Letters to the Editor: Agrees About Commissioned Technicians
© 2007 Door & Access Systems
Publish Date: Spring 2007
Author: Tom Wadsworth
Page 69
Letters to the Editor
Agrees About Commissioned Technicians
I greatly enjoyed reading your winter issue on “Sharpening Our Professional Standards.”
The paragraph titled “A Rip-Off Feeding Frenzy” was so good, I may frame it. When you have technicians who are paid by commission and strongly pushed to average more than $400 per call, the customer will certainly lose.
I was pleased to see someone speak out on these issues. Hopefully, your article will begin a healthy industry dialogue that results in positive changes for the industry.
Jim Duke
Bama Garage Door Company
Birmingham, Ala.
“Deluxe” Service Call
This past Saturday, I received a call from an area condo owner with a problem that sounded like a broken or misaligned cable. I couldn't get there until Monday, so she called [a garage door repair company].
I saw the invoice a few days later when I went to that same condo to fix a torsion spring that had just broken. Here are the charges:
§ Replace “Deluxe” cables: $85
§ Replace “Deluxe” cable drums: $60
§ Replace 10 2" rollers: $140
§ Replace two end-bearing plates: $105(!)
§ Labor: $39.95
§ Fuel charge: $7
The total bill was $436.95, and the service tech didn’t even tighten the nuts on the loose hinges. I felt very bad for the young lady and the condo association that had paid the bill on the spot. This job read just like one of your articles.
It’s time to spread the word again ... Buyer Beware.
Harry Peat
Clymer Overhead Door Service
Westerville, Ohio
Mistaken Identity #1
We found two stories in your winter issue to be very interesting reading.
First, our business was also targeted by the Internet relay call scam. We investigated the calls by questioning the operator, our phone provider, and the police, but we didn’t get anywhere. It’s sad, but we now no longer accept Internet relay calls.
The other article was about Precision Door Service (PDS). Our company is Precision Building Products, and we have two divisions, Precision Overhead Door and Precision Builders (garage building division). We have separate crews for both our divisions. We’ve been in business since 1979, and we have no connection with the PDS mentioned in your recent articles.
Since your latest article was published, some of our suppliers have asked us if we are a PDS franchise. We have an excellent reputation and are IDEA accredited. But the scams of these franchises (whether a fact or an accusation) are negatively affecting our reputation.
We are very disappointed in companies that give our industry a bad name. They only confirm the saying that “money is the root of all evil.”
Chris Schmitz
Precision Building Products
Fond du Lac, Wis.
Mistaken Identity #2
My name is Dave Dubois, and I have been in the garage door industry for about 15 years now, working for a professional door dealer (in Buffalo, N.Y.), Windsor Door, Wayne-Dalton, Marantec, and now with C.H.I.
Your fall 2006 interview with Precision Door mentioned another David Dubois, a Yellow Pages rep who was involved with the founding of PDS.
Many industry friends, customers, and people I have met over the years have asked me if I am that David Dubois, but I am not.
I wish to put this question to rest, as I have worked hard to build a good reputation in our industry. I hope you will publish this letter to clarify the issue.
Dave Dubois
Regional Sales Manager
C.H.I. Overhead Doors
Church Hill, Tenn.