LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
© 2007 Door & Access Systems
Publish Date: Fall 2007
Author: Tom Wadsworth
Page 56
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
To the Editor:
In response to Dr. Wexler’s comments (“Court Witness Speaks Out on Automated Gates,” Summer 2007, pp. 52-54), it seems that the end user is rarely at fault in the eyes of the court. Yet, it’s the end user who typically rejects safety equipment because of the cost.
In my experience in selling and installing automatic gates, I’ve seen competitors with little experience get the job because their bid was cheap. Who wants to spend $2,000 on safety equipment if they don’t have to?
My company no longer sells or installs inexpensive residential gates and operators. Yet, for the average homeowner, a quality custom gate and operator with all the available safety features is far too expensive. Most disgruntled owners of an “out of service” automatic gate have an expensive, faded bid from a reputable dealer in their files.
If a customer is not willing to let you do the project correctly, walk away. Any large mechanical moving device poses potential hazards to flesh and bone. We all have a responsibility to pay attention to safety.
Kevin Wiyninger
Gatewerks
Del City, Okla.
To the Editor:
When I talk to my customers about the safety of their new gate systems, they always ask if they “have to have” all the safety equipment I am recommending. Most homeowners have a limited budget and don’t want to spend it on safety. They just want a gate that opens so they don’t have to get out of the vehicle.
I believe the only way that you will get companies to sell and install complete gate systems—with all the safety devices—is by doing what the residential garage door opener market has done: manufacture gate systems that do not work unless all the safety components are installed and functioning.
Brad Cole
Byers and Butler
Long Beach, Calif.
To the Editor:
I read your article on Professional Standards, and you make some very good points. I am a garage door repair subcontractor who has worked in Dallas, Memphis, St. Louis, Las Vegas, and elsewhere for more than 20 years.
I don’t make as much as you would believe, but I love what I do. I average $50,000 a year, minus my gas, repairs, tires, etc.
When servicing a door, there is a line you don’t cross. You don’t behave like a pirate, which is what I call those who gouge.
The company I work for now is a member of the BBB. Our parts cost more than Chinese rollers, Mexican springs, etc., and we do something that few do: we give a labor warranty.
Michael Smith
Oklahoma City, Okla.