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 There
are a variety of sources you can turn to to purchase or obtain
garage door products, the most popular of which is the door dealer
professional, such as an International Door Association (IDA) Dealer.
IDA Garage door dealers are often the most reliable and dependable
source for several reasons. These include experience, knowledge
and - most importantly - the fact that IDA Dealers make their living
by selling, installing and servicing door systems.
A garage door is often the largest moving object in home or commercial business
facility. An improperly installed door and operator system can exert tremendous
force when the door closes. This could lead to the entrapment of children
or adults and subsequent injury - or worse. Therefore, selecting the right
person to install and service your door and/or operator is an extremely serious
decision. It is not one that should be taken lightly!
There are thousands of door dealers in business today. What can you do to
assure yourself of selecting the right one? We've provided these five checkpoint
for you to use:
| 1. |
Of all the five checkpoints, this is perhaps the easiest to validate.
How long has the company been in business? If a new company, do the
principals have experience in the door and operator industry? How much?
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| 2. |
This may be the most important checkpoint. And it is also easy to verify.
Does the door dealer have satisfied customers? If so, do they have
letters of recommendation from their customers? Depending on the project,
you may want to talk to a customer or two.
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| 3. |
There are numerous requirements pertaining to safety and the installation
of a garage door system. Federal, state, and local codes and regulations
must be followed. Ask the dealer you select about how they comply with
the codes in your city.
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| 4. |
It is important to you that the door dealer carry proper insurance on
their business and employees. One checkpoint is to ask for a copy of
the company's Certificate of Insurance. If they don't have one or hesitate
to comply with your request, it could be a negative signal.
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| 5. |
Depending on the size of your project, financial integrity of a door
dealer can be very important. Although this is a sensitive issue, a
dependable, honest door dealer won't mind telling you about the basic
financial integrity of their company. |
Selecting the right door dealer is as simple as asking a few questions.
The most important deals with the issue of reliability. Is the
dealer dependable, trustworthy, and safety-conscious? These questions
take only moments to answer, and yet they can help you avoid tremendous
problems in the future.
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