Why do door repair guys get so offended when you ask for insurance?

If a contractor gets defensive when you ask for thier paperwork, they're almost certainly hiding something or they’re just incredibly unprofessional. Any legitimate door company that does high-end residential or even commercial work has their **certificate of insurance** (COI) sitting in a PDF file ready to email at a moment's notice. It’s a standard part of doing business and any pro worth their salt expects the question. There’s a big difference between being licensed, insured, and bonded, and you realy want all three. The license proves they actually passed the state’s basic competency exams for the trade. Liability insurance covers the cost if they shatter the glass on your tile or accidentally put a drill through a water line. Being **bonded** is the one people forget—that’s your financial guarantee if they ghost the job or do such a hack job that it needs to be completley redone by someone else. Insurance won't cover a contractor just being bad at their job, but a bond will.

The fact that one guy tried to hike the price because you 'stirred the pot' is a massive red flag. That’s a bully tactic meant to punish customers who know their rights. And the 'we only do commercial' excuse usually means they don't want to deal with the specific consumer protection laws that come with residential contracts. Commercial clients have project managers who demand these documents as a baseline, so they should be very used to providing them.

I've seen plenty of guys carry around old, expired paperwork or even forged certificates. Don't just look at the piece of paper; look for the name of the insurance carrier and the policy number. Give that agent a quick call to verify the policy is actually active and covers the type of work they’re doing. If they're legit, they won't mind. If they blow up at you, let them walk. You don't want someone that volatile or dishonest working on your house anyway, especially when it involves something as sensitive as a sliding glass door.

I didn't realize being bonded was its own seperate thing either. I just assumed "insured" was a catch-all term. Does anyone know if it's standard to ask for the COI before they even come out to give a quote, or should I wait til I have a price in hand? I'm definitely nervous about getting ghosted again. If I ask to verify the policy with thier agent, is that going to flag me as a "high maintenance" client? I'm trying to be safe, but I also really need this glass replaced before the storm hits next week.

Honestly, being labeled "high maintenace" is better than dealing with a leaky sill or a door that won't lock six months from now. If they think you're a pain for asking for basic docs, imagine the headache when they mess up the flashing.

I usually wait til the estimate is in hand before I demand the COI. That way, they’ve already invested time in the lead. Most of these defensive guys are just "truck-and-ladder" operations with zero office support. They get mad because they actually have to go home and find where they put the folder. A real door shop will have that paperwork ready to fire off in an email immediatly.

The "commercial only" excuse is such a joke. If they acutally did commercial work, they'd have a secretary who coud sneeze a COI onto your desk in ten seconds. Those big jobs require mountain-sized stacks of paperwork before you even set foot on the lot. The "stirring the pot" comment is the real kicker though. That’s code for "I was hoping you wouldn't notice I'm fly-by-night." Real pros see that question as a sign of a client who actually pays their bills and respects the trade. Anyone who gets salty about it is doing you a favor by showing their true colors before they touch your house.