The automated gate industry lacks the impulsivity of industries like fashion or automobiles. Instead, gate customers often approach companies like WLS out of necessity. Perhaps your neighbours have told you recently that there has been a spike in local crime and you want to protect yourself and your property before it is too late. Maybe, your insurance company has stipulated that certain security measures must be adopted in order to guarantee you the best insurance prices. Either way, the important question seems to be: how do you choose which gate company to use?
With fashion it is somewhat easy. We might have celebrities who we admire or styles we wish to replicate. Cars are much the same. An old episode of Top Gear might have sparked the desire to purchase a classic Jaguar or an extravagant (perhaps overly extravagant) new advert might have tempted you to buy the latest Audi SUV. But gates are undoubtedly different. Although the aesthetics of your gate are important, it is the core functionality of the gate that matters somewhat more. Yes, you want your new gate to look beautiful (and don’t worry it will), but first and foremost it has to work.
In our industry, you will often find, what we call, one-man bandits. These one-man bandits exist in every industry similar to ours: the types of small set-ups that pretend to be the jack of all trades. The “oh, you need that done too? We can do that!” type of organisation. These suppliers seem excellent on the surface. They might have done an excellent job renovating your garden wall, or running some cable in your house. They might also be offering an excellent (perhaps too excellent) price. And this might be fine if you need them to paint a wall or install a single off-the-shelf camera, but can they truly be trusted to protect your entire property?
Sadly, the answer, for the most part, is no. Installing a gate is not easy. To install a set of electric driveway gates properly you will need engineers who have spent (at least) the last 5 years solely working on gate automation. You will need the highest quality materials and an automation system you can trust to work efficiently at all times.
Why? Well, the answer is simple. Picture this: It is the beginning of September. The first school day of the year. Your child is just starting their first day in high school and you have a board meeting to attend by 09:00. You finally get your child off his phone and into the car and start your car. You reach for your fob to open your new sliding gate but nothing happens.
You try again… nothing.
Now, you have a gate that won’t open, a child who is going to be late for their first day and a board meeting you will now miss. Why will you miss it? Because you are going to wait at home for a proper engineer to arrive (for around £300) to see what is wrong. What’s worse? The engineer won’t be able to touch your gate because it has not been installed to Gate Safe regulations.
Here is another example: it is February, and you are finally going on your long-awaited family ski holiday. You pack the car up, open your gate and drive away. Normally, your gate would close directly behind you but today the self-closing mechanism has broken. Now, unbeknownst to you, you have driven away, not to return for a week, with your gate wide open and your property vulnerable to intruders.
These are the risks you take when you opt for budget security solutions.
Now, these examples are not intended to scaremonger. Instead, they are intended to re-enforce the fact that security is not joke, nor is it easy. At WLS, we have had over 40 years’ experience installing, repairing and servicing automated gates, barriers, bollards and fencing. We know which brands work, which materials are durable and which opening mechanisms would suit your property best. Our engineers have years of experience, our project managers decades of experience and our consultants are trained not to push you a system, but to work with you to find the solution that would suit your individual needs best.
Fine, you might be able to find cheaper quotes elsewhere. But when it comes to security, is cheap really what you want?
Speak to our Gate Experts today for advice on your next automated gate project. You can also download our residential gates brochure here.
