Elegance Outdoor Lighting

Service Provider Response

It's true, we don't provide free estimates. We first direct a potential client to our website, where our design process is fully explained. We are professional lighting designers, and it shows in our final product, the level of equipment we use, the expertise with which we work, and in our warranty. We send a licensed Master electrician for service calls or troubleshooting, or a degreed professional lighting designer for design consultations. In order to provide an estimate, we must first spend considerable time with the client at their property, talking over their specific needs and desires, study the plant material, then design an entire lighting system to meet those needs and most effectively complement the landscape design. In order to properly design a lighting system, wire routing, circuit planning and electrical calculations are required. Then we provide a detailed estimate with line by line information, detailing the design plan and identifying the equipment for the design. Over the years, we've found that if we provide this service for free, potential clients will take our hard work and show it to the competition, and we've don'e all that beautiful design work for nothing. The competitor can then low-ball the estimate by using inferior materials and workmanship. Our estimates are extremely accurate, including wire footage and materials to be used. Companies that provide free estimates can't possibly be doing the level of custom design that we do. If anyone tells you the price is $XXX per fixture, they aren't accurately projecting the costs or planning your system professionally. I am the owner of the company, and we have several people who answer the phone. I apologize if the client felt that I, or my people, were rude. However, if a client is not willing to pay such a small fee for a licensed professional to drive to their home, meet with them in person and custom design their lighting plan, then I certainly do think that they are not a client we would want to do business with. This is one way to determine whether a client is respectful. Would you expect to work to obtain a college degree or high level licensure and then give away your work for free? We are happy to provide free telephone consultations, to educate and provide information. I provide referrals to other companies for services, and I don't ask for referral fees. But once I start putting pencil to paper, creating a design plan for a client, then, yes, I would expect to be paid.