I just used this company yesterday, and I have to say that I wish I never did.
1-HIDDEN COSTS no.1
The contractor started off by telling me that because it was going to take so long, he was going to charge $275 per hour after 2 hours of work!! NOTHING was mentioned about this when I called and inquired about the fees. My neighbour and I argued and he said, “ok, but I have to start charging after 3 hours”....First of all, that's called a hidden cost, and secondly, I sent very clear pictures of my terrain so they could have mentioned any issues at that point. All that was mentioned was the $35 fee per 6”x6” post, and that the machine was able to pass between the houses.
He finished in 3 hours...luckily I suppose, but it was a rushed job.
Telling a customer about fees on the day the work is to be done is dishonest and puts the customer in a corner, we had already bought all the lumber and scheduled other appointments afterwards. So it's very hard to say no on the spot....but I'm sure they know that.
2-HIDDEN COSTS no.2
Although we had the centre lines marked, and I specifically told him the spacing I was looking for, he still put his own centre line and marked his own spacing, and ended up charging me and my neighbour $45+HST EACH...ANOTHER HIDDEN COST!!
3-MEASUREMENTS NOT CORRECT!!
On one side, they put the posts COMPLETELY ON MY SIDE, not on the centre line!!!! How bad or just careless do you have to be to mess up a property line....My neighbours and I spent so much time measuring our property lines based on the plans, and he just came in and quickly with no regard put the posts completely on my property. I'm extremely upset about this.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND USING THIS COMPANY at all.....but if you do, you better be out there with them measuring every post and every distance from every wall...otherwise you're in for a nasty surprise like I was...but remember if you go over your time limit, expect to pay a heavy hourly rate!!
The better advice I could give you is to use a completely different company that respects property lines, a customer's request for spacing and doesn't surprise you with hidden fees when you're 'under the gun'.
Here's the fine print that's supposed to cover them from any responsibility:
7) The prices provided are just an estimate. Once the contractor has started digging, he will assess the site and if there are any issues that might affect the price, he will let you know at that time before proceeding.
8) We accept Visa, MasterCard, Debit, and cash. Please inspect the job upon completion to ensure that the job has been completed to your satisfaction. If you have any issues with the work that has been done, please address them before you make payment. Once payment has been made you are approving that the job has been completed to your satisfaction.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
So once payment has been made, the customer is supposed to shut up and suck it up...I don't think so.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $1,000.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Company Response
Eddie,
I am sorry to hear that your experience with us was not to your satisfaction, however there are a few things stated in your review that do not accurately represent how we conduct business.
I want to begin by addressing your concerns regarding “hidden costs”. We are very clear with our customers that we are only able to offer an estimate on post installation and that there are factors such as the quality of the soil and issues with access that can affect the price. It is not possible to predict what is underground until we start digging and we are very forthcoming about that as stated in our confirmation email that you attached to your review. If you are not happy with any changes to the original estimate you are free to send us away without penalty. We do not expect our customers to pay anything they have not agreed to. I want to also clarify that you were not charged our hourly rate at all, which is actually $250 an hour, and this is the price the contractor advised you of, not $275 an hour as you have stated. It is not unreasonable to charge more for a job that should only take an average amount of time to be done, but ends up taking additional time to do. With that said, we asked you to mark out the locations of the posts with spray paint, and instead you used stakes to mark out the property line; therefore our crew had to take additional time to do the proper markings. Item #4 in our confirmation email sent to every customer upon booking, prior to their appointment date, states: “It is mandatory that somebody be on site for the duration of the job that can be trusted to address any issues that might arise including pricing. Also, we do ask that the location of the posts be marked out with spray paint and the posts are on site for us.” The contractor walked the property with you and was very thorough in marking both yours and your neighbour’s property according to where you staked out the property line. You did not provide us with a property survey so the contractor simply followed what you had marked out with stakes. We typically charge at least $50 for marking so you were actually given a bit of discount for the markings that we had to do on your behalf.
We do not require a deposit, nor do we accept payment before completing a job. We ensure that the customer has the opportunity to assess the work that has been done and advise us of anything they are unhappy with so that we are able to make it right. As mentioned before, the contractor was very thorough with walking you through the job and explained everything in detail. It is unfortunate that you did not share your concerns at this time so we were able to rectify any of these issues.
Best of luck in the future.