My experience with Sparks Fly Electrical left me wondering how they could have such a high rating. My only interaction with Jay was a phone call to discuss getting a quote for a lighting job I need done at my home. Based on this experience – which I will describe honestly in detail below – I will definitely not be engaging his services.
I sent a polite text message this morning after getting home from work at around 10am. I received his phone call shortly after 2pm and expressed my interest in getting a quote to have some floodlights supplied and installed to light my backyard, and to have the LED downlights that are built in to my new patio roof connected to power.
Right from the start of the phone call I was put offside by his abrasive attitude, the sour tone of his voice and what seemed to be sarcastic huffing and scoffing whenever I finished speaking. From what I could gather, it seemed:
a)He thought I was lying about details of what work I wanted done, without even taking the time to come and see it for himself.
b)He thought I was lying about the two (wildly different) prices I had already been quoted by other electricians. (I have both PDF files available – one of which is fully itemised – for you Jay or anyone else to see, to prove I’m not lying). The only reason I told him about these quotes in the first place is he asked if it was possible to access the wall and roof spaces and I told him about the two completely different methods that had already been proposed.
c)He was offended that I had already gotten/booked so many quotes – I have only had the two mentioned in the previous point. When I mentioned that I happened to have one other quote visit booked for the only day he was available it set him off on a rant about how he has had to blacklist dodgy home owners who have gone and gotten ten or so quotes.
d)He didn’t want my work, it seemed I was taking up his valuable time discussing such a piddly job, even though his business description on TrueLocal says “No job is too large or too small”.
I chose to contact his company for a quote based on its high average review score and glowing reviews – many of them noting that he is a nice guy – so understandably I was left scratching my head after being treated this way, even though I maintained my composure and remained polite throughout the call - I even thanked him for his time at its conclusion! I can only guess he was having a bad day and took it out on me for some reason.
Jay: The only reason I had the “gall” to request a total of four quotes is the first two were very different in price and in the proposed approach to achieve my desired outcome – this was discussed in the phone call. Also, the first, cheaper quote which was itemised included a certificate of safety, while the second, higher-priced electrician seemed to know what he was talking about and instilled greater confidence in me but did not include the certificate of safety in his quote. I have not dealt with electricians before and as the saying goes for anything in life: you get what you pay for. With this in mind my partner and I are willing to pay for quality work, we were just confused about the discrepancy in proposed methodology and price, and why one electrician offered a certificate of safety while the other did not. (I was not aware until your phone call today that a certificate of safety is an optional extra that any licenced electrician can offer for a small fee).
By the way, if your LED floodlights are higher quality and cost more than the ones other electricians have quoted, that’s fine; but I didn’t appreciate being treated like a liar when you asked me how much another electrician said he could supply and install theirs for and I gave you an honest answer.
To anyone who considering choosing Jay from Sparks Fly Electrical to do their electrical work, I am happy to discuss the above interaction in further detail.
Jay: I am willing to remove this review from all of the pages I have submitted it to if you call me back to offer a sincere apology.
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