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The most common complaint about Christmas light contractors is not bad work, it is a surprise invoice in January. A quote covers installation, the homeowner assumes takedown is part of it, and then a separate bill arrives at the point when the lights are already frozen to the gutter and leverage is gone.
Ask directly and in writing: does this price include takedown and storage? Ours does. Our guide to choosing a Christmas light company lists the rest of the questions worth asking before any deposit changes hands.
A verbal estimate is not a quote. Before work starts you should have a written design describing exactly what is being lit — which rooflines, which windows, which trees — and a fixed total. Otherwise ‘the front of the house’ means one thing to you and something cheaper to the installer.
We leave a written design and fixed price after every consultation, and nothing is billed until you approve it. See finished work in our gallery for what the designs produce.
Deposits are worth asking about. A reasonable deposit secures your date and covers product cut specifically for your house. An unreasonable one is most of the job’s value collected before anyone has been on site. If a contractor wants the full amount up front in September, that is a question about their cash position more than your project, and it is the money most at risk if they do not return.
General liability and workers compensation certificates should be available on request. Ask whether installers are employees or temporary seasonal labor, because that determines both the quality of the work and where liability sits if someone falls.
Our crews are trained employees who return year over year, and we carry full coverage on all of them. Commercial clients along Army Trail Road require documentation as standard; homeowners should ask for the same. Vetting a commercial lighting company goes further.
One more question worth asking: who owns the product after the first season? Some contractors retain ownership and effectively lease you a display each year, which is a legitimate model but changes what happens if you switch companies. With ours, the product is yours and stored on your behalf. If you leave, it goes with you. Knowing which arrangement you are in is worth establishing before year one rather than year four.
Ask which Bloomingdale streets a contractor worked last season. A company genuinely operating here can answer immediately. American Holiday Lights has been installing across DuPage County since 2007 and is reachable year-round, not only in November.
Compare our Christmas lighting company overview or the complete installation service in Bloomingdale. Read our reviews and request a written quote.
