I think the gate repair man did something intentional to my gate.
Two weeks ago, my electric swing gate was making a grinding noise when it got within about 2' of closing. Then it'd stop at the gate stop, then open back up 6". We had a gate repair person come out and he said we needed a new stop magnet. However, after he left, it started working perfect.
Even though it had been working perfect, my husband, Dan, still wanted to get the magnet because of Murphy's Law. Then, the day of the magnet install, the technician never showed. Dan called them and it turns out the repair person had to leave work for an emergency.
So, the owner came out instead. While he was here, I heard Dan start his leaf blower and saw him using it on the inside of the control box. (Dan wanted this cleaned out at the same time, and he mentioned to me that the owner/tech also oiled it up). The owner told Dan to blow out the debris with his own blower, but I thought it was odd that he had Dan do it. My thought was that the blower could ruin the insides, so that's why Dan was told to do it (to shift liability).
Well, the owner/tech fiddled around with things for a while, charged us $400, and left. Note: we did not get the magnet replaced because the owner knew nothing about it being scheduled.
Right after he left, Dan tells me that the gate now doesn't open all the way. I looked at it and it also shakes back and forth at the end where it now stops.
Shortly after, the owner sends us a quote for $5,000.00 for a new floor mount swing operator, professional opener mounting, wiring, and accessories. Dan said the owner told him it had "new technology with a safety photo eye or AI-powered lens" or something. I told Dan the guy caused the issue on purpose because he wants a sale, but Dan thinks he was just a "nice guy."
I'm a 64-year-old female and over the years, I've seen a lot of people trying to take advantage of my family, so I am very leery. I've asked several AI tools and they all say the gate just needs adjusting, but Dan does not believe AI. It's a 20-year-old Chamberlain Elite Commercial Gate installed at a residence.
Does anyone know about these gates? Was this a scam, or did the blower/tech actually break it? Thank you very much!
TL;DR: Gate had a minor issue, started working fine anyway. Tech owner came out, didn't install the part we asked for, had my husband use a leaf blower on the control panel, charged $400, and left. Now the gate stops short and shakes violently. Owner immediately sent a $5,000 quote for a brand new system. Am I being scammed? https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8oGhA61S5ec