As the largest operating part of your home, your garage door needs TLC, which includes maintenance and repairs. Many homeowners use the garage door as the main point of entry to their house, even more so than the front door. For your family’s safety, you should only entrust its repair to a qualified garage door repair technician.

Sadly, there are many scam artists out there who just want your money. Don’t take your chances with just anyone that shows up at your door hawking services. Heed these tips to help you identify frauds.

Do an Exhaustive Search Online

When your garage door stops working or has an issue, your first instinct is to go online – and rightly so. But looking for a reputable company takes more than a few clicks. Take a look at each company you consider near you, watching out for claims that are just too good to be true.

Physical address:

  • Look under the “About Us” heading.
  • Make sure you find an actual street address listed; otherwise, your call could be routed to a call center that will refer you to an independent contractor who may not be a specialist.
  • Make sure you can see photos of the place of business, along with the owner’s name and background. You want to see someone who is proud of the work they do.

Association memberships

  • Look for logos that show the company is a member in good standing of a garage door installation association.
  • See if the company is recommended by consumer associations such as the BBB or an automobile association, or perhaps a review site like Angie’s List or Yelp.

Customer reviews

  • Read all customer reviews.
  • If all you see are five-star reviews, they could be bogus.
  • Check out the company’s social media platforms for additional reviews.

Call the Company

Once you have narrowed down your search to a few companies, call them and ask detailed questions, such as:

  • What is your street address?
  • Are you licensed and insured?
  • Are your service vehicles properly identified with the company’s name?
  • Do you ever send subcontractors?

Ask for an estimate. Most companies can give you a ballpark figure over the phone, but most should pop by your house for an in-person estimate for the utmost accuracy. For example, if a possible broken spring is to blame, the technician will have to come by to assess the type of spring you have and its size to give a more accurate evaluation of the repair price.

A reputable technician will also evaluate for other possible issues while there and give you an honest assessment of the repair to be done – or the possibility that a replacement door would be more cost effective. This will depend highly on the age of your existing door.

Contact M&M Garage Doors

We offer no-cost, no-obligation estimates on garage door repairs. Contact us today at 586-610-5434 to learn more.