Having your garage door break is inconvenient, and it’s essential to have the repairs completed quickly for the security of your home. As a homeowner, you expect to find a friendly and reputable garage door repair company that has your interests in mind and can complete your job fast and at an affordable rate, but unfortunately, more garage door company scammers are popping up across cities in the United States. What are common garage door repair scams and how can you learn to avoid them?
Common Garage Door Repair Scams
Many scammers are looking to prey on homeowners needing emergency or standard maintenance services. Three common ploys scammers use on homeowners include:
- Rebuild package: This trick preys on a homeowner’s lack of knowledge regarding garage doors and their mechanics. A technician will visit your home then claim that you need an all-new garage door, including torsion springs, cables, rollers and brackets. Even if you wanted to install a new garage door anyway, these swindlers would include inflated charges in their installation bill that would total hundreds or thousands more than you would typically pay with a reputable company.
- Lifetime guarantee: The term “lifetime” is confusing, and scammers use this vague word to take advantage of homeowners. A spring, for example, has 15,000 to 50,000 lifecycle ratings, but the cycle and its depletion vary on how often you use your garage door. If a company only offers a lifetime on parts —but not labor — then they’re likely making replacements with inexpensive hardware that will quickly break. You’ll call them for a fix, and while the part will be free, they’ll mark up their labor and replace the cheap part with another one that will break again in no time.
- Unidentified technicians: Disreputable companies will advertise that they’ll use an in-house worker to make repairs to your garage door, but will actually hire subcontractors or independent workers with no history or contact information. Investigate if someone shows up at your home in an unmarked vehicle with no company identification, logo or name. Ask that the worker introduce themselves and don’t assume that they work for the company you’ve hired.
How to Avoid Garage Door Repair Scams
You can easily avoid garage door repair scams by asking the following questions:
- Does the company have an established location with a verifiable address in your community?
- Can this company provide references from satisfied customers?
- How long has the company been in business?
- Can they provide a detailed estimate before beginning work?
- Do they have a favorable rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
How to Choose a Garage Door Dealer
When choosing a company to perform garage door repairs, maintenance or installation, look for a business that offers warranties on their parts and labor and proudly displays their completed work and customer reviews.
Also keep in mind the following characteristics:
- Experience and training: Look at how long the company has been in business in your area — do they understand the different environmental factors that can affect building materials? Do they have accreditation with the International Door Association?
- Code and regulation compliance: Ask the garage door company how they comply with local regulations and verify that their technicians carry the necessary experience to repair and install garage doors.
- Insurance: In cases of damage or injury, you’ll want to ensure beforehand that your garage door company has proper insurance — before hiring anyone, have them show you their Certificate of Insurance.
- Quality and reputation: Does the company have references from happy clients that they can provide to you, and do they offer fair pricing and exceptional service?
With these considerations, you and your family can spot and avoid garage door repair scams.
Check Out Our Other Buyer’s Guides From A-All Style Garage Door
- Maximizing Your Return on Investment With A Garage Door
- Benefits of an Insulated Garage Door
- The Dangers of Cheap Garage Door Service and Products
- Five Incredible Ways to Add Value to Your Home
- Garage Door Repair vs. Replacement
- Garage Door Installation Cost
Call A-All Style Garage Door Today for Superior Service
For your garage door repair and maintenance, trust the professionals at A-All Style Garage Door. We’ve provided quality garage door services to the southwest suburbs of Chicago since 1981.
We are A+ Accredited by the Better Business Bureau and take pride in the quality of our work, as well as the many repeat customers that trust us to provide the best service at a fair price.
In addition, we’re an authorized Clopay® dealer and an Advanced Verified Garage Door Dealer by Google. We’re locally owned and operated in the Bolingbrook, IL area and offer a three-year warranty on parts and labor on new doors and openers and a one year warranty on all repairs.
To learn more about our services, call us today at 630-739-7170 or contact us online.