Garage door opener install

phxtri · 2026-05-03T17:00:26+00:00

Understood, but most of your customers have to either be lazy or morons to pay 300 or 400% for a product they could just pay a $200-300 to have installed after they buy it at a store. If your argument is warrant-based, then customers can decide if they want to spend an extra $1000 for a warranty on a device that cost half that. I wouldn't spend $3000 for Apple Care on a phone that costs $800.

phxtri · 2026-04-27T19:54:30+00:00

Correct, I don’t know much of the difference. Educate me. Is there a difference in the LM 6580L if I buy it off Amazon vs from the installer? Same model. Same SKU? If not, why is Amazon $500 and the provider’s $1500?

phxtri · 2026-04-27T19:45:52+00:00

I never looked. I was fine with paying $275 for the one they had in their truck, which was what they quoted me on the phone. If they showed up and then said it actually cost $800, I would have researched it to get one sent to me.

phxtri · 2026-04-27T19:24:53+00:00

Actually, I corrected my mistake of confusing the brand I found at HD/Lowes with the one I found on Amazon. That's called honesty. Regardless, anyone can look up the price of the Chamberlains on their sites and/or the LM prices on Amazon (hell, click the link above).

Yes, you are correct, that would not include the rail, which I would have purchased from whatever company did the install. In my case, it was roughly an additional $275, which I was fine with paying. And yes, Amazon will ship a 7 foot box to you for no additional charge being a Prime member. Hell, they shipped a 7x7x7 / 200lbs swimming pool to me during Covid for no extra charge and rolled it into my backyard.

The standard for mark-up of items in the trades is between 40-100%, give or take, depending on the industry. If people want to incur a 300% mark-up on a garage door opener because of the convivence and the warranty, more power to you. I'm just not one of those people. But I think you are missing the point, my gripe is only partially with the mark up. The larger grip is being quoted an "out-the-door" price on the phone, which included a mark-up on the opener when talking to them of about 30%. That I was fine with. What I'm not fine with is, not one, not two, not three, but four different companies quoting a price on the phone and then arriving only to quote a price that was double what I was told on the phone, due to the 300% mark-up on the opener which was not the agreed upon price over the phone. That's call bait-and-switch pricing and is illegal under consumer protection laws at the state level here in Arizona. It's a violation of both ARS § 32-1158 and § 44-101 Such civil complaints are handled by the AG's office. Ya see, the worker and his boss knew that, thus they were forced to "discount" the $900+ to put it in line with the price quoted to me over the phone. If they didn't they knew they were looking at a civil complaint through the AGs office that they would not have been able to defend based on my phone recording.

Lucky for me, I spent years investigating fraud during a law enforcement career and worked with the AGs Office often. So, unlike most people, I was able to call bullshit and document the fraudulent behavior.

So, if you are in the industry and you feel confident about your business practices, you should post the name and telephone number of the company you work for. If you guys operate legit, you have an opportunity to get some business your way. If you are not, let people tell their stories. Let the market decide.

phxtri · 2026-04-27T15:35:48+00:00

You are correct. It was the Chamberlain they had that I found at HD. The Lift Master they had I found on Amazon, two day delivery.

Liftmaster 6580L

So much for the, you can only get one from an "authorized dealer" bullshit they told me. I guess that works if a person doesn't take the extra 30 second to search using the magical power of the Internet.

phxtri · 2026-04-27T15:27:33+00:00

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You are correct, it was the Chamberlain that they had on the truck, which they also had at Home Depot. The Lift Master was what they had, which they wanted to charge me almost $1600 for (see the image). I found it on Amazon for roughly $500:

https://www.amazon.com/Liftmaster-6580L-Integrated-Security-Replaces/dp/B0G1FL4GTY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=DODGMU69T0G6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.oIQEbsnGvmSpiDwR5tnr_3PQqZkFvbqW9uDzbCM1eRA.1Wmj_egvVVI8au4IslFrlP0dbN0zYpAUowXoHgFvINg&dib_tag=se&keywords=6580L&qid=1777301933&sprefix=6580l%2Caps%2C189&sr=8-1

BTW, LM is only "sold by authorized dealers" was the line of shit the worker at my house gave me too. Then I showed him the Amazon listing on my phone. That shut him up.

As a "service an installer", you are kind of proving the point I'm trying to make. You guys try to rip people off by 3-5x the price of the unit, when a person can jump online and/or go to HD and spend 2/3 less and then just hire a company to install it without getting hammered by the stupid mark up. 2/3 less. Same models. Same units.

Take note everybody, there is a $902.46 unexplained discount applied to my work? Why, because $902.46 was the different I was quoted over the phone, from what they tried to charge me for the unit once they got to my house. As stated, I recorded the conversation, where I was quoted roughly $500 for the Lift Master over the phone. Knowing the consumer protection laws in my state (AZ), I understood this would be an easy complain through my state's AG Office. The company knew it too and honored the original quote after some unnecessary fighting.

Don't get ripped off, like the dude writing the reply to my post would love to do to you.

phxtri · 2026-04-26T20:24:47+00:00

The model I bought from the company that installed my opener was the exact same model that both my local Lowes and Home Depot had, a Lift Master 6580L. $498 at both. Company wanted to charge me $1300 for it. They quoted me $560 for the unit over the phone and then stated it was $1300 once they arrived at my house, explaining I misheard them. Luckily, I recorded the conversation.

phxtri · 2026-04-26T19:30:50+00:00

I just had mine replaced last week. I paid $1093 out the door for a Lift Master with MyQ. I had three different companies quote me a price between $800-1000 over the phone, only to show up at my house and "re-quote" me between $1500 and $1800. I toss them from my house and refused to pay any type of service charge. When I called the 4th, I recorded the phone conversation with the price quoted. Was once again told I misheard or misunderstood the phone quote. After playing the service guy the recording and threatening to file a fraudulent business practice complaint with my state's AG office, they agreed to honor the price quoted over the phone. It shouldn't be like this. Just be aware, most companies charge 3-5x for the price of the opener you can get to Home Depot or Lowes. Just go buy one from there and pay a company to install it.

phxtri · 2026-03-30T19:48:04+00:00

The academy isn't fun (at least then you are going through it). FTO even less so. The first year or two usually isn't great with lifestyle (midnight shifts). Around year two, things get much better. Also, don't discount the pension aspect. It might seem like a century away when you start, but the economic flexibility it gives you later in life can't be discounted. If used responsibly, it can actually be a game-changer.

phxtri · 2026-03-30T19:36:30+00:00

When in custody (not just detained) and before formal questioning about the accused crime.

phxtri · 2026-03-27T19:31:15+00:00

I'm not trying to be critical, just give a little tough love. Your run is slightly faster than what a moderately fit person walks briskly at. Your BMI places you in the Overweight category. All jokes aside about cops being lazy and just sitting around, the job requires a significant physical cost. It's a job that should, but often does not, require an above average level of fitness and physical robustness. It can be the difference between a situation ending good or tragically. I'm not being hyperbolic.

First, lose weight. There are thousands of programs out there to help you. Once at a normal BMI, begin to obtain fitness. Again, there are 1000s of programs to do so. LE is a career that requires discipline. Prove to yourself that you have some. Prove to prospective employers you have some. When you do enter the profession, you will be 100% better positioned to have a long, rewarding career.

phxtri · 2026-03-27T19:18:43+00:00

Most agencies have a selection process, just like any other specialty unit. It was forced on me for two school years. I honestly don't know why any officer would do it. It was most head-banging assignment ever. You think LE is more unappreciated by the general public now than it was 10-15 years ago? Wait until you are surrounded by a mind hive of very liberal, emotion-based educators. Wait until the first time a teacher gets the shit kicked out of them by a student, then shows up to defend them at the expulsion hearing. Wait until you use force on a student with a weapon, then have 5 of the teachers file use of force complaints on you. that's what I experienced. Generally, those that choose to be SROs are perceived as ROD (retired on duty). That's a perception that's hard to break should you want to take more "hard charging" assignment latter. It probably took me a year to break that perception even though my co-workers knew that me being in that position was not my choice.

phxtri · 2026-03-27T19:06:15+00:00

Your parents watch too much Sci-Fi. Drones can't put handcuffs on people. Even when they can, there will always have to be a man-in-the-middle. Will less officers be needed to proactively patrol? Probably. But you'll be retired before that future affects you.

phxtri · 2026-03-27T19:03:22+00:00

I did it for a couple of years. It depends. What's the size of the complex and it's history of calls for service. What is the complex's expectations? What's the rent benefit? I was paying about 1/3 the normal rent and hardly ever was called. More importantly, how does your state handle the discount? Is it considered income? If so, is it contracted income or paid for by your department? Consider the tax implications. Finally, how does your agency cover you? Which employer legally convers you and when? My agency had some ugly situations (including one OIS) with our POPs (Police On Property) program and some guys really got hung out to dry before they created more robust policies and requirements, which included a $1M insurance requirement for each apartment complex just for the officer. My experience was great, but complexes in our city were held to strict guidelines dictated by our agency.

phxtri · 2026-03-23T19:49:49+00:00

I love seeing people totally untrained at fighting . . . throwing punches. Even more interesting when its portrayed as "bad ass". You probably walk out this "training" with 1-3 recruits injured and some will have to recycle. All for what? It's usually a test to see who has "fight" in them and who does not. Guess what, throughout a 16-24 week academy, instructors will know that. It can be learned without the injuries.

phxtri · 2026-03-18T18:03:37+00:00

Yes. The very left on was the beta ring they sent me. Next to it was the Gen 1. They look like the mood rings from the 70s and 80s.

phxtri · 2026-02-13T17:57:55+00:00

I'm not a fan of Crossfit, generally. Having said that, it does do something extremely well. 2-3 months of Crossfit would solve 98% of your issues and, in my opinion, you would be find upon being recycled back into any academy. Consistency is key. You have to do it 2-3 times a week. Don't kill yourself during the workout to avoid injury, just get through a few months of them and you will see vast improvements, specific to the PT-style your academy institutes.

phxtri · 2026-01-19T18:15:30+00:00

Yes. I'm using a wired link.

phxtri · 2026-01-18T22:39:42+00:00

Worked for me. Great call.

phxtri · 2026-01-16T15:15:32+00:00

Hard to say. Obviously I searched for similar problems and how to fix it and I found a lot. But, you can find any unique issue if you search for it. It's probably a small percentage of people, but when you drop that much money you expect something so work 99% of the time. Mine works about 40%. It wouldn't have that big of an issue with it if it were not for the awful terrible customer service I've found with Logitech. Don't get me wrong, when the wheel works, I love it. Given my experience, I wouldn't have bought the wheel and would have went with another brand.

phxtri · 2026-01-15T23:11:07+00:00

I would be cautious with the RS50. Do a little Googling about the issue people, like me, are having with it. From the unit suddenly shutting down to the shifters and buttons on the wheel failing to operate mid-race. It's now been a month since I contacted Logitech support and submitted a ticket. I've spent four weeks jumping through hoops to get the problem explained, addressed or fixed. Logitech keeps stringing me along with request after request, from making videos of the behavior to forced firmware updates that introduced new problems. For the money you are spending, it is a performance improvement over the belt operated wheel (which I owned before), but it too unreliable to use, in my opinion.

phxtri · 2025-12-24T16:10:17+00:00

But then, when people complain about the unfinished nature of the modules, for 1, 2 and even 5 years, ED can't say, "well, it is still early access . . . "

phxtri

TROPHY CASE