I am a fan but I must say it took a while to resolve the issue I was having with my beautiful gate. John finally did come out and in fact was successful in greasing the gate. Apparently he now has a grease gun he sells with his gates that actually works! I had a lot of trouble with greasing the gate twice yearly as recommended and I am still not quite sure why the other grease guns were not adequate. Anyway, suffice it to say I was happy to pay $50 for this magic grease gun that he sold me that seemed to do the trick. I just hope it's as easy to do it myself when I do it again this winter. Aside from backing into the gate with my car a few years back and having to have it repaired to the tune of almost a grand and then my gardener unplugging my gate to recharge his phone unbeknownst to me and costing me $180 to either recharge the battery or get a new battery or just plug it in -- it's been a while so I have forgotten exactly what they did -- the gate is almost ten years old and still working like a charm. If you grease it as recommended, it will give you many years of quality service. John was very nice when I finally did get him out here without having to pay a service call! Thanks John. No hard feelings on either side hopefully! read more

Professional, honest, and great quality work with customer service that goes beyond the sale. We have done multiple projects all around the Northern Bay Area with Northgates in Motion over the years. All of them to great success, providing our clients with great satisfaction and service. Their great quality and crafted metal mechanical and pedestrian gates we have cladded in fine wood work makes for a beautiful finish and great lasting product. Its has been a team effort that we have enjoyed with Northgates for many years and we look forward to many more ahead. Cannot recommend John, and his team and company enough. The best in the business! read more

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I love the gate they built for me! It enhanced my property and I love the security If you like hiring the local guy and supporting our local economy, they're your best decision you'll ever make. I wish I had called them sooner! read more

I have been a customer for five years for a gate and garage doors. I needed assistance with the manual override on my gate. I called and the response was prompt and the tech was knowledgeable and polite. He showed me that I needed to hit the breaker bar to initiate the manual override, all of 2 minutes. The tech then put some lube on the gate hinges and departed; total elapsed time 5 minutes. I then received a bill for $240.00 which I paid, but I included a letter asking for an explanation of the charge. No response to my inquiry and no further contact. The service is exceptional, but the office and their customer service more than offset the great technical service. read more

Ricky from North Gates in motion is very attentive and knowledgeable. Quick, responsive service. I recommend this company. Our gate kept opening on its own and he helped solve the issue!!! read more

We've had several service appointments when our very old gate was misbehaving and NIM kept it running, but when it finally quit, they quickly and efficiently installed a new motor and chain, good as new. Then a few months later the old keypad stopped working and Ricky came out to replace it. But when he discovered that it was just a loose connection, he was able to fix it in a few minutes, saving us the expense of a replacement! I am impressed with the quality of the service, pleasant, informative communication, efficiency and honesty, all at a competitive price, and would recommend them highly. read more

The qualities used to rate companies is based on experience and trust. This company does not deserve our trust and their experience with us was to do shortcuts like tape the safety sensor together and put it at the back of the service box next to the battery. We paid them because they install and maintain gates - we should not have to know how to do their job. Many other things got pointed out to us as we started using other gate companies. This was so hurtful because they were the only company we used for years and trusted them. Now I think back on the work that was done and once the issues came to light and I called them on it, John would not even return my calls. This was absolutely disrespectful. read more

We hired Northgates in Motion several years ago to install a new iron security gate. Later, we had them upgrade it to a commercial system. They came out anytime we had an issue but it was not until we had an issue with the gate closing that we realized there was a major problem. Their cost went up enormously so we called another company and were shocked to learn the things that were done wrong by Northgates. One of the major complaints was the Liftmaster gate came with a safety sensor to protect children and pets. Instead of installing the sensor, Northgate actually taped the sensor and cell together and put it at the back of the control box. I called Northgates several times about the issues pointed out by the other technician and they refused to call me back or address the issue. So I called Liftmaster and filed a complaint about the improper installation of their product and was told it was a safety violation. I even told them I filed a complaint with Liftmaster and still no response. It is not the customer's responsibility to know how a company installs or services a piece of equipment. It is good faith and trust the customer gives to the company that builds the relationship. I do not recommend this company, I was very disappointed after the poor service was revealed by not just one company but two companies. The only compliment I can give is the office person was always very nice, even when I called her several times to find out why there was no response to the issues. read more

Although the staff were friendly I was disappointed on how they approached the problem. I had an issue with my gate and they ended up spending over $900 to repair. When I spoke to the owner, he explained that this gate is not that good and it wont last that much longer. I would have much rather invested so much money in a new gate and would have appreciated being presented with the option. In addition, they had to come by a second time because the first time it wasn't really fixed and they charged me for the revisit. I would have that that should have been covered... I Spent way too much money for this repair. read more

I am very disappointed with Northgates in Motion. I contacted them several weeks ago and they could not make an appointment because they were very busy and booking several weeks out. Then last Friday afternoon, as I was returning home after going to the Post Office - an 8 minute round trip- I find 2 workers from Northgates at my outside gate. I told them that I did not have an appointment ("we were in the area so we came"). Then I mentioned that they should have called to notify me, "we did". When I checked my messages, I did have a message but they had called less than 10 minutes before they arrived. I had no advance notice. They worked on the gate for less than an hour. They did fix the problem. Then one of the guys presented me with a bill for $800.00! This was for travel time and less than an hour's work. I protested vehemently and told them that their bill was crazy! He then pointed to the "contract" that delineated their prices. Of course, I had never even seen the contract, signed a contract or agreed to this contract. They had simply arrived and started work and I never agreed to any contract. I again told them that their prices were outrageous; he responded by saying, "Well how about $700.00!" Their manner of conducting business is not professional at all. I had a feeling that if I negotiated more, the price might be lowered further. I was so angry that I just paid them $700.00 and they left. I just wanted them gone. I actuality, they had trespassed on my property without permission, lied about contacting me, threatened me with their contract, and acted quite "shady". I will never use their services again and recommend that anyone doing so should agree on a date and time and amount before they just show up. I came away with a very uneasy feeling about them. read more

My 30-year old (!) gate operators finally failed. I have had great results with John and Northgates for many years, so I ordered a new set of operators. Today Ricky and Lechhab installed the new ones on my gate, and it is so perfect! Ricky and Lechhab are so skilled and knowledgeable. They are really a pleasure to work with. Also thanks to John for making this happen! Highly recommended! read more

In September, I had another problem with my gate and called Northgates. John phoned me back and tried to help me troubleshoot my way through. Ultimately, the problem was bigger than anything I could fix, so he sent his guy Lechaab over within a week. Lechaab is very knowledgeable and has been working with John for over a decade (if I remember correctly). He went through some diagnostics and then had to scratch his head, thinking. He asked me several questions about the installation (done by someone else) and we looked at my product folder. He figured out that the problem was a loop failure. Finding the loop location was another thing as it was a rather unorthodox install, meant to integrate seamlessly (literally invisible) with the hardscape of my driveway. It was also not the standard distance that is usually used. Lechaab figured it out and installed a new loop. I'm back in business and couldn't be happier with the service. Thank you, John, and a special thanks goes to Lechaab- I'm very impressed! read more

I just called to get an idea of what it would require financially to get an automatic gate installed. Besides that they seemed annoyed that I called in the first place...the woman on the phone just cut me off mid sentence and said " Its going to cost several thousand dollars, so if that's not what you had in mind sorry we can't help you" .....ok good to know...I will go spend my money somewhere else! read more

Bought my first gate from John 8 years ago. Worked fine until this past summer when Ghilotti repaved street in front of my driveway in Petaluma. The gate kept opening and closing. John gave me an " awesome deal" per John on a used commercial motor. The only problem was that the gate would still open and close whenever the garbage truck came to pick up garbage. We live on a very busy street. We have animals that need to be kept on our property. John would not return my repeated calls. His secretary, Robin, told me that he would call me back when it was convenient for him. When I finally spoke with him, he told me that he did not have anymore time to spend on this problem. He was extremely rude. It turns out it was a loop problem and Houston Electric came out and figured it out in 1 hour. John likes collecting the money but he does not like fixing a problem. I would not recommend his business. Buyer beware! read more

Used Northgates to fabricate and install my driveway gate. John and his crew were very pleasant and professional. The gate is very well constructed and looks great! Northgates was cheaper than the other quote I received and used a much better, industrial grade gate opener. I highly recommend Northgates in Motion. read more

John and his crew-- Ricky specifically, are the best! I can't say enough nice things, including the visit today. I had a gate emergency, as a driver had knocked the gate off the track. Even though they had 100 calls, Ricky made time to come by- and fix it. THANK YOU NORTHGATES IN MOTION!!! I so appreciate your professionalism - excellence and kindness. read more

We have purchased 2 gates from John. One was over 15 years ago and the 2d was about 13 years ago. We have had minimal issues and love the 2 gates. During the recent storms, the battery went out on 1 gate and the gate went off the track due to so many downed branches. The gate was lying on the ground. We use the gates to ensure our dogs and horses cannot go off our property so it was urgent to fix this quickly. John responded on the day we called and sent Ricky out to fix the gate. We have had great success with either John or Ricky over the years. Long story short the gate was fixed and working within a few hours. Great customer service. We highly recommend Northgates in Motion! read more

The fact that they only have 1 review wasn't fair...so my review should help to boost your confidence with this company... I drew up a sweet gate 7 feet tall by 16 feet wide, I thought originally it was too big, but I trusted John's judgement....I sunk a 6x6 Steel post 4 feet in the ground and they hung the gate off of that...Yeah John was right, it's been about 18 months and no sag, they used really nice stainless steel serviceable hinges that I grease every 6 months I can open this beast with one finger...couldn't be happier...thanks guys, keep up the good work. read more

This company installed my gate and motor many years ago. While we had the analog (so called) copper phone line, everything was fine except routine maintenance calls. But when AT&T switched me over to their internet phone, the troubles started. When the home internet phone is working, we can not operate the gate. When we call Northgate in Motion, their response time is a week or two. When they got the gate working, the AT&T phone does not work. This vicious cycle goes on for a year or more. Northgate charges a service call and a minimum1/2 or one hourly rate. That means every time you call them, it is a couple of hundred dollar charge. When a couple of days later whenAT&T comes out to fix the phone, the gate does not work and Northgate charges again. They each blame the o for the problem. Finally I refuse to pay the unreasonable charges, they would not come out until I pay up. After I did pay their unreasonable charges, they never call me back to set up an appointment. Unfortunately there are very few if any automatic gate service company around Marin Company. Finally I found a young company CS Doors & Gate that is responsive, courteous and genuinely want to solve the problem. To think that I stayed with Northgate in motion for 20, 30 years ! read more

Yesterday I had Northgates in Motion come out to diagnose and ultimately fix the keypad on the inside of my gate. My experience was very good. The technician, (Ricky), also helped me eliminate the old access entry codes that my husband had been trying to edit for years. Ricky was very knowledgable. I have read the other reviews and can understand why people might feel they were being charged too much. I live in San Rafael and hate getting charged the "Marin Mark-Up" but in this case, I don't think I could have repaired the issue on my own. The gate now works perfectly and Northgates was very responsive about coming out to fix it. My husband likes to say "you get what you pay for" and sometimes you pay more for what you get than you would like, but I am happy to have this working again and the people I have dealt with at Northgates In Motion (John and Ricky) have always done a great job for me. read more

I've used NIM to install and service my gate. They do a fine job, and their service people have been very good. They will really stick it to you, though, on parts & repairs. The motherboard on my gate burned out and needed to be replaced. I could find the board online for about $300. NIM wanted to charge me $700 for the exact same board. Installation, which is easy in this case, is charge separate. Be very careful about using NIM for service, and always ask them if you can order the parts separately and have them install them for you. read more

Jon and his guys + their office lady are always polite and helpful. Some issues still persist, but they are reasonable with working with you on affordable pricing for repair and installation. read more

Installation experience was good. John Nieman made extra effort in subsequent service.