Garage door wasn't going up on its own so I figured it was the opener dying. Called up a company in Pearland that showed up on google maps search. I asked the guy what it would cost to replace the opener and he said the tech would call back with the prices. I felt that was odd but it didn't ring a red flag. Then I get a call from a toll free number who asked for my info to send the tech out. I again thought it was odd that a local company had a toll free number for dispatching techs. They also said there would be a service charge for them to come out (i can't remember exactly how much..around 40?). Repair guy shows up in an unmarked Tacoma wearing a "Garage Door" shirt. He looks and tells me the spring is snapped and that's why it wasn't lifting up. I asked how much and he said 145 a spring plus labor..385+tax = $415 So wise me..instead of googling "garage door spring replacement cost" i said..okay cool. Spoiler: Replacing two torsion springs on a garage door should cost roughly 200-250 bucks. Now here's the scam: There's a company operating out of a Dallas that is setting up 100s of "local businesses" for garage door repair services and then routing it to their national call center where they dispatch techs. This company then rips people off by the 100s to 1000s. They have bought up ton of domains and google search results to appear like different companies. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/wat...hundreds-ads-worst-garage-door-company-nation http://www.dadislearning.com/2018/01/17/dont-get-scammed-garage-door-repair-ripoff/ All in all I lost at least $165 today. Lesson learned. Hope this helps someone!
Thanks for sharing that, and we should all note the shady "business model" is very portable to any service you might search online, not just garage doors.
Yeah that sucks, man, thanks for sharing... I honestly do all my own repairs on everything, I just don't hardly trust anyone to do quality/reasonable work any longer And I mean everything from electronics/computers/home repair/car repair etc etc. The last skill I need to learn is probably welding.., I do have a good AC guy I'll let do some repairs/replacement and a good tile/carpenter guy but only because I sometimes don't like doing that work, ie on the ground or having to go in the attic when it's 100 + outside, and they both beat everyone in the business by at least 50%. Tl;dr I'm fortunate to have been passed down skills in mechanics/rental property owning growing up (haha, I don't own rentals yet).. But got fortunate to learn the skills to maintain properties. My main background is science/computers and soon the health field (looking at PA). I only mention this because I believe everyone can learn skills like this, or at least enough to know when they're getting screwed... ie your car doesn't have a Flux Capacitor and there isn't much to garages (sorry again for your experience).
So true... If I were actually in the business ... I'd probably be too honest (I guess that could be a good thing though).
I haven't had to call a bunch of home repair services so my scam radar was off. I usually try my best not to get ripped off. It happens maybe once or something during a vacation i.e. taxi ride from airport costing way more than it should. A/C replacement was done by a trusted friend's cousin who owns a A/C business. Water heater was done by dad's friend. Other minor plumbing/electrical/fixings have done by dad's handyman friend. When it comes to home and car repair services, take google and yelp reviews with a grain of salt. Check with BBB and try to go with someone who you know has had previous experience with them.
Yup. Two new springs installed. I just hope they don't crap out on me anytime soon! Original one lasted 16 years. He was definitely Mexican. lol.
If it fixed I would not really say you got scammed. You might have over payed. Hard to say what another company might have charged. Google pricing is not always accurate. homeshowradio.com has a list of trusted pros in the Houston area for all your home needs.
Typically I would agree with you that if something is fixed correctly, then I just overpaid for it. But when your entire operation depends on you setting up fake businesses, fake reviews and addresses to funnel customers that you can overcharge, I would say it's a scam. I found 3 other companies in Houston that point to the same business (GDS). I am sure I can find more.
Not really a scam. Just buyer's remorse. They charge what the market allows and you are the market. Best Buy might sell an HDMI cable for $50 and the people in the market will buy it out of convenience when in reality the same cable is under $10. Best Buy isn't really scamming anyone, they just charge whatever people will pay. A scam would be more akin to these guys taking a deposit to fix your garage and then never actually showing up to repair your item.
recently got scammed on my motorbike service. got charged at least 5 times the normal price while citing all these problems needing a fix. my bike ended up in worse condition that before going in. i will prolly write a nasty only review and already told a bunch of people in the area. hope the place gets burnt down and I will laugh in their tears.
I tend to use the Nextdoor app for stuff like this. Not saying you may still not get "scammed", but at least it won't be some random company you're calling in -- it'll be one others have had experience with.
