If you’re like most people, installing a new garage door can mean a big decision. There’s the initial challenge of choosing a door that suits your home and your home’s aesthetic. Then there’s negotiating a price and arranging delivery before you even begin thinking about warranties and maintenance scheduling.
Often the last thing people think of when buying a door is whether or not they are hiring a trusted and experienced installer. Unfortunately it’s often not until things go wrong that consumers discover how reliable their installers are.
The good news is, you can save yourself a lot of stress and heartache by asking a couple of simple questions before hiring your installer. And it’s those questions we’re going to look at for this week’s blog.
What’s your experience?
An experienced garage door installer should be able to point to recent and successfully completed jobs. Those jobs should be relevant to your situation too. So for example if you’re installing a residential door, your installer should be able show examples of the residential doors they’ve installed. The same goes for commercial garage doors, doors for businesses etc.
If they have a website, check it for testimonials from previous customers. If they have a Facebook or Google+ page, check the reviews section. How were the experiences of previous customers? You can find out a lot about a company by doing a little online research.
Who will be carrying out the work?
Always ask who will be performing the work. Will it be the same technician who gave you your measure and quote? Will it be someone from a specialised installation team? Or will it be a hired sub-contractor?
Regardless of who is employed to do the actual work, you should always ask the following. Is the installer a trained and certified professional? Will they be able to work to your schedule? Will they arrive on time? Will they clean up after themselves?
If possible, get the installer’s contact details or the details of a direct contact within the installation company. So, in the event of problems, you know exactly who you’re dealing with, and who you can talk to for help.
What is your warranty?
All new garage doors should come with a warranty, however the length of time covered and what is included will differ from company to company, and door brand to door brand.
Find out what is covered before installation. Then afterwards, be sure to get a written copy. Put your proof of warranty somewhere safe, because you never know when you might need it.
Some installers provide extended warranties for an additional fee. Depending on your situation and the risk-level in your area, these may be worth purchasing.
Can you provide service and maintenance?
Like many devices in your home, regular maintenance is required to keep your garage door performing at its best.
So when having your new door installed, ask your installer if they provide regular servicing options. If the answer is yes, it may be worth putting your name down for an annual service in 12 months time.
Life can be busy and often maintenance is overlooked. By arranging an annual service well in advance, you can ensure that your garage door is properly maintained, without having to think of it down-the-track.
So these are our top five questions that we recommend you ask before hiring a garage door installer. However if you have any other questions, get in touch. Our professional and knowledgeable team can help you with any queries you might have about garage doors and garage door installations.
If you’ve enjoyed this article, and would like to read others similar to it, you can do so by clicking on the link below.
