December 8, 2014

Choosing a Garage Door Dealer is About Asking Questions

How to Choose a Garage Door Dealer

If you want to choose the right garage door dealer, then you’ve got to ask the right questions. It’s not as easy as choosing your door and the person to install it. There’s more to consider!

The goal is to ensure that you find a garage door dealer that has a reputation you can depend upon. You want a garage door dealer that’s well known for its quality service, and is one that backs up the work it does with rock‑solid warranties.

If you want to find such a dealer, then here are the questions you should ask:

What do the reviews look like?

You can do this from your couch. Simply surf over to a popular review site like Yelp and look at what other customers have had to say about the dealer. Are they saying that they liked their experience, or are they saying something else? You can combine this research with a site visit, too. Keep an eye on the sales people. Do they seem friendly? Do they seem knowledgeable?

What’s the dealer’s experience?

Judging a dealer’s experience is first about establishing how long they’ve been in business. A longer period of operation equals more experience, simple as that.

Just as important as this, though, is judging the dealer’s experience with the environmental conditions of the area. The dealer needs to understand what kinds of garage doors will stand up to the region’s elements and which ones will not. When looking into this, pay attention to whether or not the dealer seems responsive to your needs and your budget.

Finally, you can establish the dealer’s experience by looking into their certifications. Most importantly, the garage door dealer that you select should be certified by the International Door Association, as well as for any specific kind of work that they do. Also, find out if they’re certified by manufacturers. If the garage door dealer sells GARAGA doors, then they should have certification that they’re a Garaga Expert.

How’s their knowledge of codes and regulations?

If the garage door dealer you select isn’t up to speed on local building codes, then you could be stuck paying costly fines after they install your new garage doors. Make sure the dealer you select is in compliance.

Also, a garage door dealer should have safety certifications, as it’s a must for any contractor. When consulting with the dealer, ask to see these certifications. If you’re not sure what they mean, or even what you’re looking for, then a little Internet research will go a long way.

Are they covered by insurance?

Garage door dealers, like contractors, have to have insurance that covers their business and equipment, as well as their employees. It’s a simple as that. So, be sure to ask to see the dealer’s Certificate of Insurance. If they don’t have this, or if they think twice about showing it to you, then it’s time for you to start looking for a new garage door elsewhere.

How stable is their business?

Because your new garage door will be backed by a long-term warranty, you want to make sure that the business that issued it is around to honor it. If they’re not, then you’re potentially going to be stuck paying for costly repairs, or you may even have to pay to have the garage doors replaced entirely.

To find out how stable the business is, simply ask about how business is going. Has it been strong or weak? How do they expect it to be in the future? Combine what you learn by asking these questions with what you’ve learned on the Internet, and you should have a good idea about the dealer’s stability.

Now, go purchase your new garage door!

If you ask these questions, then you’ll be able to tell for yourself whether any given garage door dealer is reputable. Hopefully these questions helped you to find one!

Add new comment

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.