A notorious garage door repair company based in Carrollton, Texas, stood out for all the wrong reasons. Operating under various names, this company, hereafter referred to as “GDS,” managed to mislead customers for two decades. Their practices included overcharging, widespread confusion, and deceptive marketing.

Garage Door Services (GDS) became well-known for being one of the worst and most deceptive garage door repair companies in the United States, according to reports from various sources. This company also operated in California and Orange County from the early 2000s through the late 2019, consistently overcharging their customers for repairs and services that should have cost only a few hundred dollars.

Their service extended to a wide range of cities, including Huntington Beach, Sunset Beach, Westminster, Midway City, Fountain Valley, Seal Beach, Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, Garden Grove, Cypress, Stanton, Buena Park, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Fullerton, Yorba Linda, Orange, Tustin, Irvine, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Ladera Ranch, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Hills, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, Capistrano Beach, Lakewood, Long Beach, and more.

Garage Door Services (GDS) – Deceptive Garage Door Advertising

The company operated under a multitude of names, including Neighborhood Garage Door Repair Service, Dallas Overhead Garage Door Service in Dallas, Frisco Garage Repair Now, Garland Garage Repair Now, Carrollton Garage Door Services, DFW’s Choice Overhead Garage Door Co, and potentially several other names. Nevertheless, their questionable practices extended well beyond merely changing names.

At one point, GDS adopted the name “Yes Door,” despite having no affiliation with the “Yes Doors” company in Garland. It appeared that GDS attempted to confuse customers by using names similar to reputable garage door companies.

To achieve this, they created hundreds of fake garage door listings and confusing online ads, promoting their garage door repair, maintenance, and installation services. These tactics misled consumers into believing they were local when, in reality, they were often located dozens or even hundreds of miles away. Despite GDS’s deceptive methods, online platforms like Google and Bing allowed GDS’s “Yes Garage Door Repair” to abuse their services and be listed with the address of a shopping center in Carrollton and a UPS store on East Hebron Parkway.

In 2015, a reporter from the Dallas Morning News recorded a segment where he attempted to interview the company’s employees as they arrived and departed from their workplace in Carrollton, Texas. The vast majority ignored him and drove away, which did not convey an impression of authenticity.

This strategy led customers astray when problems arose. Unhappy customers often reached out to the authentic “Yes Doors” repair company, further damaging the legitimate business’s reputation due to the confusion.

According to Hans Wright, the vice president of the Houston-based GDS (a different entity from the GDS discussed in this article), the company followed a particular method of operation: “When they enter a new market, they identify the names of prominent competitors. They then advertise using company names that are remarkably similar and acquire as many domain names as possible. They invest heavily in advertising. Consequently, when customers believe they’ve located the well-established companies in that area, they’ve actually come across them (referring to Stephens’s GDS).”

20 Years of Deceptive Practices Exposed

According to RipoffReport.com, they have managed to continue their deceptive practices for 20 years. One unhappy customer on the site stated:

“That’s how GDS has operated for 20 years. The company, founded by Pete Stephens, steals names of existing companies to attract business, but when repairs fall off the track, GDS hides… Other legit garage door companies say this scam of a company has been going on for years (I can get you testimonies) and this Steve guy is a ghost on a boat somewhere and no one seems to be able to touch him.”

He goes on to claim:

“…he has people who do bad jobs, have [sic] customers replace things that do not need replacing, destroy [sic] a part while the customer leaves and then tells the customer they need a new part, and can charge thousands [unnecessarily].”

The company was exposed on national TV, appearing on Dateline in the early 2000s. However, this did not deter them from continuing their business, as reported by DASMA (Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association).

“Being exposed on national TV would’ve stopped most companies. But Peter James (Pete) Stephens Jr., the company founder, quickly changed the company name to America’s Choice Overhead Door — even before the Dateline episode hit the airwaves. And the scheme continued to roll.”

Dishonest Garage Door Repair and Services

Former call center employees of GDS have reported that they were instructed to impersonate whoever the customer believed they were calling. Justin Willard, a former GDS manager, confessed that GDS’s philosophy was “to lie and fight for every last dime you can take from a customer,” as reported on the Dallas News website.

According to RipoffReport.com, GDS’s manual instructs call center employees to inform customers that the company is located nearby, and it further states, “Do not tell a customer that you are sitting in Dallas. We have placed warehouse locations on the sales screen so you can provide an address if need be.”

The company is said to operate by dispatching independent garage door repair subcontractors across the nation, all of whom work on commission. According to one dissatisfied former customer on RipoffReport.com, “GDS sales reps always ask for your ZIP code. That’s a tip-off.”

AJ Viola, a former GDS trainee, had the opportunity to witness the company’s tactics from the inside. According to a report on Dasma.com, Viola was shadowing a GDS technician in Southern California when he observed the company’s practices firsthand. When asked about the first job he went on, he says in the report:

“We could have done the job in five minutes, but the tech deliberately took his time, and then charged the customer about $1,000 for 10 rollers and a couple hinges. I was stunned.”

Viola goes on to express his astonishment, as the trainer proceeded to charge another customer $900 for just 10 minutes of straightforward work. Reportedly, Viola remarked to his trainer, “Man, you’re going to hell,” to which the GDS trainer responded in a light-hearted manner, “Yeah, but I’m going with lots of money.”

While this may seem surprising, this practice is prevalent in many other industries, particularly in the auto repair industry. Reputed service centers, authorized dealers, and auto shops frequently create the impression of working on a vehicle for several hours or even an entire day, when, in reality, the work can often be completed in just 30 to 60 minutes.

GDS Garage Door Repairs Face Backlash from Angry Customers

Many customers have given the company a one-star rating for their garage door repair services on various review websites, and some have expressed their wish to give it zero stars if that were an option. Below are a few comments posted by users on one of the company’s listings related to GDS.

“Everything was … marked up 10 times the cost to buy the same exact part at your local hardware store!”

 “I should have looked at the reviews before I called. I was taken for way more money than it should’ve been to fix a spring.”

 “Horrible! These guys scammed my elderly mom to pay $1,600 for repair … a broken cable. Three months later, the garage door wouldn’t shut all the way due to an install problem.”

 “I would give them negative star [sic] if it existed.”

According to Dasma.com, many customers have reported instances of GDS taking advantage of elderly or otherwise vulnerable customers. An online user named “Kathy B” from San Diego claimed that her 91-year-old father hired GDS to repair garage door opener, and he was charged a total of $1,951.25.

The user also wrote: “the tech worked less than two hours yet charged $889 for labor and $1500 for springs replacement… We filed a complaint against this company to Adult Protective Services.”

Online Search Engines vs. GDS: Fraud Prevention and Consumer Caution

By leveraging platforms like Google and Bing, GDS managed to exploit unsuspecting consumers across the US. Google and Bing’s reluctance to address fraud on their platforms has allowed scammers to add and verify fake garage door repair listings and locations. These fraudulent listings continue to be used, misleading millions of Americans across the country every year and making it challenging for them to distinguish between legitimate and fraudulent businesses with fake addresses.

While online search engines seemed to be making efforts to address companies like GDS, they don’t take the necessary steps to prevent fraud on their platforms. Therefore, until Section 230 is amended to provide greater consumer protection, consumers should remain vigilant and ensure they only hire a licensed garage door contractor that is genuinely located nearby. Always verify the legitimacy of the company you intend to hire through official and relevant sources. Learn more about finding legitimate garage door repair companies and how to effectively use the internet for this purpose.