West LA Electric

Update 3 years later: Happy to report that the service is as good as it was the last time. Our bathroom light needed a new switch (we thought, but it tuned out that a ballast for the light was bad) and I saw some arcing on our garage overhead light. So we requested Eric once again, and again, he did an amazing job. He showed up as scheduled on Christmas Eve. This time, the job took longer than we expected but Eric toiled away on the issues late into the day. We had plans that evening and ended up having to leave poor Eric outside in the garage working alone while we left. The poor guy worked alone at our house late on Christmas Eve (we gave him a nice tip). But knowing that this was West LA Electric, we also knew that we were in good hands. Sure enough we returned to perfectly functioning lights.
Thank you again West LA Electric. You’ve proven to us again why you’re our go-​to electricians.

I’ve used Scott and his crew several times while renovating my house and each time I’m blown away by their professionalism and work.

Gabriel is a true pro. He did a very good job with troubleshooting and recommendations and so evidently cared about his work, putting in off-​the-​clock time to make sure the spackling was perfect. Also, excellent work ethic. I watched him do a 9 hour day with just a half hour break. The man is a machine!
Scott also dropped by a couple times throughout the day to make sure everything was running smoothly. I overheard them make several calls back forth to communicate what was happening. Seems like they have a great team dynamic going!
After so many horrible vendors for various services, I’m glad I don’t have to look for any other electricians. I’ll definitely be using them every single time.

Just had an amazing experience with these folks. The initial phone call was very clear and honest. The workman who came over (I believe, Gabriel) was very knowledgeable, thorough, and professional. He checked over all of the possibilities for our (spa breaker) problem, and fixed everything related that seemed even a little bit off. The problem is now fixed. I then mentioned another small electrical issue that I would be calling them about in a few months, and without hesitation, Gabriel insisted that he check it now. He then spent another 20 minutes fixing that problem without charge! (I tipped him anyway.) It was a very classy act, by a great guy and company. West LA will be my electricians for life, and I recommend them highly!

Truly a pleasure working with Gabriel from West LA Electric again! He came back out today to hardwire a few new motion lights and replace a pendant in my kitchen. To put the exterior motion lights up, he had to go through an outlet in my room that had become problematic (chargers would fall out of the socket.) As a courtesy he replaced the socket in my room with a brand new one!
After completing everything he had come to do today, Gabriel noticed that an existing old outdoor fixture was not up to code! The junction box and outlet were not rated for outdoor use, also far too many connections were coming out of the box. My cousin who is a handyman, and was here today as well, explained to me in layman’s terms that Gabriel had «caught a ticking electrical time bomb,» and for that I am eternally grateful.
As it turns out, after discussing today’s events with my father, I learned that the previous owner of the house was an old-​time «DIY electrician.» We have several switches in the house that we don’t understand and that don’t seem to work.
Gabriel will be back again on Monday to bring this old house up to code — whether I will be here or not, I trust that Gabriel will get everything done in a focused, timely, and professional manner.
Before he left, Gabriel thoroughly swept his workspaces (which he had also tarped off) in the kitchen and my bedroom. When I say thoroughly I mean thoroughly, he even got the cookie crumbs under my bed!

I never doubt Scott’s skills because apparently his is a very experienced technician and won many compliments from other Unilocalers. But from a customer’s standpoint, here are a couple of thoughts — if you don’t agree on a customer’s review and you want to interact with them, that’s great! It might be a good opportunity for these customers to get to know your concerns and opinions that they were not aware of at first. But if the customer received replies like
«she is a liar», «Race, Chinese NO», «did your nose grow another foot», «Race… If I had to guess, Mexican due to her broken English», or «mean people suck» .
What do you expect he/​she to do? Upgrading a 3-​star to 5-​star?
In my original 3-​star review, I said «I spent 1200ish to fix everything», and it means I spent 1200ish to fix everything I need to fix, which includes GFCI outlets, fixture to cover bulb and HVAC, NOT everything West LA quoted for. The exhaust fan is working properly and the panel works with my apartment. Also I said nothing negative or offensive about Mr Scott’s profession as a electrical technician.
I think it’s absolutely right for Mr. Scott to bring legal actions to protect his civil rights. He said in his reply that «this is not China, she will learn a lesson about our society». Well, it’s a good lesson learned, regardless the final decision, I did see the justice and fairness the U.S. legal system is upholding. When the court first granted the claim, I respected the judge and I respected his decision. Later the judge granted my request to cancel and dismissed the case, I have my same respects to him and also appreciated his time in revisiting this case.

We had a great experience. Thanks for the great work and service West LA Electric. Cheers, Konscious Studios

I found West LA Electric by their stellar reviews on Unilocal (and Angie’s List), and they didn’t disappoint. Eric showed up on time (to the minute). He was very thorough, friendly, and professional. A few additional items came to my mind while he was there (a switch that wasn’t working), and it was no problem to add them to the job. He even diagnosed and fixed a couple of wiring problems that other electricians had created over the years. And he had an incredible range of hardware on his truck (including some decorative vintage hardware he could use to make a light fixture installation look just right). At the same time, he was happy to use light bulbs that I had bought on the cheap from Amazon. Great company. Great service.

I just had one of the most refreshingly honest experiences with Scott, the boss over at West L.A. Electric. I own a 4-​story home in West L.A. (2001 Construction) & the electrical outlets in 2 of the 4 bathrooms went dead a few days ago. A handyman friend of mine spent 3 hours at my place yesterday working to diagnose /​fix the problem, and ultimately failed to figure out what was causing the issue. So I did a quick Unilocal search and found West L.A. Electric on Unilocal (they had a hard 5-​star rating and are located near my home, so I gave them a ring).
I explained the issue to Scott (super friendly guy) and he told me what he thought was going on, and explained how to fix the issue over the phone. His simple solution worked immediately. Free Advice from a business owner! Any other electrician would have sent someone out, collected the minimum service call fee and most likely tacked on an extra hour or two by claiming the issue was much more complicated than it really was.
Scott knew what the issue was, and he would rather be helpful and save me time and $ than make some extra $ for his business. But now he has my personal business for life… and I happen to own a real estate company that handles the leasing at over 500 apartment buildings in L.A., so I very much look forward to sending a lot of business his way in future years!
Thank you Scott!

OUTSTANDING SERVICE AT A FAIR PRICE
We needed an electrical outlet put in for a dishwasher installation. Eric arrived on time, carefully protected our hardwood floors as he worked and got everything done in just an hour. From scheduling to completing the job to clean up, Eric and West LA Electric delivered outstanding service. Add some applause for honesty when the final bill was actually 26% under the original estimate. Based on this experience I would certainly use them again, and recommend them to anyone needing electrical work done in their home.

Gabriel of West LA Electric came out to my condo this morning to fix an issue with out smoke alarm. He was prompt, very knowledgable and even walked me through the issue so that I could replace it myself in the future. I highly recommend West LA Electric and will definitely use them in the future!

I hired West LA Electric to install some ceiling fans in a my new place. Scott (owner) was very responsive and came out the day I called to give me a very reasonable quote. On the installation day, GABRIEL was on time and very professional. This is an older home so you never know what’s going to happen when they get in to do the work. He install the ceiling fans and he also installed a dedicated outdoor power source and fixed a faulty dimmer switch in my kitchen! Gabriel very quickly identified and kept me informed of issues pertaining to older wiring and poorly made connections, plus grounded the connections that should have been but weren’t. These guys are CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICIANS and it shows! I can’t say enough good things about West LA Electric and would definitely recommend and hire them again for any electrical needs. THANKS, GABRIEL!

Fast and friendly same-​day service from Eric. It’s a shame the job was prepping my condo for new owners. I hope I find as good an electrician wherever I move to!

I recently hired West LA Electric to upgrade my antiquated electrical pannel from 60 amp to 200 for my 1920’s Spanish Style home in Venice. I couldn’t have been happier with the Job from start to finish. This was quite a tricky upgrade as the panel had to be relocated with new wires run under the house.
Both Eric and Gabriel who carried out most of the physical work were excellent. They absolutely went the extra mile and worked extremely hard and efficiently for 4 days. There were no short cuts. I also paid for 3 new circuits for my kitchen but ended up with 5 because as Eric informed me it was the «right way to do it».
I actually received quotes from 3 electricians. Scott was the only one willing to deal with the City permitting procedure and at the same time remain competitive. So for the same price, Scott applied for the permits, scheduled the inspection and even waited around 2 hours for the City inspection. Everything passed to without a hitch!
Overall Scott was straightforward and easy to deal with. Having worked with a number of contracters recently I know the «rough from the smooth»… My advise is save yourself the hassle, take the path of least resitance, and call West LA Electric.

Just called the company for a cost estimate… I live a few blocks from them… I was told that it would cost me $ 165 for just a cost estimate if they were to send someone to my house… and as I was asking more questions they just hang up on me… great customer service!!! I will certainly share my experience on twitter and blogs featuring customer reviews on electrical companies in west Los angeles…

Gabriel did a great job. Arrived quickly and tracked our problem to a damaged wire under the house. Very trustworthy and intelligent service. Will use again.

Scott has restored my confidence in electricians. I called him to get his rate and explain to him what I needed done. He came the same day and was on time, professional, and articulate. I had three specialized dimmers that would control the lights in my master bedroom which I had purchased before hand. Scott came with the wiring diagrams and install instructions from the manufacture’s website that he researched and printed at his office! Yes, this sounds logical, but I’ve had many subcontractors show up and just try to «wing it» with the installations and not even read the installation guide which ends up taking more time and costing more money. I’d definitely call him again.

Used West LA for a few years. Responsive, technically excellent service… But be very clear about pricing up front. Wanted to replace a lutron dimmer in kitchen that wouldn’t stay on. I was pretty sure it wasn’t the recessed can itself. I have had these short out (over 60 in one story house) and know how they behave when they begin to go bad.
Scott quoted me a $ 170 service call charge to replace the switch. This excl. the part, which I had. (if you buy off the truck, which is well stocked, think 3x Amazon or some other online electric wholesaler.)
I was stunned and when I asked why, his response was what if it was something more complicated. My response, then add the xtra labor to the bill. After all, that is how any reputable major appliance service outfit works. His answer: $ 170.
I used an outfit in Playa — time to replace 10 minutes, cost $ 90. And they sent an electrician and helper. So, if it had been more complicated, there was a team on site.
If you have an unexplained outage (e.g., a circuit), be clear about how and when the diagnostic work will get done. Used them for a circuit outage — Scott came that Fri. afternoon. (responsive, yes). Rechecked outlets I had already checked using my hair dryer and left after an hour without getting under the house to check the junction boxes. Cost $ 150. Then Eric came out after the weekend and did the down and dirty diagnostics and repair in 2 hours. The initial service call made me feel good, but in retrospect, cost me xtra money. Lesson learned: unless you are really in dire straits, schedule this kind of service when they have the time to stay with it.

I had them come install an electrical outlet in my kitchen to split up a circuit that kept tripping the breaker. Very professional, good work. I then called them once with another electrical question and they walked me through it as a courtesy. I’d definitely use them again!

Scott is a licensed electrical contractor and definitely knows what he’s doing when it comes to all things electricity. He is also very professional and seems very genuine.
He does charge a minimum /​service call fee, so there wasn’t really a «free estimate,» but sometimes that’s the way it is I think when you don’t know exactly what’s wrong — he has to start working to figure out what’s going on. It does include the first hour, though, and it could be that’s all he needs. After that it’s an hourly rate.
So, if you definitely know what needs to be done and it’s very minor, you might be able to manage yourself or use a handyman. But if you have a more complicated issue, or don’t know exactly what’s wrong, or just want to make sure everything will be done properly and to code — and who doesn’t when it comes to electricity? — call Scott first.
I had a couple of things that weren’t working and we didn’t know the cause, whether it was the sockets, switches, wiring, etc.). I was also considering installing a new CO/​smoke alarm myself, but then figured it was worth it to just have a professional do everything at once. Scott worked with me by showing up bright and early in the morning and managed to get everything done in 1.5 hrs so I still made it to work only a little later than usual. My bathroom fan/​heater turned out to be broken, but Scott check to make sure the power going to the unit was working and then even showed me how I could order a replacement part and install it myself. So I saved a little money AND got to feel all handy! Great guy!