Jim's Garage Door

I hired Jim’s Garage Door to perform maintenance and adjustment work on two garage doors. They are 9 feet wide by 7 feet tall, and were originally installed about 25 years ago. My expectation was they would be adjusted to open and close easily and fully, be balanced so they would sit and ride level, the spring tensions would be checked and adjusted to ensure they were set properly, and moving parts that need to be lubricated would be tended to. I received an estimate of $150 per door for a “lube and tune and track re-alignment”. I also asked to have the bottom seals replaced, and was quoted $100 each for this work. I was offered a total price of $379 if I had both the maintenance and seal replacement work done. Two technicians arrived to do the work, and they were both respectful and courteous. I pointed out that one door sat lower on one side when open. The lead technician said it was due to a spring that was loose, and that he would fix it for no extra charge. I was under the impression that balancing the doors, including spring and track adjustments, were included in the $150 per door maintenance charge. So instead of assuming, I asked them what was included. His answer was they would lube the doors and check that they opened ok. I pointed out that the other door would not fully open. Once it was about 90% up, it seemed to bind on the railings. I asked if the tracks might need to be adjusted, and if that would remove the binding issue. He said no, that it was probably due to needing to be lubed. The lead technician highly recommended I replace all the rollers in each door with new ones that have a 7 inch rod, versus the 4 inch rods that mine currently have. He said they are safer, and that my current ones are at risk of coming off the door. I stated that they have been working just fine for 25 years, including going through multiple hurricanes and tropical storms. He showed me an example of one with a 7 inch rod, and said it would be $90 per door to replace them. I declined to do this work. I pointed out a hinge on one door that was slightly bent, and asked if it needed to be replaced. The response was no, that it would straighten out once the doors were lubed. The crew removed the old seals from the bottom of the doors, and showed me the replacement seals. They were not the same as what was originally installed on the doors. I asked why they were different, and the lead technician said that was the only style their supplier carried. I asked if they would be able to find seals that were made to fit the doors I have, and he said that design was outdated. I was concerned with the seals they planned to install, for two reasons:  They fit over the bottom sides of the doors, and can allow water to penetrate between the sides of the seal and the door, and potentially corrode the bottoms of the doors over time. I have two other garage doors on a detached garage that had this exact scenario happen to them, prior to me moving into the house.  They install using screws, which means they would have to drill self-tapping screws into the bottom of the garage door. These would potentially protrude through the aluminum casing on the inside bottom of the door, and also cause a safety hazard when cleaning the inside bottom channel of the door. I spoke to the office before allowing the crew to continue with the seals. I was told these were the type of seals they install on doors, and if I wasn’t comfortable with using them, they would include a 1 year parts + labor warranty. I ultimately decided to have the crew just leave the seals here, uninstalled. The total work that was performed by the crew:  Removal of the old seals from the bottom of both doors  Adjustment of the one loose spring  Generously lubed all the hinges on both doors  No track adjustments were performed Once they completed the work, I paid them with a check. I asked for a receipt, and was told that the office does that with their computer by email. I waited a couple of days for the receipt, but did not receive one. I had to contact the office today and request the receipt, which I finally did receive by email. After the crew left, I did the following garage door maintenance myself:  The one door still would not fully open. The lube job did not correct this problem. I adjusted both railings for this door, which did correct the problem. The door now opens completely and freely.  The hinge that was slightly bent is still slightly bent. Lubing the door did not improve this issue. I found a replacement hinge online, and plan to purchase and repair it myself.  Found two new bottom seals online that were OEM design replacements for my style of doors. They were $10.48 each, and in stock at Home Depot. I purchased them, and with the help of my daughter, installed them on the bottom of both doors.  Researched the replacement options for the door rollers. Ones with 7 inch rods are designed for doors with double hinges, and would provide no structural benefit to my style of doors. I found replacement rollers on Amazon, and purchased 2 sets of DURA-LIFT Ultra-Life MAX 2" Sealed 6200ZZ Bearing Nylon Garage Door Rollers with 4" Stems, for $23.89 each set. The door that sits lower on one side when open still sits lower on one side. Whatever they did to the spring did not correct this problem. I documented this experience and shared it with the company. I received no response to it. I do not feel I received $300+ worth of garage door maintenance and expertise out of the experience, and would not recommend this company or service to anyone.