Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Garage Door Company
Ask for the full price of the finished repair rather than the visit, whether that includes parts and labor, what happens if more is found once the door is apart, whether there is a separate trip fee, the warranty terms, licensing and insurance, the arrival window, and whether the estimate will be in writing before work starts.
The nine questions
1. What does the finished repair cost, not the visit?
Good answer: a range with the reasons it varies. Bad answer: only a service call fee.
2. Does that include parts, labor and disposal?
Good answer: yes, or a clear list of what is extra. Bad answer: vagueness, or “it depends”.
3. If you find something else once the door is apart, what happens?
Good answer: work stops, you get a new number, and nothing proceeds until you agree. Bad answer: “we will take care of it”.
4. Is there a separate trip charge or call-out fee?
Good answer: a clear yes or no, and if yes, the amount and whether it comes off the repair. Bad answer: discovering it on the invoice.
5. What is the warranty on parts and on labor?
Good answer: specific periods for each, written on the invoice. Bad answer: “we stand behind our work”.
6. Are you licensed and insured?
Good answer: yes, with a straight answer about what that means in your jurisdiction. Bad answer: a slogan.
7. What arrival window can you give me?
Good answer: a window of a few hours and a call if it slips. Bad answer: “sometime today”.
8. Will I get the estimate in writing before work starts?
Good answer: yes, without hesitation. Bad answer: anything else.
9. If it is a spring, will you replace one or both, and what does each cost?
Good answer: an explanation of why both is usually recommended and a price for each option. Bad answer: only quoting for both without discussion.
Questions to ask about the job itself
For a spring: what wire size, inside diameter and length, and what cycle rating? A company fitting a 20,000 cycle spring is doing something different from one fitting a 10,000 cycle spring, and the price should reflect it.
For an opener: which drive type, and why that one for my garage? Belt versus chain is mostly about what is above the garage.
For a new door: what is the R-value, what gauge is the steel, and what is the lead time? “Insulated” without a number is not an answer.
The thing that matters most
Everything above reduces to a single test: will they put a number in writing before they start?
A written estimate before work begins is the whole difference between a trade with a reputation and one without. It costs the company nothing if they are honest and it costs them everything if they are not, which is exactly why some of them will not do it.
Related questions
Is it rude to ask all of this on the phone?
No, and a company worth hiring will not treat it that way. You are about to let a stranger into your garage and spend a few hundred dollars. Nine questions is proportionate.
What if they will not quote without seeing the door?
A range is always possible from a description. 'Between $170 and $400 depending on what we find' is a real answer. 'We cannot say anything until we are there' is not.
Should I get more than one quote?
For anything above a few hundred dollars, yes, unless the car is trapped and you need it today. For a full door replacement, always.