ComplaintsforDiscount Fence Company

• Initial Complaint

  03/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We had this company redo the fence in our front yard. The fence looked fine. However, while installing the fence, they damaged the sprinkler system. They asked me where the water meter was to turn it off, and said they would go get supplies to fix it. After they left, we realized it was still leaking. We had a sprinkler repairman come out, who told us that they had apparently just poured concrete all over the area in order to fix it. The sprinkler company had to bring out a machine to tear out the concrete in order to fix it which raised our bill from 500 to 1100 dollars. He said it would have taken 10 to 15 bags of concrete to do what they did. He gave us his phone number so the fencing company could call him and get the details on what they had done wrong. When I called and spoke to the owner of the fencing company she continuously cut me off, claiming that they were not responsible because of a clause in the contract. However, the clause refers to damage incurred during installation. The damage I was referring to occurred from them trying to fix the damage, which they shouldn't have done if they didn't know how. She also claimed that the concrete must have been splatter from installing the fence. It was clearly not, but she wouldn't let me explain that at all. She told me the sprinkler company could call her, but that she wasn't wasting time talking to someone who doesn't understand fencing. She eventually hung up on me when I mentioned taking her to court. We would like them to replace the post that had to be removed to fix the sprinkler system, and to reimburse us for the damages they caused.

  Business response

  04/25/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/03/31) */ Contact Name and Title: Jason **** Owner Contact Phone: XXXXXXXXXX Contact Email: ****@discountfenceamarillo.com Discount Fence Co. installed the fence in November of 2021. We were aware of the water line damage & made two repairs to it in order to install the fence correctly. The customer called in to the office to let us know that he thought the same area of system was leaking & asked if we would come out to take a look. It was on our list to send someone by. The customer did not call back in to office but had the repairman go out & address the problem. The customer called in to office & demanded that we were responsible for the repair bill. The customer did not give us the opportunity to take a look before repair. We would like to go & reset the post to insure the fence stability but as for the cost we feel that the repairs that we made were adequate & beyond our scope & responsibility. The customer when called in to office threatened a lawsuit & was when owner ended the conversation. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/03/31) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Discount Fence did attempt to repair the broken pipes the day they damaged the fence. In February, our yard was flooded again in the same area that Discount Fence attempted to repair. We called the company to send someone out to fix the damage again but we were told they were not responsible for repairs to sprinkler systems due to damage they may have caused. We then called an irrigation system repair company to fix the problem. They repaired one part of the system that I knew had been damaged by Discount Fence but the water meter had busted before they came out for whatever reason so we needed to have the city repair that. After the necessary repairs, I turned the water back on to the irrigation system only to hear a hissing coming from under the fence and to find water leaking into the water meter container. I called the same irrigation company out to see if they had missed anything. They took a look and showed me that Discount Fence had not correctly repaired the system where they had placed a fence post directly beside the water meter. Furthermore, they showed that Discount Fence had poured more concrete than necessary in the area and covered the irrigation line with it. They had to get a large machine to dig out the massive concrete in order to repair the system. Frustrated, I called Discount Fence to tell them about the damages and what they had done which wound up costing us more money than we should have paid (around $1200) to fix the damage that they had caused from the installation and attempted repair. The owner answered the phone and, as I tried to explain what had happened, continually interrupted me on the phone stating that they would not be held responsible for this. I couldn't fully explain the situation as they would cut me off every time. I told them that the manager of the irrigation team that repaired our system wanted to speak with them about what they had done, but they got angry with me and told me the manager could call them if they wanted but that they were not going to listen to an irrigation team who knows nothing about fencing. I then told them that I wanted them to replace a post that the irrigation team had to remove and I wanted them to pay for the repairs due to their team's failed repairs. Again, they were quite angry. At that point, I told them that they could expect to hear from a lawyer next. They said, "Ok, bye," and hung up on me. They were very rude and unprofessional the entire conversation. If they knew that they could not fix the system properly without causing more damage and without making it incredibly difficult to repair in the future, they should have not attempted to do so in the first place. They have a clause mentioning that the owner of the irrigation system is responsible for any damages that may occur "during fence installation". I was willing to accept that but they damaged our system to the point of costing us quite a bit during irrigation system "repair". Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2022/04/08) */ Started job first week of November and client payed for job second week of November and stated everything was good . We do payment upon completion of satisfaction. I email invoice after job is completed. ****** reached out to us in regards to leak on First week of February to come back out and take a look at line he thought had frozen and re broke. At that time Jason said he would get back out there to take a look. During this elapse of time we had several freezing temperatures and weather factors since job was completed. ****** stated the city had been out working on water lines out in his location to. ****** took it upon himself to call a irrigation company to come out and fix before we had a chance to look. At this time we do not feel we are responsible for irrigation. The machine they rented was to pull out pole with concrete on it which is part of his complaint. He claims that the amount on concrete was excessive and intentional. Our primary goal is to build a strong lasting fence, we do not believe the amount of concrete around the pole was excessive. Please let me know what else you need thank you **** **** Discount Fence Co. **** Canyon Drive Amarillo Texas XXXXX XXX-XXX-XXXX ***BBB note- the attached estimate was provided by the business as a sample of the disclosure that is on the contract re: they are not liable for any damage done to sprinkler heads/lines or gas lines inside the yard due to the installation of the fence Consumer Response /* (4200, 12, 2022/04/13) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I was not told that someone would be out to take a look at the system. I was told quite emphatically that Discount Fence was not responsible for the damage. That conversation is what lead me to call an irrigation company to fix the system. If they were sending someone out, I would not have called an irrigation company. The amount poured can be seen in one of the attached pictures along with the placement of the post that caused the damages. The concrete shown is only part of what had to be excavated and the post was placed directly beside the water meter without regard for any of the pipes that would be running through there. They had to have missed the main line by a mere few inches at best. Again, if the problem was only from the initial installation of the fence, I would have left it alone because of the company's clause saying they are not responsible for those damages. However, these extra damages and the extra cost incurred to me was due to the company attempting to repair the system. I can supply the contact information for the irrigation company if needed so they can better explain the situation they saw and repaired. I am happy with the strong and long lasting fence they built as far as the fence is concerned. They damaged the irrigation system which is aggravating but understandable when you don't know exactly where those pipes run. What I am not happy with is the botched attempt at repairing the system by a company that didn't know what they were doing which cost us more in the end to repair the system. I am also not happy with the way I was treated on the phone call to the owner of the business when I tried to explain the situation and ask for reimbursement of the cost of fixing our system due to their failed attempt at repairs.

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