Kolb Electric Inc

Kolb is probably a reputable company with good service; but the workman who was sent to my home was not polite. I noticed that he looked down on me. After he completed the job, he disputed the charges, the time he arrived on the job, and did not clean after himself. I of course was not in a disputing mood - I had contracted the company, not the worker - so I paid the amount he quoted and called the office (Kolb) to report that their workman had quoted me a different price and asked for an explanation. It took about three days to finally clear the misunderstanding. With this kind of experience, I realize that it was the individual not the company and hope that Kolb can train their workmen to learn that America is a multi-racial country antreat clients/customers politely - and discrimination was abolished in the 1600s. Thank you

It turned out to be a much bigger job than what I anticipated. They had to run additional wiring. It wasn't a very pleasant experience. I didn't get an estimate upfront, which was my mistake. I realized I was paying them about $200 an hour! Lesson learned! I told them just to leave, and I would do the clean up. This experience not only impacted my wallet, but also my work day. They did complete the job, but communication could have been better. I think the pricing was probably high. I spoke to a supervisor, and he gave me as little off the price. I live on the 13th floor, and there were numerous trips out to the van. That added additional time to the job. I would not use Kolb again.

I chose Kolb for this job because they received such glowing reviews on Angie's List. This was a small project so I didn't bother to get several quotes as I normally would do for large or expensive jobs. That was my first mistake. Three hours, four holes in the wall and $330 later, I was wishing I had asked for an estimate first. I have been a homeowner for 20 years and have owned four homes and now also own a rental property. I am not inexperienced or naive when it comes to hiring home improvement professionals. Scheduling the appointment was fast and easy. The technician was delayed by other projects so he was late, but I understand - that happens. What I didn't understand was why he immediately suggested I would be charged overtime rates because he was working after his usual hours. Ultimately, I was NOT charged overtime rates. First, the technician quickly removed the old ceiling fixture and capped it off. This took approximately 15-20 minutes. Second, I provided a small, simple wall light fixture to be installed on the closet wall. Because the lighting needs inside a closet are not complicated, I had purchased a simple covered-bulb fixture typically used over a vanity. The fixture also had a single outlet. The technician did not express any concern about using this fixture. The wall had existing wiring and a light switch. This is the wiring and light switch that powered the former ceiling fixture so it was operational. HOLE #1: In placing the fixture, the technician used two stud finders (his own and mine) to locate studs before punching hole #1 in the wall. Unfortunately, he punched hole #1 on the wrong side of the stud, so he explained that he would need to drill a hole through the stud to get to the wiring. Because that would take much longer, I suggested he punch hole #2 on the correct side of the stud. I understood that they do not patch holes or make any repairs. HOLE #2: Now on the correct side of the stud and 17" directly above the existing light switch, hole #2 was created. After a long period of trying to access the wiring (that was right there), the technician determined he had damaged the hole too much to use it for placing the light fixture. HOLES #3 and 4: Two more holes were created; one just 5" above the light switch and one 12" above the light switch. The light was installed on the hole at 12" above the light switch. The job took 3 hours and my final bill was for $330. When the technician left, I discovered that the fixture was wobbly and unstable. It had not been secured to the stud. The slightest touch would cause it to tip over. Also, the single electric outlet on the light fixture was not operational. I called Kolb to ask (a) they send someone out to correct the problems and (b) give me a partial refund because a simple job like this should not have taken three hours. I explained the job and emailed them photos. In response to my request for a partial refund, I was told via email that because the technician ran into problems, the 3 hours was fair. "As far as giving you money back I don’t see to be fair." I was also told the light fixture I supplied was "Ok to be mounted here but it is a BATH FIXTURE over the vanity type." To their credit, they did send someone out to correct the problems with the light fixture and I was not charged extra for that work. Rudy fixed it quickly and the light fixture is now stable and fully operational. He was also asked to reassess the job and give a post-mortem estimate on how long the job should have taken. The problems were not with the wall, the wiring or the light fixture, so I did not think it was fair that I had to pay additional for a technician having a bad day. And the light fixture does not care where it is installed - bath or closet. I'm no expert, but I believe the properties of electricity behave the same regardless of the contents of the room. I wasn't asking to hang a chandelier from a wall. This is a wall fixture being installed on a wall. And I did understand that they do not patch holes or make repairs and I did not expect them to, but considering the high price, having the additional damage added insult to injury. I made several calls, pleading my case for a partial refund. At first, I was told they had discussed it and would not be issuing a refund. I resent the photos and asked them to check with Rudy, the technician who was sent to correct the problems. Finally, I was issued a refund of $98, the equivalent of one hour labor. Lesson learned: Always ask for an estimate prior, even for small jobs. If you get a technician who has a bad day and takes longer than he/she should, you have the estimate to protect you.

They were very professional and nice to work with.

They are very honest, reasonable and responsive. They work that he did in my yard, he wanted to be perfect. He dug up the grass and he wanted it to grow back perfectly. He told me what I could do to take care of it. I think the company is wonderful. They do good work and I would definitely use them again!

I was having a problem with my panel box and they came out and checked it. He gave his opinion on what he thought the problem was and needed to be done. The estimate I got was quite pricey and I decided to get a second opinion. I am glad I got the second opinion, I felt more comfortable with the other company. He was pretty prompt.

Project manager was patient with me during our changes to estimates - and we had several. Price good compared to others we received estimates from. Electricians that did the work were friendly, professional and approachable. Very decent guys, except their resistance to put the connectors on the data cables in the server room. They left us with naked cables. There was argument that they don't "normally touch anything in the server room" and even though the PM said he'd send the guys back out to finish the job, it wasn't beneficial to do that given they didn't even have the tools or the know-how to do it. Contract did not state naked cables would be left and since work was expressly for "data cables", we felt the cables should have had the connectors put on the ends left in the server room. Why would we pay our IT company extra for that work when it's standard for electricians? In our minds, if they can neatly drop and organize lines into our server room, they can snap on a few connectors to make the lines actually work. Touching our server equipment wouldn't even be necessary. Overall, I rate them a B. Except for the above snafu, the work was satisfactory.

Kolb Electrical was able to schedule an appointment fairly soon after I called, having discovered a substandard electrical outlet behind our refrigerator. While the electrician arrived later than the arrival window originally provided, the dispatcher did call to alert me to the fact that the electrician would arrive late. When he arrived he got down to business and discovered a tangle of wires for the kitchen and living room lighting was also coming into the same box. The outlet had to be recessed into the wall on the side of the refrigerator because there is very little clearance. He cleaned up the sloppy electrical work of whoever initially did the electrical work before we bought the house, and he cleaned up well after having to cut into the drywall. Along the way, he had some colorful stories about what my neighborhood used to be like.

The Kolb Electric sent a "seasoned" employee who did an excellent job repairing the outlets in my house. I recently purchased my home from a real estate "flipper" and most of the electrical work that was done was sub par. The Kolb gentleman was very professional in explaining what was wrong and fixed the problem. He was very cordial and friendly. Other family members at the house were impressed with his work. I will definitely use this company again.

They came in and looked at what they had to do and they gave us an estimate. We took their estimate and had them come do the work and they did it within their estimate. They were an excellent company. Their price was excellent. The quality of services and responsiveness was very good. Their punctuality was perfect.

Repairman cme and was less than friendly. He determined the valance may be bad. So he called looking for a part and found it when he came back, he realized I had the the two wattage bulbs crossed but said its probably that made the valance bad. When he installed he realized it. While installing it he broke one of the bulbs. It was a good thing I had a spare on hand for repair. He said the part was more than quoted on the phone. Did not give me a detail invoice with breakdown of cost and would not accept Angie's list discount saying he gave me bigger discount but without a detail invoice. Completed customer comment card and no response from company. Extremely disappointed. Getting the appointment on short notice and punyuality is all they have going for them.

They scheduled me quickly. The customer service was good and they gave good advice I was pleased.

Found Kolb Electric here on Angie's List. I called their main line, told them what work I wanted to be done and booked the date and time window - 8am to noon. Unfortunately, the tech did not show up on time and I had to call over to their offices several times. The general manager called me around 12:40 to apologize. At first he claimed that their other jobs were running long but that the tech would be there in 40 minutes. I told him I understood that these jobs don't run on a train schedule, but if the tech is going to be late then someone should call me so I can plan accordingly. He agreed. 40 minutes later the tech still was not there. A call to the manager produced a different story. Now the manager told me that he didn't see my work order when he gave the tech his assignments that morning. He apologized profusely and offered 10% off. The tech arrived shortly after that. Once the tech arrived everything went perfectly. He was extremely knowledgeable and professional. WORK: * Replace/Upgrade 3 smoke detectors * Replacement thermostat control with a new high tech device The smoke detectors we installed and synchronized perfectly in almost no time (honestly..like 10 minutes) The high tech thermostat, (a "Nest"), was found to be incompatible with the wiring of my 1999 townhouse's HVAC system. I think I really dodged a bullet. Another less knowledgeable and less reputable tech might have just installed the system anyway and then I could have had a major problem.

scheduling and service were fine. both times. my problem with kolb is similar to another reviewer, they charge you for the electricians time while they write up credit card charges and other non-essential parts of the job. the work took the electrician 15 minutes in both cases. they charge $98 for the first half hour. changing the receptacle and setting a breaker back into the box are not a hour long jobs. so bottom line is that if you have something simple expect to pay a minimum of an hour for them to show up. if its a big job, id guess in that case they'd be fine.

He was very professional and did all of the repairs in about 45 minutes. The overall experience was excellent. I was very pleased. I have other work to be done and I will be calling him back.

Prompt, courteous, fixed problem quickly.

The repairman came to the house on time and called before he arrived which is very good. I showed him the outlets I needed updated and he did have the 3 prong plugs, however he did not have new outlet covers to finish the job for some reason. Even though I did describe what was needed when I called to make the appointment. He would have had to go to Home Depot to get them and it did not seem worth the price that would be charged if he had to do that as travel time would be charged. So, I had to go out and get to a hardware store and buy new outlet covers and install them. Not a big problem, but I think that they should carry these items with them as most people they were doing this work for might need new covers. He also took out a broken bulb that was stuck in a recessed light and we replaced the bulb. The gentleman was quick and courteous. It would have been better if he had taken a few minutes to clean up the bits of plaster and things that were on the floor of both bathrooms before he left though. I did not know there were things on the floor and stepped on some piece of plastic that must have been knocked off the old outlet cover and left on the floor. I recommend that the repair persons try to vacuum or at least pick up pieces of things that are knocked on the floor after repairs are made. Otherwise, he did the work requested and in under an hour.

Efficiency and professionalism at its best! Bob arrived 15 minutes ahead of time and did an outstanding job making sure that our new kitchen ceiling fixture was mounted properly. He also pointed out that we would need to have a few holes from the toggle bolts and screws from the old fixture patched because the new fixture wouldn't cover them (which we subsequently had done by another Angie's List vendor). He installed both the ceiling fixture and dimmer in less than an hour, cleaning up as he went along. We've used Kolb Electric for other services in the past with equally excellent results and will continue to rely on them for anything electric-related!

The serviceman was prompt, knowledgeable and courteous. He identified the problem quickly and fixed it. I was charged the basic fee for a service call. I am a happy satisfied customer and will surely use this company again.

He was very professional. I asked for Jeff again because I liked his work the last time he came. He cleaned up. He was on-time. I'd definitely use him again.

He called first and came on time, explained the work and was fast and clean.

This was tricky because the box is in the basement on the opposite wallin the basement where there is an office with several employees. They did quick, neat, clever work.

They cleaned up well after themselves and were clean while they worked. He was right on time, professional, and friendly. Rudy really went above and beyond to help us. The workmanship was great, and they have good customer service, though the receptionists when you call them tend to not give you their names.

They pulled all of the necessary permits and did everything per the contract. They arrived when they said they would and did all of the work in a timely manner. Their work passed the DC inspections immediately. Everything was up to code. I was very happy with their work.

Called first day after Hurricane, and was scheduled for noon that day. Chris, the repairman was prompt and professional, checking the breaker and repairing it in about 15 minutes.