What the ever-loving-f*** I don't know why this guy gets so many good reviews. Called him in the evening, because his hours are listed until 2 am and other reviews have mentioned late/non-business-hour calls. Gruff pick up (no hello this is, etc, just a garbled sound); thinking i have the wrong number I ask for Andre of Blue Star Lighting & Electrical, he asks who is this and I give him my name, to which he (in a rude manner) says "and *who* is this Chris Lee?" Flabbergasted, I responded after a few stunned seconds "I'm looking for an electrician?" To which he again responds, with a rude manner, "You *know*, I'm on vacation right now," which terminates the call. OH SORRY, didn't have your google calendar open to consult before deigning to disturb his majesty's time! Unprofessional to say the least. Won't be getting my business, put me in a bad mood to boot (as if having spontaneous electrical problems that warranted an evening call didn't darken my mood enough). read more

Andre came back and fixed my outlet problem in a few minutes. He only charged accordingly. Rates are dirt good in the first place. Simply awesome. And don't forget that logo...says it all. read more

Andre and his team at Blue Star made what I thought would be a big deal into a simple and easy project. I needed to add a spaniel to my garage, and add a few circuits to my very old home. Andre showed up right on time for the estimate and walked me through my options, Some of which I did not even think of, and we came up with a plan that worked for my budget, and needs. Upon completion the work looks seamless and my electrical system is much stronger and up to date with today's electrical needs. He was very careful to maintain the integrity of a 50yr old house and keep things as neat and simple as possible. And I must admit there are some crawl spaces that I can not fit nor would I want to go but Andre was not afraid to do what had to be done, to get the job done. definitely someone I would want to work with again. read more

First of all, thank goodness he's available in the late evening! The main breaker to my condo blew out when I was replacing my thermostat and the building maintenance and I couldn't figure out how to get it back on (it turned out to need a new 100amp main breaker.) When I first called Andre, he tried to save me $$$ by walking me through a few procedures over the phone. I really appreciate that. Andre and his team are great guys and run an honest business. When we figured out that he absolutely needed to come out, he showed up within 25 minutes. He fixed the problem and discovered a short-circuit that was either caused the previous owner or the way the building was originally wired; either way, I now know to talk to our HOA rep and demand a fix. Andre also discovered and fixed a problem with some wall outlets in the kitchen. He and his team were careful with our home and they cleaned up after themselves. Couldn't ask for better help! read more

Andre's Great I have used him for small jobs and large jobs over the years and he has always delivered beyond my expectations. His hard work and enthusiasm is a breath of fresh air when compared to the dealings with any other contractors I have in the past. Small job or large job just give him a call. read more

I have nothing but amazing things to say about Andre and Blue Star electric. I found Blue Star via Yelp and wanted to do my part to amend the already amazing reviews they have. Andre ran cable for my surround sound and added two electrical jacks. He was in and out and did a fantastic job. My walls are lathe and plaster and he did an excellent job at only exposing what was necessary which were perfect holes for the new boxes he added and nothing more. Amazing! Everything works great and the price was well worth the incredible work. I DEFINITELY plan to use Blue Star again in the future for any of my electrical needs. read more

Very unreliable when you schedule. First time, he did a good job, spent around 2 hours and it was approx $80. So I hired him for a more extensive job, he had to reschedule then he showed up 2 hours late on the new day and time. The 2nd job took almost 5 hours then he wanted to charge me close to $500 because he brought someone to help him on the job. As it turns out, my housekeeper showed me pictures of Andre lounging on the job. Bottom line: when you are charging someone on the clock, don't take a break or sit down on the job. Bottom line: I will never use them again. BTW...Blue Star Electric: please do not try to contact me like you did--we're done using you. You blew the big job which is our upcoming remodel. read more

I hired Andre to do service upgrade. He was super efficient and very knowledgeable especially about inspection and PG&E stuff! I was clueless and nervous so he definitely put me at ease about the process. Obviously he has done this kind of work so many times (since he looked so young, I was surprised to learn that he's been doing this for well over 20 years!!!) I also love the fact that he kept the area so clean! I am a neat freak but it didn't drive me crazy during the upgrade - thanks to his leaving it nice and neat throughout the entire process. read more

Had to call Andre a second time to wire in a light switch - damned if I could figure it out - an old house, double-pole on two circuits; made no sense to me. Andre figured it out and I am back in business. read more

Andre's work is legit. It took me a second to get used to his "east coastness," but I finally realized he is just very straight forward. He took an inventory of my electrical needs and asked about any possible future needs. Threw together a quote the next day that was significantly cheaper than the 3 others i got. Job was completed a week later to my complete satisfaction. No BS, great price, quality work and FAST FAST FAST! What else could you want. read more

Andre was great... mainly I appreciated that he came by, looked at the situation, said he couldn't help, and didn't charge me.

Andre is wonderful! I called him on the Sunday between xmas and new years, because the GFI circuit in my house had gone out and I thought it needed replacing. He was on vacation across the country, but called me back, and FOR FREE, from 3000 miles away, patiently coached me while i reset the circuit myself! What a doll! I have a few other things that need to be fixed electrically around the house, and you bet i'm calling him as soon as he returns from vacation! read more

Andre is responsive, knows his stuff and very reliable. We called him on a couple of occasions and both times we were very satisfied with his work. His prices are fair and he explains everything clearly. I will definitely call him again! read more

Received a long apology yesterday which helps.

Andre is professional, courteous, prompt and friendly. I'm happy to highly recommend his services. I've used him twice at my new office in West Oakland and even though our property manager recently reminded me I'm on the hook for all future repairs, Andre's the first person I'll turn to. read more

When Andre is on the job he get's right to business and get's things done. He's a hard worker and knows what he's doing. I'd recommend him to anyone. We've had him come over and do electrical upgrades and everything has been perfect. read more

Andre Shoy, owner of Blue Star, is very professional, knowledgeable and hard working; and he works on all the projects along with a courteous, well-behaved and competent crew. Blue Star installed a new service at my old victorian house I remodeled, as well as re-wiring. The old electric system was a complete mess and incredibly difficult to take out. I needed a real electrician, which I'm not, so I called Blue Star and other companies to bid. Andre was very nice and gave me a very detailed bid that I could understand, and he explained everything to me very well. He had the best price and the best plan of action, and he obviously knew all things electrical. Plus, I knew that he was personally going to supervise the work, and not sub-contract it out. I took a chance, and everyone knows picking a contractor is like playing russian roulette. I needed a good job, especially since it's a victorian. He came at the time he said he would, with all the permits, to start the job. He knew exactly what to do for my city, as far as applicable electric codes, to bring my house up to date. It was a huge and difficult job, and Blue Star finished it promptly and correctly. And, his crew was nice and not sloppy. They were also very knowledgeable, so I felt pretty comfortable knowing they didn't need constant supervision. Plus, Andre checked all their work, just to make sure. Now I'm really enjoying my house. Blue Star's work passed all the inspections, which Andre made sure to attend, even though he has a busy schedule! I stand by my 5 star rating and I encourage people in need of basic or really elaborate electrical work to call Blue Star for a bid. You'll appreciate them also. read more

I bought a home in Oakland with a garage in the back that was "wired" but had no power. I called Blue Star because of the glowing reviews on yelp. I am so glad that I did! Andre was very helpful and a pleasure to work with. He is a fun no BS kind of guy who is very understanding of your needs. We went to pick up some parts together and while shopping I was reaching for higher end parts that he explained to me were not needed. That was when he laided the quote of the day on me "I will spend your money like it is mine". I really appreciate him looking out for my best interest and my pocketbook! High quality work at great rates! I would recommend Blue Star! read more

Andre did work at my shop and he was very probational great job and very honest he instal a dyno for me it's a machine for smog electrician gave me estimate before Andre and it was it's was over 6000.00 Andre did the job around 1500$ and with not cutting corners I absolutely will have him do my house soon and I'll always recommend him thanks Andre and god bless read more

Aye, when it comes to electrical work Andre is the man you need to see. I am a new San Pablo resident and my 54 year old house was showing its age. Almost everything was out of code. I had an upcoming inspection so my wife went on yelp and found this dude. I'm not gonna lie i doubted him at first because of his humble demeanor (which now that i think about it was the dumbest move) but homeboy knows his $hit. Dre if u read this my hat's off to you bruh. Lifesaver. Plus i'm no rich man and he is pretty fair with the prices read more

Andre and Jesse are two solid guys. We called them after we bought our house and they delivered an excellent, well-explained estimate that they stuck to all the way through the job. Andre was with us all the way from the permit process until the final inspection and then some. Excellent work and attention to detail. I highly recommend Blue Star and Andre! read more

I called Blue Star to get an estimate on adding a couple of circuits to my older home. I spoke with a man who identified himself as Andre. In our phone conversation he stated that work under $700 did not require a permit. This is simply not true; such misinformation could get a homeowner in trouble at some point in the future. When I mentioned that one of the circuits I wanted to add was going to be used to operate a portable heater, Andre tried to "upsell" me to installing baseboard heaters on a 220v circuit. While this may indeed be the most efficient way to heat with electricity, it is neither feasible nor practical for me to do. When I said I was only interested in what I had already asked for, Andre seemed to lose interest in talking with me, and said I should send the company an e-mail and they'd review it and get back to me -- whether it was intended that way or not, it came across as "we don't want your business." Needless to say, Blue Star did not get my business. (5/26/11) In response to the contractor's comment on my review: Everything I have said here is EXACTLY TRUE. Indeed, I only reviewed electrical contractors in the Oakland area because (duh) I live in Oakland and the job was in Oakland and I wanted an Oakland contractor. Since I had no previous relations with any electrical contractors, I used Yelp as a starting point to find a contractor, and sought bids from those in the Oakland area with positive reviews. I then reported truthfully on my experiences in seeking bids. Calling me a liar and accusing me of being up to something "fishy" does not actually improve the contractor's reputation. read more

Andre repaired a malfunctioning recessed light fixture and also repaired the circuit breaker system at our house. He was prompt, quick and courteous, and also very knowledgeable about the systems he was fixing. Just recently, we had him come by to fix what we thought was another broken fixture -- it turned out to just be a bad bulb. Andre didn't charge for this false alarm house call, which is typical of his great customer service. read more

Great guy, excellent work. We had Andre do quite a bit of work on our 1932 house - rewiring in the basement, fixing non-functional outlets, installing new light fixtures - all of the work was professionally done and his rates are quite reasonable. He explained each step and checked back after the job was done to make sure everything was working properly. He is very good at figuring out the electrical maze of an older house. read more

I don't know how this vendor is getting such a great reviews. I called and spoke to Andre about a few months ago and he told me to send him an email. I did and I didn't hear back from them (no emails, no phone calls, nothing). Andre called me the following Monday and wanted to know if he can come out. I told him no because I didn't hear back from him so I made other plans. He explained that he was having trouble with his email service. I wanted to give him another try because of all the great reviews and apparently a good electricians are hard to come by even in this economy. I asked him if he can make it in 3 weeks since I was going to be out of town. Fast forward 3 weeks. He didn't show up. I attempted to reach him numerous times but I couldn't get hold of him. I understand the first time but second time? Come on...seriously? read more

I work for a production company and we needed an outlet/ power source changed. Andre came the same day to look at it and completed the job fast. His rates were good and I felt that he was honest and trustworthy! Worth going to for any electrical needs, business or home! read more

I called Andre and bluestar at 9:30 AM on a Saturday and was able to schedule a same day appointment for 3:30 PM. He and his assistant arrived at my house on time and Andre diagnosed and fixed the problem within one hour. During some recent storms some water somehow got into one of the circuits in my circuit breaker and ruined the circuit. Andre quickly figured out that the problem was with the circuit and not with wiring in my house and replaced the circuit and power to that part of the house was restored. Also, I like to ask a lot of questions about how things work and Andre patiently answered all my questions. read more

Andre did a great job at a very reasonable rate. He installed a 220 line, fixed a broken dimmer and upgraded two outlets. Andre also cleaned up the sloppy electrical work in the junction box that was done by someone else. Great work done by a nice guy. read more

What a lifesaver! I called after hours and I was able to get help immediately on what should have been a fairly simple issue. I highly recommend their service! read more

I've seen Andre's work in commercial and residential jobs, big and small, new and remodel, and he does great stuff. Whether he's bending conduit in an office or tracking down a mystery short in some crazy old house, Andre's an excellent electrician. read more

Andre and his crew have helped me in many situations- from wiring my shop to to designing and installing complex industrial circuits. A real plus is their willingness to come at any time and stay until the job is complete. Highly recommended. read more

Andre is more than a guy who gets the job done. He is a thoughtful, careful worker and an ingenious problem-solver who can offer several solutions to any home improvement problem. Our 1920s home has eccentric wiring and had been unsafely wired in the past. Andre repaired this because he is willing to crawl in tight places and search doggedly for an elegant, safe solution at reasonable rates. I would hire again in an instant. read more

High quality work. Andre took great care of us! Reasonable and reliable folks. We had ceiling fans installed in both kids rooms and they made sure everything was perfect. Will use Blue Star again soon. read more

Andre did a stellar job in setting up my safety lights going up my stairs. He was also conscious of having me conserve my money as far as my choice of fixtures was concerned. He is very creative in his solutions to lighting and electrical issues. read more

These guys rock! Last week I tripped one of my circuit breakers while doing some home renovation and it left me w/o any working lights. I tried to repair the issue myself but several stores didn't carry the breaker. I hate to call repair people b/c they often charge high fees upfront just for the visit, but then I remembered that when I'd had Blue Star out for some upgrades I'd needed back when I was renting out the house, I was left feeling very satisfied with their service, so I called them & I'm thrilled that I did. Andre promptly returned my call, was easy to communicate with about the problem, and told me it might be a simple fix not requiring a high fee. He and his team member arrived several hours later, earlier than promised, and he was right: the breaker wasn't even broken and he was able to get it working again within minutes (even though my contractor friend and I had not been able to.) He clearly knew what he was talking about and, true to his word, his price for the repair was very affordable, actually SAVING me money from what I would have paid to order the breaker from a company that said it would take 3 days to arrive. I need a little more work done as a result of the renovation I'm doing, and while I was going to try to save cash by doing it myself, Andre and his staff are so good that I've decided I'll use them instead. I can honestly say that I have never dealt with a home repair/service company that was so reliable, competent, professional, AND reasonably priced (and I've dealt with many, including other electricians), and I recommend Blue Star hands down if you have any electrical needs. read more