If you have searched for garage door repair or a locksmith near you, you have seen the pattern: a row of suspiciously cheap ads, five-star ratings that feel manufactured, and a price that somehow triples once the truck is in your driveway. Here is how to cut through it.
The red flags
- A price that is too good to be true. Rock-bottom service-call and spring-repair ads are bait — the real bill arrives after the tech does, and the upsell is the whole business model.
- No license or insurance, dodged when asked. A legitimate pro will tell you they are licensed and insured. Vagueness is an answer.
- A flood of identical-sounding reviews posted in a short window. Real review histories are uneven and specific.
- Pressure and urgency — you have to replace everything today. A trustworthy pro explains the options and lets you decide.
- No price until they are on site, then a number with no range and no explanation.
Questions worth asking before anyone is dispatched
- Are you licensed and insured?
- What is the typical price range for this kind of job, before you see it?
- Will you confirm the price before doing the work?
- Is the diagnostic or trip fee credited toward the repair?
- Do you replace parts unnecessarily, or fix what is actually broken?
What good looks like
One vetted, licensed, insured local pro. A price range shown up front. The exact price confirmed before work starts. No pressure. The job done once, right.
This is the whole reason Roger works the way it does. Instead of handing you a list of ten ads to vet yourself, Roger matches you to one pro who has been checked — license, insurance, track record — and shows you the typical price range before anyone is dispatched. You are not bidding out your emergency to whoever paid for the top ad slot.
Describe the problem — Roger matches you to one vetted local pro and books it. $0 to you.
Common questions
- How do I avoid garage door repair scams?
- Be wary of bait prices — the real bill comes after the truck arrives. Confirm the pro is licensed and insured, ask for a price range before they're dispatched, and get the price confirmed before any work starts.
- How do I know if a locksmith is trustworthy?
- Look for a clear license and insurance, an honest price range up front, specific (not mass-posted) reviews, and no high-pressure upselling. A trustworthy locksmith confirms the price before working and fixes what's actually broken.
- What questions should I ask a garage door or locksmith company?
- Ask if they're licensed and insured, what the typical price range is before they see the job, whether they'll confirm the price before working, whether the trip fee is credited toward the repair, and whether they replace only what's necessary.