Now that fall is upon us and winter is fast approaching there is always the "Last minute,have to get it done before winter job". This is where customers call and need work done on their garage doors now.
One of the problems with this type of job is most if not all of the qualified overhead installers and techs are burning the candle at both ends. Our contractors have started to catch up with building as framers get the most work done in the summer time and usually by this time we're about 5 weeks behind by the middle of September. You see,there are times when our sales teams go and quote a job in the retail market in May or June and the customer will say that there's lots of time before the snow flies and they put the job off. In May or June,we can get to the job in a couple of days or a week at most if we are fairly caught up. If the customer puts the job off till the end of August or the beginning of September then it will take a few weeks for an installer to get to the job. There have been a few retail jobs and even contractors that have said to me that I should have been there weeks ago and they are upset.
Of course I do what I can to help the customer understand the reasons why this happens, shortage of qualified and trained installers, being swamped to begin with, and then I explain the "put it off till the snow flies" mentality. Most of the time they understand and are okay with it. There are occasions where there is nothing we can do the help the contractor or customer to understand. This leave the installer feeling a sense of failure due to the prevailing attitude.
They only way for the customer to avoid being caught in this situation is to avoid putting the job off. Or stay on top of maintenance. Lubricate springs,hinges,rollers and any other moving parts of the overhead door every 6 months with a silicone based lube is a great way to stay on top of it. Never use grease or oil and WD-40 is probably one of the worst things you can use for lube. Oil and grease attract dirt because of the stickiness,that in turn creates a situation where parts are moving against each other with foreign object obstructing movement and grinding together. There is also the option of having a qualified technician come in and tune up your door from time to time. This is very cost effective compared to replacing parts and even your door after months or even years of regular use and no maintenance. The average service call will run you around a hundred bucks and a good tech will explain the work he is doing while he is doing it.
Now,I'm not going to B.S. here. There are some guys out there that will try to soak customers and get what they can out of if and quote prices from a nuclear powered calculator. This is where a bit of research does wonders for the wallet. I myself work for the busiest overhead door company in Calgary. I have worked for a number of them in the area and I can say with all confidence that the one I'm with now is the best I have worked with and some of the best qualified installers and tech in the city with combined experience of a couple hundred years. There's isn't a tech with us with under ten years in the industry,I myself have been installing garage doors and operators since 1996 with over 20,000 garage door installations.
Another thing customers are responsible for is the type of door they choose to purchase. Personally,Steel-Craft are the best you can buy in Canada. I have seen retail customers pay through the teeth for a door from one of the building supply companies and then be left with finding their own installer. Totem in Bowness sells Steel-Craft so if your purchasing a garage door from a building supply outlet then they are the store to go with. Overhead door companies in Calgary that sell Steel-Craft doors are Action Door, Glenmore Overhead and a few other smaller companies. One other thing is that you'll pay pretty much the same with all the above mentioned companies,prices will generally be within $50 of each other.
During the busy season most of us are working 12-14 hours a day so when we are lucky enough to get a weekend off to spend with our families,we generally don't want to work that weekend. Try to get the number off the truck to call their office to book a time for your install. There are days when I have 5-6 people come up to me or stop me in traffic and ask about having their door installed. While this doesn't bother me,it can be a little tough when I suggest calling the office when the customer wants their work done as fast as possible.
One of the problems with this type of job is most if not all of the qualified overhead installers and techs are burning the candle at both ends. Our contractors have started to catch up with building as framers get the most work done in the summer time and usually by this time we're about 5 weeks behind by the middle of September. You see,there are times when our sales teams go and quote a job in the retail market in May or June and the customer will say that there's lots of time before the snow flies and they put the job off. In May or June,we can get to the job in a couple of days or a week at most if we are fairly caught up. If the customer puts the job off till the end of August or the beginning of September then it will take a few weeks for an installer to get to the job. There have been a few retail jobs and even contractors that have said to me that I should have been there weeks ago and they are upset.
Of course I do what I can to help the customer understand the reasons why this happens, shortage of qualified and trained installers, being swamped to begin with, and then I explain the "put it off till the snow flies" mentality. Most of the time they understand and are okay with it. There are occasions where there is nothing we can do the help the contractor or customer to understand. This leave the installer feeling a sense of failure due to the prevailing attitude.
They only way for the customer to avoid being caught in this situation is to avoid putting the job off. Or stay on top of maintenance. Lubricate springs,hinges,rollers and any other moving parts of the overhead door every 6 months with a silicone based lube is a great way to stay on top of it. Never use grease or oil and WD-40 is probably one of the worst things you can use for lube. Oil and grease attract dirt because of the stickiness,that in turn creates a situation where parts are moving against each other with foreign object obstructing movement and grinding together. There is also the option of having a qualified technician come in and tune up your door from time to time. This is very cost effective compared to replacing parts and even your door after months or even years of regular use and no maintenance. The average service call will run you around a hundred bucks and a good tech will explain the work he is doing while he is doing it.
Now,I'm not going to B.S. here. There are some guys out there that will try to soak customers and get what they can out of if and quote prices from a nuclear powered calculator. This is where a bit of research does wonders for the wallet. I myself work for the busiest overhead door company in Calgary. I have worked for a number of them in the area and I can say with all confidence that the one I'm with now is the best I have worked with and some of the best qualified installers and tech in the city with combined experience of a couple hundred years. There's isn't a tech with us with under ten years in the industry,I myself have been installing garage doors and operators since 1996 with over 20,000 garage door installations.
Another thing customers are responsible for is the type of door they choose to purchase. Personally,Steel-Craft are the best you can buy in Canada. I have seen retail customers pay through the teeth for a door from one of the building supply companies and then be left with finding their own installer. Totem in Bowness sells Steel-Craft so if your purchasing a garage door from a building supply outlet then they are the store to go with. Overhead door companies in Calgary that sell Steel-Craft doors are Action Door, Glenmore Overhead and a few other smaller companies. One other thing is that you'll pay pretty much the same with all the above mentioned companies,prices will generally be within $50 of each other.
During the busy season most of us are working 12-14 hours a day so when we are lucky enough to get a weekend off to spend with our families,we generally don't want to work that weekend. Try to get the number off the truck to call their office to book a time for your install. There are days when I have 5-6 people come up to me or stop me in traffic and ask about having their door installed. While this doesn't bother me,it can be a little tough when I suggest calling the office when the customer wants their work done as fast as possible.
