The overhead door in your garage has stopped working and you need to place a service call. Sounds simple enough – call any garage door company that pops up on an internet search and make an appointment. While this is basically true you can take some proactive steps before placing the call to help ensure you will receive the most effective service.
Before calling the garage door experts, take a look at the door system and collect answers to the following questions:
• Is the reason the door is not working visible?
For example, you can see a broken spring, cable, track, roller, hinge, etc.
If the spring is broken is it the type that stretches out from the rear hanger support of the track that is mounted to the ceiling (extension or stretch type spring) or is it the type that is mounted and wound on a pipe above the top of the upper door section (torsion type spring).
• Is the reason the door is not working vaguely to you?
Perhaps a scenario similar to: ‘The door worked last night but when I pushed the button this morning nothing happened.
• Does the size of your garage door accommodate one car or two cars?
In other words, is the door single car wide or two car wide?
• What is the garage door constructed of?
Wood, custom high-end wood, steel, vinyl, fiberglass, etc.
• Can you determine the manufacturer or brand of the garage door?
For example: Overhead Door Company, Clopay, Amarr, etc.
• Is the door electrically/automatically operated?
If so was the garage door opener working reliably up to the point where the door failed to operate?
• Can you determine the manufacturer or brand of the automatic opener system?
For example, Overhead Door, LiftMaster, Genie, etc.
(Suggested Article: Guide on Buying a New Garage Door Opener)
Was the door hit by a vehicle, was it closed on an object and damaged, was it frozen to the ground and failed to open when activated, etc.
• Is there visual damage to the garage door?
If something is obvious to you visually, such as a damaged garage door panel that needs to be replaced, we suggest you take a photo or two that will show this condition and be ready to email it to the service manager – it can be so true that a picture is worth a thousand words.
Now that you have these basic answers you are ready to call or email for an appointment. By being able to answer these items the service manager can often determine what is needed, assist with upfront pricing questions, determine how long the service call may take to complete and determine if a technician will have the proper service parts on his vehicle to resolve the problem.
Based on your answers the service manager will better be able to determine his or her ability to route a technician to your home on the day of your call.
A bit of preparation prior to ordering a service call can pay big dividends by allowing us to answer more questions before dispatching a technician and reducing service costs and downtime by being as informed and prepared as possible to address your specific needs. A quality service company will also maintain this information in your customer profile so any future service requirement can be more effectively addressed.
The Supertechs of Overhead Door Company of Central Jersey provides the best garage door service and installation for residential and commercial facilities. We've been in business for 50+ years, servicing the following counties: Somerset, Warren, Hunterdon, Morris, Mercer, Middlesex, Union, Hudson and Essex.