How to Reset a Breaker

Most people will call an electrician when something is suddenly not working at their house.  Just last week we had a service call where there was no power to some receptacles in the kitchen.  All I did was reset a breaker.  I’m going to give you a couple of quick things that you can do to save yourself time and money.  

The first mistake some homeowners make is not fully resetting a tripped breaker in their panel.  If a breaker somehow gets tripped, it can’t just be pushed back over to the on position in the panel box.  When you find a breaker that isn’t all the way over to the right, you have to flip it to the left to turn it completely off.  You will hear it click and then you know that it is ready to be pushed to the right.  This is how you fully reset the breaker to make it work properly.  If you don’t do it this way, things will still not work correctly.

After you have turned it to the off position completely, turn it back to the on position.

In some cases you will not see a breaker tripped at all.  This is most common in older electrical panels. This one is a little trickier and what I would call a "$50 dollar tip."  At this point all the breakers are to the right so gently slide your finger along the breakers almost like you are going to turn it off but not doing so.  In some cases you will find one that is kind of flimsy and then you have found the culprit.  Reset it and you’re on your way.  If it doesn’t reset and it flips back into the off position you have a bigger issue going on with the circuit.  That is when you call Wireworks Electric!  Hope this helps some of you out.

 -Rob Reiner

                                                                        

Experience the Difference

The term “customer service” is used quite a bit by companies in service-based industries. A lot of businesses like to advertise that their company offers quality customer service or that they specialize in customer service.

Unfortunately the term “customer service” can be interpreted in many different ways. The definition of customer service is “The assistance and advice provided by a company to those people who buy or use its products or services.”

In many situations companies that provide a service feel that completing the job they were hired to do is the customer service.

In my mind customer service applies to more situations than strictly to the services that said company was hired to do.

In the construction industry there are a lot of opportunities for customer relations to break down. I have a personal experience that is happening right now where the customer service from my hired contractor is horrible at best.

We have hired a company to replace some exterior items on our house that were damaged during a hail storm. As a consumer I did my due diligence and received multiple bids, checked references (BBB, Angie’s List) and “interviewed” multiple contractors. In the end I chose who I thought was the best contractor for the job.

The damage occurred in July 2014, the contract was signed in August 2014. Fast forward to today, January 9, 2015 and the job is still not complete. It was supposed to be wrapped up by mid October. 2014 

There have been some delays due to product not being available, the wrong quantity of product ordered and some delays due to weather. However, I never received a phone call to inform me of the situation and the company will not rarely return calls that I place to them. Basically I’m left waiting for the work to be done.  

The contractor has an “A” with the BBB and not enough negative reviews to throw up a red flag. What I didn’t know is that this company offers zero customer service. It’s amazing what a simple phone call can do to put a worried customer at ease. If only this company understood that.

The work that has been completed looks good and I’m sure that this contractor will qualify that as providing good customer service. In my opinion, its good workmanship, thanks to his crew.

This process has given my wife and myself plenty of stress and anxiety to last a lifetime.

As a customer, there is no chance that I will ever refer this contractor to anyone, which unfortunately for this contractor, is a missed opportunity to obtain new business.

I share this story because, as a business owner, I have the opportunity everyday to provide the stellar customer service that I want as a customer. 

At Wireworks Electric, Inc. we know how stressful a construction project can be. We understand that customer service goes beyond just the work we are hired to do. It includes constant communication on the status of the project, sending respectful electricians to your home, cleaning up our work space when we're finished, getting to know you so you're confident your best interest is our best interest, thanking you for your referrals and appreciating that you chose us. We believe in creating life long customers.

I can blog all day long about how well you’ll be treated when you’re our customer. But actions speak louder than words. Give us a call the next time you need an electrician and experience the difference for yourself.

-Matt Ursch