ASHTABULA, Ohio — News 5 Investigators have been getting complaints about a garage door business in Ashtabula. Customers said they’ve paid deposits, and the company has not done the work.
Jeff Phillips told us last July his garage door broke. So, he hired Westdale Overhead Garage Door company to help. He said a guy named Pat put a temporary fix on the door.
“We said, ‘Hey, well, the motor’s not working; we’d love this thing upgraded. Can you put in a new motor for us?’’’ said Phillips.
We saw the receipt that Phillips paid Pat $400 for the service call and for the upcoming motor repair. However, after several calls and no work, he was through with Westdale.
“We called again. We said, ‘Well, you know what? Three strikes, and you’re out. We just want to be reimbursed,’” Phillips told us.
“They have an F-rating due to unanswered complaints,” said Ericka Dilworth from the Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Cleveland. She told us back in 2022, they started hearing problems with Westdale.
“You took the money and you haven’t done anything and the consumer has been reaching out to us,” said Dilworth. “And you promise that you’re going to do something. You promise that you’re going to give money back and you just don’t.”
After News 5 Investigators found even more complaints, including one that read “never showed up or returned my deposit,” we obtained a letter sent from the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office telling those running Westdale that “…the entity may no longer transact business in Ohio.”
So, we called the company several times but got nothing but voicemails. There is no storefront for Westdale, so we went to the homes of people who have been associated with the business.
“Hello. You the guys who run Westdale?” we asked as we approached a home in Ashtabula. There were two people outside working on a truck who went inside to look for Pat from Westdale, but we were told he was not home. We walked around the corner to another home and knocked on the door, but a relative told us the man was not home either.
Meanwhile, Phillips said he stepped forward to help warn others about his experience with Westdale Overhead Garage Door.
“The lack of communication and then no more follow-up is just very frustrating,” he told us.
The BBB suggested that if you can, pay deposits with a credit card so if there are issues like this, you can dispute the charges with a credit card company. They said if you pay with a check or cash, you don’t have the same protections.
