SOS Electric

Peer S.

My kitchen ceiling light's transformer stopped working, so I reached out to a few electricians via Yelp and SOS was fastest in getting back to me. I was able to schedule an appointment for the following week -- unfortunately, SOS almost stood me up. When I called after the appointment window, there was no record of my appointment or plan to swing by, though the Yelp messages jogged some memories. Luckily, it wasn't too late and Ronaldo from SOS stopped by. Really nice, confidence-inspiring guy. Seemed to know what type of transformer to order to get me back into the light. This seemed like an easy transaction. Perhaps I had finally found that rarest of unicorns: the electrician who actually shows up. My last guy, appropriately named Elvis, proved so elusive, I may have just dreamt that he actually existed. Keep an eye out for Elvis sightings! I want to believe! Back to Ronaldo:

When I didn't hear anything for two weeks, I reached back out. He was still ""waiting for word from the supplier."" He said he'd get back to me the next day. Radio silence. I reached out again after two weeks. When I didn't hear anything, I ordered a replacement transformer myself and let him know. I was informed that he was out of the country but would send one of his associates in two weeks on July 8. When the transformer arrived ahead of time, I let him know and he asked if someone could come the next day. Hurrah! Would light return to my kitchen? Nope. Nobody came. I nudged a week later. July 8 came and went, too, and nobody showed. Ronaldo let me know he was still out of the country, but a Hector would visit in two days. I took the day off to be at home -- for a third time -- no Hector. I reached out and haven't heard anything 10 days later.

Look, mistakes happen. I was ready to forgive the almost-missed first appointment. Mix-ups happen. But it's now been two whole months and 10 days, with considerable effort and flexibility from me -- and missed appointments in return.

Whatever the reasons for the missed appointments or the inability to just hand me off to another electrician, ""he seems like a nice guy"" is all I've got to show for. Other reviewers here seem to have had better luck, but I've moved on.

David S.

Remove and replace a ceiling light fixture? Easy for me to write, but more than I wanted to deal with myself. (Have you ever tried to juggle a temporarily wired ceiling fixture while pushing it up against the ceiling to attach it to the box?)

I called on a Friday afternoon and received a return call on Saturday morning offering to come out right then and there. An estimate was offered on the phone after a brief description and Tuesday worked best for me, and right on time, the doorbell rang.

Two hours later the job was done to professional standards.

Sure, I'd recommend SOS to anyone wanting reliable, reasonable electrical contracting who doesn't want to electrocute themselves by trying it themselves.

Joe M.

Last Saturday, we lost power to about 1/5th of our home, after a combination arc & GFCI breaker tripped in the substation when a housekeeper was cleaning our home while we were gone. Throughout the weekend, as much as I tried, I couldn't get the breaker to reset. The units that were down included the master bath/walk in closet lights and receptacles, the upstairs' HVAC and the home security system.

I called several electricians whose businesses were open during the weekend, but the best appointment I could get was for Wednesday of this week.

On Monday morn, at 8:30 AM, using Yelp, I called Ronaldo at SOS, who asked me the problem over the phone. After explaining, he said he would send someone by 3:00 PM the same afternoon.

10 minutes early, at 2:50 PM, Chiago of SOS came to the door. After expressing pleasantries and going over the problem, he asked me to show him the failed breaker. Looking at it, he gave the breaker's toggle a sharp pull to the left, which turned it off. When he snapped it to the right, our lights came on, the AC started up and my house alarm started ringing.

It took Chiago just 5 minutes to fix my 3 days of down time. I felt absolutely embarrassed that, as a retired project engineer who had designed and built massive electric plants and high voltage substations during my career, I hadn't solved this problem myself. Chiago laughed, saying that, based on experience, he recognized this particular breaker and knew that this manufacturer's toggle required above average force.

Chiago spent another 15 minutes, looking through the home for other problems. With the sub breaker reset in the panel, he saw that that GFCI wall receptacles in the master bath had tripped, and reset them. He guessed that they had probably tripped when the housekeeper had used them trying to vacuum the upstairs, and the surge further tripped the breaker in the sub.

Less than an hour into our house, the problem was solved and logically explained. The cost was very reasonable, and Chiago was extremely professional and courteous throughout. Expert knowledge like Chiago has was worth every penny.

For all the above, I heartily endorse SOS Electric, and will use them again should the need arise.

Patricia S.

Our power was knocked on an early Friday morning and Ronaldo, from SOS Electric was the only electrician who bothered to reach out to us on a stormy weekend. He immediately came to access the situation and promptly had his crew do the necessary repairs. Further, he facilitated getting the inspection permit that was required so that PG&E could turn the power back on immediately after his work was completed. He even bothered to phone after our power was restored to assure everything in our home was functioning properly. The quality of his work was excellent but the personal care he showed towards us and the situation was even more impressive. He deserves 10 stars but only 5 are being offered. We feel most fortunate to have found Ronaldo...

Happy Customer
Patricia S.
Kentfield

Laura M.

Ronaldo is awesome! He got back to me quickly with an estimate. He did a fantastic job installing 4 new light fixtures. He also gave us great suggestions and guidance on how the fixtures should be placed. Highly recommend!!

al c.

I called Ronaldo to check an electrical panel that seemed to be in need of repair. He came out the same day, diagnosed the problem and replaced the panel within a day. He then worked with PG&E to ensure that power was restored and followed up with me numerous times throughout the process. It is very rare to find such a person that is truly a professional and dedicated to customer service. I highly recommend Ronaldo and SOS Electric!!

Kevin L.

Ronaldo fixed an outlet within minutes and didn't charge me by the hour. Honest guy.

Was very safe in warning us about adding a new 240v outlet for electric car charger.

Knowledgeable and experienced for sure. You can trust him to make sure your electric is done right.

Bonnie L.

So happy I found him. I was sad that our previous electrician no longer does work so I wasn't sure who I could trust. He came highly recommended via my Next Door neighbors and he didn't disappoint.

I had tripped the power when I had my vacuum and space heater on at the same time. I couldn't tell if my stove stopped working or if something happened to its outlet. Ronaldo gave me an estimate and came over within the appointment window on time. When he came over, he saw right away that I didn't flip the switch right. In less than a minute, my stove was working again!

What I appreciated the most about Ronaldo was that he didn't charge me for the visit. That tells me a lot about his integrity and honesty. He didn't have to do that but he did.

I've been thinking about doing more electrical work to modernize my house so I'm definitely going to be calling him for it.

Shiraz K.

Fast Efficient and responsive.
I called SOS to help diagnose a problem with 2 outlets. We had beed away for a few weeks and on our return these 2 outlets were not working.
Ronaldo showed up on time (with a call 15 mins prior to confirm he was on the way), quickly determined what the problem was, replaced a couple of outlets, tested the system to make sure everything was working well, and left with the understanding that if for some reason the problem was not resolved to let him know.
Ronalso was personable, attentive and responsive. Very happy with SOS and will use them again.

Mark J.

Very quick response on an estimate and were great on the visit. Definitely will use again if needed.