Mainstream Electric, Heating, Cooling and Plumbing

September 07, 2017
Dear [redacted] & the Revdex.com,
First, thank you for your 1-star review on Google to share of your dissatisfaction with Mainstream, AS WELL AS now via a Revdex.com complaint AND a complaint with The State of Washington's Attorney General office.
Since I just submitted...

a response to the Washington's Attorney General Office yesterday, my response is identical.
Your satisfaction and my firm’s reputation are of great importance to me. Please note that a business transaction is a reciprocal relationship, each owning parts of the transaction. I can only own Mainstream’s side of the transaction and will ask [redacted] to do the same, based on the presentation below:
1. [redacted] called my company, Mainstream Electric Inc. SHE CALLED US because her tenant had an electrical emergency. These are [redacted]’s word as found in her complaint, “ …. the insulation on the wire running form the garage to the house melted off.”
2. Attached is the incoming call from [redacted] to Mainstream. Note the dialogue from our customer care representative, Stephanie, to [redacted] that “…. the technician will provide you with a quote, upfront – in writing - & guaranteed down to the penny. So that quote is guaranteed from the time the technician starts until they finish, no matter how long it takes him. Once you receive that quote …. we do not charge by the hour & we do quote every job down to the penny ….”

3. Mainstream Electric Inc. has been in business for 17 years, we’ve held a coveted A+ rating with the Revdex.com of the Northwest since May 2003 and have 110 positive reviews on the Revdex.com site, and should you go to our website (www.866411ZAPP.com), you’ll see that 252 positive reviews exist here. In addition, an average of 65% of Mainstream’s annual revenue comes from REPEAT CLIENTS, and this percentage has been this way for about 10 years. We can deduce that we have more satisfied clients than not, and they love how we do business!!
4. Mainstream Electric Inc’s business model is NOT that of a time and material nature. This is a whole sale business model and often is used in new construction or larger type projects. Mainstream Electric Inc. utilizes a retail business model. We know ALL of our business costs upfront, and our costs are built into our pricing. This is why Mainstream (as disclosed in the attached recorded call) let’s all of our clients/potential clients that “… we do not charge by the hour & we do quote every job down to the penny ….”
Who says in the industry that the client is responsible only for the time and material in a job?? ([redacted]’s comparison of Mainstream to Summit Electric is that of apples to oranges). [redacted] was quoted an exact price before she agreed to the work (just like when you take your car in for repair). In addition, only with her signature did Mainstream’s electrician proceed with the work. She received a safe and thorough installation and all the information she needed to make an informed decision about the electrical system in her house. (Note, her signature at the end of her project indicated her satisfaction to the solution she chose).
The overhead figures shown includes, but not limited to , the following costs: office staff salaries, computer hardware repairs and maintenance, software support fees, cell phone and pager fees, fuel cost, office utilities, office rent, liability and vehicle insurance, bonding, license fees, association dues, tuition fees for technician training, office telephone, accounting fees, uniforms, retirement benefits, payroll taxes, property taxes, vehicle maintenance, marketing, and more. Our overhead does not stop while our technicians are driving to and from jobs.

The average McDonalds restaurant realizes approximately $3 million in annual sales, at a 25% Profit! Technicians are directly responsible for the safety we all expect in our home and work places every day. Wouldn’t you agree that the service we provide is just as valuable as the cholesterol –laden fast food that McDonalds sells?
5. See attached. With her signature, [redacted] approved the work with her signature. In addition, her signature then states: “I acknowledge satisfactory completion of the avobe described work and that the premises has been left in satisfactory condition……”
6. For nearly 5 years, Mainstream has belonged to a national professional trade association called Nexstar Network. There are 580 other electric, heating & cooling, and /or plumbing companies that are members from around the United States and Canada. While this is not a franchise but independently owned businesses, we all utilize the same retail business models. Mainstream is actively engaged with Nexstar’s business coaching and consultation, as well. I have a business coach, a marketing coach, a training implementation coach, and a network of hundreds of business owners whom I consult when I need business advice and/or ideas. (Note: I am on the board of directors of Nexstar Network because of my knowledge of business and professionalism).
8. Mainstream is held accountable to the National Electrical Code (NEC), as well as the WAC (Washington’s electrical laws). It is our job and duty to educate clients’ of unsafe electrical products, such as the Federal Pacific Panel in your rental. By fixing what’s broken, educating on hidden dangers, and informing of advanced improvement options, our clients are given CHOICES regarding whether or not they want to update their electrical system. You, [redacted], made your choice to fix the problem at hand. Why is it offensive that the electrician did his job by informing you of the potential hazard of a Fed Pac Panel & you chose not to move forward with that portion? He simply educated you and absolutely did not use scare tactics. You called us, & we delivered and followed through on exactly what we said we would & in a manner in which we said we would. Why is this offensive?
If you haven’t googled Federal Pacific Panels and done your own research then, you should. This is an obsolete and dangerous panel … not my opinion but fact.

In my opinion, it’s not right to walk in, make the quickest repair possible for a minimum fee while trying to get as many customers as possible each day. I believe that this “method” of operating leads to sloppy workmanship, callbacks, and less than thorough electrical work. Having been in the industry for over 17 years, I have found that customers need and want important information about their electrical system, so we take the time to find and provide that information.

I am fully aware that you can have another Electrician do your project for less money. There are many “handymen” that might do this job for ½ again what that Technician charges, and you may be very satisfied with their work. But will you be able to reach this person for help if you have an emergency? (We offer true 24 hr/7 days per week service). Is this person licensed, insured, and bonded for your protection? Are they drug free and have a clean background for your family’s protection? Do you trust this person? What’s to protect you from the company sending their slowest guy? When choosing an ‘hourly’ company, do you really know the final cost of the repair/installation ahead of time? You’d have no idea until the final bill arrived. Do they provide full benefits to their employees or for themselves if they own the company and are doing the work for themselves? Did you know that the top 3 trades learned in prison are plumbing, heating, and electrical?

There is a lot more to pricing goods and services than meets the eye, as I learned during my 2 years enrolled in the Masters of Business Administration program at Boise State University. It’s not as simple as how much the material cost and how long it takes. All business expenses need to be included in the price of the project, and then the project must be quoted up front and in writing as it was in your project. I hope this explanation will help you understand that our prices are not outrageous and that it is the true cost of doing business.
Wouldn't you want to do business with a company that knows its exact costs, pays it staff well + provides outstanding benefits? This is possible because we're a retail company and not a time and material company.


Sincerely,
Elaine D[redacted] MBA & President
Mainstream Electric Inc.
Office: 866.411.ZAPP (9277)
PS. Finally, because a business transaction is a reciprocal relationship, I am asking:
1.What is [redacted] asking for?
2.Also, I am asking that [redacted] own her part in this business transaction.
Looking forward to a resolution.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:  I am requesting a refund of $1071.00 and asking that your upfront pricing disclose all charges you include in your price, not hundreds of dollars of hidden costs.  You will find an attachment of the invoice for work done on July 26th, 2017.  A description of the work includes standard dispatch fee, hand trenching, Install 20 a 120 pvc and wire, Install Ffci indoor recept., install toggle switch, romex 15-20 amp 110 volt, and permits.  Since the invoice just included quantities, I asked for an itemized invoice with a breakdown.  On the invoice it stated that the cost of labor, materials, and permits totaled $582.00 which I am willing to pay for.  However, what we signed off on to start work, never included a 64.8% markup for nonsense including advertising, employee costs, facility costs vehicle costs, and administrative costs.  I would like the $1071 I paid for that refunded.  I am also asking that you change your upfront pricing practice changed.  Your provide arbitrary bids and do not disclose what is included in the costs.  Customers assume they are paying for the labor and work done, but that is not true.  Actually that is 36% of costs and you mark up 64.8% for things I did not sign off on.  Your contract states, I hereby authorize you to perform the above recommendations and use such labor and materials as you deem advisable.  So we signed off for labor and materials, not the rest.  You also switched your original verbal quote from $1300, to $3000 for option 1- putting in a 60 amp box, then switched when my husband showed up and asked if Rob was trying to rip us off.  Rob also said our electrical panel was a ticking time bomb that needed to be replaced, because it was a Federal Pacific panel, known to cause fires.  But we have one tenant, and the circuits were not overloaded according to Todd, who gave us a second opinion on the work.  The cost to replace panel...$12,000.  Todd quoted Three to four thousand, and said it was fine, but if we sold it, we would have to replace.  You use scare tactics and you are not transparent on what customers pay for.  You need to change that.  I would be happy to continue to write more reviews of your business practices.
Sincerely,
[redacted]  (by the way, I too have a Masters)

Dear [redacted],   Thank you for your review and for expressing your frustrations with scheduling and the price you were charged. I apologize for the scheduling mishap that you were put through- we messed up! However, your review has allowed us to address a hole in our system and a major area for...

improvement- thank you for speaking up and helping us grow! I do see in your client profile that you discussed your pricing concerns (the time spent working in proportion to the price) with Mike from our office. I also had a conversation with Mike to make sure we are all on the same page. I am happy to know that you two discussed our business model- we provide an upfront, in writing and down to the penny quote for each job and will not begin the job until the client has signed acknowledging the price and the job that is going to be performed- all steps that our technician, David, executed on your job. I am thankful that you wrote this review, it is allowing us to grow in our scheduling department and make sure that our business model is communicated as clearly as possible. Thank you for choosing Mainstream Electric, Heating, Cooling, & Plumbing!   Sincearly,  Elaine, President