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Harris Electric Company
Home Care & Success Stories
Harris Electric Company
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Brian S.
UPDATE: After I posted this review, Mr. Harris emailed me twice, calling me, "Fag" in the second one. Wow.
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Mr. Harris and I agreed on a price for work to be done, but due to his mistakes, he did not complete the work properly. Additionally, he and/or his worker caused property damage in the process. And, Mr. Harris failed to respond to multiple emails from me afterward about those problems.
The long version:
I found Mr. Harris via Thumbtack in December of 2015. I wanted a new ceiling fan with remote installed in my bedroom. His estimate for labor and materials, fan excluded, was $250, and he promised, "I assure you that the installation will turn out beautiful."
Mr. Harris came on December 15, 2015 to examine the job. He informed me that he would need to cut holes in the drywall to run the wiring.
The next day, Mr. Harris came with another person to perform the installation. He was here for a couple hours but did not get the remote working. He said he needed to go to another job, but that he would come back later that evening to finish.
After they left, I was dismayed to see that they cut no fewer than EIGHT separate holes in the drywall to go a short distance. More holes means more patches, requiring more time and/or money.
Mr. Harris came back that night with a couple different workers but was still were unable to get the remote functioning. He concluded that either the transceiver or the remote was "defective." I believed him and paid him. He told me that once I got another remote, he could return, but I would be charged a separate service call.
Later that night, I noticed other things that Mr. Harris and/or his worker did including:
* Cutting the wire mold (the metal track enclosing the wire running from the wall to the fan) nearly an inch short of the wall itself
* Damaging my hardwood floors that had been installed just 3 months prior
* Leaving scuff marks on the ceiling, which had been freshly painted just 4 months prior
* Setting the fan on a panel for brand new kitchen cabinets that hadn't even been installed yet--damaging it in the process (which fortunately didn't matter as this panel was being returned)
I'm including pictures of all these things.
I should have said something at the time, but the damage was done, and frankly, I didn't want to rock the boat before Mr. Harris came out again.
The next morning, I noticed the DIP switches were in the opposite directions on the transceiver and the remote. I knew that this basic mistake could easily explain why the remote didn't appear to work. I sent Mr. Harris a message letting him know this and stating that I would get a second remote "just in case." He did not reply about the DIP switches. If it were me, I would have sent an apologetic reply and promised to make it right without any additional charge.
I obtained a second remote, but we had trouble scheduling due to his other jobs, and then we ran into the holidays. And, over time, I felt more frustrated about everything. So, when another electrician was in my place for my kitchen renovation, I paid him to take care of the issues rather than face Mr. Harris's minimum service call charges.
And guess what? He tried first with the original transceiver and remote, and THEY WORKED PERFECTLY. Mr. Harris had told me--incorrectly--that the apparatus was "defective." Had I not worked with this other electrician, I would have been on the hook to pay Mr. Harris more to do something he should have done the first time.
This electrician also went to the local hardware store himself to purchase different screws (since he told me that drywall rather than sheet metal screws had been used). And, he stated that while 8 holes had been cut in the wall, he could have fished the wires behind the wall and cut no more than 4. I also had him replace the wire mold with a new piece (that I bought at my own expense) that he made flush with the wall.
I emailed Mr. Harris on February 4, 2016 letting him know all these things. I stated that I believed some compensation was in order and that I hoped we could come to an agreement.
Mr. Harris did not reply. I emailed him again on February 11, 2016. Again, no reply. I emailed a final time on February 19. Again, no reply.
So, on February 27, 2016, I filed a dispute with my credit card company. And behold! Mr. Harris responded to that. He sent my credit card company a copy of the invoice and one of our email correspondences from December--neither of which addressed my issues. He also sent them a picture of a fan. Not MY fan. Some other random fan--not even the same model. Weird.
Bottom line: if I hire a licensed electrician, I should not be told that my equipment is "defective" when the problem is electrician error. And, while Mr. Harris promised "the installation will turn out beautiful"...well, you look at the pictures. The failure to respond to THREE separate emails each a week apart speaks volumes.
Needless to say, I would not hire Mr. Harris again.
Review from Yelp
Jack L.
I would not go with this Electrician firm (Harris Electric Company) again. On 1/4/17, they sent someone over to check out why there was a dead circuit in the kitchen but they couldn't figure it out... so they said they would run a new line from a working power outlet and we agreed that they would come back on 1/6/17 at 11 am and finish their work. Guess what? They never showed up. I made several calls to the firm but they kept saying their younger brother was the one who came to the house on 1/4/17. (Finger pointing here). Then I called the younger brother but he never returned my calls. Finally I got fed up with this run around and I called the firm earlier this week (on 2/6/17) and asked for a full refund on the $125.00 I paid the firm on 1/4/17 but they said they reserved the right to keep the $125 because it was for their diagnostic work and they also said that they reserved the right to refuse to do what they recommended (to run a new line). And then they hang up on me! Be very careful when you do business with Harris Electric Company.
Review from Yelp
Si H.
Mr. Max Harris was an exceptional young man who is not only knowledgable of his profession but extremely costumer oriented. He was fast and efficient more importantly his prices were fair. I called him and within the hour he was at my location. It's good when you have someone who's reliable as he is and does great work. I would highly recommend his company to anyone!!!
Review from Yelp
David D.
Our garbage disposal had stopped working so I put out a few quote for service. Harris replied first and briefly noted that I might want to check the reset button on the bottom of the unit and if that didn't work, to let them know.
It turned out that they were right and they saved us close to $100. That is selfless service at its best.
Review from Yelp
Mark J.
I woke up to find my LG refrigerator not working. After checking the fuses, I determined it was the outlet. I phoned Max at 8:30 am and he showed up to my home at 10:50! Now that is expedited service! He and his partner, after explaining that a refrigerator should not be plugged into a GFI outlet and why, changed the outlet to a regular one and that solved the problem. Additionally, he emailed me a receipt with a 2-year guarantee. He was professional and affable and I would definitely use him again and recommend him as well. All-in-all a 5-star first experience!
Review from Yelp
NatFan
I will not be going with this business again. Pretty much they left holes in my ceiling for weeks after I had recessed lights installed. I was informed by Michael that he would refer to me to a contractor to patch my holes. That never happened. I guess he forgot :-l. I decided to go with another business for installation of two additional lights and patching of my holes. FYI, I had 9 holes in my ceiling for 3 lights because according to Michael, my beams are perpendicular to the direction of my floor. 9 holes. At least I would have preferred if they had some follow through. Also, I have tenants. I do not want to leave my tenants complaining about holes in their ceiling. Oh, and I had them install a light fixture that was supposed to go in the main bathroom but they installed it in my powder room instead. When asked to correct it, they told me they might have to charge. How are you looking to charge ME for your screw up? So, now I have to pay you twice? I'm all for small business, and was pleased up until the point that my calls/requests were not acknowledged or returned.
Review from Google
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Harris Electric Company is an electrical contracting firm based in Washington, DC, providing electrical services to residential, commercial, and industrial clients throughout the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region. Established in 1986, the company has developed a reputation for dependable service, skilled workmanship, and professional project execution across a wide variety of electrical installations and repairs. The company offers a broad range of services including electrical wiring for new construction, system upgrades, troubleshooting, maintenance, and electrical repairs. Their team also works on commercial projects such as office buildi...