Spot a garage door scammer

Consumer Alert: How to Spot a Garage Door Scam

It’s Monday morning at 7:35 a.m. You jump into your car in the garage with exactly 20 minutes to make it into the office. You push your garage door opener and nothing happens.

Frustrated, you jump out of the car to use the door opener on the wall thinking your car button batteries died. Still, nothing happens. What now? Well, you can manually open the door, but that doesn’t solve the bigger problem.

In a rush, you leave for work hoping to be only five minutes late. You now have to use every second of free time trying to find someone to fix your garage door problem.

Scammers love this scenario because you are short on time, patience and usually money.

First contact

Spot a scammer at first contact. They like to target someone in an emergency situation. They promise quick service, cheap prices and they depend heavily on lack of basic garage door knowledge.

After offering a “cheap” service call, they will come to your home and conduct costly and unnecessary repairs to exceed the original estimate.  Oftentimes, they will charge more than a total door replacement.

Overcharging isn’t always illegal, but their deceptive marketing and advertising could be considered unethical at best.

So how do you protect yourself from becoming their next victim?

Get multiple opinions

Don’t settle for the fastest or first response. Call around for second opinions. You may find a repairman who notices the scam and saves you from the headache of having an big bill for something you didn’t need.  

Three warning signs of a scam

Scammers may buy the biggest ads or invest in beautiful websites, but look just below the surface to determine if they are a legitimate company.

  1. Look for local addresses (and make sure they are actually there with Google street view).

  2. Check their name, and look for intentional inconsistencies.

  3. Always be wary of the “too good to be true” statements.

Look for a dealer in the right places

The IDA helps ensure professionals are providing quality work. Their website provides a “find a dealer” tab. Using this resource can give you peace of mind the work will be provided at a fair price, and you will receive the right information.

Top Quality Doors is an IDA member, and we take our work seriously. We are proud of our services, and we want you to feel confident in your results. Call us at 405.579.3667 for an estimate on your garage door.

Learn more about our products.

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