SOUTH BAY ELECTRIC COMPANY

Ian was punctual, pleasant, and knowledgable.  He worked quickly and didn't leave a mess.  I was very pleased with his work and will call him for any future electrical needs.

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Ian was great to work with. Not only did he address the issues we had with a few outside lights that were not working, he also gave me a free consultation on how to get a better lighting system for the grass area in my back yard. We will definitely be using his services again for all of our electrical needs.

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This was Daryck's second time here and he does good clean work. He seems very knowledgeable of his trade. Price just seemed a tad high for this job based on what the second man on this job did, and that we provided all the fixtures and remote. However I think these guys are very good trustworthy contractors that show pride in workmanship. Something that is getting harder and harder to find in the South Bay.

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As the owner of an electric-only house (no gas) it's important that I work with a skilled electrician. I've hired Ian's firm South Bay Electric Company several times and each time it's a pleasure.   For this job, Ian's electrician was able to overcome several obstacles to get the ceiling light installed in a downstairs bedroom, as well as drilling and installing seven 4" cans in a downstairs hallway.  The electrician was careful to avoid cutting the radiant heat lines in my ceiling.  He was also very good at diagramming and positioning the hallway cans to maximize the lighting aesthetics.   Clean up was good as well.   

Everything went well.
Ian and co-worker had to travel to home depot to buy some parts.
Came back very quickly and replaced old light fixture with new one.
All in all it took only 1 1/2 hour to get everything accomplished.
They also offered to clean up afterwards and throw away old items.

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Ian quoted me the best price of 4 Angie's list electricians for my master bedroom lighting project.  He additionally saved me over $300 by recommending a lower cost fluorescent light fixture for my basement versus recessed lights, and less expensive LED bulbs.   He carefully walked through the bedroom lighting layout with me to make sure it would be aesthetically pleasing and provide the light I needed.  He and his crew (Derek and Joe) worked through several obstacles inside the ceiling to get the lights in properly without causing damage to anything and were careful to protect my furniture and belongings, and to clean up after the job was done.  Great results, outstanding customer service!

I don't know anything about electrical work. But this young man(Derek) explained step by step as we went over what was taking place, when the circuit breaker would shut off. He found the problem, tested the outlets and circuit panel after checking out the breakdown of why this happened.  I was so impressed with the level of knowledge this young man knew. Because just the day before another electrician came out, I told him I would have to consider the work, cost, and renovation he suggested, Which I thought was unbelievable, and I'm no electrician.  I'm  just glad I have added this electrician to my list of personal referrals for doing work  at my property.

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Also had them put dedicated breakers on microwave and fridge. Showed up as promised and charged a fair price for the job.

Ian removed the panel because the few remaining outlets/switches didn't need one and he did a proper box that was secured properly.   He cleaned up all the outlets and switches..    I am very pleased. 

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I was desperate on Saturday morning  when I was unable to open my garage door to get my car out. It wasn't the first time, since I had the new garage door opener installed, that I've problems with it.  This time though, nothing seemed to activate the sensors. I had been told by the tech who installed the opener, that the ceiling outlet was too old and could bring trouble in the future to the operation of the garage door.
    I decided to search in my newly joined Angie's List , for a electrician to replaced the faulty outlet.I called a few from the list, and some couldn't come that day, another wanted $300+ because it was Sat. and an emergency.  Ian Marsh was willing to come and check the problem out and the price (unless it turned out to be more complicated) seemed very reasonable. I'm forever grateful to Ian for his professionalism, punctuality, kindness and understanding.  He replaced the outlet plug-in device so it wouldn't cause intermittent power to the opener. Because the door wasn't closing even after plug replacement, he called his son to ask about proper positions of door sensors.  Spending time beyond his agreed responsibility, he also checked and replaced another outlet in the bathroom that wasn't properly grounded. He provided valuable information so that I can demand a proper installation from the garage door opener provider who did a terrible job. I will never have to call another electrician again because  I found Ian.
He's one of the few honest and fair repair/contractors I encountered in the South Bay since moving here four years ago.
Thank  You Mr. Marsh.......Thank You Angie

Daryck was incredibly nice. He did very good work and advised me when it was cheaper to buy via Internet than thru him (eg exhaust fan in bathroom). He encountered some issues behind the wall that were not up to code, which he repaired to code. Also, told me how I could save money by hanging the master ceiling fan myself (I'm pretty handy). I did want a three-way added to my kitchen, but decided to wait on that as I am contemplating a major kitchen renovation anyway. Only "complaint" I have about the service is their scheduling. Fortunately I have a flexible schedule so it turned out not to be a big deal, but that is the one area I would suggest improvement on. Ian, the owner, explained his situation and was very nice and tried very hard to get Daryck and his helper to my house. On several occasions Daryck and his helper worked well into the evening. I definitely would use them again!

I called Ian and explained what I wanted done in my kitchen (demo drop celing, remove existing lighting, put in recessed lighting). He told me to send him some pictures, which I did and we texted back and forth a bit over the price and date. However, this proved to be a mistake. Ian should of come to my home and looked at the job himself. Because my house is old it is made of Latham / Plaster walls and my kitchen is long in length so it needed more light 'cans' than anticipated. Had he come here, it would of been clear from the get-go. 
When we did settle on a date, I was told that he would be here between 10 - 12 and the job should only take a few hours. In fact, Ian told me that there was another job scheduled for 3 pm the same day, so I was surprised that they weren't coming earlier. The job ended up taking several hours and the 3pm was cancelled. I spoke to Ian the morning of the job and he informed me that his son and another guy was coming but he himself wasn't. He then asked me if I had a nail puller because his son forgot one, no big deal but I did get a tad worried. The two guys (his son and another worker) did show up around 11 and I showed them the kitchen. The son was very surprised as he said he didn't know anything about any 'demo' work. I assured him that I informed Ian about it and it was included in the price. After confirming it, they got to work. About an hour later, they informed me that I could go with the six lights I ordered but due to the length of the kitchen I should get two additional lights to make sure there are no 'dark spots'. They didn't have two additional lights with them so I went out to two different hardware stores (myself) to purchase the equipment. The two cans, bulbs and trim came out to 70$ but Ian was charging me over 100$ per light. I understand making a profit but come on, I felt raped on that price! They should of had the son go out and buy the lights and kept me in the dark about the actual price ( I even ran into the son at Home Depot buying a tool that he had forgotten)! 
So, the work resumes and then they tell me that their 'saw blade' for cutting the holes is broken and they can't continue. I'm looking at my ceiling, which has holes in it now, no lights and I told them you can't leave it like this. They jump on their phones and call everywhere without luck trying to find a 5 and 5/8 tool. They told me repeatedly had they known the house was Latham Plaster they would of brought the right equipment. Um, shouldn't the foreman (Ian) come to the job site and take care of that? I ended up giving them 'my personal' Jig-saw to continue the job, which made the holes they cut uneven. So, when they finally got the cans put in them there are holes around them and some of the cans didn't even stay in the holes that were cut (holes were to big). They mickey moused them into the holes and told me to have the holes around the lights patched. Ok, now there are holes in my ceiling that need more work! The son then told me he had to make two big holes in the wall to fit the wires. I wasn't happy at all about the two extra holes, I now have in my walls and are quite big!
The best part of the job was the clean up. They did a great job cleaning up. The bill came and I was surprised to see how they pretty much charged me for every little thing and I was left with a job that to me didn't look professional. They even charged me 10$ more than agreed upon for the dimmer because I chose the more expensive of the two that his son had in his truck. I didn't even know there was a price difference! The son just showed me two and said which one do you want?
To his credit, Ian did knock a few bucks from the bill but overall I feel ripped off.
After thinking about it for a day or two, I've decided to not use them again (I have another job coming up) and blame it on Ian not coming to visit the job himself and his son not having the proper equipment. His son was ready to throw the towel in on the job half way through. I did tell Ian on the phone that I was happy but that was before I had time to think about it and review the job they did closer. Well, enough writing. I guess I better get to patching the holes left behind by South Bay Electrical!

UPDATE - I sent pictures of my ceiling to Ian telling him that I couldn't leave a positive review. He called me promptly and said the job was horrible based on the pictures. He then said he would send a worker to my home to patch the holes and the lights that were not even fit into the ceiling properly. After awhile he called back and stated that his son said my ceiling was sagging and needed to be replaced entirely. I assured him this was not true and that he could come and see it for himself. He didn't take me up on the offer but he did send a worker over who fixed the problem. The job now looks like I would of expected it to look originally.

I gave South Bay electric a call because I was having lighting problems in my kitchen.   I described the issue on the phone and Ian suggested several things to check before he agreed to the appointment.  I check them and found the problem to be the dimmer switch as he suggested it might be.   Truly an honest guy.  He could have charged me a service visit and the hourly charge but rather chose to give me solutions to check before moving forward.  He probably saved me at least $125.00.
I would definitely use in him in the future.
- Thanks Ian!

I had a big problem with my electrical wiring from a handyman that abandoned a project.  Needless to say I was really concerned for my family's safety.  I explained to Ian, the owner of South Bay Electric, my situation and he immediately scheduled his son, Daryck, to come out and troubleshoot the issue.
Daryck did a fantastic job and I had him come back the next day to do additional electrical wiring the previous handyman was paid to do, but didn't finish.  He did a great job again and my mind was finally at ease -- my family and home, I felt, was no longer in danger of an electrical fire. 
There was a minor disagreement about the length of time Daryck actually worked based on my wife's understanding (she was home for both days to supervise).  Ian and I QUICKLY resolved this issue by Ian promising to credit me $35 the next time I call them to come out for another project.
I would definitely call them again and highly recommend South Bay Electric!
BTW - the name of the previous handyman I hired is GREENHEART SIONOSA.  Do not do business with this guy.  I found out he abandoned 3 other projects the same time he abandoned mine!

They were very good and very helpful. They had good suggestions. They were punctual and they work quickly and neatly. Their price was reasonable.

Owner's son arrived when scheduled, installed outlet, offered to wire old dishwasher (not needed), was clean and efficient and friendly.

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