Cost to replace 2 electrical outlets ... about?


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Old 07-27-16, 02:46 PM
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Cost to replace 2 electrical outlets ... about?

How much do you think it would cost to have 2 electrical outlets (the 3 prong kind) replaced? Reason is is that I had an electrician do it already, but I haven't got the bill yet. Just wondering. He was about 1 and 1/2 hours I think.

Thanks
 
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Old 07-27-16, 03:08 PM
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Somewhere between fifty and five hundred dollars.

It is all but impossible to give you a meaningful answer not knowing the prevailing rates in your area. Probably something like fifty dollars just to drive the truck to your location and then another thirty to fifty dollars per hour for the work plus any materials used.
 
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Old 07-27-16, 05:10 PM
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Thanks. I was told that it was $70, plus the cost of his helper per hour I think. Hopefully it'll be around $200 or less total!
 
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Old 07-27-16, 05:41 PM
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There is something we are not being told. It wouldn't take an hour and a half to replace two receptacles, there would be no need for a helper, and the electrician would collect his fee before leaving.
 
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Old 07-31-16, 09:51 PM
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He said, the company will bill us and it was an electrician and his assistant ( a younger kid, maybe 20's). They had to figure out why 6 outlets were not working and ended up replacing 2 that were burnt out.
 
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Old 07-31-16, 11:23 PM
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They had to figure out why 6 outlets were not working
That is different then your original statement. It was troubleshooting not just replacement. That explains the time.
ended up replacing 2 that were burnt out.
If they were standard receptacles not GFCI that doesn't make sense. Nothing really to burn out. Even assuming it happened that would be extremely unlikely that it was more then one. There would have to be some extreme cause and that cause would only affect one receptacle.

There is an off chance that your the wires were inserted into the back not on the screws but the usual fix is to move the wires to the screws not replace the receptacles. I'd say brace yourself for a big bill because it sounds like your being scammed. That or you misunderstood what they did. Or maybe I'm wrong.
 

Last edited by ray2047; 08-01-16 at 08:00 AM.
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Old 08-01-16, 04:27 AM
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In San Diego, I would expect an electrician to charge me around $75.00 to $100.00 per hour for miscellaneous work.
Maybe I'm special because I'm a contractor, I don't think so. I don't pay a trip fee, just the hourly rate.
 
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Old 08-01-16, 05:39 AM
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Maybe I'm special because I'm a contractor, I don't think so. I don't pay a trip fee, just the hourly rate.
If you have a good relationship with an electrical contractor, and work with them a lot, you will likely get a reduced rate.
 
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Old 08-01-16, 02:20 PM
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Thanks. They showed me the one they took out (standard receptacle) and the wires do look burnt. I think they said only one HAD to be replaced, but they ended up replacing two for some reason. These guys are a big company around here and there truck was clearly marked and painted just like the company's truck.

I was a little alarmed as to why they did not collect a fee also, but they said that "the office bills us, they're only the workers", or something to that effect. We told him that "we thought that he was the owner" and he chuckled and said something like "I'd be in Florida right now if I owned the company, I'm just a worker".

All I know is that I had about 5 or six outlets NOT WORKING and now they're all working. They were at the house about an hour and a half I'd say. I still haven't received a bill though, it's strange.
 
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Old 08-01-16, 03:50 PM
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When you do receive the bill, I would seriously question anything over $200.00. You should have been told exactly what the price would be (or an honest estimate) before work began.

If the bill is way over $200, I wouldn't just question it, but flat out refuse to pay it until the contractor reconsiders. Most contractors are honest but a few will try to take your money.
 
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Old 08-01-16, 04:17 PM
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and the wires do look burnt.
Receptacles don't have wires. Generally you don't need to replace the receptacle because of burnt wires but it could have been loose screws and damage there or contractor grade receptacles with backstabs and no screws.. Hopefully they are honest and you will be billed a fair price. Hopefully you just didn't fully understand their explanation. It sounds like they did a good job.
 
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Old 08-01-16, 04:34 PM
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Thanks, I think I'll do that.

I still haven't received a bill and I think it's been over a week.
 
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Old 08-01-16, 04:38 PM
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this is the part they took out.

Homeowner Know-How | Inside an Electrical Outlet | This Old House

It had the wires attached, but of course they were cut and they originally looked white but had turned black in areas.

Actually, I have it in my hand right now. It DOES have wires coming right out of the back of it. Remember this is a 1970's house. Actually it was built in 1970, so probably has the original receptacles.

Wait, my bad. Are those "push in terminals" on the back? There are wires going into 3 of them, but they're cut off. One say "whiz wire", "wire release", "white", etc.

Maybe I can take a picture of it and put it here, but I have to wait till I get home later.
 
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Old 08-02-16, 04:40 AM
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I still haven't received a bill and I think it's been over a week.
Sometimes billing takes a while to do. We are a very small company and I know from experience that in some case the boss only would bill once a month. We would just get busy and would have the time to bill. I am also "only" a worker.
 
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Old 08-02-16, 08:43 AM
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Wires coming out of back and not under screws the Receptacle was back stabbed, Receptacle may have been ok but I would have replaced it anyway. 40+ year old receptacle can wear out.
 
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Old 08-02-16, 06:04 PM
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All I know is that I had about 5 or six outlets NOT WORKING and now they're all working. They were at the house about an hour and a half I'd say. I still haven't received a bill though, it's strange.
That would be a typical service call, but I am a bit puzzled why a helper was necessary or could even be justified. I would expect a service call to cost about $100 an hour plus materials including the time to drive to your house. It is impossible to give an estimate on a service call that involves troubleshooting so most companies will give their hourly rate to the customer over the phone.
 
 

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