Clippings are brief summaries of recent news articles in the consumer media. These stories offer a peek at how garage door companies and products are being reported to the public.
“Inside Edition” Turns Cameras on Garage Door Repairmen
Source: Lisa Guerrero, “Hidden Camera Investigation Shows Repairman Charging Hundreds of Dollars for Unnecessary Fix,” Inside Edition, Oct. 29, 2015, and “Watch Repairman Tear-Off Door Sensor … Then Charge $120 to Fix It,” Inside Edition, Oct. 30, 2015.
On Oct. 28 and 29, “Inside Edition,” a nationally syndicated television news program, broadcast two reports of its hiddencamera investigation into garage door repairmen. An estimated five million viewers watched each report. The only problem in the setup was a tilted photo eye on a garage in Midland Park, N.J. One technician with “Garage Door Service” on his shirt wanted to replace the spring for $450 to $550. When exposed by reporter Lisa Guerrero, he jumped in his unmarked van and drove off.
Then, a technician from Door Master NJ came and ripped the photo eye out of the bracket. He wanted $120 for the “fix.” Andrew Cimmino, owner of Christie Overhead Door of Staten Island, served as the garage door expert for the broadcast. He is an IDEA-accredited dealer who has four IDEA certifications, and he is not a competitor to any of the dealers shown on the program. Another technician, whose visit wasn’t aired, wanted to replace the motor on the opener, which Cimmino confirmed was in “perfect working order.” Joseph Enoch, producer, told us they didn’t have time to include that technician in the broadcast. “The deception was surprising,” Enoch told us. “It was outright lies.” Of the eight technicians who came, three were completely honest. “One guy corrected the photo-eye, did a full inspection, and charged $35. We gave him a tip,” he added. Editor’s Note: While we welcome the exposing of unethical practices, these TV stings are becoming shockingly common. Good behavior has nothing to fear, but be aware: the next garage you enter may be loaded with cameras.
Former Garage Door Employee Rams Doors at Dealership Source: Kevin Cole, “Man fired from garage door business caught ramming garage doors at ex-workplace,” Omaha World-Herald, Omaha, Neb., July 22, 2015. A man who was fired from a garage door company returned late one night and used a company vehicle to ram into garage doors there, according to this report. He was charged with burglary after police reported finding him intoxicated inside the door business at 1:45 a.m. on a Saturday. The owner reported receiving threatening text messages from the employee. One text reportedly claimed that the ex-employee would come to the owner’s home “with his boys and it wouldn’t be good.” The owner alerted police. The article said the man was angry because the owner wouldn’t bring him tools he left at the business.
Editor’s Note: In theory, you can avoid hiring volatile employees in the hiring process. Check references. Such behavior has likely happened before. Once you hire, treat employees fairly.
This article was published on Door + Access Systems Magazine | Winter 2015-2016