Riverside Lighting & Electric

Bought an LED light online and to my surprise it came without the plug, so being in need of one and some information as to which of the three wires were which (positive, negative and ground) I went to the experts. I figured since they have a shop, sold tools and had a large staff Riverside lighting could help. This is the second time I’ve been there and after some rude treatment the first time I was a little hesitant to give them another try.
I was told because the light was not one of their products that they could not help me. The guy condescendingly said «you should read the instructions». Really? I showed him the empty box that never came with instructions and asked if they had a way to know by looking at them to which he responded go online, and maybe I could find something. You mean something like an expert?
I have always heard from fellow local business people that they were overpriced but now you can add rude, unprofessional and unhelpful to the list.

Brought two lights in for repair on a Sunday morning. Was greeted by a friendly helpful woman who took the lights and gave me a pickup slip. Received a call from the guy in the shop the next day telling me the lamps were fixed and the charge was $ 18. I picked them up on Wednesday. No hassle. I call that excellent customer service.

Dang, I grew up coming to this place but never going back again.
Brought a lamp in to request an estimate to have it repaired, guy working counter had no idea how much it would be but assured me I would get a call with an estimate before the work was done.
Riverside called a few days later saying the lamp was repaired, when I went to pick it up I explained that I never got an estimate, wouldn’t have fixed it for the price they were charging, and it would be nice if they could give me a small discount to make up for the misunderstanding.
The older repair gentleman was EXTREMELY RUDE, accused me of trying to get the repair for free and said I had to pay full price. As my lamp was held hostage I didn’t have any recourse.
Go elsewhere, anywhere else, because for a lighting store they’re pretty in the dark about how to treat customers.

If you are looking for a place that caters to its customers, this is not the place for you.
The employees seem to hope someone else helps you instead of helping you themselves. I continually stand at the counter wondering it I will be asked if I need help or if I have been helped. The last straw for me happened over the weekend when I went in looking for under counter lighting. I ended up asking about a company/​product that had a display next to the counter. The employee I was talking to (finally) said it «would probably work». I asked for more information and I was quickly handed catalog and said this is what they have. I had to do the research myself on the product. Had I not done my own research, they would have sold me the wrong wiring, wrong mounting hardware and wrong switch for what I was looking at.
A very bad experience that got worse by me feeling like I knew more than they did on a product they rep.
Lastly. they are VERY pricey. They are the only game in town and they take advantage of it. Steer clear if you can.

Riverside Lighting is indispensable!
I came in after trying to find replacements for 35 year old fixtures that were an odd size. I was told by Home Depot and many hardware stores in town that nobody made anything that would fit.
I was lucky enough to find Lyndy Reed at Riverside lighting. She took so much time to try and find anything that would work for me. She opened boxes, took measurements and finally found me the PERFECT lights. She was so nice the whole time and even said she would be on the lookout for other items that would match the beautiful fixtures she found. I was able to leave with beautiful lighting fixtures and all the necessary LED bulbs to make them shine.
That kind of customer service is why they’ve been in business here in Santa Cruz for so long.
Thank you Lyndy for making my day!

This is the BEST place in town for all of your lighting needs! They have thousands of lamps to chose from! I recently took an expensive Tiffany style lamp to get repaired. I had put it off because I figured it would be pretty expensive to fix. I had moved and lost a piece to put the shade on and the light switch was also broken. I went in expecting it to be at least $ 100. The kid working there was so nice and helpful. I was in and out so quickly and only spent $ 5. I’ve been a happy customer for about 25 years and will continue to be a loyal to them.

Called with lots of questions! Everyone was super helpful & patient, especially Michael! He even helped correct my order to make sure i was getting what i needed! Also, while i was hold, multiple people checked with me to make sure was being helped! Amazing service! They even offered to hold it for me, which made picking up my order a breeze!!! Excellent variety & way cheaper than any of their competitors (even Home Depot)! :)
Seems like most of the negative reviews I see on Unilocal are from unreasonable folks who like to complain! (I mean, what business gives away a repaired item w/​o the customer showing proof of purchase??? C’mon now!)
Also, everyone who helped me was amazing, knowledgeable & focused! Can’t imagine why anyone reserved poor service before!

We purchased a beautiful lamp, three days later we returned it for a repair due to faulty wiring. We were supposed to pick it up the following day. Almost a week later my Partner went in and we were asked four times for proof of purchase! We will not be going back. This store has ZERO INTEGRITY.

Went out of their way to get me a part for a fixture… opening a fixture package and selling me just the part I needed

If you look at this shopping experience as a Where’s Waldo kind of experience, it’s got the potential for more adventure than frustration.
Searching for obscure light bulb sizes brought me here. It’s an odd mix of made in china fixtures intermingled with new technology LED bulbs of all shapes sizes and prices. The back counter is a real treat with a crotchety character fixing chandliers and other odd duck lights.
Service seems like an after thought but sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised.
Aim low on expectations, and sometimes score with the help.

I want to give this more stars since their selection was ok. I’m a contractor and interior designer. I went in to Riverside to buy all new fixtures for a new project and the person who was «supposed» to help me, Jason, was completely UNHELPFUL. He seemed distracted, was seemingly more interested in chatting with any coworker that passed than helping me order fixtures. This wasted my time as well as the potential of being a very loyal and regular customer. Perhaps if they spent some money on training their staff better.

This place rules. I have an 80 year old house and its hard to find some fixtures to replace. One was an old pull chain light. I found the matching fixture and they installed a pull chain so I don’t have to run new wire and switch. Very good service

these guys and gals are great. Very helpful, technically savvy, and willing to go the extra mile to assist. i will continue to give them my business!!! Thanks for all your help!!!

I don’t shop here so much for the lamps but I do shop in the back for the stuff I need to make art stuff. Daniel is the man. Professional & knowledgeable about lighting & electrical stuff. Great to talk to!

I found this place to be less than impressive. The only employees willing to give me the time of day were young and pretty inexperienced with my questions. The older ones never gave us the time of day. We walked around heads up in the air to chandelier shop and I was blown away at the prices. Yes, I expected it to be slightly higher than Home Depot or lowes etc. I was willing to pay slightly more for something I really liked and not the run of the mill stuff at the home improvement stores. Slightly ended up being a gross understatement. The one chandelier my husband and I agreed on was 700.00 and a few of the runners up were over 500! We also needed a mini chandelier for the landing of our stairs…500.00. And a small shabby chic looking lantern for our daughters room… I don’t recall the price of that one but remember thinking it was far too high. I really don’t think I will be back. I can’t afford these prices and the vibe of the place was less than impressive and obviously I didn’t buy anything.
I feel like the amount of lighting is impressive considering there isnt a lot of shopping in Santa Cruz. So, between that and the fact that while they weren’t horrible the customer service wasnt great either. So much for trying to shop locally.

Worst type of service a retail store can give. I go in and ask a question. The clerk thinks about it, then haltingly gives an answer as if they are guessing. After my questioning the answer the clerk just made up… now its gospel. No way to get an honest answer from a person like that. If a person does not know an answer to a question, they should say so, then go and find the answer. Off to Home Depot for straight answers at half the price. I try to shop at «local» stores, but with service like that I have no choice but to go to the chain.

I have upgraded my review to 3 stars. This is in response to an email that I received from Riverside. They said that on this item they don’t have the volume buying power that other supply houses have. I have no way of knowing how pricing works between manufacturers and retailers. My job is to get the products that I need at the most competitive prices. I do however appreciate their effort to explain the situation, and will continue to shop at Riverside (with a watchful eye on pricing).

My Husband and I visited the store today for the first time looking for under cabinet lighting. Wow! Daniel, a very knowledgeable, friendly, and personable representative helped us pick the perfect lighting for our Kitchen. We had a great experience and love to find a great local company providing services a big box store would never provide! We would definitely come back in the future and hope that Daniel would be there to help us! Thank you Riverside Lighting and of course Daniel for above and beyond customer service and product!

The electrical department is amazing! Any questions you need answered ask Mark, any parts or orders needed ask Ed or William. Those guys are like the A-​team of electrical supply houses.

Unfortunately I sometimes have to shop hear because they are the only place in town — that I am aware of — that tracks some specialty bulbs I need. But for any serious purchases of lighting I now go elsewhere.
The customer service is just terrible. Terrible. And they are overpriced and the quality of merchandise is suspect. I bought a very expensive lamp at this place in 2001 (just moved to area and my first time at this store) and it broke within a year and a half.
Anyway, I really hate to give bad reviews to locally owned small businesses unless they are really bad. These guys are bad.