Spotting the Risks of Budget Garage Doors
A high-quality garage door protects your home or business, adds to your curb appeal and helps insulate your property for energy savings and better comfort. And if you see unbelievably cheap garage doors in Whitby, it’s wise to be suspicious.
Cheap garage doors often have hidden design and manufacturing defects such as flimsy panels as well as poor weather sealing and the use of old, toxic materials. These shortcuts cost you more in the long term than purchasing a garage door from a reliable, trusted dealer like Whitby Garage Doors.
Why Buying “Cheap” Means Buying Twice
Low prices mean the manufacturer has cut costs, often by using less material and lower-quality components. As a result, you’re getting less insulation, thinner steel and a worse-quality garage door overall.
These shortcuts reduce energy efficiency, causing your home to lose heat or cool air and driving up your energy bills. The flimsy construction of these garage doors will also not last long under heavy weather conditions, possibly leaving you and your family vulnerable when you need it most.
Durable Garage Doors Prioritize Safety and Reliability
A professionally manufactured and installed garage door will have excellent safety features for components like springs, hinges and tracks. If the quality of these features is compromised, it can lead to the following issues:
- Spring Systems: Garage door springs have a lot of stored energy which, if released uncontrolled, can result in serious damage. A spring failure will cause the door to become extremely heavy, burning out the opener’s motor. It can also damage your vehicle due to the impact of a falling door.
- Track Construction: Rollers, hinges, fasteners and the tracks need precise construction. Otherwise, you’ll deal with door derailment and drops, which can cause pressure injuries, twisted panels, shattered windows and damaged drywall.
- Warranty: Most cheap doors offer little to no true warranty. We often hear from homeowners needing help with problems caused by poor installation or the use of incorrect parts. Unfortunately, the companies selling these low-cost doors are rarely available once the job is done and payment is received — they simply stop responding
Why the Canadian Environmental Protection Act Matters
The Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) assesses, manages and restricts toxic substances that harm people and the environment. The CEPA enforces rules through inspections, product seizures, recalls and penalties. Cheap garage doors often use non-compliant substances, especially in insulation. As a buyer, asking the right questions is essential for compliance.
For example, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), which the CEPA prohibits, is used as a flame retardant in cheap insulation foam boards. However, it’s toxic and is known to cause health and environmental impacts, so you should look for a door that is labelled HBCD-free. Another common toxin is hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) used in blowing agents to create insulation foam. It usually appears in older polyurethane or polystyrene foam. HCFCs are ozone-depleting substances that harm the environment. Ensure a garage door is safe by asking if the insulation foam is water- or CO2-blown.
What to Ask Before You Buy a Garage Door
If you’re shopping for a new garage door in Whitby, use the following questions as your guide to garage door safety:
- What materials are used for this garage door, and what are the warranty conditions?
- Is this insulation compliant with CEPA regulations?
- Which flame retardant is used in the foam, and can you confirm it’s HBCD-free?
- Can you provide documentation proving CEPA compliance for all insulation and composite materials?
- What after-sales support or maintenance services do you offer?
Reputable suppliers will be happy to answer these questions and give you the information you need upon request.
Purchase Peace of Mind With Whitby Garage Doors
We are a professional, well-established company in the Whitby area that offers industry-leading brands like Clopay® to bring you the highest-quality garage doors. All our products comply with the CEPA, and our commitment to quality and compliance is shown through our consistently excellent customer reviews.
If you’re looking for a reliable garage door company for installation, repair and maintenance, contact Whitby Garage Doors for a quote and consultation today.
5 Ways to Spot Garage Door Scams
Whether you’re dealing with a broken garage door or you’ve just had a so-called repair person show up on your doorstep offering free estimates, you should always be alert to scams in this industry. Unfortunately, scams are common because the garage door installation industry is unregulated. Anyone can claim they have the experience and training necessary to work on your garage door — even if they don’t actually have it. Sometimes, scammers even have professional-looking websites and vehicles, making it harder to spot the lie.
The more you’re aware of common tactics and techniques used on unsuspecting homeowners, the easier it will be to avoid garage door scams. Check out five of the most common types of garage door scams.
1. Generic Companies
A trustworthy garage door company will clearly and consistently promote its name and brand. Most legitimate garage door businesses have branded vehicles, clothing and paperwork so that you can easily identify them. Scammers may use generic business names and not have a website or physical address. Their communication style may also be generic and inconsistent.
Even if a company’s truck and website look good, be sure to check that the business branding is consistent throughout all its materials and communications. Some scammers could create a realistic appearance, but upon closer inspection, you may find their website missing key information like customer reviews and a secure payment process. You might not even be able to find them on online directories like the HomeStars.
2. Low Estimates
While garage door installation and repair prices vary, an extremely low quote should raise a red flag. Quality garage doors and professional installation cost a certain amount. If you get an estimate that is significantly lower than industry averages, you’ll want to do some research into the company and whether they are legitimate.
You’ll especially want to be on guard if the company requests fees and payments upfront before actually inspecting your door or providing a repair service.
3. Lifetime Guarantees
Some scammers may offer promising benefits like a lifetime guarantee. This may sound great, but scammers could use low-quality parts that aren’t meant to last. Scammers will do this so that you’ll have to call them out for a repair not long after your new parts or garage door has been installed.
Then, when you reach out for replacement parts, they’ll bring more low-quality parts and charge an extensive labour or installation fee that wasn’t listed in the fine print. This is their way of ensuring you have to call them several times throughout the life span of your garage door.
4. Rebuild or Hardware Schemes
This is one of the most common garage door repair scams. When a professional comes out for maintenance or repair work, they’ll inform you that other parts of your garage door system need to be repaired or replaced. Your technician may falsely explain that other elements, ranging from springs, tracks, and brackets to the entire door, are either broken or damaged beyond repair, which will drive up the original service estimate. There may also be additional installation charges added to your bill that you weren’t expecting.
What you originally thought would be a quick and simple issue then turns into an extensive — and expensive — repair job.
At Whitby Garage Doors, we only suggest the parts that need to be replaced and provide a quote before doing any of the work. We will also recommend parts that could prolong the life of your garage door to save on future service visits.
5. Unidentified or Not Local to Your Community
If a technician shows up at your doorstep and doesn’t share many details about their company or experience, you should be a little suspicious. Some scams involve sending out unidentified independent contractors who may not have any license or in-depth experience installing and repairing garage doors. Because they are unidentified, you might not be able to reach them if you have any questions or experience any issues.
Additionally, if a garage door company tells you their office is far away from where you live — say you live in Whitby, and they claim to have an office in Barrie — you’ll want to think twice. The company you work with should have a relatively close office that you can visit. Most legitimate companies will have a limited service area in their community so they can promptly respond and meet homeowner needs.
How to Avoid a Garage Door Scam
While garage door scams can happen anywhere and to anyone, there are several things you can do to avoid falling victim to one:
- Research the technician and company: If someone shows up without branded clothing or an identifiable vehicle, think twice before you trust what they say. Take the time to thoroughly research the garage door company. Check to see if they have a website, address, phone number and social media accounts. See if you can find any reviews or customer feedback on their website or on the HomeStars. You can also research their name followed by words like “complaint” or “scam” to see if anything comes up on Google.
- Get a second opinion: If you get a price that seems too good to be true — or a list of extensive repairs — then get a second opinion from another company. You may find that your original estimate is hiding some fees or that you really don’t need as much repair work as the technician claimed.
- Request your repair estimate and guarantees in writing: When you have key communication in writing, you’ll have proof if the company ever tries to make unexpected changes. You’ll also be able to read through any fine print before you authorize their work.
- Ask for recommendations: Your friends and family members can be a great resource for finding reputable garage door companies in your area. At some point, they most likely have had a technician come out to repair or install a garage door. Asking them for recommendations can help you avoid scammers.
How to Report a Garage Door Scam
If you’ve recently experienced a garage door scam or a suspected scammer has shown up at your doorstep, you can report the individual or company to prevent others from falling victim. While the industry is unregulated, a scammer could face criminal charges for what they’ve done.
You can report the incident to your local authorities and use the BBB Scam Tracker. This free tool is designed to collect suspected scams and warn others so they don’t experience the same repair scam or fraudulent activity.
Contact Whitby Garage Doors for Reliable Garage Door Service
If you sense that something doesn’t seem right about a garage door company, your suspicions should encourage you to double-check their legitimacy. If you’re a homeowner in the Whitby, Ontario, area, you can turn to Whitby Garage Doors. As a proud authorized dealer of Clopay® and LiftMaster® products, we specialize in high-quality garage door services.
Since our founding in 1988, we’ve served our community with same-day service and competitive prices. Contact us today to request a quote or schedule a service.
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