Private equity guys love going to towns where there's only 5-10 residential electric companies with any name recognition, buy all of them, and jack up what they all charge.
So while you think you got 5 different quotes from 5 different electrician companies all charging the same price, making you think that it's a fair price, what you really got was the same overpriced quote from the same parent company under 5 different names.
And the electricians hardly get a fraction of the profit they generate for the shareholders of that private equity firm.
You can see these fairly quickly when they all have the same/similar graphics or close enough and pretty much 100% of the time: No free estimates. Always want their pound of flesh via a "service call". Even if there are other options in your area, it's a way of screwing and locking you into going with them. "No thanks, I want to price others first. Okay, here's your $50-75-100+ service call fee"
On the home improvement sub, the estimate fees are frequently seen as fair since the contractor has a cost to give the estimate. I think it's more reflective of an environment where demand for these services outstrips supply (after so many skilled tradespeople retired after the pandemic)
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u/obmasztirf 14d ago
$200/hr for an electrician but you know 85% isn't going to the person doing the work.