It is natural to succumb to the temptation of choosing the lowest-priced option for just about anything you need to purchase. This is especially attractive when it comes to home services. If you’ve ever received multiple quotes for any home renovation or service, you know just how much those quotes can vary. Homeowners can find it difficult to imagine why one service provider charges more than another. However, no matter if you’re receiving bids for ongoing services, extensive renovation projects, or something in between, we would urge you to compare the cost AND value of your options closely.
Comparing cost versus value can be tricky. Check out these pointers below, and get a taste of what makes the landscape lighting value offered by Outdoor Lighting Perspectives so attractive.
Compare the Project Scopes Closely
Make sure you get an itemized detailed quote from all of your service prospects. When comparing the quotes, make sure the scopes match up for a true apples-to-apples comparison. Sometimes you might have different materials, fewer lights, and other shortcuts taken in an attempt to offer a lower cost to the client.
Read the Fine Print
Just as an example, lawn, and pest control providers offer super low-cost first appointments. We urge you to read the fine print. These deals typically require a contract for a certain number of service visits. Often, the second visit is at full price and is closer to the first than the usual.
In Outdoor Lighting, there is not quite the same trickery in the fine print. However, there are important details to look for before signing the dotted line. Check for the length of your warranties. At Outdoor Lighting Perspectives, we offer lifetime warranties for transformers and brass and copper fixtures. We offer a five-year warranty on residential outdoor lighting bulbs and electronics, a two-year warranty on all lighting control automation controls, modules, and timers, and a one-year warranty on halogen bulbs, glass lens covers, digital timers, photocells, and commercial fixtures. We also offer options for extending warranties with regular service.
Read Reviews
Make sure your prospective providers have specific reviews for the services they are offering you. Suppose it is a lawn mowing company and all of their reviews are about their lawn services. In that case, you are taking a risk not knowing the quality of their landscape lighting work. If your lowest cost offer has no reviews or bad reviews, you can understand why they are offering rock bottom prices – desperation.
Consider the Lifetime Costs
Suppose you find multiple providers with good reviews but significantly different price points due to material quality differences. In that case, we urge you to consider the lifetime cost of going with the cheaper option. It is not uncommon for lawn services to offer to install landscape lights from the big box store. There are a few challenges with that proposition:
- With a skill set focused on the lawn and landscape, we often find the results of their lack of outdoor lighting knowledge in the form of overloaded circuits, exposed lines, and other electrical mishaps.
- Big box lights typically only last a couple of years. When you calculate the upfront savings, it certainly doesn’t come close to covering the cost of replacing those big box lights many times. With a lifetime warranty on our copper and brass fixtures, you can count on our lights outlasting the “competition” many times over.
- Mowing a lawn or servicing an irrigation system is a different skill than properly designing and expertly installing a beautiful outdoor lighting system. Choosing a service provider who “also offers” the service you need puts you at a disadvantage for getting the value you deserve.
- Ongoing service and follow-up needs can be neglected or ignored by low-cost providers. At Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Wilmington, we provide ongoing service options and will always be here should you need anything for your lighting system in the future.
We hope you’ll understand what you are and are not getting for the different prices you are quoted for any future projects at your home. We hate to see someone trying to save a buck only to be out that buck (and more) later to rectify the corners cut to produce those savings.
When you choose Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Wilmington for your landscape lighting needs, you’ll have the peace-of-mind knowing you chose the best quality and value. Our team is 100% focused on outdoor lighting and is highly trained in lighting design, installation, and all lighting services.
