Eastern Overhead Doors Oshawa Ltd

I recently hired Eastern for work in Port Hope. I needed two springs and a shaft replaced on one of my 10’ by 10’ overhead commercial doors. While there, I also asked them to inspect three other doors of the same size and adjust as needed. The service tech said only one of the other doors needed an adjustment to the springs but the invoice showed that a full service was performed on all three doors, based on the charges for three lubrication kits ($27) and the number of labor hours. Eastern made two trips to my building: one for a quick repair to the broken spring so the one door could be used temporarily and a second trip to replace the two springs, shaft, and adjust one door.

The standard price for springs is $120 each, as quoted by two other reliable sources. Eastern charged me $358 each! The total price for springs should have been $240. Eastern charged me $716. The first total invoice came to $2,600 for two visits to Port Hope, 2 springs, one shaft, one other door adjustment, and some minor parts like 2 replacement rollers.

I called Eastern and after waiting days for replies, the best price they gave me was $1,850, which was still outrageous, based on quotes from two other reputable companies (approximately $700) or about 38% of Eastern’s price.

Positives
• Courteous staff
• Prompt service

Negatives
• Prices for parts were three times more for most items. Some parts charges don’t match the work done.
• They charged skilled labor rates ($85 per hour per worker x 2 = $170 hour on the invoice) for what was mostly general labor.
• None of the paper work or invoices mentioned a warranty of any sort.
• I signed a work order but never received a copy.
• After two price negotiations from $2,600 down to $1,850 all I received were credit notes, rather than a balance statement. It was up to me to calculate the balance with the HST included.
• After the price adjustments were made, I requested an itemized final statement, with a breakdown of all the charges. I was never given one. Why? Perhaps the charges can't be justified?
• The work performed didn’t match the original invoice descriptions. For example, I was charged for three door adjustments where only one was done.
• Communication was slow and by emails only, with little substance. It took over 5 weeks to get the price dispute resolved. The final amount was still too high and I haven’t received an itemized statement yet.

Conclusion
There was a huge price difference between what Eastern charged versus other companies’ estimates. They refused to justify their charges, probably because they couldn’t. It’s as though they picked numbers out of thin air. The work done didn’t match up with the original invoice. Their labor rate matches that of skilled trades like plumbers and electricians. You pay $85 per hour for a guy to hold the ladder with his foot and fetch tools. Shop around and avoid this company!