John Kim
I was originally planning to leave a 1-star review, but after a long conversation with the owner, I decided on 3 stars. If you want the short version: always get a written estimate before any work begins.
For those who want the full story, grab a cup of coffee.
About six years ago, the springs on my two-car garage broke. If you’ve ever had this happen, you know exactly what it sounds like—and you don’t forget it. At the time, it surprised me because we were only five years into a newer, cookie-cutter home in Irvine. Jonathan, the owner of First Garage Door and Gates, explained that I have a very heavy door, which likely caused the failure. They were great to work with: professional, quick, and honest. Jonathan personally came out, assessed the issue, gave me a quote, and his tech completed the repair. It was a tough job, and the total cost was $795. I left them a glowing review.
Fast forward to now—same issue. The garage springs broke again. Naturally, I called Jonathan, and he sent a tech named Danny out the next day. Danny was polite and quiet. When I asked how much the repair would cost, he said he needed to measure the springs first. He also started emphasizing that this was a “very heavy” and “custom” door, even throwing out a comment about the door being worth $15–20k. That immediately felt odd, considering every neighbor in my tract has a similar door.
I reminded him that his company replaced these springs years ago. I stepped back inside, and when I returned about 15 minutes later, he was already working on the springs. That caught me off guard—I had asked for a quote upfront—but I trusted the company. I was a repeat customer, and they had treated me fairly in the past.
About two hours later, Danny finished and told me the door would last for years. He mentioned installing heavy-duty “custom” springs and said he just happened to have them on his truck for another job later that week. When I asked for the price, he again said he needed to measure and calculate.
Then came the shock: $3,400.
I was floored. I told him I paid a fraction of that for the same job with the same company six years ago. He said he was just an hourly employee and that the owner sets pricing. I immediately called Jonathan, who said he’d talk to Danny to see if he could get me a discount.
A few minutes later, Danny tells me, “The boss approved $2,000.” Clearly Danny was the one setting the price. I'm guessing is just given a floor price to work with that is set by Jonathan.
That raised even more red flags. How does a price drop by nearly half in minutes? I told him this should have been quoted upfront and that $2,000 was still excessive. When I questioned the “hourly employee” claim, he admitted he works on commission.
I paid the $2,000, but I wasn’t happy about it. And not the price at this point, just the principle. The door is the same door. The springs were “heavy duty” last time too. Calling them “custom” doesn’t justify the markup—especially when they’re already sitting in the truck. Anyone can Google the actual cost of these springs. I think their thoughts are "lets call it custom" and that justifies the quote.
Jonathan called me afterward and apologized extensively. We spoke for about 30 minutes. He agreed that dropping from $3,400 to $2,000 made no sense and even asked me not to post this review. I told him it wasn’t personal—I believe he’s honest—but the commission-based model encourages upselling. He also mentioned that Danny isn’t licensed and works under his license, which is concerning given how dangerous garage springs can be under that high tension.
After I confirmed I was still leaving a review, Jonathan reviewed my old invoice and claimed the previous work didn’t include spring replacement. I disagreed—when you’ve only had garage work done once, you remember what was replaced.
I’m giving 3 stars instead of 1 because I do believe the owner himself does honest work. But the experience feels like luck of the draw depending on who shows up.
Long story short get a quote up front. No matter what.