We were requesting assessments and quotes from various electricians for a residential electrical job replacing a sub-panel for our house, and Benson & Sons Electric, Inc. was one of the companies we spoke with.

The possible scope of work had been discussed over the phone, and an appointment was set for one of their electricians to come to the house and assess the job in order to provide a quote.

Three days after the initially agreed upon date, after sitting ‘on standby’ to meet them at the house with no communication for good chunks of those days, an electrician showed up. He looked at the sub-panel, poked around a bit, then said he couldn’t speak with us before speaking with his boss. When the call to his boss went to Voicemail, he then handed over a pre-printed invoice for $2,000!

There had been NO work done, and no agreement to have work done by Benson & Sons! No quote was given ahead of time, as this was the visit to create that quote based on the assessment! There was no mention of fees associated with the visit when it was scheduled.

Obviously, we did not pay that invoice. An email was sent to the main point of contact for the company expressing shock and confusion regarding being presented with a pre-printed invoice when the appointment was for an assessment. The email expressed that there must have been a misunderstanding, that the purpose of the visit was to provide information with which to generate a quote.

Three hours later, a representative from the company called demanding to know why the invoice hadn’t been paid. The explanation was given, and the representative was asked if she’d read the email sent that morning – she had not. She was urged to do so.

About 10 minutes later she called back, saying in a very aggressive, hostile manner, that she had spoken with her boss and that they were going to put a lien on the house!! WHAT?!?!

Liens are for companies or individuals who make a permanent improvement to real property and then don’t get paid. Benson & Sons Electric provided neither labor nor materials on any improvement to our property!

We responded from the premise that there had been a misunderstanding, with the full intention of having a conversation, sorting it out, and hopefully getting a quote. There response was to verbally attack and threaten.

These unprofessional, unethical, bullying, extortionist practices are unacceptable and anyone considering an electrician should be aware that Benson & Son Electric has used these tactics.