When it comes to something as serious as your home, you don’t want to risk hiring the wrong garage door repair company. The results can be costly and dangerous to your family. Unfortunately, there are a lot of repair companies that aren’t qualified to handle the job properly. With that being said, it’s critically important that you know what to look for when hiring a reputable garage door company.
5 Smart Tips for Choosing a Repair Company
Regardless of the industry, there are always companies and so-called professionals who will look to take advantage of an uniformed customer. In industries highly technical and specialized such as garage door repair, the threat becomes even more prevalent.
In order to help you discern between manipulative companies and trusted professionals, find below 5 smart tips for choosing the right garage door repair company.
1. Get Multiple Bids
Any time you’re having work done on your home, it’s smart to get multiple bids. This will give you an idea of what the “going rate” is in the industry and whether or not you’re getting a good deal.
Be sure you are comparing apples to apples. Do the companies offer 24-hour service? What warranty is offered? How long have they been in business? Do they use sub-contractors or are the technicians employed by the company? Will the technicians arrive in company uniforms with well marked vehicles? All of these questions and more are important when considering different offers. More often then not, the cheapest option is not the best option.
2. Check Critical Information
When considering a garage door repair company, always do your due diligence. This means seeking out and verifying critical information. At the very least, review the following:
- Physical address. Any reputable garage door repair company will have a physical address listed online. Always verify this address using Google Maps and Google Street View. Bogus companies will often list fake addresses to avoid being tracked down. These may include gas stations, apartment buildings, and more.
- Website. In today’s world, almost every reliable company will have a website. Don’t fault a garage door repair company for having a poor website, but you should be skeptical if there’s no site at all.
- Online Reputation. Finally, conduct an online search using Google, Yahoo, or Bing of the company’s name. This will bring up positive or negative reviews from past customers that may not be readily available on their company website.
All of this information combined should give you a good idea of whether the company is genuine and how they’re viewed in the industry. Some companies have a stronger web presence than others, but it’s not smart to do business with one that has no online footprint
3. Ask Friends for Recommendations
The best way to find a trustworthy garage door repair company is by asking friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors. Chances are fairly high that you know someone who’s had work done in the past. A positive referral or warning can help you in your search for a reputable company.
The great thing about asking people you know is that they have no skin in the game. They’re going to be upfront and honest with you for two reasons. First, they don’t want to damage their relationship with you by pointing you in the direction of a bad experience. Secondly, they don’t get a kickback for sending you to the company. Therefore, they have no reason to provide erroneous information.
4. Study BBB Ratings
There are many different ratings and certifications a company can receive, but the gold standard in the industry is a rating from the Better Business Bureau. Before considering a company, go to the BBB website and search their name. Ratings scale from F to A+ and you can sift through reviews and complaints.
If a company isn’t accredited or has a poor rating, then you’ll want to think twice about working with them. However, if a company has been accredited for a long period of time and has a strong rating, then you can be sure they’re reliable and well respected in the industry.
5. Look Out for Red Flags
In order to avoid working with untrustworthy companies, you’ll need to be aware of some of the red flags – especially the following:
- Excessive advertising. It’s obviously important for a garage door repair company to advertise, but excessive advertising may be a cause for concern. When massive amounts of advertising are in play, it means the company has to recoup its expenses by charging high prices.
- Multiple company names. If a company uses different names on advertisements, websites, and customer service phone lines, it’s a good indication that they’re evading someone or something. You want to see consistency in this area.
- Weird feeling. If you get a weird or uneasy feeling when calling or meeting with a repairman, trust your intuition. An honest garage door repair company will make you feel at ease.
Overhead Door Group
At Overhead Door™, we are widely recognized as one of the most trusted names in garage door sales, installation and repair services. With 24-hour emergency service, we’re able to diagnose and fix any and every problem you may have. This includes garage door opener issues, broken spring and cable repairs, panel and section replacements, roller repairs, and more.
If you’re looking for a garage door repair company that you can trust, then look no further than the Overhead Door™.
Not in our territory and still in search of Garage Door Repair from a reputable, visit Garage Door Repair.com for local suggestions.
