4 C Electrical Services

If you’re looking for a low ball estimate followed by a double price final invoice, this is the place! I called 4C and spoke with the owner, “Scooter,” when a daisy chain of outlets in our living room stopped working after a contractor installed wainscoting. Scooter quoted me $55 an hour. I’d recently gotten an estimate from Scooter for some outdoor work. I scheduled a service appointment for the living room. Never did Scooter mention a trip charge or an hourly minimum. 4 technicians showed up in 3 vehicles on the morning of my appointment. One was an apprentice in training, one tech was clearly in charge, the other 2 stood & watched. After testing it was determined a ground wire was loose - all was up and back to functioning in 20 minutes. No supplies needed. I asked the lead tech what I owed (I planned to give them a full $55 even though they’d been in my home less than an hour), but he said “The owner don’t trust us with money, he’ll bill you.” OK..... A week went by and still no invoice. I called 4C and asked what I owed. Again I got the, “We’ll invoice you.” Another week went by and I FINALLY recv’d my invoice. $110!!! I thought there had to be a mistake. I called Scooter. He said “No mistake. That’s what you owe.” I reiterated our earlier conversation and the $55/hour quote, he said “You just don’t get how this works. I gotta pay someone to answer the phone, to schedule the appointment, to make the repair. And I didn’t charge you anything for that estimate I did for you.” I almost thought he was joking, given the impolite manner in which he was speaking to me. I told him I was well aware of overhead and how a business works, but that he quoted me an hourly rate and I recv’d 20 minutes of service. He got angry and snapped “Fine! Pay whatever you think is fair!” and hung up. I sent $75, which I believe was more than fair. Did the work get done? Yes. The technician was very polite and professional, as were the other 3 guys that stood around and watched him work. But the way I was treated by the owner, Scooter, was completely unprofessional, unethical and downright rude. Take your business elsewhere, where you’ll be treated with respect and pay the actual amount you’re quoted.