Very Sad

[Ken In NJ]

That there are companies like this ..

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/special_reports&id=7300352

My son actually worked for this contractor a few years back. The "employees" were paid as subs .. and the more they sold (needed or not) the more they made ..

I could not believe the prices they were charging and getting ..

 

[zappy]

So this is how you make money as a contractor. Tell everyone your house is going to burn down if you don't upgrade, make more problems by cutting wires etc. I have seen the light! I'm going to be rolling in the dough! JK.

 

[chris1971]

Contractors like that give our industry a bad name.

 

[shepelec]

I remember a similar story from Florida, I still have not found "breaker glue".
$400 for a Srq D QO 1p 20 breaker.:roll:

 

[roy g]

roy g

roy g

lack of ethics is nothing new. we have simiular companies in our area (mostly franchieses of electric, hvac, plumbing ) who work off a like manner. Their prices are usuall much higher than an independent company. tech are urged inflate costs and than paid a % of it. where I see a real abuse is in elderly people where fear is used to sell job. As a contractor, I realize a fair profit must be made on every job, but do so with an attitude of honesty. The "sub contractor" and employerer might want to check with irs and state tax laws an what the difference in a "sub contractor" and "employee". Cenerally subcontractor must have license, tax numbers, insurance, phone, place of business, etc or liability for witholdings, taxes, etc goes back to origional contractor or employerer.

 

[AV ELECTRIC]

I believe these company's can only use this tactic on emergency service . Ive notice in these situations people would like there electrical back on asap and will not call for a second opinion. This is when people are most vulnerable . I have talked to customers that called me for a second opinion and the previous EC would give them a price to troubleshoot at 700 dollars that would not include repairs. They usually have those full page ads in the phone book without a company name . Once the community catches on they vanish i guess they move on to another area.

 

[cadpoint]

The teacher was on an aluminum ladder! :grin:

 

[satcom]

The teacher was on an aluminum ladder! :grin:

Yup, his advice is Gold!

It just sounds like someone someone complaining because some low ball contractor, tells a customer that sounds high, 3,400 is not high for some 200A upgrades, depending on the material used, cable or Conduit, high end material or junk, there are many things involved, not a cookie cutter price.

 

[ty]

Good 'ole Chick-a-Chop.
Father/sons outfit.
I never knew them to have numerous employees.
I didn't even know they were still in business. They're out of NJ. Haven't seen them around in years.
And, coincidentally, there name came up at the supply house just the other day.

 

[Ken In NJ]

Yup, his advice is Gold!

It just sounds like someone someone complaining because some low ball contractor, tells a customer that sounds high, 3,400 is not high for some 200A upgrades, depending on the material used, cable or Conduit, high end material or junk, there are many things involved, not a cookie cutter price.

Not the case at all !! The contractor has a LONG history with the State Board .. (I'm not sure how he still holds a licence)

$3400 not high for a 200 amp resi service ?? We do them for 2/3's of that and less all the time. .. but maybe we are just too cheap ??

 

[ty]

that does seem high for a service upgrade, but then again, they're in New Jersey, where my sister pays almost 9 bucks for a pack of smokes.

Anyway, I think Joe unfortunately had some guys that just didn't know what they were doing, for starters.

I presume with the guy at the chimney, he had no idea what the problem was, and cut the service drop so that the panel was dead. basically, inexperienced.

The hidden camera guy, probably never checked for voltage on the line side of the main breaker with it turned off. Probably saw the water damage and 'assumed' that was the problem. Again, inexperience.

 

[satcom]

Not the case at all !! The contractor has a LONG history with the State Board .. (I'm not sure how he still holds a licence)

$3400 not high for a 200 amp resi service ?? We do them for 2/3's of that and less all the time. .. but maybe we are just too cheap ??

The board may of heard the case, and found nothing wrong, many consumers, and even some electricians, don't understand why the cost of doing business is.

2/3 the price of what type of upgrade ? and are you in a full time business with all the overhead and operating expenses, decent pay check, benifits including health care? when someone is that cheap there has to be a reason.

 

[Ken In NJ]

The board may of heard the case, and found nothing wrong, many consumers, and even some electricians, don't understand why the cost of doing business is.

2/3 the price of what type of upgrade ? and are you in a full time business with all the overhead and operating expenses, decent pay check, benifits including health care? when someone is that cheap there has to be a reason.

From the Board .. They found lots wrong .. they don't just hand out 13K plus fines .. All public record

Check in the amount of $4,500.00 received from Joseph C. Chickachop, License #4847, t/a Chick-A-Chop Electrical Contractors, as the first installment of a civil penalty, and costs, in the amount of $13,765.00 for violation of N.J.S.A. 45:5A-17; N.J.A.C. 13:31-1.4; N.J.A.C. 13:31-3.2; N.J.A.C. 13:45A-15.2(a)10; N.J.A.C. 13:31-3.7; N.J.A.C. 13:45C-1.2 & 1.3; N.J.A.C. 13:31-3.4 and N.J.S.A. 45:1-21(b). The balance due is $9,265.00.

 

[Ken In NJ]

The board may of heard the case, and found nothing wrong, many consumers, and even some electricians, don't understand why the cost of doing business is.

2/3 the price of what type of upgrade ? and are you in a full time business with all the overhead and operating expenses, decent pay check, benifits including health care? when someone is that cheap there has to be a reason.

2K is the avarage for a 200 amp replacement service.. yes we are a full time EC .. with all the overhead .. Insurance .. and decent paychecks .. same people have been employeed with the company for 7 years or more..

We also use Square D QO not homeline .. in 90% of the service up-grades we do

 

[satcom]

From the Board .. They found lots wrong .. they don't just hand out 13K plus fines .. All public record

Check in the amount of $4,500.00 received from Joseph C. Chickachop, License #4847, t/a Chick-A-Chop Electrical Contractors, as the first installment of a civil penalty, and costs, in the amount of $13,765.00 for violation of N.J.S.A. 45:5A-17; N.J.A.C. 13:31-1.4; N.J.A.C. 13:31-3.2; N.J.A.C. 13:45A-15.2(a)10; N.J.A.C. 13:31-3.7; N.J.A.C. 13:45C-1.2 & 1.3; N.J.A.C. 13:31-3.4 and N.J.S.A. 45:1-21(b). The balance due is $9,265.00.

Yup, typical New Jersey friendly treatment of business, The state does just hand out thousands in fines, and that is the reason some of the states largest employeers have closed shop and went to other states with a common sense govermrent, on the other haind I do agree with your position on contractors that do abuse the consumer, they should be punished if found guilty of abuses, but a sting with the press, is a one man jury judge all in one, not the right thing either.

 

[LarryFine]

... a sting with the press, is a one man jury judge all in one, not the right thing either.

They can't film what doesn't happen.

 

[muckusmc]

From the Board .. They found lots wrong .. they don't just hand out 13K plus fines .. All public record

Check in the amount of $4,500.00 received from Joseph C. Chickachop, License #4847, t/a Chick-A-Chop Electrical Contractors, as the first installment of a civil penalty, and costs, in the amount of $13,765.00 for violation of N.J.S.A. 45:5A-17; N.J.A.C. 13:31-1.4; N.J.A.C. 13:31-3.2; N.J.A.C. 13:45A-15.2(a)10; N.J.A.C. 13:31-3.7; N.J.A.C. 13:45C-1.2 & 1.3; N.J.A.C. 13:31-3.4 and N.J.S.A. 45:1-21(b). The balance due is $9,265.00.

Don't think they pulled his license tho - spotted one of his trucks on the way to Berlin the other day - told my son that we followed them on alot of job in the past - just a hack - never could understand how he stays in business.

 

[Ken In NJ]

Yup, typical New Jersey friendly treatment of business, The state does just hand out thousands in fines, and that is the reason some of the states largest employeers have closed shop and went to other states with a common sense govermrent, on the other haind I do agree with your position on contractors that do abuse the consumer, they should be punished if found guilty of abuses, but a sting with the press, is a one man jury judge all in one, not the right thing either.

I'm NOT trying to beat a dead horse .. BUT did you see in my FIRST post where I said that my son use to work for that company.
Their practices were not on the up and up .. its a fact that I have personally seen and heard about .. many ..many times

NJ not friendly ?? Say it ain't so .. Let me get the heck out of here :grin:

 

[Rewire99]

I'm NOT trying to beat a dead horse .. BUT did you see in my FIRST post where I said that my son used to work for that company.
Their practices were not on the up and up .. its a fact that I have personally seen and heard about .. many ..many times

NJ not friendly ?? Say it ain't so .. Let me get the heck out of here :grin:

I know there are some bad guys out there, and you may have better information, but on the one complaint, there was water in the panel, so are we only hearing one side of the story? I not only believe in consumer protection, but in a fair and just hearing for anyone accused.

Don't get out of here, many of the biggest employeers already did that, we need good people to stay and fix the state, and bring companies back and get this Garden State moving again.

 

[hillbilly1]

So this is how you make money as a contractor. Tell everyone your house is going to burn down if you don't upgrade, make more problems by cutting wires etc. I have seen the light! I'm going to be rolling in the dough! JK.

My mom had an experience with the local monopoly phone company years back, they were trying to sell their overpriced maintaince plan. A phone repairman was going around cutting or disconnecting the customer side of the demarc, then his wife would call the next day after the victim would get it fixed, paying a high service call fee to the phone company saying that if they would sign up for the inside wiring protection plan, it would have cost them nothing. (she got commissions from every customer she signed up) I happened to be at my mom's when she told me about the phone being dead. I checked at the demarc, and the wire had been neatly removed and folded back. The next day the phone company telemarketer called not knowing I fixed it instead of her husband. Since my mom did not report the outage, how did the telemarketer know. Busted!