Peel Fence Systems Inc

We were shown a photo example of what the fence would look like and in in the email that contained our quote, said the quote was for 1 7/8" posts. That is what we discussed. What was actually in the attachment cleverly had the sizes reduced to 1 1/4 ". The poor photocopy and scanned contract could hardly be read. It should have been a red flag.

Flimsy junk you would not even rest your hands on while talking to the neighbour on the other side. No way any reputable company would ever offer yet alone actually install such junk. You have to see it to believe it.

If you want to see what you really get for your money, contact me. I'll gladly show you our house and the neighbors who had the same quote and size changed. You can see for yourself this is not a mistake and what they are really like.

We would have paid double to do the job right. There was no need to play any tricks.

My goodness what poor business and workmanship. From the minute they arrived to give a quote, it was all about money. I was asked if I'm ready to pay more times than I can count. I felt bullied when I needed help. The work was nothing like promised. My fence is crooked and coming apart. I was hung up on when I called to discuss the problems. All I can do now is save up to have a reputable installer come to fix the job. Peel fence / Shiner's contracting took advantage of me and my situation and left me with nothing but tears. Please avoid my mistake and stay away. Thank you.

Looking for a replacement for a large area chain-link fence around our back yard, we called Peel Fence for a quote. Turns out, Dave from Peel installed the fence almost 30 years ago. Considering that fence was still in perfect shape (just not as pleasing to the eye as as the new black aluminum fences), we didn't bother getting other quotes, in spite of seeing a bad review on this site. Clearly, they know what they're doing. Dave, Pat, Sam and the full team were more than helpful, Dave came to the site numerous times (as we were changing the landscaping so the original plan was 'fluid'), were extremely patient with us and did an amazing job. The new fence looks amazing and we're confident it will last as long as the last one. Great job/great company.

... and that's exactly how this business owner conducts himself.

Despite enough bad word of mouth and poor reviews out there, we gave this company a chance because all our local contractors were not taking new clients until 2017 (it is now not surprising this company was so available in comparison). They came in at 30% more expensive than our lowest quote but we were fooled into thinking that "in business since 1972" actually meant something (maybe it did back when you were dealing with original management). So we paid almost $15 per foot (without any haggling) for 160 feet of black 4' chain link fence and gave them a shot (just a straight run on flat open space, no gates, posts pounded into the ground).

I'll keep the details short and to the point (photos attached):

-after being invited into our home, the owner was eager to confirm that we are ready to pay for this job and to write up a quote (using my pen that he asked to keep when he was finished). He took a 50% deposit immediately and told me to call the project manager to schedule a date for the job. I did that as soon as he left.

-on the scheduled date, a single worker arrived to install the fence. He informed me that "all his assistants are sleeping in these days" so he's working alone. (The owner later indicated his embarrassment that this was said to me, though didn't apologize that the additional labourer was not there to help ensure a smooth and damage-free install.) I shook the worker's hand, offered him a drink, and told him I'm in the house all day if he needs anything (I stayed home so that I would be available to see the work when he was done).

-I was surprised at the end of the day when I saw the worker quickly scurry into his truck and hastily drive away without looking back.

-I went to look at the work to find that there were about two dozen chips and scratches (some very small, some very big) in the painted top rails, posts, etc. and that both my property and the neighbour's were littered with garbage from the install--dozens of discarded fence wire pieces and bits of plastic coverings--and cigarette butts (the worker was smoking constantly). Those many pieces of rigid wire would make dangerous projectiles when inevitably struck by a lawnmower (I hope we got them all, they blend in well with the grass).

-after informing the business owner of all these problems I was told that there shouldn't have been any trash and cigarette butts left behind, the installer shouldn't have left without first providing an inspection, and that without people like me informing him of stuff like this he'd never know because, as I was told, the amount of labourers on the payroll cannot possibly all have his proper oversight.

-the owner's solution was to use black spray paint on the damaged areas despite my assertion that this is a cosmetic fix only--the once powder-coated bare metal is no longer adequately protected--and there should be some type of recompense for all of these issues (10% off, 5% off, a dollar, an apology maybe?). I was completely ignored, and the areas were spray painted. This looked atrocious as soon as it was done as you could clearly see the difference in the spray painted areas. It rained a couple hours after and, of course, this cheap remedy is bubbling and chipping away.

-we requested a price adjustment again thinking maybe the owner forgot that this is something we wanted to discuss. Again, we were completely disregarded (the owner asked me many times in conversation "how much did I say per foot again?", so the fact that I was always reminding him indicates that he has complete freedom with pricing and that it's not the same for everyone). Instead of any gesture of good faith, we would receive antagonizing replies thanking us for our money. Finally when asked if this is the kind of work he'd expect on his property, I received an abusive and threatening email (the question was of course ignored). This email contained nothing more than name-calling and a threat to escalate this unprofessionalism even further. I didn't reply figuring enough is enough, we're obviously being toyed with, and it's time to just let the public know of our experience. At least the fence should still serve as a barrier to help keep our baby boy safe when he's older.

So here we are now. I guess this business prefers the 'everybody loses' approach, except those of you fortunate enough to have never had to experience Peel Fence Systems Newmarket (AKA Shiner's Fencing & Contracting). My recommendation is to keep it that way; there are lots of good, honest people out there ready to do a good job for you!

Thanks for reading about our experience.

Dave was very honest and knowledgeable. Work was performed on a timely basis and worker (Carl) who came to do the work was super nice and detail oriented. The fence looks amazing, sturdy and strong. Everything was cleaned up before Carl left. With over 42 years experience, this company really knows their stuff! Thanks again!