Schaefer Electric Company

ZR Z.

Beware! Bait and switch! Avoid at all cost! He gave us an estimate of two to three hours but ended up charging us for six hours. He takes too long to finish a job and is too hyper.

A W.

I was very impressed when I initially hired Schaefer Electric. Calls were returned promptly and scheduling was professional, easy to arrange, and convenient. Chris clearly knows his stuff and is very informative about what he was doing and why during the initial call, scheduling, and during the work. His rates seemed reasonable and I liked his no-nonsense attitude.

However, a number of issues came up during the electrical work that make me unable to give the high recommendation I had initially anticipated. Chris broke a nearly $500 item electronics item. I spent nearly 90 minutes of my time on the phone getting it replaced. I still have to pay someone to come install it a second time. He arrived late on both days and took multiple phone calls during the work, which he did not subtract from his paid hours. The next day, he gave me a time frame for a job he started the first day (the wall was open, so he knew what was in there), then I added some additional time for cushion, but he was off by several hours and my son missed a lesson that I had paid for and that could not be rescheduled.

Most problematic, I returned home after he had been paid and left to discover that he had left all the mess from the work--old light fixtures left in the middle of my living room floor, insulation all over my bedroom closet floor and clothing, drywall dust and chunks all over the bathroom counter and sink and office floor, and the boxes and other garbage sitting wherever he left it in different rooms. I understand holes in the drywall, which I expected and am having filled, but I have used several other electricians in the past and never had this kind of mess left behind. They have always straightened up at least a bit and removed the waste from what they installed. I went with Chris because of his experience and high reviews on Yelp. Considering I paid more than $1500, I expected that the house would be left in a minimally presentable condition and assumed that he or his insurance would be responsible for anything he damaged. I was clearly wrong on both accounts.

Chris is knowledgeable and experienced, but I did not appreciate that he was late on both days, talked on his phone during billable hours, broke an expensive item and did not offer to adjust his rates, and left a giant mess in my home that will require me to pay for a dumpster and spend significant time cleaning up. If this is how he does things, that is fine, but that should have been made clear during his initial quote. His rates are very reasonable, but be aware that in exchange you will be responsible for any mistakes and mess.

Jodi O.

First of all, I give Schaefer Electric two stars just for answering the phone and promptly returning my call when I left a message. You'd think this would be the first thing they teach you in Business 101, but you would not believe how many contractors do not answer the phone or return your calls. Over the last few months, we were looking to hire a landscaper, painter, electrician, and someone to grind our sidewalk. I called several people/companies in each of those categories, and less than half bothered to return my call.

Anyway, we hired Schaefer Electric to raise some very low hanging power lines that ran from our house to our garage. Chris came up with a solution that was simple, yet effective and completed the job quickly. After he left, we discovered one of the light switches wasn't working properly. He came back right away the following day to troubleshoot and fix the problem (I really appreciate that he was able to come back right away - the issue was not an emergency, just a minor inconvenience to us). To be honest, I didn't call around to compare prices, but his rates seemed very reasonable to me. Chris seemed very honest and genuine, and didn't try to convince me that anything else needed fixing (which I'm sure there are a lot of things he could have found, given we live in an older house).

Both Chris and Sue, the person who schedules the appointments in his office, were both very courteous and friendly. I would not hesitate to recommend Chris or use his services again.

Vik T.

Lady who answered phone was absurd. Very rude and mean. She was not helpful at all. AVOID!!!!

B.C. S.

Chris Schaefer returned our evening voicemail within minutes and adjusted his schedule for the next day so that he could be at our house bright and early the next morning. He solved our wiring problems in short order, and taught me a lot in the process. He is now our go-to expert for all things electrical! Don't shop around - - - just call Schaefer Electric.

Crzgma M.

I hired Christopher to change a thermostat and install new ballasts for my kitchen overhead lighting. He also checked out my heater, removed the filter (incorrectly installed) and showed me the correct way. He knows his stuff and was able to give me advice about everything I asked. I will be using him again next time!

Adam J.

Chris came out on short-notice and quickly fixed a whole list of nagging electrical problems we had. Within about 5 minutes he diagnosed (and then quickly fixed) two issues that another electrician had misdiagnosed and been unable to correct. Well done, Chris.

Roofus H.

Chris came up with a great solution on how I could put in overhead lighting in my home office without any damage and yet it turned out to look like it was there when they built my home. Once Sue set up my job date within a day, Chris was very meticulous in covering and protecting our floor and furniture to prevent dust and damage. He went the extra mile to make the light install look natural even though it took longer than expected, without adding to the price Sue and him had quoted me. If you want an honest electrician, call Schaefer Electric.
Thanks guys, now I can read at my desk again.

Brian S.

Chris did a superb job at rewiring a large part of our house. His planning and execution were flawless. He engaged us in the process to make sure we were getting exactly what we wanted, and we still marvel at his consideration and forethought in positioning lights, power outlets and switches in the most convenient places. Despite the extent of the work, the amount of time we were without power was unnoticeable. We couldn't be more pleased. A real professional.

Scott T.

Chris came out to put in can lighting, and check a few odds and ends for us on the electrical side. He showed up on time, got everything done that we needed him to, and will definitely call on him again for future work.