Called to ask for the 24/7 service for a GFCI outlet concern. I was told that I will be charge $500 for initial after hour service call with the electrician on call before any consultation or onsite visit. I explained to the person on call that based on SME website stated the first call should be free to determine the issue and then the charge is for actual onsite visit/work but she disagrees and was stated that it is $500 for the call before any work is done. It was extremely disappointing that the person who picked up the phone definitely wasnt familiar with SME policy or was trying to take advantage of someone in need. https://www.smeincofseattle.com/residential-electrical-services/twenty-four-hour.php "At the conclusion of your call, the customer service representative will immediately contact the licensed electrician on call. You will receive a call from the licensed electrician on call who will first attempt to help you solve your problem over the phone - there is no charge for this service. If the licensed electrician on call is unable to help you solve your electrical problem over the phone, he will dispatch himself to your location to help you with your electrical emergency." read more

My parents recently bought a condo and the inspection revealed that the brand of the electrical panel was a known fire hazard. We got three different quotes and SME had the best price. On the day of our appointment, David arrived right on time. Most importantly, it turns out that the current panel was smaller than the standard size, so David needed to cut through the drywall and work around a structural beam. He not only managed the unexpected issues professionally. In the end, even with this unexpected issue, they still came in within their original estimate. read more

Dear SME Inc of Seattle, I am writing to let you know about the great customer service provided by your staff during a recent electrical emergency. I called on Nov. 27, 2018 around 8:25AM, and I believe I spoke to Molly. She provided excellent and professional customer service over the telephone in answering my questions, and getting my service request fielded out efficiently. Within half an hour, John, a 3-year veteran of SME, arrived. I want to thank him for his great communication, prompt response, and professional service while he diagnosed the cause of the electrical problem, repaired and replaced the components that needed servicing, and quickly restored my power grid. I very much appreciate SME's professionalism, and I look forward to recommending your services in the future. Thank you so much. -An appreciative customer. Franklin read more

I recently had my entire 1954 West Seattle home rewired by SME, Inc of Seattle. Overall, my experience with them was very good. My electrician, Josh, made sure that the job was done carefully, professionally and he went out of his way to do a few extra things as well. Their bid was lower than the actual cost of the job, which I was not very happy about, but it turned out that more work needed to be done than they had expected. We reached a compromise on the cost of the job and in the end I was satisfied that I got what I paid for. I would call them again for electrical needs. The staff is personable, friendly and easy to work with. read more

I have to say, I find it quite odd that an electrician would find the time to come out and review the work required for your home and then never return an email (2) or VM (3). When I speak to some at SME, he proceeds to tell me that Kevin Trammell is their only technician (not my problem) and that he's busy. Thanks for wasting my time, what an awful way to run a business. No estimate, no call back, nothing. Good luck. read more

I had SME install a kitchen stove for me recently. They sent out the electrician who did not know how to complete the work. The next day they sent out another different electrician to finish the job. The charge for the work was exorbitant. I think it was because I got charged for the time the incompetent electrician spent on my job. They were not helpful when I attempted to get a reduction in the price. I recommend you avoid this company at all costs. Leslie B read more

I contacted this company last month to have them come out and give me an estimate for a whole-house standby generator, which costs around $10k and upwards. They said someone would give me a call to schedule an appt. I got a call a day later from a 'Dolan' who left me a message to call him back on his cell phone to schedule. I called and left several messages that day and the next on his cell phone, but never received a phone call back. If a company is too busy to return calls just to set up an appt for an estimate, I can only imagine how fast they would respond if you were an actual customer or needed emergency service. When thinking about it, I guess I'm glad I didn't have a chance to use this company since I would've probably been regretting that decision later! read more

SME is apparently the firm dealing with warranty issues regarding solar panels installed by Northwest Solar. As such, I have tried for months to get a defective inverter still under warranty to be replaced. It took several attempts and almost a month to finally get a crew to come and check it out. Instead of replacing the inverter that is out, they simply cleaned the connection, plugged it back and let me know that it would take at least one hour to se if it did the trick. Then they left and indicated internally that the ticket has been completed, which is what I was told when I called back to say that the inverter was still out. I have since asked several times by phone and email to get someone back to replace the defective inverter and no one is answering the phone or responding to my emails. This leaves me no choice than to lodge a more formal complaint, as I have several solar panels that have been producing nothing for months now. read more

I called SME after hearing their ads on the radio and needed someone to check out why a hallway light wasn't working properly. The receptionist I spoke with on the phone was very professional and quick to schedule an appointment. On the day of the appointment, I had to unexpectedly cancel and called just ten minutes before they were due to show. They were very kind and offered to reschedule the appointment whenever I had a chance. I finally did reschedule and their electrician was on time, very courteous and knowledgeable. He took a look at the fixture and then explained to me what the problem was and how to fix it. But what really set SME apart was that he explained how I could fix the problem myself and also explained how to reinstall the fixture myself as well. He told where I could find the part I needed and asked if I'd like him to do it or if I'd like to save the money and do it myself. I decided to do it myself and save about $100 in labor. I really appreciated him asking what I wanted to do after explaining the problem and my options. I expected to be charged the initial labor fee, since he had been there about 15 minutes. However, after checking with the main office, he informed me that since it was such a small job, they weren't going to charge me anything. Another (almost) $100 savings! I even got a call two days later following up and asking if I'd had any problems fixing the problem and if I needed any followup service. Great customer service! I will be using SME in the future for any of my electrical needs. Thanks SME! read more

Called SME because the Main breaker on my very old house broke. Spoke with SME on the phone and agreed to the $290 ish call out fee. Electrician arrived 1.5 hours earlier than scheduled, I warned electrician (over the phone) that one of my dogs bites. Electrician chose to enter my property when I was not home at his own risk. My dog nipped Electrician on the back of the leg, SME provided no services except for rewiring one switch and gave me a quote to do the work saying that they could not repair my breaker and had to replace the entire panel to bring it up to current code. They recently sent me a bill for $1100 for 1.5 hours they were at my house due to the dog. This is a job site injury, and should be treated as such, that is what insurance is for. They gave me no breakdown of their bill. Their employee was warned and entered my property when I was not home and there are beware of dog signs on my gate. Electrician was nice enough but SME is dishonest and I believe attempting to take advantage of me. read more

I had a such that had stopped working and needed to be replaced. The job took 45 minutes inside the house, plus 30 minutes to prepare the invoice in the electrician's truck. I knew I was going to be charged for a minimum of 2 hours as was explained to me before I even scheduled the visit. I just didn't expect to sit with my checkbook in my hand for so long. read more

Called SME with an urgent request for my business, and they had an electrician there in 2 hours, earlier than promised. She did a great job. I'm also using them for a remodel project at my business, but had to reschedule at the last minute because of a death in my family. They have been nothing but polite, professional, and prompt. I am not easily pleased, but so far they've been wonderful. read more

We needed a small job done at our newly purchased home and decided to give SME a try. When I called I was immediatly transfered to a sales rep. From there I got a quick quote and made an appointment. The day of the appointment their tech called me about 20 minutes before he arrived to confirm the appointment and arrived promptly. He was professional and friendly and got the job done quickly. His enthusiasm for his work was obvious and when asked about another potential job he explained everything that would be involved. When we need electrical work done we will be giving SME a call. read more

they were a no-show at our appointment. After waiting an hour I called to ask what happened. They answered the phone "SME, can I have your name and number". Very odd. read more

Great company, especially for my small commercial jobs. They do very big jobs but perform on small too.

I used sme for a small project that I wanted to do part of it myself and have them do the more important stuff due to affordibility.I was surprised when I received the estimate that was speedy and very easy to read, that I was able to afford the whole thing and save the tax due to the senior discount! Iwas very pleased with the end result of a quick,professional job that I did not have to worry about completing myself. It was a nice experience and I will use them again. read more

SME gave me a reasonable bid for work in my attic involving replacing old, unsafe kitchen can lights, and bringing boxes and stubs up to code. They also upgraded my old 1952 100A circuit box to a 200A service and box. They took care of scheduling with City Light, and the inspection went without a glitch. Work was on schedule and clean. Sean answered emails, and provided a detailed receipt on request. What really impressed me was the handling of my telephone question, almost a month after the work was done, about how the city permit was different from the City Light work to upgrade the 200A wire, and the inspection. Justin was very courteous and helpful. read more

I'm an apartment manager and I have been using SME for a few years. I have always been pleased with their service (prompt) and the work that they have performed. Follow up emails/bids came quickly and work needed has always been scheduled quickly as well. I have unfortunately had after-hour emergencies on our property, so I have also experienced those calls and response has been same day regardless of the hour. Our Management company uses them for many of our properties and I would recommend. read more

Well I have nothing but praise for this company. Noticed some damaged wires under my house, Called SME and with in 45 minutes they were at my house to look at the wire. The electrician could have replaced a bunch of wire that didn't need replacing and charged me an arm and a leg, but instead he inspected it, told me it didn't need replacing and used some good old fashioned electrical tape. The wire is now safe, my family and I can rest easy, and my bank account did not get drained. Very happy with their service and professional electrician Hugo! read more

Do NOT DO BUSINESS with this company. They are very unprofessional and rude. We just had dealings with them and they could not have been more rude and undeserving of our business. If you want a snarky older woman to talk down to you, jump to conclusions and try talking over you while you are speaking, then call SME. I deal with many electrical contractors in the Seattle area and these people are by far the worst and most unprofessional. Even if they do decent work, you ultimately have to deal with the office staff and it definitely isn't worth it when there are many other better companies competing for your business. read more

My electric service stopped working one night in January- SME came to look at what was going on, after 5 minutes the electrician showed me my burned out electric meter outside and told me that he would have an estimate from the office emailed the next day- that estimate came 7 days later after 4 phone calls and being scolded for expecting to hear sooner because "I do 30-40 estimates a day" surprisingly the estimate didn't include many of the city's required upgrades and I had the work completed with another co. I'm writing this because I've been a chef for 35 years and know what a review means today- beware this "service " provided nothing, I only received communication about 400$ owed for 150hr X2 plus 90$ trip charge ( it's a 15 minute drive from beacon hill to Seward park ) . I paid it today after explaining situation and think they may see fit to cut the bill a bit - no so here you go SME electric - my 1st review ever - Ernie read more

We used SME for an installation of a commercial lighting fixture on the exterior of our warehouse. From initial consult, through many quote revisions (our fault), they were extremely accommodating and professional. They communicated extremely well throughout the entire process and even made adjustments on the fly when the initial fixture was incorrect. Went with them initially due to the competitive bid but will go back for their great service as well. read more

Very happy with SME! Responsive, fair price, good communicators, approachable and on the ball. Handled a large HVAC job and from doing the bid through scheduling through completion and some back-and-forth with the HVAC folks, SME and specifically Jonathan was on top of it throughout and great to work with. read more

I have to say that I am impressed with the recent communication from SME regarding our experience. They mailed us a full refund check (which was a surprise as we had not requested this) and also included a thoughtful hand-written note with an apology and a restaurant gift card. I am pleased that they made the situation right and thank them for that. I am updating my rating to 3 stars because I believe that they did the right thing in the end. read more

I've tried to use them twice - I live in Auburn and when you call the friendly receptionist transfers you to another number where you leave a voice mail for someone to help you (I'm guessing their South Sound division). The first time was an emergency (to me - needed a junction box before the next day) so when they didn't call me back after an hour I called again. I did eventually get same day service and was satisfied, although I had to pay the electrician with a check and never received an invoice for their services. The next time was 2 days ago. My thermostat wasn't working. Once again I was transfered and left a voice mail. I have yet to hear back. I figured out what was wrong and fixed it myself, so I'm just going to see how long it takes them to retrieve a voice mail message. I guess if you're willing to keep calling back until you reach a live person, they are fine. But I find it embarassing to beg a company to give them business. read more

I lucked out. Called SME and they had someone out in about an hour. Very professional. Quickly identified the problem with burned out kitchen outlets. Wish he had brought more outlets and an outdoor outlet cover. Minimum service call charge is 2 hours. Reasonable rates on parts. Thanks SME. read more

Had a problem with our downstairs light fixture. Brian came over and professionally accessed the situation. Even went down in our crawl space to take a look. Awesome service today, really appreciate it read more

Called SME to install one outlet and 2 power poles. They sent out 2 electricians and took 2 days to complete. I am a contractor and I had many of these types of jobs throughout the years. This is a 1 man job taking 4-6 hours to complete at a total cost of about $1200.00. I had a superintendent on site, he told me the guys showed up late worked a few hours and left. They told him they had to get supplies. The next day they showed up one guy did absolutely nothing (again) while the other worked a couple of hours. SME billed me $3600.00 for a 1200.00 job. when I asked why I was billed so much they replied the job required 2 men and 36 man hours. I asked for break down of hours, they billed me for time that no one was at the site. Needless to say the supervisor would not return my calls and Hoda told me I would have to pay or they would put a lien on the store. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY THEY WILL OVER CHARGE YOU AND THEIR TECHS ARE THE WORST! read more

First off this review is not about the service given. I have not hired them to do a job for me yet. This review is about there customer service and there availability of there estimator. I made a call to SME and the lady on the other end sounded and acted like she was not to happy to talk with me and it felt like she had better things to do. She was very cold and had no feeling. We had a miss communication problem from the start. Instead of try to understand my problem she just became more confused and angry with me. She did not want to help. To her credit she did stay on the phone. I explained my problem 3 or 4 times and finely she got what I was saying. The problem was the difference between there free estimates (advertise on the radio 570) and a simple problem(a light switch not working). My problem fell under the free estimates after much debate. When it came time to schedule my appointment she said it would have to be between 9am and noon. I asked if there were any other times and the lady said no! I asked if they only had one estimator. She said yes and he only does 9am - noon. Well I have to work from 8am - 5pm. I can't take off work in the mornings but in the late afternoon would be fine. This is a problem! What do I do? I think it's very short sided for SME to only have 1 person who does estimates and with such a small time frame. When if the guy gets sick there whole business just shuts down? I think they need to hire another person to take the later shifts. SME says they want to have a relationship with the customers right? Well from there first contact on the phone I don't want to have anything to do with them. My first impression of the company. They are mean and don't really care about my problems and have better things to do than to help me. It seems like a screw you attitude. I would be stupid to get into a relationship with a person like that. BUYER BE WARE! read more

I called this morning to have a technician come out and look at one of the exterior fixtures on our house. They said they could get someone out right away and gave me an estimated arrival time. The tech showed up, fixed the problem and was very professional about it. He was efficient, on time, and explained what was wrong . I will call SME again anytime I need an electrician! read more