How to choose a garage door company in Traverse City

What makes a garage door company worth hiring

A garage door company is worth hiring when it can prove who it is, explain what is wrong in plain words, and put the price in writing before it touches your door. Everything else in this guide is a way to check those three things.

This matters more than it does for many home services. Garage door springs and cables hold enough tension to injure someone, and the Better Business Bureau has warned about garage door operators who advertise a cheap visit and then push expensive work. The Federal Trade Commission publishes broader advice on avoiding home repair scams.

The good news is that honest companies are easy to recognize once you know what to look for. Here is the order we would check things in if we were the ones hiring.

1. 1Look up the addressConfirm the company has a real street address and an office phone that a person answers.
2. 2Ask for proof of insuranceA good company sends a certificate of insurance without hesitating.
3. 3Read the reviews and BBB profileLook for recent, detailed reviews over years and see how the company responds to complaints.
4. 4Describe your problem on the phoneAsk what might cause it, whether the truck carries the likely parts and how the visit is priced.
5. 5Get the price in writingBefore any work starts, get a written estimate that lists the parts and labor.
6. 6Take your time on big decisionsIf someone pushes a new door on the spot, it is fine to ask for a second opinion.

Can the company prove it is insured

Yes, a good garage door company can prove it is insured, and it will not mind being asked. Ask for a certificate of insurance before work starts, especially for spring work or a new door install.

The Institute of Door Dealer Education and Accreditation suggests asking for documentation of liability and workers' compensation coverage, and says reluctance to provide it should raise concerns. Insurance protects you if a door, a car or a person gets hurt during the job.

Does the company have a real local address you can visit

A trustworthy local company has a street address you can look up and an office phone that reaches a person. According to the BBB's garage door scam alert, scammers often avoid giving a verifiable location, provide only a phone number or email, and use generic names that are not tied to a registered business.

Look the address up on a map. It should be a shop, office or industrial space, not a mailbox store or an empty lot. The company name should match the trucks, the invoices and the reviews. The BBB also notes that legitimate technicians typically wear uniforms, carry identification and drive company-branded vehicles.

Being local matters more than it sounds in Northern Michigan. A company based in the region knows what long lake-effect winters, salt and slush do to springs, cables and bottom seals, and it will still be around to service seasonal cottages and pole barns from Interlochen to Elk Rapids.

How to read garage door company reviews

Read reviews for volume, recency and detail, then read how the company answers them. A long history of specific reviews that mention the problem, the technician and the result says far more than a handful of five-star ratings.

The FTC's advice on evaluating online reviews suggests checking how recent reviews are and watching for a burst of reviews over a short period, which can sometimes mean they are fake. It also suggests checking whether a reviewer has written other reviews and looking at a variety of sources.

• Volume over years, not a sudden pile in one month.
• Recent reviews, so you know the current crew is doing good work.
• Details: named technicians, the actual repair, how the price compared to the estimate.
• Owner responses that are calm and specific, especially to the rare unhappy customer.
• A BBB profile showing its rating, accreditation, any complaints and whether the company answered them.

What should happen on the first visit

On the first visit a good technician diagnoses the problem, shows you what failed, and gives you the price before starting. For common repairs, the truck should already carry the parts: springs, cables, rollers, hinges, drums and opener parts. That is how most repairs get finished on the first visit instead of turning into a second appointment.

The FTC recommends getting written estimates and not paying by cash or wire transfer. For larger jobs like a new door, it recommends reviewing and signing a written contract before work begins. It is also reasonable to ask to keep the old parts, so you can see what was replaced.

How a good company handles broken springs and cables

A good company treats springs and cables as the most dangerous part of the job and explains exactly what it is replacing. Springs should be matched to the weight and size of your door, and the technician should check the door's balance and the opener's safety reversal before leaving.

Ask how they choose the spring. A clear answer names the door weight or the spring size and explains whether both springs are being replaced and why. Our spring repair page explains how we handle it, and our guide to what a snapped or loose garage door cable means covers the cable side.

Will they tell you honestly whether to repair or replace

An honest company recommends repair whenever repair is the sound choice and explains why when it is not. Springs, cables, rollers, hinges and most opener problems are routine repairs on a door that is otherwise solid.

Replacement makes sense when sections are rusted through, cracked or badly bent, when replacement panels are no longer made, or when the homeowner wants a warmer or quieter door. A good technician lays out both options with the reasons and lets you decide. The same goes for openers, which our guide on repairing or replacing a garage door opener walks through.

Parts matter too. Ask which brands the company installs and services, and whether the parts it uses come from the door and opener manufacturers. When a new door is the right call, our new garage door buyer's guide covers what to compare.

What if you own a business with commercial doors

If you own a business, look for a company with commercial experience and technicians certified on fire doors and rolling steel doors. Rolling fire doors close automatically in a fire, and NFPA 80 requires fire door assemblies to be inspected and tested at least annually by a qualified person, with written records kept.

Ask who on the crew is certified, what the inspection covers, and what records you will receive for your fire marshal or insurer. Our fire door page explains how we handle inspections and repairs for businesses around Traverse City.

Garage door scam red flags to watch for

The biggest red flag is a very low advertised service fee that grows once the door is apart. The BBB warns that some operators advertise a low fee and then demand more money for additional repairs, inflate the work or parts needed, and pressure homeowners into immediate, costly decisions.

• A teaser service call price that is far below everyone else's.
• Pressure to replace the whole door or decide on the spot.
• Unmarked vans, no uniforms and no identification.
• No street address, only a phone number or email.
• Generic business names that change from ad to ad.
• Demands for full payment upfront, cash only or wire transfer.

How B&B Garage Doors and More measures up

We hold ourselves to the same checklist. B&B Garage Doors and More is father and son owned by Tony and Jake Bailey, and the company is insured. Our office is at 3890 S Blue Star Drive, Suite A, in the industrial park south of Traverse City off US-31, and it answers the phone Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 4:00 pm.

We are BBB accredited with an A+ rating and rated 5.0 on Google from 200+ reviews, which you can read on our reviews page. Tony and Jake are both fire door certified and rolling steel certified. Every truck rolls out stocked, most repairs are finished on the first visit, and estimates are free.

You can learn more about our family and crew, see the counties and towns on our service area map, or read about garage door repair in Traverse City. Whoever you hire, use the questions above. A good company will be glad you asked.