Anyone here in little old Burbank like great customer service? If you raised your hand, that probably means you like being appreciated and understood. There has been a lot to read lately about large companies forking out huge amounts of money to improve there customer relations. And yet, I just read another article that reported the results of a recent survey, revealing that overall most of us are unhappy with a general decline in customer service.

One power company on the East Coast had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars supposedly improving its customer service, only to be criticized heavily when a major storm caused more outages then ever before and they were unable to get electricity back to many customer in reasonable time. It makes me wonder what it means when a company announces spending a lot to remodel its customer service.

I have my own criteria, a shortened version of the 10 commandments for good customer service. I look for a business that:

When I needed an electrician in Burbank a while back, I started with your basic internet search for Electrician Burbank CA – or something like that. I did my research, read all about various electricians in Burbank, their companies and a lot of testimonials. I chose an established company called The Electric Connection. Sometimes you just have to dive in and keep your fingers crossed.

The next day, I was pleased to greet a professional looking Burbank electrician, equipped with his electrical tools, at my front door, right on time. That is always a good sign. He presented me a bit later with a very reasonable electrical bid that included a whole house surge protector, an electrical panel upgrade, some new outlets, an attic fan installation and new custom lighting in my kitchen. I could tell through our interaction he was my kind of electrical service person, the kind that uses common sense. Check off #3.

All the electrical work was done by the end of the day. I love my new kitchen lights and I now have the peace of mind that comes with having a total power surge protection, not to mention all of other great electrical installations he did for me. Next month I will have my sensible Burbank electrician return to have some of our electrical outlets replaced and a ceiling fan installed. I can truly say they deliver more than they promise. You can check off # 1 and 2.

Oh, and yes you can check off #4. The day following the work being completed, I received a call from the office to make sure I was pleased with the work, and to tell me how much my business was appreciated. Give another check for # 3 as well. Sometimes I think really big electrical contracting companies would benefit by observing those common sense activities performed by smaller dedicated electrical services businesses in order to witness just how simple good customer service is. Something tells me they are making it way too complex. No more looking for “electrician, Burbank” at my house now that I’ve found The Electric Connection. Four or five well deserved check marks makes me loyal for life!

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As your household increases its use of electronics, it seems that the clutter of cords associated with them tend to pile higher and higher. You are constantly stepping over cords or tangling them together behind entertainment centers. There are cords from your tablets, smartphones, TVs, video game consoles and laptops. It seems that you may drown in the clutter of cords before you can find a way to get them organized.

Declutter with Washi Tape

I’ve been an electrician in the Los Angeles area since 1979. In that time, I’ve worked on many older homes in Pasadena CA with wiring systems that were insulated with cloth that’s been varnished. Surprisingly, prior to 1950, many electrical systems relied on cloth insulation. Who would think to put flimsy cloth around a live electrical wire?! However, cloth doesn’t conduct electricity well, so it’s a good insulator. Before the age of plastics, cloth was the insulator of choice for electrical wiring.

Unfortunately, cloth insulation has a liability. As it ages, the cloth can disintegrate and expose bare wires. Cloth insulation can pose shock and fire hazards that modern insulation isn’t subject to.

Does Your House Have Cloth Wiring?

Some cloth-insulated wiring systems can look like modern wiring. Was your house built prior to 1950? If so, it may well have cloth-insulated wiring. A qualified electrician in Pasadena CA can tell you with certainty.

Cloth Insulation Falls Off Wires

Cloth insulation can become brittle over time and fall off the wires, sometimes in chunks. Bare wires pose the danger of shocking anyone who accidentally touches them or of causing fires if two bare wires touch or come too close.

Cloth-Insulated Electrical Systems May Be Ungrounded

Cloth-insulated wiring systems may not have been grounded. Grounding provides additional assurance that excess electrical charges will be routed out of your house and into the ground.

One benefit of grounding that many people are unaware of is that without grounding, low-level electrical charges can build up in your wires and can shorten the lives of computers, entertainment systems, refrigerators, microwaves — any device which includes electronic components like sensors and timers.

Even more importantly, grounding protects people and animals from shocks should an appliance or an electrical system malfunction.

Upgrade for Safety

Upgrading cloth-insulated wiring systems is recommended for fire safety, protection of modern electronics, and for the safety of your family against electrical shocks. If your electrical wiring was installed prior to 1950 and you think that it might have cloth insulation, call The Electric Connection, a licensed Pasadena electrician, to take a look. Many electricians will do an inspection for free and give you a free estimate for any upgrading that might be needed.

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A Tiffany lamp is a style of fixture commonly associated with the Art Nouveau movement. The term is sometimes used broadly to refer to stained glass but it gets its name from the original creator and design director, Louis Comfort Tiffany – the son of Tiffany & Co. founder, Charles Lewis Tiffany.

The first Tiffany lamp was produced around 1895. In line with Tiffany’s vision that nature should inspire design, each piece featured elements of nature or geometric shapes to create intricate patterns. Each lamp was handmade by Louis himself or by an artist in his studio.

The bases of the lamps were typically sculpted from bronze with shades created from hundreds of cut glass shapes fashioned together with copper foil. These works of art took many hours of skilled craftsmanship to complete and remain popular to this day, thanks to their complex beauty.