"I went out on my patio and he's on a ladder against my chimney cutting the wires and I said 'What are you doing?' And he said 'I have to cut the wires because this could be a fire, this is dangerous'." Crumanocker said.
Gina says her lights were on when Chick-A-Chop came to her home, but when it left she was in the darkl.
Meanwhile, the Cohens called Chick-A-Chop when they lost power in half of their home.
"And he went to the electrical box and he proceeded to tell us and kept emphasizing how dangerous the situation was in our home. And how our safety was in jeopardy," explained Jay Cohen.
The Cohens says Chick-A-Chop told them they needed to spend $3500 to replace their entire electrical system, but when they got a second opinion:
"He opened up the electrical box and said to me, 'I don't see any problem. There's no safety issue here,'" Jay Cohen said.
And in fact, the issue was not with the Cohen's electrical system at all. The Cohen's utility company, PSE&G confirmed the problem was on its end. It was fixed for free.
After hearing the consumers' complaints, Action News decided to call out Chick-A-Chop for ourselves.
First, Carl Springle, an electrician who has been in the electrical industry for 35 years and teaches at Pennco Tech, checked out our volunteer's electrical system to ensure it's in good condition and then disconnected one wire outside at the meter to simulate a problem.
Then we called Chick-A-Chop to the house and once they arrive, we're told the problem is in the basement at the breaker box.
"This is definitely your problem..your panel's getting wet inside," explained the electrician on our undercover camera. He went on to say the whole electrical box needed to be replaced. "
The Chick-A-Chop electrician said we needed to spend more than $4000 on a new system.
"This is something you definitely want to address," he said.
A second company we called immediately told our volunteer to contact her utility company before spending any money.
"I think they create a false sense of urgency," Cohen said.
Owner Joe Chickachop sat down for an interview, but couldn't comment on any specific incidents.
"I do not know. I wasn't there. I don't like it, that's not what we're about." Chickachop said.
Chickachop also said the technicians involved in the Crumanocker and Cohen's cases are no longer with the company and while there are many ways to fix the same problem, he'd rather err on the side of safety.
"We have happy customers as a rule, every once in a while we're going to run into a situation and I want to handle it," Chickachop said.
But in a local survey performed by consumer guide, Checkbook.org, Chick-A-Chop got one of the lowest ratings from customers.
A link to Checkbook Magazine's electrician ratings will be available until 3/5
www.checkbook.org/wpvi
For NJ customers = information on electritrical contractors: (the company profiled is based in Cherry Hill)
http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/brief/electric.pdf
For tips on hiring contractors:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/products/pro20.shtm
http://web.contractors.com/article-electrical_switches_outlets_and_fixtures.html
http://electrical.about.com/b/2008/09/22/things-to-consider-when-hiring-an-electrician.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_110416_hire-contractor-plumber.html
http://www.homeownerselectric.com/Electrical_Safety_Tips.html
