Review from Marco S.
Published:about 5 years ago
Really, this is 4.75 stars, as I will elaborate on below. I typically do not write reviews, but I had such an unusual experience with this company that I am compelled to write about it. One thing I will note is that this company has changed hands. "Steve" is retired. The new owner has decided to keep the name, I imagine for marketing reasons and perhaps the fact that "Steve's Garage Doors" has a favorable position in the Yelp algorithm. The new owner is Chris from Chris' Garage Doors (we seem to have a running theme). I called Wednesday afternoon, Chris answered, and he arrived shortly after. I ultimately asked for a quote on a garage door. He stated he could do the installation for $685 including a seal and labor. I thought this was a great price. He was looking better than Steve already! I have two garage doors and asked him if the replacement would match the existing one. Chris said that the color might not match exactly and I told him this was fine. He then left my house. About 15 min later I called him back and told him I had changed my mind and wanted both doors replaced. He was happy to oblige. I very much appreciate that he didn't sell me on replacing both doors, unlike the the old owner, Steve. This was the reason I did not replace my garage doors sooner. At any rate, at such a good price, I was happy to have both doors done.
Not only was the price great, but he and his assistant came the next morning - on time! They arrived at 8:30 and finished at around 10:00. Both doors looked excellent. One thing I will note, and this does not detract against the review, is that Chris quoted me a different price on arrival. It wasn't outrageously different. I believe it was a difference of about $20 per door. As a consumer you should always be careful about the quoted price because small errors do happen. It is especially easy to overlook such things when Chris brings his beautiful bulldog puppy to your home. I went mad taking pictures of the pup.
And now on to the 0.25 detraction. I found an issue with the garage door installed by Chris' assistant. It seems that the door's attachment apparatus had become detached from garage motor track. I called Chris immediately fearing to fix it myself and void any warranty. Chris informed me that this was not covered by warranty (a bit condescendingly in his tone - clearly he has gotten this type of call before) but that he would send his assistant out within 30 min. And, true to the integrity and nature of Chris and his company, the assistant was there. Now, the precise nature of the point deduction has nothing to do with Chris himself, but his assistant.
The assistant saw that the apparatus had become detached and immediately said "someone had to have pulled it loose." Now, there are a number of problems with this assertion. (1) This very same man had installed it less than 24 hours previously. Is he suggesting that it's inconceivable that he made and error in installation? (2) It is an incredibly bad business practice to blame the customer. If you want repeat business, you should never do this. This is not the first instance where I have encountered employees in ABQ that have never heard of the adage "the customer is always right." Finally, and most humorously, (3). I am a short man. Roughly 5'4". I demonstrated in front of the assistant that I physically could not reach the rope needed to dislodge the apparatus. Needless to say, the look on his face was less than pleasant when I deftly refuted his conclusion that "someone had to have pulled it loose." He then repeated that someone had to have done it. I replied "unless someone broke into my house and pulled it, that didn't happen." I also said that I would have had to use a step ladder to even reach the rope. He then said "I've been doing this 10 years and I have never seen it come loose by itself." I replied "well now you have!" I found the entire conversation hilarious and absurd. The logic of his statement is quite odd I think. Why would I, having paid over around 1500 for their services, cause my own garage door to be nonfunctional? Also, if I could not reach the rope, how would I do this by accident? I suppose that this is a long-winded way of saying these fellows are VERY defensive about their work. Which I understand, because honestly they did a fantastic job and I will most assuredly recommend them to everyone I know. My criticism is simply that they should be confident in their wonderful work.
Garage Door Handbook