At the end of Dec. 2017, using Angie’s List, I contacted EYC Electric in Honolulu to fix outlets in our mother’s kitchen. She is in her 90s, lives on her own in a 70+ year-old house. My two brothers and I live on the mainland and alternate visits. While taking care of the outlets, Mr. C from EYC discovered that the house was still using obsolete (and hazardous) knobs and tubes wiring, which none of us had been aware of. EYC’s estimated cost for a total rewiring was $47,925, to be paid in five installments, which we agreed to and paid a deposit of $11,981.25. The building permit was obtained on 12/27, which led to signing a contract with EYC on Jan. 1, 2018. As stated in the contract the company would: “Install new electrical wiring in the home including new circuit breaker panel, install new light fixtures (style to be chosen by the customer), install new 'switches and outlets, replace existing HECO utility service, demolish existing knob and tube wiring.” The project was scheduled to begin on 1/15/2018 and finish up by 2/14/2018. One of my brothers arrived in HNL on 1/14 with the intention of remaining for the duration of the project. EYC workers began the work on 1/15; and we made a second payment of $11,981.25. The work continued, and on 1/31, we made the third payment of $4,792.50. On 2/2/2018, my brother had to return to the mainland, so I arrived that same day to be there with our mom. ~ Of major importance to our family was that our mom did not have to leave her home for any period during the work. They completed one room at a time, working from the crawl space and the attic. The head electrician, R., was highly skilled, obviously highly experienced, but also always considerate of our mom. He went out of his way to keep the work minimally intrusive. He had an assistant for a portion of the time, but I believe he did at least 80% of the work, probably more. On 2/8, we sent the major payment of $16,773.75. Our mother’s house is not huge: two modest-size bedrooms, 1-1/2 baths, a hallway, kitchen, living room with dining area, a den and extended activity area (sewing, exercise bike), small laundry room, one-car open garage. By 2/15, the original end date for the project, R. worked from 11 a.m. to 8:30 pm, trying to finish the major work. Expecting that the project would end on 2/15, I returned to the mainland on 2/16. On 2/18, Sunday, from Seattle, I texted R. to say that our mom was expecting him on Monday. He replied that he should be able to finish that week. By 2/26, the project was still not complete. We weren’t sure if R was doing outside work on his own or juggling more than one EYC assignment, or both. But when he was at mom’s house he worked hard and diligently. On 3/8, a Thursday, R. did the final prep work for the permanent power hook-up scheduled later that day. The hook-up was successfully completed (with inspection), but several items were still outstanding (e.g., connect doorbell, haul away pile of debris, restore electricity to the tool shed. . .). On 3/9, I returned to HNL. Mr. C at EYC had told me R would stop by on 3/10, Saturday, to take care of these last items. Instead, R was sent to help with an emergency project at a local hotel. The next day, Sunday, I texted Mr. C about the remaining work (including a hole left in the wall where a switch was removed; Mr. C. told me to fill it in with some putty); and he told me that R. would be at the house on Tues., 3/13 to finish up everything. (The exterior of mom’s house was scheduled to be completely repainted, beginning on 3/12 – another reason we wanted to have the rewiring completed.) Later that Sunday, my brother and I were stunned and truly saddened to learn that R. had been in a fatal traffic accident after working at the hotel. Over two months, we had come to respect R’s exceptional skills and work ethic, as well as his warmth and kindness. Of course, we understood that the company needed some time to absorb this great loss. ~ Still, by 3/17, the following weekend, for our mom’s sake, we felt we needed to have everything completed. Not having heard from EYC, I texted Mr. C to find out when someone might be out to wrap up the last tasks. Mr. C replied that he had previously scheduled a two-week vacation and would be out of town until 3/28 and would contact us when he returned. I returned to Seattle on 3/20. Fortunately, my other brother and his wife regularly visit HNL in April. They arrived on 4/3 and contacted EYC. By then I had sent my brother a punch-list of about 10 items, with pictures to show what needed to be taken care of. The work was completed on 4/12, and we mailed the final payment of $2,396. ~