The process of choosing a garage door
company for your home or business is certainly a challenging endeavour. Whether it be for the installation of
a new garage door, or the service or repair of your existing one, you want to make sure that you work with a
company that you can trust.
Enter Dodds Garage
Doors, a company that was originally founded
way back in 1958 and has grown to become one of the largest door companies in the whole Greater Toronto
Area.
Despite this huge growth, the
company retains a humble philosophy that is rare in this day and age.
“The Dodds philosophy has always
been to treat the customer with fairness and respect, and if we do that, the word will get out,” says Allan
Grant, one of the owners of Dodds Doors. “The GTA was a lot smaller back then, and if you
tried to take advantage of your customers, the word would spread quickly, and you would not be in business
very long.”
Reputation is key in any
business, and for Dodds, it was a vital component to the company’s longevity and continued
success.
“Over the years a lot of our
customers have been drawn to us because of our reputation, and referrals are still our best form of
advertising,” says Grant. Dodds has won the Consumers’ Choice Award as the top garage door and garage door
opener company in the GTA every year since 2000, which is quite an accomplishment.
“When you have built yourself
such a good reputation, you have to work that much harder to maintain it.” One thing that Dodds will not
compromise is quality. “Nowadays, we are seeing a lot of companies out there going with cheaper quality
products, just to be more competitive,” explains Grant. “We have gone in the other direction, only using the
high-quality doors with the best warranties in the industry. When we sell you a door or an opener, the
quality is good enough where you shouldn’t expect to see us back in a few years to repair
it.”
When buying a new garage door
for your home, it’s a decision that you’re going to have to live with for many years.
Because a garage door can take
up to 40 per cent of the space at the front of the house, a bad decision can even affect the resale value of
your home.
“We often receive phone calls
from customers after doing their [installation] telling us what a huge difference the new door makes to the
overall look of their home,” says Grant.
Up until a few years ago there
were not a lot of styles or choices to choose from when it came time to consider a new garage door. For many
years, there was the steel one-piece swing-out door, and they all looked the same — very plain designs.
Eventually, the wood sectional roll-up door took over, which Grants says at least incorporated some design
and could be spruced up with windows. Even though one still sees builders putting these doors in, most people
are now opting for maintenance- free doors when they decide to renovate.
In the last few years there have
been a lot of changes in the garage door industry, giving the consumer so much more to choose
from.
“We still sell a lot of the
traditional-looking, steel raised-panel, maintenance-free door, which looks like the wood door, but the new
designs are really coming on strong,” says Grant. “Our customers want to see what’s available before making
up their minds, and we make sure that when you call Dodds, you see the widest selection available. Along with
the traditional steel raised-panel design, you can see the coach house, fibreglass, ultra modern, and wood
doors (both real and faux wood), and if you are worried about colours, there are hundreds to select from.”
Dodds always suggests that a potential buyer check out the photo gallery on the company’s
website.
Grant says Dodds makes the
process of shopping for a garage door an informative and pressure-free experience. They will send a
consultant to your home with cutouts from real garage doors to show you the different qualities and designs,
along with catalogues displaying pictures and the colours of the different doors
available.
Because the garage door industry
does not require certification when it comes to its installers and repairmen, homeowners are often not given
the best service or installation, says Grant.
“We often see a lot of
‘jack-of-all-trades’ types working with some companies, and that concerns us. A poorly installed 400-pound
garage door can do a lot of damage if it comes off the tracks”, says Grant. “All of our installers are true
professionals and are the best trained in the industry.”
Dodds is proud of the fact that
it has always been very competitive with its pricing, something Grant attributes to his partner in the
business, Len Dubowitz.
“Len is a very smart businessman
and he taught me early on that you do not sell for a profit, you buy for a profit,” explains Grant.
“Because of the volume that we do, we have very strong buying power, enabling us to negotiate better pricing
from our suppliers, which keeps us very competitive. Many of our customers are surprised how good our pricing
is.”
On the repair side of the
business, Dodds is available 24-7, 365 days a year, and in most cases will be at a customer’s home the same
day it is called.
In repairs, what makes Dodds
different from many other garage door companies is that it does not pay its repairmen commission. “Most
people do not realize how important this is,” warns Grant. “When a repairman’s income is based on how much
extra he can sell you on repairs, you end up paying for parts that very often are not needed. With Dodds, we
only fix what needs fixing.”
Grant concludes: “If we can
continue to offer our customers the best service possible, a wide selection of quality garage doors and
openers and great pricing, all while maintaining our longstanding reputation, then we have done our job.”With
an impressive track record, Dodds Doors will undoubtedly live up to its well-earned image
for years to come. •
Photo
Courtesy: Dodds Garage Doors Systems Inc.
