ORLANDO, Fla. — If you can't get your garage door open, chances are you need it fixed right away. An Action 9 hidden-camera investigation exposes how that routine repair could cost you a small fortune for all the wrong reasons.
“Were you here to fix or to sell?” Action 9's Todd Ulrich asked the tech from Garage Door Service.
The tech had just told our volunteer homeowner that she had to replace unsafe garage door parts, and the bill would have been close to $1,000.
Garage Door Service topped Action 9's Google search for Orlando repairs. Ulrich watched on hidden camera as the repairman said the door opener, springs and the rollers could fail anytime.
Raw: Todd Ulrich confronts garage repair company
“I was listening in the other room, and you wanted to replace the motor,” said Ulrich.
“Oh, no. I didn't give her any quote,” replied the tech.
“Well you said $350 to $400,” said Ulrich.
“Yeah,” the tech agreed.
Before Action 9's test, our expert said the door was in very good shape, except for one issue that we purposely created. It's a common problem where the safety sensor gets knocked off and causes the door to stop working.
Anyone could think they have a far bigger problem than they really do.
That tech from Garage Door Services told our owner the sensor was out of place, but he didn't stop there.
“You were going to sell a whole lot more,” said Ulrich.
“I would like to sell her a lot more than that,” said the tech.
“And I got a big problem with that,” replied Ulrich.
When Quality Garage Door Services arrived at our test home, the employee fixed the sensor then wanted to replace the opener for $400.
“Was there any safety issue here?” asked Ulrich.
“As far as anyone getting hurt, no,” replied the employee.
The third man at our test home was from a company called Best and Fast. He spotted the sensor, too, then said the springs had to be lubricated for $200 to $300.
“Your bill went a lot higher,” said Ulrich.
“No, no, no. I says she not need this one,” he replied.
According to Action 9's expert, all three companies crossed a line.
“There is no safety concern or anything wrong with the motor or any other parts on this garage door,” said Doug Berlin with Above the Rest Garage Doors.
Ulrich asked the tech from Garage Door Services for a contractor’s license.
“Can you give me a card with business and license number?” he asked.
“I absolutely cannot,” replied the tech.
All three companies said the additional repairs were just suggestions, and it was up to the customer to decide.
Any garage door replacement requires a permit and installation by a licensed company.
Quality Garage Door response:
Quality Garage Door Services was misrepresented on the recent Garage Door Repair Test put out by Channel 9 Eyewitness investigative reporter Todd Ulrich. Our technician arrived on site and immediately fixed the customers eye beam sensor, which had been taken off on purpose by Todd Ulrich's people, without charging her. The customer said she would soon be selling the house. We then told the customer to continue using the opener until it broke. We provided her an estimate for $25 cheaper than was reported by Channel 9 news. And told her to give us a call if it broke. We didn't charge her a dime!! We here at Quality Garage Door Services will continue to provide excellent service and take care of our community. Visit us online www.qualitygaragedoororlando.com to see how your neighbors feel about our service. We still stand proud as Orlando's preferred garage door company. Thanks Central Florida for 20 years of excellence!!
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