Beware garage door repar company!
 

BEWARE GARAGE DOOR REPAIRMAN! Spring on garage door broke over New Years holiday. Very concerned about opening/closing, wasn't right. Called ROMAC Emergency 24/7 #. No response. Monday morning called "Samedayoverhead.com". Got someone live immediately. Yes, "we are in The Villages and will be there between 11 and 1pm". After 1pm. I Called again 305-360-5180. Reached John Robinson, technician. He will be there in a little over an hour. 3:15 he got here. Quoted me $867.00 or so to replace springs, cables, etc. Thought that was very high. But concerned about possibly damaging garage door. Talked, I trusted him, he said $700 approx. was the going rate in The Villages. Do it. He replaced the springs, cables, etc. Final bill. $742.00. Come to find out next day Romac (and others) do the same repairs for $350. Called John back, he said thats what he has to charge. Lies. He said he was in The Villages but apparently he doesnt. He said he lives in Lakeland, about 80 miles from here. He said he usually only gets about 1 call a day and thats why he has to charge what he does. No kidding. He was late, I believe he knowingly overcharged me as "a Villager", and after discussing said he would refund $50 or so. Really. Also, he called me Tueday morning saying Wells fargo had put a 5 day hold on his money, the funds had already been debited. Went to the bank, they said "it's his account, not yours"

So, if you have ANYONE you know that needs garage door maintenance,, have them read this. You will be doing them a big favor!

For years I always believed this.

To many people moving in TV that sold million-dollar homes in the New England states,
then come down with more money than God and pay the first overpriced jerk that knocks on their front door.

Word of mouth is still the best way to save $$$$$

Get out there people and meet your neighbors and start comparing notes on the good and bad service people

"samedayoverhead.com" is not a repair company anywhere but in PA. They are company who takes names of installers everywhere in the country for a fee and then farms out the jobs to those who want them. According to their website they are in Allentown PA. They probably get $100 from the repair guy for the referral. Then he drives 160 miles RT etc etc. The fact that the upper right corner of their website says "Happy 4th of July" should have set off an alarm. Sorry to say, you got screwed over but I don't believe it is a scam just that you didn't do your due dilligence. Their BBB rating is an "F" https://www.bbb.org/us/pa/edwardsvil...0241-236053635 and this on Yelp SAME DAY OVERHEAD - Garage Door Services - 126 Bradley St, Plymouth, PA - Phone Number

Hopefully your post will prevent others from using them.

You should have called Romac on Monday. I had the same problem about 10 years ago in NJ when our sewer backed up. I called RotoRooter the day after Thanksgiving and he beat me for $700 for a $200 job. It wasn't a scam because he did the work and I accepted it. I was a fool for saying OK. An expensive lesson learned ......

For what it is worth, we had a problem with our front door. i called the villages office, they recommended ROMAX. I believe they did the original work. It was a great experience. The tech was pleasant, knew what he was doing and the charge was reasonable.

I KNOW A GUY-we just had our home painted. We used ROCKEY 603 391 6658 (JAMES ROCKHOLT) arrived on time, did a great job at a reasonable price. For tires and service
Wildwood tires.

Ryan O'Cull, 352-207-5667, recently replace my garage door springs. The cost was $325.

yes, Ryan is great. and often times he's able to come right away, even on off hours.

Shop around before you pick a contractor. Some contractors think the Villager's are either dumb or rich....

Or both.

Another thumbs up for Ryan O'Cull. Very responsive and will tell you if there is a less expensive option.

My father always told me to ask the price beforehand. But of course we aren't as smart as our fathers. FYI you can always get an idea of what the price should be by looking for what the parts cost and multiplying by 3 for the whole job, or if you look right now on Google for garage door springs they'll run for tension springs about 80 to $150. Then if you figure what the labor is which could be 80 to 150 you would know that the telephone should be approximately $300 to $400. 3 years ago I had my garage springs replaced by a handyman $250. Tension springs replacement is something I would not handle myself as the potential to damage yourself is high but a regular pull spring I would do myself. If you use common sense and simply ask someone how long will the job take you should know what you should be paying, and I always tell people no I do not live in The villages if they're asking me in response to a price quote

Garage Door
 

Scott's Garage Door - 352 697 0321 - is also great. Scott is a retired Lake County Firefighter & is very honest. He replaced my oversized garage door opener and spring for approximately $600.

In the past when a garage door spring breaks it's never both, just one. I never let them replace both and they tell me the other will break soon but in my experience it never did. This is some years back in Illinois but I still own a home as a rental that I did that 10 years ago and all is still good. The other home I sold after 3 years of doing the same thing, replacing one, and the 2nd till that point had not broken. In todays world I'm not sure, but a garage door is still a garage door.

The last word is your said OK do its. Rip off repairman love uninformed homeowners , most offer a fair price but you determine if it was fair before authorizing the work.

Gotta watch all the contractors around here. Word of mouth or doing a search is your best option.
:bigbow:

Call Ryan O'Cull (352) 617 - 0522. Very honest, dependable, knowledgeable, and reasonably priced. He has done work for many neighbors and friends. He is extremely responsive. He will probably answer his phone; or, leave a message and he will return your call pretty quickly. BTW-- he was the one who told us that ROMAC installed incorrect springs on our garage door. ROMAC came out and replaced the incorrect springs at no charge.

Another vote for Ryan O’cull. Did work for us and we recommended him to neighbors and friends. Very satisfied.

Note that Ryan O'Cull **ONLY** does springs now. I called him to fix another issue about a month or so ago and he said "I do springs only" unless he was referring to an Olympic event. :)

Ryan is honest, quick and efficient. He has helped me out 3 times.

Romac does have an emergency number to call when they are closed on weekends. They usually respond quickly. Sorry, I don't know the number. Ryan is the best as mentioned above.

Our NE home's one spring broke while i was on a call, and took me forever to find out what the sound was. .

Bought replacement springs at Home Depot. . .
Installed by my self in under and hour.

Springs are slack in the fully open position. slipped connection off old spring and slipped on new spring. .

So who can keep a post / spreadsheet on expected costs of repair of various items on homes in TV?

Also, unless there is real reason for further damage, always call Home warranty for installation company and referalls. .
can't be overstated. . .

pet project for retirees as well as helpful?

One of the best uses of ToTV is as a resource for this very type of information. The search function works well and can lead us to who to call for whatever the specific issue is—and at the same time who NOT to call.

We need to take the time to add our own such experiences. Sure, it's easy to complain, but let's remember the importance of taking the time to write a compliment when one is deserved.

Also, don't assume that the best person/company to call is an advertiser on ToTV. Most of the time yes ... but not always. Remember, ToTV is not a public forum; this is a private, for-profit company whose focus on the bottom line is no different from that of any other company!

Before signing a contract or writing a check to a contractor check them out with Citizens Against Crime @ your local Villages Sherrif’s office.

Agreed to price but then once the door opened you second guessed the price! Be grateful you got cables and springs… Desperation carries an odor that repairman can smell

Interesting. Ryan O'Cull was at my house on Dec 23 and replaced my springs. I told him that I had heard that he only does springs. He said that he still works full time, visits about 30 Villages houses per day, and does a full range of garage door work. Go figure.

If you can't reach Ryan, another option is to call Scott at 352-697-0321. He as his own garage door business and he sometimes covers for Ryan when he is not available. I would recommend both guys.

It's a good idea to occasionally inspect your two garage door springs to see if one of them is broken. If so, there will be a gap in the spring. If you have a newer, lightweight garage door, the door may still open and close, but it will put a lot of strain on the motor. And, if the other spring breaks, the door will not open, and you may not be able to get you vehicle out of the garage.

I would add that a 10 year replacement cycle is a great idea, since our current 17 year old house springs broke at 17 years, and my moms house springs broke at 55 yo

I think you mean Seniors vs Crime. But, you can only file a complaint online because the offices are closed due to COVID.

30 a day wow

Do Not Use ASAP! I repeat, Do Not Use ASAP!! They wanted $400 to replace motor when I call Ryan O'Cull later he came within a 1/2 hour and said you need new belt. Cost $50. ASAP also wanted $400 to replace the rollers. Guess what, they were fine and did not need replacing!

A broken/flying spring can do quite a bit of damage if it breaks while sending the door down. For safety, the cables are best threaded through the springs coils.

WOW, that is weird. I called Ryan with an opener/door issue (not springs) and he called me back and told me "nope, springs only," (and really wasn't very nice about it) then I next called Scott as you recommended and he was out the next day and took care of it. Great guy, very fair priced as well. Maybe Ryan was just having a bad day because I would have hired him on the spot from all the recommendations here. I needed my opener removed and reinstalled (long story) but we never got that far in our call, just "I only do springs." :shrug: