There are more than 270 million cars across America so it’s only natural that most homeowners look for places to store these vehicles. In fact, 80% of American homes have garages or carports on their plots.

There are loads of benefits to having a garage. It keeps your car more secure and provides you with extra storage for your home. You can even use it to build an extension of your home onto if you need the space!

But if you have a garage it’s important to make sure it’s secure at all times. Three burglaries are committed every minute in the US and a poorly-secured garage is an easy target for thieves. If your garage door is a bit the worse-for-wear it might be time to start googling ‘garage door repair near me’.

Before you do, make sure you know what to look for in a garage door repair company. This could save you time and money and ensure you get a quality repair. So what are you waiting for?

Read on to find out our top tips on how to find a garage door repair company!

1. Make Sure You Know What You’re Looking For

When it comes to garage door repairs there’s often more to consider than meets the eye. Before you start looking for a repair company make sure you know what you’re looking for.

Have a thorough look at your garage door and try to identify what has broken if you can. Make a note of when things started to go wrong with your door, as this could help a repair company get to the root of the problem quickly. Taking photos of a break is also a great way to keep a record of its repairs.

Before you hire a garage door repair company they’ll want to know about what type of door you have. Make a note of the year you got it installed and the size and make of the door. After all, there’s no point in hiring a company that won’t have the right parts to fix your door!

Once you’ve got all of this information, you’re ready to start contacting garage door repair services. Let’s take a look at some of the other things you should keep in mind when looking for the right company for you!

2. Don’t Settle for the First Company You Find

If you’re getting garage door repair then you don’t want to waste any time finding a good company near you. But this doesn’t mean you should rush the job.

Failing to do your research properly could mean you end up with a poor quality repair and have to get another company in later. This is a huge waste of your time and money.

3. Ask Plenty of Questions

Any decent repair company should be prepared to answer any questions you might have before you hire them.

This reflects the fact that they want to offer good customer service and communication. It also shows that they know what they’re talking about and are happy to share this knowledge with you.

Be wary of anyone who tries to dodge your questions or can’t provide satisfactory answers. At best this might mean they’re patronizing or unhelpful. At worst it could suggest that they don’t have a clue what they’re talking about!

4. Look for a Company That Offers Free Estimates

When you’re looking for how to get garage door repair help, your budget is always something you should keep in mind. You don’t want to scrimp and end up with a poor-quality repair but there’s no point hiring someone out of your budget.

Make sure you ask a company about their pricing up-front to save yourself time.

A lot of repair companies also offer free estimates on their work before you hire them. This can help to give you an accurate idea of what you’ll pay based on your specific repair.

5. Check Out the Reviews

Whenever you hire any type of service, you should always check out reviews from previous customers. These are the most accurate way to get an idea of the kind of service a company provides.

When you’re looking for reviews don’t just use the ones on the company’s website. These will always reflect the company’s best reviews while hiding any bad ones. For an accurate representation of the company’s work, visit an independent site.

Google Reviews is home to nearly 60% of all online reviews so this is a great place to start.

Check the dates of reviews as you scroll through. More recent reviews will give you an idea of how the company operates now. Obviously, if you come across any awful reviews then it may be time to look elsewhere!

6. Look for a Company With Specialist Experience

Repair companies come in all shapes and sizes but to get a high-quality job look for one that specializes in garage door repairs.

They will have top-tear knowledge of different types of repairs and be able to deal with complex jobs. They will also know how to work on a wider variety of doors.

For example, repairing commercial garage doors is different from repairing domestic garage doors. A general engineer may not know enough about these two areas to execute the job well. However, a specialist company should have no problem managing either repair.

7. Make Sure They Have Insurance

Any company that carries out work on your property should have the right level of insurance. If they don’t, then don’t let them start working.

A company’s insurance is important as it covers both you and them while work is going on on your property.

If an accident occurs while they’re working this could damage your property, their equipment or cause a medical accident. Each of these situations has a financial consequence. However, if a company has insurance then this will take care of that so you don’t have to.

8. How Soon Can They Schedule Your Appointment?

Finding the right repair company for the job often comes down to practicalities and scheduling is a big part of this. If a company doesn’t have room in their diary for your repair, there’s no point in bringing them in.

You want someone who will be able to come and carry out a repair as soon as possible so that your possessions aren’t vulnerable. So make sure you ask about availability in your first conversation with any company. Some companies offer emergency repair appointments which can be brilliant if you need the repair done straight away.

Some companies will also be more flexible with their appointment times, which can be helpful. For example, if you work during the day then you’ll need a repair company that can come in the evenings or at the weekend.

Before you book your appointment in, make sure you ask about their cancellation and rescheduling policies. If you have to suddenly reschedule then you want a company that will be able to accommodate this.

9. How Long Have They Been In Business?

A company that has been around for a while is often successful for a reason, which is always a good sign for new customers.

Opting for a new company may be a bigger risk. You’ll struggle to find as many reviews and they may not have as much experience as an older company. You don’t want a new company using you as their guinea pig while they get set up.

10. Ask How Big Their Staff Is

A big staff is often a good sign as long as a company is properly organized.

More staff means that you shouldn’t have to wait long for your repair. It also means that you’ll always be able to get in touch with someone at the company’s office. These are all useful factor when it comes to getting your garage repaired quickly.

However, you should make sure that a company with a big staff can offer you consistency. You don’t want your repair case passed between engineers. This could mean you spend a lot of time repeating yourself as you explain the problem to engineers.

11. Look in Business Directories

If you think you’ve found a great company to carry out your repair you can double-check their reputation by looking at a local business directory.

Any decent company should be listed in one of these directories. If they aren’t it might be worth doing some digging to make sure that the company’s legit.

12. Ask About Their Resources

Staff and their resources are the backbones of a repair company, so make sure they can deliver the goods before you hire them. The last thing you want is to be held up because they had to order in a spare part for your door.

Check that they frequently repair your brand of garage door. If they do, then they should have all the tools they already need in stock.

Vehicles are another important part of a company’s resources. They could have all the know-how in the world but if they can’t get to you then that won’t help at all! So make sure that they have the resources to deliver on the repair schedule that they promise.

13. How Good Is Their Communication?

The last thing you want is to be waiting around to hear back from a repair company. Their response time to your first call or email can tell you a lot about how their communication will be later on.

If they take more than 24 hours to get back to you, then it’s worth looking for help elsewhere. You don’t want to have to chase them to get the work done. And if anything goes wrong with their work after the repair, you need to know you can get in touch with them easily.

14. Do They Offer a Guarantee?

Any decent company should offer a guarantee period for their work. A guarantee outlines that if anything goes wrong with the repair during a certain period, they have to rectify this free-of-charge.

This provides you with important financial protection if they don’t complete the job properly. It is also a good sign that a company is committed to getting the job done right the first time around. A guarantee means it’s in everyone’s interests to do a good job.

Make sure you read the small print on a guarantee before accepting it. Most won’t cover a fault in the repair if it has been tampered with, which is understandable. But most repair guarantees should cover basic faults.

15. Make Sure You Look for a ‘Garage Door Repair Near Me’

The location might not be the first thing on your mind when you’re looking for a repair company but it should be!

Hiring a company that works near you means they’ll be more likely to get to your repair quickly. And if anything goes wrong with the repair they will also be able to come and fix it sooner rather than later.

National companies might boast impressive reputations. But all of this won’t be any good if you have to spend hours trying to track down a local engineer. Choosing a local guy who’ll do the job well is often the better option.

Time to Start Searching!

If your garage door breaks it could leave you, your possessions, and your home vulnerable to burglaries and other damage. That’s why it’s extremely important that you get it repaired soon rather than later.

Keep these handy tips in mind and you can’t go far wrong when looking for a quality repair company.

There’s no need to start Googling ‘garage door repair near me’. Get in touch with an experienced Texas garage door repair company today for help with your door!

Or for more help getting the most out of your new repair, check out our tips on making your garage door opener last. We’re here to help!