Pricing questions
Is the price flat-rate or hourly? Is the diagnostic fee credited toward the repair? Are materials, permit coordination and haul-away included? Will you get the price in writing before work begins? Vague verbal ranges are the number one source of billing disputes.
Scope and process questions
Will you run a load calculation before adding large loads? Who pulls the permit and schedules inspection? Will the panel be labeled when you leave? Do you replace back-stabbed terminations while you are in the box? How do you protect floors and furniture?
Warranty and follow-up
What is the workmanship warranty and how long does it last? What happens if the same symptom returns next month? Do you provide photos of concealed work before it is closed up? A company that documents what it did is a company that stands behind it.
Red flags
Quotes given without looking at the panel, pressure to upsize a service without a calculation, cash-only with no invoice, refusal to pull permits on service work, and prices far below every other bid, which almost always means an incomplete scope.