Do not be fooled by good online reviews. They are easy to buy. The truth is that it is difficult to figure out if an electrician in Sherman Oaks is a real one. This article offers up a few ways to spot the fakes. It should help you to identify the good ones and bad ones.

Look For License Or Certification Cards

If you live in a country, state, or area where electricians and professionals have to carry their certifications and cards around with them, then check it out on your electrician. They can be faked, but the laws against faking them are worse than the jail time for posing as a real electrician.

Claiming to be Qualified

It is illegal in most countries to claim to be a qualified and/or certified electrician when it is not true. The problem is that word-of-mouth claims are difficult to prosecute people on. Take a look at their website, their adverts, any of their literature to see if it actually says “Qualified.” That way, if something goes wrong, you have something to use when you sue them.

Are They Registered?

In some countries, states, and/or areas, an electrician must register. Can you check the register to see if the people you are trying to hire are actually on it? Sadly, prosecutions against fake or unregistered electricians are very rare. Unless there is a death or serious injury, then it is worth the tens of thousands in expenses to prosecute these people.

Asking For Payments Upfront

This is a common scam that builders and contractors also pull. They ask for payment upfront, and then you never see them again. Even if they do turn up, you have to ask why they are charging people upfront. Is it because they are not sure the job is going to go well?

Random Discounts

If you deal with enough rogue traders, you will notice their readiness to offer unbelievable discounts. Sometimes they are quite convincing too. Such as saying it is their quiet season, so they have electricians standing around doing nothing, so they are ready to offer discounts just to secure the work. Real electricians do not need to offer big random discounts.

No Receipt or Correct Invoices

Rogue traders don’t want to leave any sort of proof they did what they did. They don’t want their activities to be traced, and they don’t want the tax services learning of the money they have been making. As a result, you will see very little in the way of financial paperwork.

Do Not Be Fooled

You are often told to look out for things like a real address, real website, real phone number, and read reviews when you are searching for a real electrician in Sherman Oaks, but all of these things can be easily faked. They can even hire a phone answering service so it seems like they have a receptionist. These days, faking all these things is super easy and super cheap, so you have to become an expert at spotting the fakes. If you want to avoid a fake electrician and rogue traders, then hire a long-established company like Hoffer Electric. You get a fair price for the professional, qualified and certified work they produce.