Kolb Electric Inc

The technician tightened some ground wires in the panel box and that was all. He did no real troubleshooting. His recommendation was to replace any fixtures that flickered. That recommendation was written on the invoice. I got a second opinion from another electrical service company. The electrician from that company did extensive troubleshooting and found two major problems. 1. In the panel box, one of the service wires was loose and was arcing, and there was evidence of water damage in some of the breakers. 2. In the meter box, there was extensive damage to the service wires from the meter to the panel box, and evidence of significant arcing in the meter box. The insulation on one of the wires was burned off and was a fraction of an inch from contacting the ground wire. Based on the extensive inspection done by the second company and the damage found, the meter box and panel box had to be replaced, and the grounding had to be upgraded. That fixed a very unsafe and dangerous situation not found by the Kolb electrician. It also solved the flickering problem.

The technician who came to my house was friendly, but his work was adequate at best. He left debris around the areas where he worked and claimed to be unable to install a bathroom vent fan (something the next company I called did easily), but he did install the floodlights and porch light. However, he hung the porch light too low (it no longer cleared the screen door when opened) and damaged part of the porch ceiling. He didn?t report the damage to us, so I discovered it later. I contacted the company and the manager first tried to tell me that the tech hung the light at the same height as the old one. The light is on a chain and the height is easily adjustable; the tech left the screen door open to avoid hitting the light, again leaving an issue to be discovered after he was gone. He knew it was too low, he just didn?t bother to adjust the length. More troublesome than that, the manager offered to, at most, send someone out to glue back the layers of plywood that the tech had torn out in mounting the new light, making a point to tell me ?we don?t do any patching or painting.? Only when I said that his proposed solution was inadequate did he agree to come out and look at it. After he saw it, he agreed to have someone come to patch and paint it (something that two days before he told me was just not possible). Now here we are nearly two months later and the repair is still not complete. The initial coat of patch compound is there, but the sanding and painting remains to be done. Nor have I had any contact from the company to explain the delay, let alone apologize. Granted the weather has been bad for some of that time, but nowhere near all of it. A business that cares about the quality of its work will rush to put right any damage they inadvertently cause, and offer a sincere apology along with the needed remediation. Kolb has shown me nothing but indifference and ? grudgingly and only when pushed ? a minimal effort to provide an easy repair. UPDATE: On the day this review posted, the handyman returned to finish the repairs. He completed them quite well, leaving the porch ceiling even better than it had been. He also explained the personal circumstances that had delayed him. While I still would have liked an email or phone call to explain the delay (it has the effect of letting the customer know you haven't forgotten), I am satisfied with the final outcome.

I called, we made an appointment, they said I had to be home. I took time off from work, waited, no one showed up. I called and they said someone would call me before they arrive. no one showed up. A few days later I get an estimate in the mail. not sure if they ever showed up on their own. estimate (to re-route a 50' coaxial cable) was $828. pretty steep for an hour's job

I was referred to Kolb Electric by my home warranty service. There were two issues, both in the bathroom: 1. The light fixture did not work. I had changed the bulb but still no light. Could not determine the issue on my own so I contacted an electrician. 2. One of the two plugs on the outlet did not work. The latter issue was relatively easy to resolve. The repair person happened to have a GFI receptacle and was able to replace. He noted that the cost was normally $30 + tax for the part but he did not charge me. The reset had broken on the other one. With the former issue, the technician was taking a very long time (more than 30 mins) to diagnose the problem. His conclusion was that i needed a new fixture entirely. The one I had was a T12 ballast fixture and he recommended a T8 ballast fixture. I asked him to explain the rationale as well as the difference between the two. He didn't provide a very thorough or clear explanation, except to repeatedly say that I needed a new fixture. In reality, what he was recommending was a new striplight--not a new fixture. [Note: I purchased a new T8 light strip from Amazon for a whopping $16.45.] When I asked if he was able to make this repair, he noted that he had to contact my home warranty service to get approval. I could not recall immediately if my home warranty covered parts, etc. I looked through my files for a copy of the policy while he spoke with the home warranty service via phone. He shared with me that he'd now been at my home for more than an hour, and there would be charges for subsequent time. [Note: He was on the phone with the home warranty company from 8:49 am - 9:20 am.] I asked him how he'd calculated that, since it had been less than an hour, and he said that he included the time it took him to find parking. Even now, nearly two years later as I write this, I still can't believe he actually said that. If every repair or service person charged their customers in DC for time they search for parking, no one would ever be able to afford a repair service. This is a major metropolitan city and you're arriving during the AM rush hour (arrived at 7:40 am). As he spoke (allegedly) to the warranty company, presumably his dispatcher/supervisor and me, he kept changing the cost to stay--from $246 to $305 to $185 (for the fixture alone) to $270. At this point, I decided to wrap up our interaction, and told him I'd be in touch if I needed him (which I never would). I gave him a check for $75--the cost per the warranty company for the visit. In the end, I never called him or Kolb back. It took 2 more electricians to diagnose the problem (see my POSITIVE review of A Action Home Services). In the end, it wasn't the fixture at all. A neutral connection had to be repaired. Once that was fixed, and a new bulb installed, ta-da: light! I'm being generous with my rating mostly because he did fix the plug.

It was excellent. He was knowledgeable and was able to come out in a quick time. It was easy to schedule an appointment and they fixed it.

They did a fine job. The service I usually get is good. For professional electrician, the price could have been a little cheaper, but he did six of them so I would say the price was fair. He cleaned up behind himself and that was a good thing. He was definitely on time; in fact, he was before time. He was professional. I have already recommended him to someone. They did not use him yet, but I did recommend him.

They were on time, heard out my list of needs, then recommended an order of which they were going to complete the work and got right into it. They cleaned up neatly. I recommend them highly and would use them again. I gave them a B on pricing because honestly I've never compared Electricians quotes to know where there pricing falls. They cleaned up all scraps.

Installer did a good job on installing ceiling fan with light kit. He was friendly and cleaned up after installation. Still working well 2 months later. The only things disappointing is that my initial phone quote was about $100 less than I was originally charged. I'm not sure if the difference was the labor I was charged to assemble the ceiling fan. Recently, I was contacted by the Frederick Manager, Lou and he took care of my concerns. We discussed future job opportunities in my home. I would recommend this company for their good work and customer service.

They were on time, friendly, had fair prices, and did great work.

My reason for wanting to volunteer a review is due to Kolb Electric and how they responded to my request.....wanting and needing my porch to have light....I purchased an Outdoor Ceiling Fan.....w/light. I needed it installed by 10/31/14 and I just purchased the Ceiling Fan on Monday 27th......so I used Angie's to request a couple of companies to see who could get the job done by Friday. Immediately I received a response back from Kolb Electronic instructing me to call so I can set up the time for Friday! It get(s) better.....after calling to set up an appointment at a rate of $195 for the 1/2 hour and $45 every 1/2 hour after that..... I received another call from a project manager who explained by me being an Angie's List member and the price I was quoted is wrong....and the new rate would be $85 for an hour. Too good to be true right......but Friday came and there was Kirk at my door promptly at 8:45am.....ready to work. Totally professional and efficient....explained everything to me about the type of Ceiling Fan I had....and the functions of it. Bottom line....incredible customer service and but also discovering the Real Benefits of being an Angie's Member just took it to another level.....this was my first year test with Angie's List....and honestly I was planning on cancelling my membership after my year was up....but with this recent situation with Kolb Electric....no cancellation here. Thank you Kolb Electric and Thank you Angie!!! Mr. Francis Weaver

Work itself was average. Failed to provide one of four light bulbs and installed the wrong dimmer (estimator stated that the sliding type of dimmer would be used because he "hates" the other type; however, the knob type dimmer was the one installed). Professionalism and customer service were awful. I originally had them out to do an estimate for a somewhat larger scope of work, and the provided me with an estimate. When I decided to decrease the scope of the work, the estimator said he didn't need to come out and do a new estimate, since I would just be charged for time and materials and it would work out to be a few hundred less and my invoice would reflect that. Fine -- annotated in contract, paid deposit, and moved onto doing the job. After the job was done, I received an invoice for the original, full amount. Called the estimator and he assured me that he would adjust the invoice and I would get a new updated one. A week later I got the same, original invoice. Called him again, same story from the estimator, same result: got yet another original invoice reflecting the original amount. Called again, same result except this time Kolb electric had the audacity to try and charge me a late fee. I then called the main office, got the usual run around, until I finally got ahold of the estimator's supervisor. Ten days later I finally got an adjusted invoice (which still seemed a bit high and I don't trust as far as I can throw it); noticeably absent from the updated invoice was any sort of discount for having to spend almost six weeks to get it right, nor was there any sort of apology. The only conclusion I can draw from their lack of apology is that this is status quo for them and they were likely hoping I would just pay the full amount and not notice what was going on. There are plenty of good electricians out there. Do not waste your time with these guys, especially for an average quality of work.

The outlet had to be relocated because water was leaking from it. I had a plumber fix the leaky pipe that was causing the problem. Kolb sent Mr. Harrison to perform the work and he did a good job.

There was quite a lot of work to be done. They came out they put a new panel in, they run new wires, they sorted out some minor electrics in the attic, they got some connections and so that they system was therefore complete for the contracting firm to come in and do their part. We chose them because we've used them before. We've done some minor electrical work with them when we had first arrived.

They returned phone calls, were prompt in showing up for estimate and work to be completed. We needed one special accommodation and that was handled without an issue.

We had just moved into a newly renovated house. One by one the recessed lights throughout the house were burning out. The electrician from Kolb took his time diagnosing the problem until he found the cause. He was very thorough and patient. In the end it was some loosely concocted wires. We were very happy with the time he spent to get it right.

The electrician was nothing but masterful (possibly even surgical) in his ability to install the new power lines with making only a few cutout in a closet space where they were completely out of sight. A less accomplished electrician would have just cut multiple holes along the entire length of the ceiling causing excessive damage. The work took a little bit longer than expected but Travis the appraiser in charge of the job gave me an appropriate discount. I would highly recommend Kolb for quality electric work that leaves you with peace of mind.

We had been given a service window of between 8AM and 12PM and Keith called around 10 AM to say he'd be there within 30 minutes. He arrived in about 20 minutes and quickly got to work once I explained everything we wanted done. He was very friendly, professional, and appeared very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about his trade and fielded my retired father's sociable barrage of questions very well. Given the amount of tasks he was done reasonably quickly (by around 12:30). I thought the price was fair and am pleased with the quality of his work. We will definitely use Kolb in the future if we have additional electrical wiring needs.

Great work, on time and reasonably priced. Wayne and Maurice were great!

When I spoke with them they said the deal was not for the what I needed. I needed a 200 amp heavy-up. Whatever that is.

Kolb Electric took my appointment and told me I was confirmed, and gave me a window to be home between 9 AM and 3 PM. I took the time off work and was available at home during the scheduled appointment time, but no one ever showed up-- Kolb Electric lost my appointment. I wasted 6 hours waiting for them, and when I called to find out what had happened was treated incredibly rudely. Rhonda at the reception desk was entirely unprofessional, raising her voice with me and trying to tell me that the lost appointment was my fault. DO NOT USE THESE GUYS! They're not worth the headache.

Iwill never use Kolb Electric again! It was a horrible experience. What should have been a fairly simple job for a single ungrounded electric outlet took six and half hours and cost me $740. The person that Kolb sent, Jose Ramos, was a nice courteous young man but a less than experienced electrician. It took him four hours of hours of trouble shooting including the replacement of a junction box, the removal of two ceiling fans in two different rooms and the removal some of the wiring in my attic before he finally called in for some help from Pat, a more experienced electrician. Within an hour of Pat's arrival, he surveyed the situation and found the issue in the wiring inside of junction box above the first ceiling fan that Jose disassembled and reassembled three hours earlier in the same room with the ungrounded outlet. Unfortunately Jose did not check the wiring in the junction box above the fan, just the wiring to the fan the first time. After the problem was fixed, Jose and Pat then spent the next almost two hours putting back together all the multiple electric outlets that had been opened, replacing another junction box and the wiring that Jose had pulled in my attic and reinstalling and/or reassembling the ceiling fans. In the end, I told Jose to stop reassembling one of the fans because he was putting it back together incorrectly and reassembled it myself because it was costing me a fortune to have these guys there. After they left I found that they had not replaced the cover on the main electric panel in my garage so I had to fix that too. The ungrounded outlet is now fixed, but it cost me way too much time and money. I am a very unhappy customer.

The service provider came out to fix the furnace, I appreciated that he came out and did work for me on a Sunday. However, there was a quite a mess. Not only was there fluid all over the place, I had to replace my rug because it was destroyed. Due to the mess that was created in the process of installation, I hired a professional cleaning company to come in and clean up the mess that was left. On two different occasions this company apologized and said they would compensate by sending me a gift certificate, which still has not been delivered. I am very disappointed.

I was without hot water and heat or microwave through the weekend. I followed up on Monday to ask about the proposal and they were working on it. Since the technician who had come the previous week had said his boss said it would cost $2-3K to replace the breaker box, which was a substantial sum, I had another company come on Tuesday morning to give me a proposal. That company sent a master electrician who quickly found that I wasn't getting 240 volts into the house and said I should call Dominion Power. Indeed, it turned out to be an underground service fault and Dominion Power fixed it. Kolb did agree not to cash my check for $157 since they misdiagnosed the problem, but it would have been much better had they sent a master electrician in the first place and properly diagnosed the issue.

BGE home was unable to address our electrical concerns after two attempts, which is why I needed someone else. When I called KOLB late Fri. morning they said someone would be out by 5:00 PM. I was pleased someone could come out the same day. Their call mid-afternoon to say someone was coming got cut off three times. I called back from a different phone to let them know I was home. Dave S. showed up shortly. He asked what the concerns were, then went right to work. The post lamp was a little bit of a challenge. He suggested we use a different kind of bulb in it. The other two matters were simple fixes. From start to finish KOLB was polite, prompt & professional. I would definitely call them again.

2 Thumbs up to Anthony and Maurice, they were punctual, professional and did a GREAT job. They arrived on time took great care to clean up after they were finished and made the entire process painless for the owner. I will definitely use Kolb Electric for all of my electrical needs in the future!