Avoiding a Garage Door Repair Scam: 4 Tips to Help You Avoid a Scam
January 21, 2016
Below are four tips for helping you avoid getting scammed on your next garage door repair, plus insights on our policies for making sure you don’t get taken advantage of. You’ll also find helpful ideas and online resources to make the process of avoiding a scam as easy as possible.
1) Receive proper bids or work estimates before you have your garage door project started.
A garage door repair that is properly priced may cost over $100, but should not reach into the $1000’s. When you call a local contractor to make an appointment, ask them for a general idea of the cost prior to them coming to visit. Just because someone is standing at your door does not mean you have to hire them to work on your repair — although you may have to pay a visit fee.
Keep in mind these tips during the bid and estimate phase before a repair company starts to work on your project:
- Ask them for a written estimate of your project to review and approve. Don’t feel bad about calling another contractor for a second estimate if you think the bid is too high.
- Never pay a repair technician until the service has been done. Reputable companies will typically request payment once the service appointment is complete.
- Do not pay upfront for the full amount of the project. If there are any sales tactics used by the technician you think are high-pressure, or if they force you to buy additional time and services not included in their estimate, say no or cancel the service appointment.
2) Review the online ratings of your repair technicians.
Many watchdog reporters suggest checking the Better Business Bureau ratings of a repair technician before approving them to work in your home. There are also many other online review websites available today for reviewing contractors that would work on your garage doors.
In addition to the BBB, we also suggest turning to review sources like:
- Angie’s List
- HomeAdvisor
- Thumbtack
- Yelp
Be sure to get a variety of consumer feedback on the performance of the company you are looking to hire. Many of these websites also provide you with alternative service providers if you find your contractor has bad reviews.
3) Make sure the company you hire has a local business address.
If you are hiring a repair company online from a site like Angie’s List, HomeAdvisor or Thumbtack, make sure you verify the physical address of the company you have hired. If the company you have hired is truly a local service provider — and not just a third-party referral service for independent contractors — they will likely have a verified business location close to your community. This information can be verified through a series of Google searches or by using a service like Google Maps to find the location of your service provider.
Most reputable companies have a showroom and will welcome you to visit – this will assure you that you are working with a real business and not simply a company using a PO Box in your town.
4) Watch the repair person performing the work.
You do not need to be a handyperson to know if a repair is being done properly, or to see if something is broken by a repair person during installation. Keeping a set of ears and eyes on a repair person during a service call will increase the likelihood they do an honest repair in an efficient timeframe.
What Makes Quality Overhead Door the Right Choice
When we come to your home or business for an install, maintenance or repair call, the only people you should expect on site are our own experienced, Toledo-based staff that has been hired long term by our company.
With longevity in the marketplace — serving Toledo and the surrounding areas for over 30 years — we stand by our work and stand behind the expertise of our team to do the job right. Because of that commitment to you as our customer, we hire no freelancers or independent contractors to work on your doors.