back and the conversation took a very negative and threatening tone. He told me that he would come to my home to ?sort things out?, we would meet and he would ?take it from there?. I repeated that I would send him a check for the agreed amount, Craig sounded very nervous and after saying ?I will see you tomorrow morning? hung up again. Based on Craig?s comments, and since part of the work is located on the outside of our home, I was worried that Craig would come over and destroy what had been done. We are still in temporary housing - finishing off the final work on our home updates - so do not live at the home just yet. My wife was also worried about the threatening tone of the calls. With that, I called the Arlington Police. They took things fairly seriously, and sent an Officer to meet me at the home. The Officer advised me to not meet in person with Craig and also told me to take pictures and add a lock to my garden fence. I sent Craig a check for the agreed amount and an email summarizing my actions. This morning I received the following reply: ?RE: Staples Electric LLC +++ estimate for electrical projects 02/03/10 Friday, February 5, 2010 6:19 AM From: "Craig Staples" craig@stapleselectric.com Right ... Regards, Craig Staples Owner/Master Electrician Staples Electric LLC 7039447678 www.StaplesElectric.com > -----Original Message----- From: John van den Bosch [>] Sent: Thursday, February 04, 2010 11:40 PM To: Craig Staples Subject: RE: Staples Electric LLC +++ estimate for electrical projects 02/03/10 Craig, That is not what we agreed. We agreed to $1300 labor and materials. There was never mention of a checkout fee and I will not pay this. There is no need to meet tomorrow. I will send you a check for $1300 Given your unfriendly calls this evening I am concerned about the possibility of you trespassing on our property. Because of this I have documented the work with pictures and have filed a report with the Arlington Police. They visited our home this evening and looked over the work. John? I thought that going off the List would help me (and it has definitely helped me a lot before!), but this seems like another case of a petty thief trying to steal money. What really upsets me about all this though is Craig?s tone and my wife?s feeling of not being safe. It could have been a case of poor communication on Craig?s part, but Craig?s responses and the feeling of my property or family being threatened are unacceptable. Perhaps the high scores on Angies List have gone to Craig?s head and he thinks he can get away with this behavior. I would be very careful, and caution anyone planning to work with Craig to get very clear written agreements on pricing. I hope to never see him again, would certainly never do business with him and would not recommend him to anyone. Thanks John

I tried to have Verizon FIOS installed in my house and Verizon said that I did not have proper grounding for the system to be installed. I talked to four electricians, and Mr Staples was the only electrician who explained what needed to be done and understood what was needed to satisfy Verizon's requirements. He was also the quickest to come out for an estimate. He was also honest about what it would take to fix the 4 bad wall outlets, telling me it might be a quick free fix or might take many hours. I appreciated his honesty. He did the work on time (the outlets turned out to be a quick easy fix) and my FIOS got installed.

Outstanding effort. We have a new home built in late 2008. We moved in in Jan 2009. Since moving in we've had issues with our bathroom outlets not working, or if they did work, tripping the breaker at the slightest load. I had the builder over to check the circuits, but he found no problems and laid the blame on the county building codes which required him to install "overly sensitive" breakers. I contacted Staples Electric after reading the glowing reviews on Angie's List. Craig promptly returned my call and we arranged an appointment time. He explained that troubleshooting a bad circuit was a tough job but he and his crew would do their best. Craig arrived exactly on time. He was very professional and listened to me describe the issues before diving in to locate the problem. Craig and his technician found a faulty (mis-wired) outlet in a bathroom on the main level and another one in the bathroom on the basement level. He showed me the burnt outlets and explained that the breaker was constantly tripping to keep the outlets from over loading (and starting a fire). He recommended replacing the circuit breaker as well. He had the problem diagnosed and fixed within an hour of arriving at my home. He provided his business card and said to call him immediately if there were any other issues with the circuit. My wife and daughter were thrilled that evening when they came home and found out their bathroom outlets worked properly! I will use Staples Electric for all of my future electrical needs and I highly recommend him for all your electrical requirements.

Craig came over the next day after my call. He looked around and gave me a quote. The next day Roberto arrived about 7:30 AM to begin the work; the agreed upon work was completed that day. That evening, I decided I needed another switch and shoplight in one of the rooms. I e-mailed Craig, he responded with a new price, I agreed, and the rest of the work was completed the following day. Overall it was an extremely good experience. Craig was very responsive via telephone and e-mail and has hired a very friendly and effective crew. The work was completed quickly and professionally.

The repair was quick and professional done. Very impressed with how timely and promptness.

Craig Staples responded to my request for estimates very promptly and scheduled the job to meet my schedule needs. All 8 fixtures were replaced by Staples staff in about 3 hours. They were courteous and professional and their operation was seamless. They were very respectful of my home and took extra care to protect my floors, furniture, etc.

Great ! Craig Staples price was the most reasonable...25% lower than others. Showed up on time, completed work quickly, cleaned up. Doesn't get any better than that. Would use again in a heartbeat.

It was a good experience. They were friendly. They came out on a short notice. They did the job well. The price was good.

The arrived on time and were very professional. They cleaned up well- which is a rarity.

He did a great job and he doesn't nickel and dime you to death. He also pointed out some things that another electrician had done wrong and fixed them without charging me very much. I would rate him very highly across the board.

We needed a circuit breaker to our heat pump replaced because it appeared to be starting to fail. We called Staples Electric and Roberto came out within a couple of hours. He tested all the circuit breakers in the service panel and replaced the one for the heat pump at about a third the cost the heating company had quoted us. He was clear about everything he was doing and quite professional.

I was very impressed. We knew our exposed attic junction boxes and non-GFI outdoor sockets were a problem, and we suspected that our fuse box (which had two double-taps installed by a previous home owner) needed to be replaced, plus a few other odds and ends like a non-functioning range hood light and a microwave that kept burning out fuses. The owner, Craig Staples, came the day after I called to request an estimate. He examined all of our issues, recommended the highest-priority items from a safety standpoint, and provided estimates for the different parts of the work. I also called four other companies I found on Angie's list, only two of which were willing to come provide a free estimate, and only one of which could do so within a week of my initial call. Craig's estimate for the work came in significantly lower than the one other company that came to give an estimate and also lower than the two companies that gave rough estimates over the phone for the same work. When I called back to let Craig know we wanted his company to do all of the work, he was able to arrange for the work to be performed just two days later, and estimated that it would take around a day and a half. On the agreed-upon day, team leader Roberto arrived exactly on time and his assistant Alberto arrived a few minutes later. Roberto began disassembling the old fuse box while Alberto concentrated on installing the new dedicated circuit for the microwave. They both worked efficiently and were extremely professional and conscientious. Craig arrived about an hour later with the new service panel and to check in on the work being performed, and stayed for about an hour helping with the panel replacement (which wound up being a bit more difficult than normal due to the awkward position of he panel in our house and the fact that the new panel was somewhat larger than the old one). The crew finished with the panel replacement and new microwave line around 2pm, at which point Roberto and Alberto went through the house testing all the circuits and marking them on the new panel. Then Roberto and I walked through the other work to be performed so he could develop a materials list for the next day. Both Roberto and Craig were extremely flexible and offered helpful advice and feedback on the work that I thought I needed--we actually wound up not doing two of the things that I thought I wanted done, and added two small tasks, based on their feedback. I should also mention that Alberto repaired (roughed in--no sanding or painting) the drywall that he had to cut out to run the microwave line, and did a nice job. The next day Roberto came back at 8am to do the other odds and ends. He replaced and mounted the junction boxes in our attic, which had been lying on the floor (and would have been buried by the blow-in insulation that we are planning to install next week). This took about two hours. Then he repaired our range hood light, which had not worked since we moved into the house, replaced three outdoor sockets with GFI sockets, and removed an old floodlight housing from our shed that we were not using any longer. We had originally planned to rewire one of the floodlights on the back of the house and add a circuit in the shed but Roberto discovered that we already had one hidden underneath a counter in the shed, and he also determined that one of the outlets in our living room was already on a dedicated circuit, so we did not need to install a new circuit to run an electric fireplace that we are planning to install next year. After the work was completed around noon, Roberto cleaned up and packed up, and Craig arrived about an hour later to check on the work performed and settle the bill. The total was exactly what was promised in the original estimate--even though, by my reckoning, the panel replacement wound up taking at least an hour longer than originally planned and the other tasks also wound up taking at least as long as originally estimated (five hours). Overall this was one of the best experiences I've ever had with any sort of home service provider. Craig and his team are friendly, helpful, flexible, and professional, and as a small, family-owned company they offer extremely competitive rates and personalized service. I would not hesitate to hire them again or to recommend them to family and friends.

Prompt and courteous for estimate and service. Responds within 24 hours to emails. Nice guy -- very easy to deal with.

Very prompt and professional. Job was performed extremely efficiently and exactly as stated. Price quote was exactly on point. Very satisfied and would use them again for future lighting projects.

I probably would not use them again. He really needs to hire someone like an administrative assistant. He takes care of it all by himself and things just fall through the cracks like crazy. He said that he was looking to hire someone at that time.

We enjoyed working with Craig Staples and his team. They were extremely courteous and professional, and the price for the installation of the new electric panel was among the best that we could find. Craig and a co-worker completed the panel replacement in about five hours, and we are very satisfied with the high quality of their work. They had to remove some drywall for the installation, as well, but they patched up the wall very cleanly before they left. We had a bit of a problem scheduling the county inspection of the new panel once the work was complete. Craig takes care of the permits and inspection scheduling, and communicating with him to find an agreeable inspection date was a little bit difficult. The communication delay seemed to primarily stem from illness and malfunctioning email on his end -- pretty unavoidable snags, and it didn't affect the quality of the actual electrical work, anyway. In the end, not a big deal. (I should emphasize that communication with him up until this point had been very easy and reliable.) It took several weeks to get the inspector over to our house, but once he was here, the panel easily passed the inspection. We will certainly use Staples Electric again in the future!

They did an outstanding job. He brought in a second technician to assist him and to assure the job was done as thoroughly and correctly as possible. It was fixed properly. They were very nice and courteous, and we have not had any additional troubles in that area. The price was reasonable, and they charged the rate they advertised even though it took them more effort and time to solve the problem. I was impressed with the time they spent finding the issue, and with the fact that he was willing to call in a second technician and spend so much time tracking down the problem. I feel that I got great value for my money, and I would absolutely use them again.

They never called me back. I first called on September 8, 2009 and I have never heard from them. I tried at least three times to call them.

Two employees of Craig Staples arrived on time and completed the work in l hour. They were fast, efficient, and courteous. My only small complaint is that initially he never answered my e-mail requesting service, but he later explained he usually doesn't used his e-mail or check it frequently. Also, I was supposed to receive a receipt for the service by e-mail and never did, so I don't know if I got my senior discount or Angie's List discount. I thought it was expensive, but the work was excellent.

Craig Staples is an excellent electrician with a top notch team. They were very prompt and professional in all respects. I was amazed at how they were able to fish the new circuits to the service panel and only had to make three small openings in the sheetrock (which they expertly patched to my satisfaction). They were meticulous in laying down plastic where needed to protect our furnishings. They got the job done in a half day. I really got my money's worth for all the work they did. Great job Craig, Roberto, and Alberto.

Perfection in 2 hrs allowing me to get a half day in at work instead of needing to take the entire day off (had appt starting at 8 am).

Craig Staples was easy to work with...he was punctual, thorough, quick and flexible. Although we don't live in the continental US, he was willing to work with us via email and long distance phone calls to perform the work in our rental home...a lot of work for a relatively small job! We had to re-schedule the installation a couple of times and coordinate with other contractors (flooring and the appliance installation team). Craig remained professional and friendly throughout the process. We have used him several times and will continue to call on his services!

Originally misunderstood the problem and sent a crew member that could not do the work (Friday) and said they'd be back on Monday. I called & asked for someone to come out the next morning (Saturday) and they did- without charging overtime. The owner was very responsive. The cost was $140 for about 20 minutes of work & one 'part'. Very professional.

Craig and his team, Roberto and Alberto, did a great job. Very responsive, arrived on time, they worked quickly and professionally. Also, Craig was willing to fix anything we weren't happy with. Great experience, and we're glad to know there's an electrician we can call if we ever have a problem in the future. Highly recommended.