ComplaintsforBurtner Electric & Lighting, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  04/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I hired Burtner Electric to fix a wiring problem in a house I own. They spent 3 hours and charged me 3 hours but did not fix anything. The changes they made may have made the problem worse. They sent me a bill for $405.00 and suggested I hire them to rewire the house. I recieved the bill and thinking they fixed the problem I paid them. My mistake.

  Business response

  04/10/2023

  BBB Complaint #********
  On March 30th, we took a call from *************************** to look at his property at **************** The tv was smoking and tenant got rid of it and then said there was an issue with the breaker panel.  This information was per the tenant according to *****************   **************** wanted someone to look at it and we scheduled the work for the following day because this seemed like an urgent /fire hazard situation.  Our employee,******, went to the jobsite and found a neutral touching somewhere in the house.  ****** looked in the outlets,switches, light fixtures and the panel. ****** found that the wiring was old and crumbled when touched and a when he tested two other neutrals, they had the same result.  ****** called our office and asked ******* to call the homeowner to advise that the situation is unsafe and that we needed to give him an estimate to rewire the home. 
  ******* immediately called **************** to schedule an estimate to replace the wiring to bring it to code and to ensure that it was safe for the renter to live there.  *************** told ******* that he did not want us to come in until he gets his renter out.  On Monday, April 3rd,our receptionist, *****, called **************** to set up an estimate and **************** stated again that he did not want us to do the work until he got the renter out. No estimate was scheduled at this time and the file is documented to state that this is an urgent situation that the homeowner needs to remedy.
  **************** called on Friday, April 7th to tell ***** that he mailed a check and he knew noting about needing an estimate.  ***** referred to our notes and advised *************** that he has been advised by our office that he needed an estimate to replace the old wiring.    He was at the house for the first time since we were there and nothing was fixed. ***** explained the crumbling wires that we found and that the fix/repair would be to rewire the home. The charge was for our time and services because he verbally contracted us and asked us to go look at the house. **************** thought 3 hours was excessive for what we did or did not do. This is a case where the answer to fixing the problem is new wiring and we cannot do anything to temporarily fix something that is a fire hazard.  He said to cancel the estimate and he was not having the work done.    
  This is a situation where the homeowner does not want to pay for the services that he needs to have done in order to bring the home up to code and his comments to the Better Business Bureau do not explain the entire issue.  We would be happy to meet *************** halfway.  If **************** contracts us to rewire the home, we will take $200 off the cost of the work.
  
  
  **** Burtner
  April 10, 2023

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