7 things to shop for when buying Overhead garage doors in Houston

7 things to shop for when buying Overhead garage doors in Houston

Looking to install, repair, or replace overhead garage doors in Houston? There’s a lot to look for in a supplier or contractor you might pick for the job, features and traits that separate the best from the worst—features you’ll want to know how to spot, if you don’t want to suffer serious buyer’s remorse down the line.

So the next time you’re in the market for garage doors, pay attention to these 7 factors:

Responsive

Your first inkling of whether a particular supplier or contractor is worth working with should come from how long they take to respond to an inquiry—if you’re left lingering for days waiting for a call back, then it’s likely best to move on. That’s not to say unusual circumstances can’t put even the best suppliers in a poor position to respond quickly, but generally speaking you want to work with a company that works quickly and effectively, on your schedule instead of their own. If by some mistake or flaw your garage door jams and traps your car, wouldn’t you rather have the team that answers calls and gets to work quickly in your pocket?

Good warranties

A good warranty means more than being covered when something goes wrong; it means the supplier has confidence that problems will be a rarity. To offer a strong warranty on shoddy workmanship would quickly bankrupt any business. Inversely, a good warranty is a good marketing tool—no business confident in its products wouldn’t offer a strong warranty, as a tool to increase profits. So you can be fairly confident that the quality of a warranty is directly proportionate to the quality of the work you’ll see.

Build quality

Take a look at the products being offered to you, when selecting a provider. You don’t want cheaply manufactured, flimsy garage doors; you may save on the front end, but with the wear and tear inherent to any door, that flimsy manufacturing quality will quickly lead to the need for repairs or replacement. This, in addition to being less secure, less protective against the elements, etc. If you don’t know what to look for, exactly, ask lots of questions; you should be able to get a sense of whether the supplier is confident in the quality, or not.

Options

Limited options are a problem for more reasons than the obvious. A supplier offering only a scant few variations may have problems with staff not experienced or knowledgeable enough to install a diverse set of garage doors, might have supply problems which can become a hassle should you need repairs or replacement, etc. A good suppler offers a flexible selection of products and variants, to better meet the needs of your home or business. If your decision making is limited to the color of the paint, then you might want to move on to the next business.

Knowledgeable staff

When speaking to the staff and employees at a company, they should be quite knowledgeable about what you might need or expect from your garage doors. If you have unusual requirements or questions, they should either be able to answer them with confidence, or know who to ask to get you your answers quickly. If you find yourself speaking with a representative of the company who can’t offer proper answers without a lot of hedging and confusion, you might want to consider moving on to a different company. Of course, exceptions should be made for particularly unusual requests or questions, or for the type of knowledge one wouldn’t expect to be memorized, merely at hand. Overall, expect the staff to know more than you do after a bit of research–if they don’t, be wary.

Professionalism

Professionalism is a key trait of any company worth working with, in any industry. The details of what constitutes professionalism can of course vary, but some things remain the same no matter what. You shouldn’t be left waiting long past appointment times, shouldn’t accept rudeness, should expect clear and detailed documentation of any expenses and charges, etc. Even the smallest local company can maintain a high level of professionalism—to accept or expect less is an insult, and a good way to find yourself dealing with headaches down the line.

Good reputation

Finally, we come to what is probably the surest way to know what sort of work a company does: its reputation. Even if reviews and opinions are scarce on the internet, you should be able to get a decent list of references from any respectable contractor or supplier; even if a decent portion of their customers value their privacy, there should at least a few glad to say a good word on their behalf. You should also check basic consumer watchdog groups such as the Better Business Bureau for any complaints. Don’t accept every negative word you read as gospel, but be mindful of what the general gist of everything you hear and read adds up to, positive or negative.

These seven traits, together, should add up to quite an impressive company—one well worth your investment of time and money. If you’re going to spend money on overhead garage doors, isn’t it worth taking the time to make sure they’re going to be done right, so you’re not stuck spending even more money months or years down the line to make up for the mistakes of a sub-par supplier? Shop smart, shop careful, and you’ll be satisfied with what you get.