How to Choose a Garage Door Dealer
There are a variety of sources you can turn to to purchase or obtain garage door products, the most popular of which is the door dealer professional, such as an International Door Association (IDA) Dealer. IDA Garage door dealers are often the most reliable and dependable source for several reasons. These include experience, knowledge and – most importantly – the fact that IDA Dealers make their living by selling, installing and servicing door systems.
Safety: A Primary Concern
A garage door is often the largest moving object in a home or commercial business facility. An improperly installed door and operator system can exert tremendous force when the door closes. This could lead to the entrapment of children or adults and subsequent injury – or worse. Therefore, selecting the right person to install and service your door and/or operator is an extremely serious decision. It is not one that should be taken lightly!
Selecting Your Dealer
There are thousands of door dealers in business today. What can you do to assure yourself of selecting the right one? We’ve provided these five checkpoints for you to use:
- Experience
Experience is a simple way to identify a garage door dealer you can trust to provide you with the right garage door. A garage door dealer that has been in business for decades has the technical knowledge and experience needed to ensure your garage door is installed and functioning properly. Of all the five checkpoints, this is perhaps the easiest to validate. How long has the company been in business? If a new company, do the principals have experience in the door and operator industry? How much?
- Workmanship
This may be the most important checkpoint. And it is also easy to verify. Does the door dealer have satisfied customers? If so, do they have letters of recommendation from their customers? Depending on the project, you may want to talk to a customer or two. If you look online and can’t find any positive testimonials about this dealer, it’s not necessarily a red flag as some companies don’t feature testimonials on their website. However, if the dealer cannot put you in touch with any satisfied customers, that’s probably a sign you should look somewhere else.
- Code and Regulatory Compliance
There are numerous requirements pertaining to safety and the installation of a garage door system. Federal, state, and local codes and regulations must be followed. Ask the dealer you select about how they comply with the codes in your city. This one is a deal breaker. Federal, state and local regulations are created for the safety and protection of homeowners and should be followed at all times. If your dealer cannot show that they comply with all federal, state and local regulations, you should walk away immediately.
- Insurance Coverage
It is important to you that the door dealer carry proper insurance on their business and employees. One checkpoint is to ask for a copy of the company’s Certificate of Insurance. If they don’t have one or hesitate to comply with your request, it could be a negative signal. If the dealer tries to explain to you that they are not required to carry insurance for some reason, it may be best to walk away. Whether there is truth to that or not, you can generally expect that most reputable garage door dealers will carry the proper insurance and would be willing to comply with your request.
- Financial Integrity
Depending on the size of your project, financial integrity of a door dealer can be very important. Although this is a sensitive issue, a dependable, honest door dealer won’t mind telling you about the basic financial integrity of their company. The important thing is transparency. While you shouldn’t necessarily expect a garage door company to open their books for you, they should still be open and honest about most matters. If you’re not comfortable with the way your dealer behaves or responds to your inquiries, go somewhere else.
Selecting the right door dealer is as simple as asking a few questions. The most important deals with the issue of reliability. Is the dealer dependable, trustworthy, and safety-conscious? These questions take only moments to answer, and yet they can help you avoid tremendous problems in the future.
Choose Best Overhead Door for Garage Doors in Oregon
If you’ve been looking for garage door dealers in Tualatin, Oregon, or surrounding areas, Best Overhead Door has everything you need. With over 30 years of experience and countless testimonials from satisfied customers, you can be confident you’re choosing a garage door dealer you can trust. In addition, Best Overhead Door is a Clopay® Master Authorized garage door dealer.
Many consider Clopay garage doors among the top garage doors in the country for their attractiveness, durability and style, and Best Overhead Door has a wide range of them to choose from. Our installers all go through the same strict training process, so you know we will install your door correctly the first time. If you don’t want to spend any more time worrying about how to choose a garage door dealer in Oregon, contact Best Overhead Door today.
Give us a call today at (503) 620-1205 or contact us online. You can also schedule service or request an estimate. For emergencies or after-hours service calls, please call us at (503) 707-0848.
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I agree that experience is a simple way to see what kind of garage door company you should hire. If they have been in business for a while, it shows they are established and that people have trust in them. It shows they have knowledge in the field too, like you said.
My garage currently doesn’t have a door, so I’ve really been wanting to get one. Thanks for pointing out that I should make sure the garage door dealer I buy from should have been in the business for a decade or so, as they will have more experience and knowledge. Where can I learn more about the different types of material for garage doors and their benefits?
I like that this mentioned that one will want to make sure a garage door dealer should have good customer reviews. I’ve heard you can also check out the BBB for reviews and credentials. My dad wants to get a new garage door, as our home is over fifty years old. These tips will definitely help us find a dealer, so thank you for posting them.
Thanks for sharing this information! All tips to buy our new garage door are really useful. It’s all really nice tips to purchase our new garage door. Thanks again……..