Contacted Action Garage Doors as the spring had broke, was told that the earliest appointment was a week out. They offered to have an emergency visit for $95, but the rep advised against doing this, as she wasn't sure they would even have the parts on hand to fix it, so unless we needed to get our vehicles out of the garage it could be a week to get the parts anyhow.
And like a lot of service companies, our appointment was between 8-Noon, so we had to be home. My wife was home, and she is really good at handling these types of issues, and she is a therapist, so she is really good with people. About 2 minutes into the conversation, my wife called me as the price tag was going up quickly as the tech made it seem like our garage door was shot, and replacing the spring was only advised if we replaced the bottom two panels of the 4-panel garage door system (Wayne Dalton). I ended up meeting with the tech, and his first upsell was to recommend going to an external spring system. And then he strongly advised replacing the two bottom panels, which cost $700/ each. All in, the tech was recommending a complete garage door replacement for $3k, or we could go the cheap route and replace the bottom panel for $700. Plus, the cost of the spring is $520, but he was recommending we upgrade to the external springs as they can lift a lot more weight, which would cost $900. Plus there was an added service call fee of $95.
We used Action Garage Doors in 2016 and I thought they did a really nice job. They came out next day, and all in with a new spring was $200. And he ended up fixing a couple of brackets and adding some extra screws as these garage doors are foam wrapped in tin foil. (slight exageration, it is 24 gage sheet metal).
I asked the service tech if they had a way to support the existing garage door without replacing the panel, and pointed out how their last tech did it. I was told that they do not have other options, and the way the last tech did it is no longer an option due to 'liability reasons'. I asked about the pricing, since the quote was $500+ at the low side, and he said that the market has changed and although they once were a low-cost option, that the cost of materials, labor and fuel has gone up and they have adjusted their pricing accordingly. I challenged the assertion, as the springs sell online for $100, and while labor has increased fuels is about the same as it was in 2016. Regardless, rather than making a decision under duress, I sent him packing and thanked him for the quote.
Lowe's and Home Depot both sell struts to add to an existing door for $20/each. And the springs are $100-$200 depending on the size. Plus, Home Advisors has average pricing for replacing the spring in Boise, Idaho listed at $180-$320.
This felt like a shakedown, so we sent him packing. I will not use Action Garage doors now or in the future. Disappointing to see what was a good company, implement used car salesman tactics. These guys have Ipads with slick quoting options that list out the good, better, best on springs. And what is ironic is that the external old-school springs are being promoted as the best option, when the enclosed springs that are much safer, since when they break it does not send shrapnel into the area damaging property or your loved ones. read more