The Garage Door Company, Aka, Fairfield Overhead Door Company Garage Door Family Runs Bad Faith Company Fairfield Connecticut

The most filed Consumer Complaints in the USA are against Rogue Contractors.

There are not enough Prosecutors, Judges, Jails or Judgements to put all of the bad ones away. Horrifyingly, it has become the second-job of the Consumer [primarily Homeowner] to do all of the Investigative work prior to hiring a Contractor.

With the Internet, it is a bit easier, but a Scamster can still re-name and re-package their "business" of ripping off selected homeowners, and thereby disguise themselves.

All we expected of this garage door company was to 1.) Understand their own Contract to deliver custom-made [2 garage doors] within 6-8 weeks of getting a deposit and executed contract  and 2.) to behave professionally and deliver such doors timely, and with an installation that was safe and professional.

That's it. 

However, Gary Zacchia was nothing short of abusive and downright cruel to a family that he did not know at all. 

He played game-after-game with us. 

I gave an initial deposit in March 2006 but was reduced to pleading for my doors [and was reduced to tears] by the Fall of 2006. 

We would have a delivery date set, then suddenly, ON THE DAY OF DELIVERY that was finally secured in late September, he would CANCEL the delivery with the excuse that he had "a big customer" to deliver something to... or some kind of excuse like this.

It was abuse and being "played with" beyond belief. He had already taken approximately $7,000 in total deposits from us at this point in the game, and he knew that he had us "over a barrel" as they say. He played this hand with the most cruel and vindictive tone and behavior that was Sadistic in behavior.

We did not get our doors until October of 2006! We had major delays with installing the mechanical equipment in our garage as a result of this garage door company's flagrantly unprofessional and hateful behavior. The delay in getting our doors WAS a big deal. It was getting cold outside, and we needed to get the home enclosed.

What homeowner would be okay with this? This is not Okay.

The biggest mistake we made was not filing a Larceny claim with the Police. Instead, as new homeowners in a town that we were also new to, we were way too agreeable and even accommodating to this Scam.

$10,000 for two doors is a very hefty price. Most garage doors are not nearly this expensive. This pricetag has raised some eyebrows by some very fine Builders and other homeowners that I have met in the several years that I have now been in this town.

His only defense is to attack a family's character that he does not know at all. Specifically, he has attacked my personal character repeatedly, but is certainly not my friend, family, colleague, or anything else. In fact, I believe I have only briefly met him once. 

Terrible. He took advantage of our naive, "not knowing any better" position as again, we were brand new homeowners only trying to have a renovation that was high end and of course, Eco-friendly.

I have come to realize that "bad" Contractors who intend to size you up, and then decide whether you are a "one time deal" [where they will never see you again] are dangerous people. They feel free to flagrantly break the law, abuse the customer, even threaten the customer.... all because you are NOT an Architect, Builder, Designer, etc., where they will get repeat business with "good" behavior. 

In other words, a bad intentioned Contractor sees the random homeowner as fair game. You are simply an ATM machine to them.

He appears to be Mr. nice guy to people at Moffley Media or anyone who can further bring him business. Of course, one would assume that he would not dare make the Editor of a Magazine for Fairfield County plead for her doors after 8 months, and huge deposits. He would never dare berate her, or anyone whom he perceives to have any power.

I have emails to both his father and to him that were never answered in September of 2006 when I was trying to get some reason and rationality from this company. Simple abuse.

What this individual and his small family business never bothered to ask me is what I do for a living.

I happen to also be in the Media. I happen to be an Internationally Syndicated Radio Talk Show Host. I'll bet I would have gotten very different treatment had this fact been known at this time.

My show also broadcasts all over Fairfield County.

Additionally, I have more than 3 million listeners and a very large base of knowledge as a Journalist.

If this company would like to continue to deflect their obvious responsibilities to my family via Mud-slinging and false accusations [and outright Lies] then I would be happy to publicly discuss this matter over the radio waves that will broadcast worldwide.

There is no excuse for abuse. This circle that consistently bashes the homeowner as a tactic to escape responsibility must stop.

1.) The homeowner has all of the documentation to prove their claim.
We have the three checks that we wrote; a written statement from the Fischer Doors who had to be called on in an emergency to repair the doors; a written statement from the carpenter on duty who was a witness; the original agreement for three payments and to show that the homeowner paid truthfully and fully.

2.) To be slandered by the door company with false accusations is indicative of who this guy really is.
As no time did anyone, certainly no contractor, ever "walk" off of our project!
We were good people who paid on time and had a very interesting project that most contractors seemed to enjoy. Additionally, we did not live at the home during construction, and were not around too much.
We had one bad situation with a contractor who was not building to code, and had brought unskilled labor to the job site that were causing more structural problems and delays.
We had to fire this individual, and later found that he had filed bankruptcy and had a long list of unhappy homeowners in another state and was in trouble with the law. He was put into jail.

It is horrible that this door company would use such a tragic situation, with major damages for the homeowner to repair, as some weird type of psychological weapon against us.

A bad egg who was fired had nothing to do with his door contract.

3.) The doors were unsatisfactorily installed with the wrong size springs and some other problems that a second door company had to fix for $1,000.

We are rightfully angry that this door company not only antagonized us with his outrageous and irrational demands before he delivered our doors, but then he wrongfully installs doors that are actually dangerous.

His demands, after receiving the first two payments upon request that were cleared quickly and were given gladly.... the door guy turns into a tyrant.

He starts to tell the Project Manager on duty at the time that the homeowner 'violated' the contract but cannot tell us how they violated the contract. He rambles onto the Project Manager some strange story that equates to totally irrational demands that he now wants to delay the installation for yet another week [he called on the DAY of the delivery to cancel once again, which is just a twist of the knife in our backs].... and then he demands that he wants a bank check for the final installation... and if his 'demands' are not met, then he will not deliver the doors and he will throw our doors into the trash!

All of this was relayed to me by the Project Manager on duty at the time.

This door guy sat in waiting like a snake until he got MOST of the money from us after the second payment, then starts to play games with us because he knew that he had the upper hand at that point and we, the homeowners, had NOTHING to show for our payments.

It was one of the most harrowing and stressful things that any battered homeowner could face.

We just wanted our doors to be delivered on time and installed correctly.

Neither happened from this door company.

Needless to say, we could never recommend this door company to anyone.

I am a craftsman cabinet maker who responded in detail to the other complaint that is posted by the same homeowner on this site against this company.

I will be brief, since my observations are in detail with the other report.

Door Company: 1/3- 1/3- 1/3 payments are totally acceptable. I do not know anyone who gives 1/2 up front.
And besides, if you were not happy with the original arrangement you should have never gone into such a contract in the first place. But don't try to complain about it now.

I have read the response by the homeowner that is posted on the other posting. These homeowners were clearly taken advantage of by a bad builder who got fired and is now apparently in bankruptcy and in jail.

When a homeowner has to face the challenge of reconciling their situation after a bad guy has literally robbed them and left their home unlivable and in shambles, it is truly pathetic that another contractor would take advantage of them by throwing stones.

I do not understand why you created a bad blood situation by demanding that the final payment of the three be made in cash/bank check. Then, to boot, you leave their home with a faulty installation that was dangerous.

You clearly antagonized the homeowners by your tantrums and then you don't even have the decency to leave behind a good product. Unbelievable.

Your stone throwing at the homeowners in this situation is really a bad sign. You are trying to cover your own tracks by diverting attention to a bunch of hearsay about supposed contractors walking off of a good paying job in a bad economy when getting a building job is tough? I don't think so, buddy.

The situation was most likely far different. Who, as a homeowner, has not been "duped" by some contractor who did bad work and robbed them of money? We all have.

The homeowners here seem as though they were doing a very high end job and had high expectations of the people that they hired. They just got taken advantage of by the building industry which does tear to shreds the naive homeowner who does not know how to work with con men.

The homeowners response is online for you to read. She responded in the other complaint against your company in this web site.

They state that NO ONE ever walked off their job. They had to fire some bad guy who probably raped them financially only to be having to deal with a schemer like you later on down the road.

Lesson: if you don't like the homeowner and are totally ungrateful for a paying client whose checks clear quickly, then take a "pass" on the job so that some other contractor can make a living.

A good paying client is worth their weight in gold!

Another Lesson: What could you, the contractor, have done differently to make the ending a better one? Do you think your outrageous demands in the end were antagonizing and totally unnecessary? How do you deal with situations that are tough in the other aspects of your life? Are you always on the attack rather than showing compassion and being a professional?

Think about this one.

I am a craftsman cabinet maker who responded in detail to the other complaint that is posted by the same homeowner on this site against this company.

I will be brief, since my observations are in detail with the other report.

Door Company: 1/3- 1/3- 1/3 payments are totally acceptable. I do not know anyone who gives 1/2 up front.
And besides, if you were not happy with the original arrangement you should have never gone into such a contract in the first place. But don't try to complain about it now.

I have read the response by the homeowner that is posted on the other posting. These homeowners were clearly taken advantage of by a bad builder who got fired and is now apparently in bankruptcy and in jail.

When a homeowner has to face the challenge of reconciling their situation after a bad guy has literally robbed them and left their home unlivable and in shambles, it is truly pathetic that another contractor would take advantage of them by throwing stones.

I do not understand why you created a bad blood situation by demanding that the final payment of the three be made in cash/bank check. Then, to boot, you leave their home with a faulty installation that was dangerous.

You clearly antagonized the homeowners by your tantrums and then you don't even have the decency to leave behind a good product. Unbelievable.

Your stone throwing at the homeowners in this situation is really a bad sign. You are trying to cover your own tracks by diverting attention to a bunch of hearsay about supposed contractors walking off of a good paying job in a bad economy when getting a building job is tough? I don't think so, buddy.

The situation was most likely far different. Who, as a homeowner, has not been "duped" by some contractor who did bad work and robbed them of money? We all have.

The homeowners here seem as though they were doing a very high end job and had high expectations of the people that they hired. They just got taken advantage of by the building industry which does tear to shreds the naive homeowner who does not know how to work with con men.

The homeowners response is online for you to read. She responded in the other complaint against your company in this web site.

They state that NO ONE ever walked off their job. They had to fire some bad guy who probably raped them financially only to be having to deal with a schemer like you later on down the road.

Lesson: if you don't like the homeowner and are totally ungrateful for a paying client whose checks clear quickly, then take a "pass" on the job so that some other contractor can make a living.

A good paying client is worth their weight in gold!

Another Lesson: What could you, the contractor, have done differently to make the ending a better one? Do you think your outrageous demands in the end were antagonizing and totally unnecessary? How do you deal with situations that are tough in the other aspects of your life? Are you always on the attack rather than showing compassion and being a professional?

Think about this one.

I am a craftsman cabinet maker who responded in detail to the other complaint that is posted by the same homeowner on this site against this company.

I will be brief, since my observations are in detail with the other report.

Door Company: 1/3- 1/3- 1/3 payments are totally acceptable. I do not know anyone who gives 1/2 up front.
And besides, if you were not happy with the original arrangement you should have never gone into such a contract in the first place. But don't try to complain about it now.

I have read the response by the homeowner that is posted on the other posting. These homeowners were clearly taken advantage of by a bad builder who got fired and is now apparently in bankruptcy and in jail.

When a homeowner has to face the challenge of reconciling their situation after a bad guy has literally robbed them and left their home unlivable and in shambles, it is truly pathetic that another contractor would take advantage of them by throwing stones.

I do not understand why you created a bad blood situation by demanding that the final payment of the three be made in cash/bank check. Then, to boot, you leave their home with a faulty installation that was dangerous.

You clearly antagonized the homeowners by your tantrums and then you don't even have the decency to leave behind a good product. Unbelievable.

Your stone throwing at the homeowners in this situation is really a bad sign. You are trying to cover your own tracks by diverting attention to a bunch of hearsay about supposed contractors walking off of a good paying job in a bad economy when getting a building job is tough? I don't think so, buddy.

The situation was most likely far different. Who, as a homeowner, has not been "duped" by some contractor who did bad work and robbed them of money? We all have.

The homeowners here seem as though they were doing a very high end job and had high expectations of the people that they hired. They just got taken advantage of by the building industry which does tear to shreds the naive homeowner who does not know how to work with con men.

The homeowners response is online for you to read. She responded in the other complaint against your company in this web site.

They state that NO ONE ever walked off their job. They had to fire some bad guy who probably raped them financially only to be having to deal with a schemer like you later on down the road.

Lesson: if you don't like the homeowner and are totally ungrateful for a paying client whose checks clear quickly, then take a "pass" on the job so that some other contractor can make a living.

A good paying client is worth their weight in gold!

Another Lesson: What could you, the contractor, have done differently to make the ending a better one? Do you think your outrageous demands in the end were antagonizing and totally unnecessary? How do you deal with situations that are tough in the other aspects of your life? Are you always on the attack rather than showing compassion and being a professional?

Think about this one.

The opposing views of A-H versus A-K are too stark and A-K is the only one so far to offer to provide documentation. If it can be shown that three contractors had quit this job, then one really would have to ask why.

I don't see it that way at all. Looks to me that the company rebutted all of the homeowner's accusations. In the homeowner's response, they didn't try and counter any of what the company said, rather just said they paid fairly and had to wait 8 months withouth offering any evidence (both of which the company had earlier rebutted.)

Sounds to me that the homeowner is the unreasonable one - going through 3 general contractors??

I am a Cabinetry Contractor in Rhode Island, and I have an observation:
If I had a contract that promised 6 - 8 weeks for delivery, and I took 8 months instead, and then did a poor installation, I know for sure that my homeowner client would be justified in their anger.
Perhaps this garage door maker could have either cancelled the order when he discovered that he was that far behind, and then return the deposit and all other payments to the homeowner,
or he could have behaved with a bit more sincerity and apologized for the delays to keep the homeowner a loyal customer.
But neither of these scenarios happened, and the homeowner feels jilted and jerked around by what looks like a fairly small company that did not know how to communicate properly to the homeowner.
I believe that I would have a lot of explaining to do if I did this to a customer.
As a contractor, you never want it to get to this point. And if you do have an installation problem, then just make it right.
It looks like a lot of lessons can be learned from this.
But this type of situation is exactly what gives the home improvement contractors such a bad image to everyone.
Just be nice, and make it right or don't accept the job at all.

I am a Cabinetry Contractor in Rhode Island, and I have an observation:
If I had a contract that promised 6 - 8 weeks for delivery, and I took 8 months instead, and then did a poor installation, I know for sure that my homeowner client would be justified in their anger.
Perhaps this garage door maker could have either cancelled the order when he discovered that he was that far behind, and then return the deposit and all other payments to the homeowner,
or he could have behaved with a bit more sincerity and apologized for the delays to keep the homeowner a loyal customer.
But neither of these scenarios happened, and the homeowner feels jilted and jerked around by what looks like a fairly small company that did not know how to communicate properly to the homeowner.
I believe that I would have a lot of explaining to do if I did this to a customer.
As a contractor, you never want it to get to this point. And if you do have an installation problem, then just make it right.
It looks like a lot of lessons can be learned from this.
But this type of situation is exactly what gives the home improvement contractors such a bad image to everyone.
Just be nice, and make it right or don't accept the job at all.

I am a Cabinetry Contractor in Rhode Island, and I have an observation:
If I had a contract that promised 6 - 8 weeks for delivery, and I took 8 months instead, and then did a poor installation, I know for sure that my homeowner client would be justified in their anger.
Perhaps this garage door maker could have either cancelled the order when he discovered that he was that far behind, and then return the deposit and all other payments to the homeowner,
or he could have behaved with a bit more sincerity and apologized for the delays to keep the homeowner a loyal customer.
But neither of these scenarios happened, and the homeowner feels jilted and jerked around by what looks like a fairly small company that did not know how to communicate properly to the homeowner.
I believe that I would have a lot of explaining to do if I did this to a customer.
As a contractor, you never want it to get to this point. And if you do have an installation problem, then just make it right.
It looks like a lot of lessons can be learned from this.
But this type of situation is exactly what gives the home improvement contractors such a bad image to everyone.
Just be nice, and make it right or don't accept the job at all.

The unwillingness of this door company to be reasonable in their agreed upon contract to service the homeowner speaks very loudly about their irrational and corrupt practices.
The homeowner did nothing to deserve that abuse. The homeowner paid timely, and expected to get their doors on a timely basis. But eight months go by, and the homeowner is made to look unreasonable by this wretched door maker who simply did not want to be professional.
It looks like it boils down to a personal attack upon a paying customer that the door guy just decided that he did not like but never met the homeowner in person.
Pathetic behavior.

Why not just give the homeowner their money back and cancel the order rather than making them wait eight months for a pair of garage doors that were contracted to take 6 to 8 WEEKS?
The door company should have come clean in their decision to not properly service the homeowner rather than letting it get to the point where there is actual money exchanged but no product delivery to show for it.

This complaint is loaded with downright lies. I will address them line by line. Lines 3-4 states that I demanded a large down payment. It is customary for all contractors to take one-half down payment when producing custom work. She felt uncomfortable with that so out of good faith I agreed she could make three payments, 1/3 to order, 1/3 after the doors were fabricated, and 1/3 after installation. We both agreed to this arrangement which was done in her favor.

She did NOT make progress payments throughout the spring and summer. We only received one payment on 6/7/2006 for $2,481.66, which was NOT the 1/3 she agreed to. She was supposed to pay 1/3 of 9,939 or 3,313.!! We did not see another payment from her until OCTOBER 3, 2006!! I have all deposits documented by bank records and can prove this.

Next Lie line 4. 8 Months??????????? The doors could not be fabricated or installed until September because the openings for the doors were not ready for installation. This was her fault because she gave such terrible treatment to her general contractors that three of them in a row walked off the job over the summer. I had to go back to the jobsite and meet with each new contractor she hired regarding the framing requirements. I then would call to check on the status and they would tell me they walked off the job and never prepared the door openings for the installation of the doors. It wasn't until I made contact with the last contractor that the door openings were finished. I have a phone record from them on 9/8/2006 wanting to meet to discuss the requirements to prepare the openings for the doors. This proves they weren't even complete into September. It is a blatant lie that this project eight months. All delays were her fault in getting the many contractors that keep walking off the job in finalizing the sizes so we can began fabrication. As stated above, her first deposit was received on 6/7/2006 and the installation made on 10/12/2006. This can all be documented by bank records. That's 4 months total NOT 8 months and we had no choice but to wait until the door openings were ready. We DID NOT delay from our end at all.

I called the contractor who was the one we worked with on fabricating the doors. They returned my call and stated there was never an issue regarding the garage doors while they were on the job. They never attempted to contact us for any reason since the day we installed the doors.

NO ONE, NOT HER BUILDER OR HER EVER TRIED TO CONTACT US SINCE WE COMPLETED THE JOB ON 10/12/2006. THERE WAS NOT ONE CALL MADE TO OUR OFFICE SINCE THE INSTALLATION. We never received a letter, a phone call, or anything after installation.

Had she needed any adjustments made to the mechanics of the doors we would have absolutely taken care of any problem. I seriously doubt that anything was incorrect and if by chance it was we should have been given a chance to correct it. I was told by the general contractors that walked off the job and several other suppliers not to take this job because of how horrible it is to work for these people. But I wanted the challenge and experience of working a green building project so I accepted the job. And it was a mistake to work for someone like her.