When your garage door breaks, it’s essential to have the repairs completed quickly to ensure the security of your home and resume your daily activities. As a Central Pennsylvania homeowner, you expect to find friendly, local, affordable and reputable garage door repair and maintenance companies. Unfortunately, many garage door company scams are appearing across the state and throughout the United States. How can you know which companies are looking to scam you and how can you avoid these crooks?
Common Garage Door Scams
Scammers are primarily looking to take advantage of homeowners that are in need of garage door emergency or routine maintenance services. There are three common scams these companies are trying to use on homeowners:
- Rebuild Package: Where scammers can get lucky is a homeowner’s lack of knowledge about their garage doors and how they work. A worker will inspect your garage door and claim that regardless of the damages, you’ll need an entirely new garage door complete with new torsion springs, cables, rollers and brackets.
- Lifetime Guarantee: What is a “lifetime”? Scammers use the term “lifetime guarantee” to confuse homeowners, but what parts are exactly covered under this term? If a company offers a parts warranty — but not labor — they’ll often replace the broken part with a cheap alternative that they expect to break quickly. Then, when you call for a repair, they’ll replace the old part with another inexpensive fix and hike up the labor costs, allowing this cycle to endlessly continue.
- Unidentified Workers: Garage door scam companies will advertise that they use in-house workers to make repairs, but will really hire subcontractors or independent workers. These workers have no historic or contact information for customers to refer to. If a worker shows up to your home in an unmarked vehicle and cannot provide company information, they most likely don’t work for the company you’ve hired.
Avoiding Garage Door Scams
If you suspect a garage door company is not reputable, ask the following questions:
- How long has this company been in business?
- Can they provide a list of references from satisfied clients?
- Can the company provide a detailed written estimate before starting repairs?
When you’re in need of a reputable garage door company to make repairs or perform maintenance, evaluate the company to determine how much experience and training their employees have and ensure that they comply with codes and regulations.
Trust the Professionals at Jarusewski’s Garage Door Service
When you’re in need of a trustworthy, friendly and reputable local garage door repair and maintenance company, trust the professionals at Jarusewski’s Garage Door Service. Our company has been a local staple in Carlisle, PA, and beyond for 30 years and we’re dedicated to providing reliable and high-quality services for residents. Complete our online contact form today to receive a free estimate or call us at (717) 243-0712 to learn more about our services.