The Door Company (TDC), California’s leading garage door company, employs a team of reliable and professional repairmen who make honest garage door repairs, usually on-the-spot. These technicians rely on the solid reputation and homeowner trust that TDC has worked hard to build up over the past 30 years; however, not all garage door companies are as upstanding as TDC.
“Most repairmen are honest, competent and hard working. However, if the homeowner is unlucky and finds one who isn’t, it can cost them a ton of extra money and may result in a botched job that can cause future problems,” said TDC President, President Mark Stuenkel. “Therefore, I have decided to try to shine a light on some of the common practices that our less than scrupulous competitors are using to rip people off.”
Here are some of the deceptive service and repair tactics that TDC is hearing about:
- Charging exorbitant rates ($1,000+) for a 10-minute job and $10 part
- Repairmen who get commission for running up the bill
- Companies with bad reputations tweaking their name to confuse the consumer into thinking they are actually a reputable local company (who spent years establishing their good name)
- Scaring homeowners into buying costly repairs by claiming the garage door would fall on their car if they didn’t get it fixed immediately
- Lying to customers by telling them that good parts were defective
- Misdiagnosing the need for repairs in order to increase sales
- Deceptive billing practices such as not honoring estimated quotes and greatly inflated prices after the fact
- Purposely confusing the consumer as to the business name by advertising in one name and billing in another name.
Following are some guidelines when seeking help repairing or installing a garage door:
- Use personal recommendations – One of the best ways to ensure quality service is to choose somebody who has been recommended to you by a friend or family member.
- Never use somebody who approaches you out of the blue – If someone knocks on your door and offers you unsolicited services turn them away. There are con artists who operate in this way and reputable repairmen do not get work by cold-calling on strangers.
- For larger jobs, get several quotes – For larger repairs or a new garage door installation get several price quotes to avoid getting ripped off. Prices can vary greatly.
- Ask for references – You shouldn’t be shy about asking for two or three references. If the company won’t provide references, then move along to someone else who will.
- How long have they been in business? Ask for their company details (exact company name and number); check how long they have been in business and whether the company is active and in good standing with the BBB.
- Get a quote in writing – Don’t accept a verbal quote (except perhaps for small jobs that are less than an hour in service time). For bigger jobs, always get a written quote for the job, detailing the costs.
- Don’t get fooled by low quotes – It’s very easy to give a low initial estimate in order to gain the business and jack the price up later. Low prices might result in lower quality too.
“In closing, I like to remind consumers to check the Better Business Bureau because complaints lodged with the BBB are more credible than complaints posted on random online complaint websites,” said Stuenkel. “And, if you ever have any question or concerns about your garage door, please check us out – we are one of the good guys!”
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ABOUT THE DOOR COMPANY: Incorporated in 1986, The Door Company (TDC) has been the choice of thousands of homeowners and contractors for their garage door and gate projects. TDC is full-line garage door and gate automation service company, specializing in the sales, installation and servicing of commercial and residential access systems. TDC also has an array of specialty products including bug screen doors, aircraft hangar systems, loading dock equipment, operable walls, partitions, rolling grilles and fire doors.
TDC’s locations are:
Chico (Corporate Office), 2251 Ivy St., Chico, CA 95928, 530.345.5555
Yuba City, 301-C Burns Dr., Unit 1, Yuba City, CA 95991, 530.673.7778
Redding, 1623 Beltline Rd., Redding, CA 96003, 530.222.5555
Manteca, 17860 Ideal Parkway, Suite B, Manteca, CA 95336
For more information about The Door Company’s products and services visit http://www.thedoorco.net/.