Not all warranties are created equal – and when it comes to garage door openers, the type of warranty you get can make a huge difference when things go wrong.
In our industry, there are two main types of warranties: on-site warranty and back to base warranty (sometimes called a parts-only warranty).
Let’s break them down.
What’s An On-Site Warranty?
An on-site warranty means the manufacturer will send a technician out to your property to fix the issue. You don’t have to remove anything or coordinate the repairs yourself. It’s all handled for you – simple, fast, and stress-free.
What’s a Back to Base Warranty?
A back to base warranty is a different story. In this case, the manufacturer expects you to remove the faulty part – like the garage door opener – and deliver it back to them. If you can’t do it yourself, you’ll need to pay your garage door technician to do it for you.
They’ll then repair or replace it at their warehouse, and you (or your technician) will have to recollect it and reinstall it once it’s ready.
This can take weeks, and in the meantime, you’ll be left operating your garage door manually and rigging up a temporary way to keep it locked.
To make matters worse, many garage door installers aren’t paid by the manufacturer for warranty work. That means some may ignore your calls or refuse to help – leaving you to handle everything yourself or pay someone else to do it. Unfortunately, we see this all the time.
Why We Recommend Merlin
Most garage door opener brands offer back to base warranties – but not Merlin.
Merlin is the only brand we know of that offers a proper on-site warranty. If there’s an issue, Merlin will send one of their own technicians to your home to fix it – at no cost to you. And if your original installer has disappeared or stopped responding, no problem. You can contact Merlin directly and they’ll take care of it.
On top of that, Merlin offers the longest warranties in the industry and has been building reliable products for nearly 40 years.
You’re not just buying a garage door opener—you’re buying peace of mind. That’s why we always recommend Merlin over any other brand we supply and install. It’s the only brand I’d trust for my own home, and the only one I’d fit for my own family’s safety.
Need Help?
If you’ve got a garage door opener with a back to base warranty and you need help repairing it, give me (Callum) at Lightning Garage Door Solutions a call.
We’ve been helping Brisbane locals with garage doors and openers for over 10 years. We’re fully licensed, insured, and everything we do is backed by our Lightning Warranty.
