Elben Electric

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• By Barbara W.

  February 7, 2024

  install an automatic generator

  HOW DID I GET SO LUCKY?

  This is a review of the excellent Elben Electric Inc, but here’s the full story: in May of 2023 I ordered an automatic generator from [un-named] Electric. In June I emailed asking for an estimate; my email was ignored. In July I again emailed for an estimate, and was again ignored. In August I went into the office of [un-named] and asked for an estimate; the secretary promised to see that I got it, but there was no answer for weeks. In September, my daughter telephoned [un-named] and talked to the owner — and found out the generator had never been ordered. No explanation, but the order was then put through. In November [un-named] called at 11:15 AM to say they were coming in a half hour to deliver the generator; no advance warning, but I didn’t’t care as I needed the generator — we have frequent power outages on this island. I waited, but no one showed up. I telephoned but no one answered, so I left a message, “Has there been a problem?” At 3:30 PM the owner called, ranting at me for some reason, finally saying he’d deliver the generator but wouldn’t install it. He was so out-of-control that I called the sheriff’s office to register my concern. The generator was never delivered. I was so alarmed I decided to forget about getting a generator. Electricians (and plumbers and all sorts of service people here) are on overload, and I didn’t know of any one in particular to call.

  Enter Jake of Amerigas, the company that would handle the propane part of generator installation. Jake was apparently so concerned about my predicament that he called around trying to find an electric company for me. Jake suggested I try Elben Electric. I really didn’t care to get involved with this process again, but because Jake took the time to investigate for me I felt I owed him the courtesy of contacting Elben.

  Remember the Judy Garland movie The Wizard of Oz? When she enters the country of the wizard, the screen changes from black and white to color. Well, with the same contrast, enter Justin Miller from Elben, sympathetic to my plight, and in no time at all the generator was ordered and I had an estimate. Very soon Justin and sidekick Kyle started digging the trenches needed for moving the utility box (County regulations) and accessing the electrical lines. Also enter the polar vortex freezing the ground and making it that much more difficult to dig, followed by a snow storm that resulted in several inches of snow which compacted to a very heavy 3”. Now Justin and Kyle were working in slush and mud — seven and a half hours straight with no identifiable lunch break. The snow melt filled their neat ditches to overflowing. Every day they had to pump out the water before they could work in the ditches. In fact, I think they wore out two pumps during this time. As if that weren’t enough to hail Elben as a five star operation, all this was done cheerfully, always with smiles and the willingness to shift vans to allow me to come and go when I needed to drive to town.
  Bottom line: Of course the generator passed a trial run. Justin and Kyle survived. Elben Electric owner Brad Elben must specialize in electricians that add kindness to proficiency. Not hard to tell why: he seems every bit as kind as Justin and Kyle. (How did I get so lucky?)

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