What does the diagnostic fee cover?

People ask fair questions about the diagnostic fee, so here is the honest answer in plain terms: if we have to get our tools out to find out what is wrong, there is a charge. If you want something added that we can see and price, such as an outlet, a ceiling fan or a new panel, the estimate is free.

Free estimate or diagnostic: where the line is

• Free estimate: planned work we can see and price. Adding outlets or circuits, ceiling fans, lighting, a panel replacement, an EV charger circuit, outdoor kitchen wiring.
• Diagnostic fee: something is not working and nobody yet knows why. Dead outlets, breakers that trip, partial power, flickering, an appliance that will not start.

Nobody can honestly give a free fixed price for a problem nobody has found. A quote given without testing either turns out wrong or gets padded to cover the unknown. The diagnostic is how you get a real number.

What the diagnostic fee includes

1. A licensed journeyman at your home. Apprentices never run a call alone.
2. Testing to find the actual cause, not swapping parts until something works.
3. A roughly 20-point safety inspection of the house while we are there: the panel and its age, grounding, the meter and service, GFCI protection where it belongs, missing cover plates, outside conduit and the AC disconnect, smoke detector age, and the attic for open splices or uncovered junction boxes when it is safe to get up there.
4. A plain-English explanation of what we found.
5. A price for the fix before any work starts. You approve it, ask questions, or take time to decide.

Why the inspection is part of it

Breaker panels have a service life of roughly 20 to 25 years, and several older panel brands are on lists that inspectors and insurers flag. Backstabbed outlets loosen with time. Smoke detectors expire. Most homeowners never get an independent look at any of that. Folding the inspection into every diagnostic means you leave knowing the condition of the whole system, not just the one outlet.

What the inspection is not

It is not a sales pitch. We tell you what we found, why it matters and how urgent it is: fix now for safety, plan for soon, or keep an eye on it. You decide what, if anything, to do. Nothing is done without your approval, and you are never told your house will burn down tonight to close a sale.

When the repair turns out bigger

Sometimes the cause is inside a wall or under the yard. When the scope changes, the journeyman stops, shows you what was found, often with a photo, and gives you the price before going further.