Custom Electronics — Local services in Lowell

Before they delete this again, go look at Harps and any other company Custom works with because the reviews are posted there as well.

Fire & Electrical Safety Concerns Linked to Contractor at Harps Grocery Stores

There are serious public safety concerns involving Harps Grocery locations and a third-party contractor, Custom Electronics Inc. (CEI), led by CEO John M.

On August 22, 2024, during a morning staff meeting attended by multiple team members — including Adrian S., Garrit H., and others in sales and project management — John M. allegedly directed an employee, Carter M., to “pull up at midnight to Harps for fire alarm work” because permits were not being obtained for projects in smaller towns across Louisiana and Arkansas, with the exception of cities like Little Rock where inspections are more likely.

According to individuals with direct knowledge, this is not an isolated incident. CEI is reportedly engaging in a pattern of performing commercial fire and electrical work without using licensed electricians, often employing untrained labor. It’s also claimed that CEI pays unrelated third parties to pull permits under different names to avoid compliance with licensing and inspection laws. One project cited is The Havens in Northwest Arkansas, in addition to numerous Harps stores across the tri-state region.

These practices raise grave concerns: Any Harps building that has had fire alarm upgrades or electrical panel replacements by CEI could be operating without proper permits, inspections, or adherence to code. This puts customers, employees, emergency responders, and insurance providers at heightened risk in the event of a fire or electrical malfunction.

A recent fire at the Harps location in Clarksville further emphasizes how critical proper fire safety systems are — and how devastating the consequences can be when corners are cut. Insiders suggest that permits are only reliably pulled for new construction projects where inspections are guaranteed, while retrofit work often goes undocumented.

We urge: • Local fire marshals and city officials to audit permit and inspection records at Harps and CEI-related job sites. • Insurance carriers to reexamine liability exposure at these properties. • Local media outlets, including KNWA, to investigate these ongoing threats to public safety.

Harps must take immediate action to ensure that its contractors follow all applicable fire, electrical, and safety codes. This is not merely a compliance issue — it’s a matter of public trust and...

I hired custom electronics to drop ethernet through the house and install an outlet and patch panel. They were responsive, timely, and ultimately got the job done. Some minor problems: They quoted me a price for the work and I accepted the proposal. I then got a call saying that they would refuse to do the work unless they increased the price by nearly 25% because "the person who did the estimate was new." I accepted this reasoning and continued with them. The patch panel was quoted at a price I was seeing online of ones I liked and I didn't think to ask what kind of patch panel they'd use. They ended up going with a cheap plastic patch panel that didn't install flush with the wall. This mistake is ultimately mine as I didn't ask/specify exactly what I wanted for the patch panel. Lastly, while dropping ethernet in a closet, they drilled through the ceiling on accident and neglected to tell me. I noticed as they were packing up and they said "Oh yeah that was an accident. We can send someone out to fix it at a later date if you like?" I don't think I'll personally use this company again but they do have standard rates and get the job done fast.

Edit: I have officially found the straw that broke the camels back to lower my review to 1 star. I decided to install a UPS in the new outlet they installed and noticed that the "wiring fault" warning was illuminated on the UPS. I wanted to investigate the issue so I shut off the breaker to the rest of the room's outlets and noticed that the faulty outlet was still live. I then had to play the "find the circuit" game by flipping every breaker until I found the random breaker that turned off the outlet. After the outlet was switched off, I found the ground wire was not properly seated on its screw and was dangling to the side of the rest of the outlet. To think that Custom Electronics installed this outlet without testing if it had been installed properly and put the outlet on a completely random circuit breaker (probably just the most convenient one from the attic) instead of picking the circuit that made the most sense from the house's perspective aggravates me and will solidify that I will not use this...

Very frustrated with their service. It took them over a month to come back to hook up the patio correctly. This was only after they called about me being past due, which I was not because they had not finished the job. Then, in an email which I was copied on, they told the technician to not leave without payment. Extremely unprofessional. I asked for a call from the owner/senior manager. Kenda told me that John would be calling and then copied me on an email to John. Still have not received a call, it’s been 3 weeks. Maybe my mistake for paying the final bill too early...... Also, I had quoted and spent a lot of money for a surround sound system for the living room. Works horrible. I can adjust the sound bar volume with the TV remote, but I have to pull out my phone to adjust the other speakers’ volume. My visiting family had to ask me to change volume because the remote would not do it all. I asked Custom Electrnics to fix it. Now, they said they can’t fix without another quote. Who would setup and quotes a system like this in the first place. Now to fix, it would be my cost and my problem. Ridiculous! Still waiting on a call and a system that works like...