Reliable The Fence People

I sent the request in mid-June and they wrote back that they had an opening for an estimate in April. When I replied that they seem to have made a mistake about the date (10 months for an estimate?), they blew me off. No reply. Disappointed.

Covenience: They allowed me to email in photos and gave me the quote online, making it very easy, esp since it is a rental property and I don't live there. Price: Based on how broken the panels were, they had to replace them, which was reasonable. Because a recent storm had caused a record number of fence problems, they had me pay up front. I was worried about this, but they made sure the work satisfied me. Professionalism: After the first time they came, I found an unopened bag of cement next to the newly installed panels, which were not correctly placed. It was unclear whether they were only part way through. I called the office and they answered the phone right away (!). They sent someone out quickly to finish the job. When I came back to review the final job, the middle post was still wobbly. Again, they answered the phone immediately and sent someone out to solidify the base of the post, this time successfully.

Once we actually got them here, the work went well. I had called in mid-winter to get on the list for an early spring install, and it became pretty clear that there was a failure to follow though on my original call. Things started to move when I called again a couple of months later, The two installers worked very hard until early evening to get the project done. I did have to do a bit of debris cleanup and dirt and rock removal to get the yard into proper condition for mowing. Fence and gate looks good and has held up well. Reliable's prices seem to be on the higher end.

The install went very smoothly. Crew of two were very professional and courteous. Went the extra mile to help me move some debris. Payment was convenient - Billed and paid by check.

Were not only on-time, but early. Efficient. reasonable, if not slightly lower quote than 3 other competitors. Would definitely hire again. It did a bit to get an install date scheduled (about 5 weeks after payment) but we knew they were booking out that far when we received the initial estimate.

Reliable Woburn's operation manager, Josh, is a top-notch, customer-focused professional that listens, analyzes and then responds with an action plan that delivers beneficial results.

It didn’t go at all. They never returned my messages.

The repair was fine, no issues. Since the job was so small, they would not give me a scheduled date for the work. It took a few weeks which I understand. It would be better if they could have notified me the day before that they were coming.

The installation went well, but they don't provide a much feedback on scheduling. It is best to reach them by phone instead of using email or their website. After the initial install in the summer, there was an issue over the winter where the fence settled and one of the gates no longer closed properly. Their repair center ignored emails, but once I called them they sent someone out to repair it under warranty.

Good. One person erected the fence over a period of a few days. He was pleasant, efficient.

We got about 5 estimates from highly rated (on Angie's List) companies. Reliable was competitive with their quote and were able to get us on the schedule to replace the fence before the winter hit. Chris was our contact person and was very responsive as we got ready to do the project. They did an absolutely beautiful, high quality job on the fence. The two guys that did the work were extremely nice and worked incredibly hard to get the whole thing done quickly. It was absolutely frigid out, but they showed up as planned and worked long days. I have already recommended them to a neighbor and would recommend again.

Great work. Guys were awesome, professional, and friendly

The two guys who came to do the install were awesome. They were very communicative and made sure that they had the right details for the job. They went above and beyond by: Re-installing one particular post TWICE so that it was lined up just-right (tricky because the yard isn't square) and also by installing and building custom fillers for the corners of the yard so that my new dog wouldn't be able to slip past. I love this fence, and I'm so appreciative of the peace of mind that the workmen provided.

It was good, however there was a minor issue with leaving the site a little messy.

Overall I am very happy. There were some challenges in getting the whole job completed, they ended on the first day and didn't return to finish for a week or so.

They were easy to deal with, professional, and the fence looks great!

I think they came even earlier than they said they were going to come. They had given us a certain week in the summer and they were able to move it up for us and get it done a little bit more quickly. That was nice. It took a few days to complete. It was pretty much what I had expected, because they had to demo the old fence first and took all of that out. There were a team of two people.

Reliable Fence began the fence installation in md-July and needed two days separated by about a week to complete the job. As it turned out, they used two different crews to complete the installation. Unfortunately, the first crew botched the installation done on the first day. The second crew did a better job finishing the last section of fence on the second day. As I mentioned, I needed to have two rural mailboxes and mailbox posts installed. The crew on the first day butchered my mailbox installation by not using a mailbox mounting plate and by mounting the horizontal vinyl mailbox rail exactly in line with the main vinyl rails that run between the vinyl posts. The result was that the mailbox itself flopped around because it could not be securely attached to the main vertical vinyl fence/mailbox post. Please see the attached picture #1 that shows what I am trying to describe. The mailbox was so floppy that our local United States Post Office Postman refused to place magazines into the mailbox. Note also the US Post Office requires that rural mailboxes be mounted 41 to 45 inches from the ground. They mounted this mail box 32 inches from the ground. One would think that they should have known the regulations. When I requested Reliable Fence to fix the problem, they replied: “there is not really anything that can be done “. Now compare the proper way that the second mailbox was installed by the second crew as shown in picture #2. Note that the horizontal mailbox mount is above the main fence rail and by doing the installation this way the mailbox is secure and not is not flopping around. To make matters worse, I discovered that the first crew dumped dirt from the holes dug for the fence posts and left over concrete used to secure the fence posts, across the street under a pine tree on my neighbor’s property. See the attached picture #3. Since I had paid the entire amount (on my credit card) almost two mounts earlier, I had no leverage to get then to fix the problem. Thus, to fix these problems I had to buy a new mailbox and mounting plate to remount the mailbox, add six more screws to secure the horizontal mailbox mounting rail, and install a horizontal bar to connect the front and rear sections of the horizontal mailbox mounting rail. In summary: Do Not Hire Reliable Fence Company!

Price - I believe people are too friendly with price grades on Angie's List. To get an A you should stand out. Their prices are on the high end of the industry. Value wise for the materials and installation the price is a little better at a B, but if you factor in their business process the price is average for the overall experience. That is why I graded out at a C. Quality - They use high end materials and do a very good job with the installation. Responsiveness - They take a long time to provide quotes and to install. Most of their communication is handled by handouts and canned emails. This is fine, but they don't follow their own policy on the write-ups. For example, they provide guidance that you should wait for them to schedule your job during the busy summer months before calling dig safe. However, they scheduled the job too late for me to call dig safe in time and told me I should have called once I sent the contract, which is their winter process. They will not commit to their scheduled install dates and times until one or two business days before your scheduled installation, so you are at the mercy of their schedule. Punctuality - They were late on the install date, but did call to say they were running late. Professionalism - They did a poor job of taking notes during the quote and did not include the installation of slats for the chain link portion of my fence. That said, I made the mistake of not noticing this on the quote, so they were under no obligation to install the slats. When I emailed to discuss options, they took their time responding, and offered me a quote well above market value to remedy the situation. I can order the slats and install them at 20% of the quoted price. Overall, I think their high Angie's List grade has made them too busy to care about individual customers, hey do provide quality work, but you will pay more than other places for the quality work. I would not refer them to others, but you will end up with a nice fence if you hire them.

This company was by far the least professional group I have met. They did not follow directions, making the fence and gate at the wrong height. I am inside and available for questions, as I told them. They quickly left once done, as if skirting the review with us. They damaged the adjoining fence, but did not bother to tell anyone.

The quality of the work was sound and the team that installed the fencing were efficient. Only downside were some communication issues with the office. However, that wouldn't prevent me from hiring them again.

My experience with Reliable Fence has led me to question the efficacy of Angie's List. Here is a timeline of my experience with UNReliable Fence. Monday, March 20: called Reliable Fence to inquire about new fence. Thursday, March 23: man came to measure Monday, April 10: I sent check for 50% of job ($1160) after receiving a written estimate several days previous. Tuesday, May 2: received call that install would be on Friday Friday, May 5: two men came; installed fence; said they were given the wrong posts (two-hole) for the three posts (three hole) needing replacement; left at 3:30--as it started to rain-- saying another crew would return the next day to finish the job. The next day I heard nothing but when I inspected the fence, found poor quality wood and careless install details. Even the latch was put on wrong: inside out such that the fence can be locked only from the outside, not the inside of my yard! Monday May 8: I called RF to ask when the work would be completed. During May I made more calls about this matter. I heard nothing. But I received an invoice dated May 20 for the remainder owed. Called RF again to say work was not only incomplete but shoddy. There were many knotholes, unsanded splintery rough spots, gouges in the pickets, and the posts had some cracks and were obviously old and discolored. Was asked to send photos, which I did. Not until a month later did I hear anything. On Wednesday, June 21, a representative from RF, Matt, come to inspect the poor quality of the fence. He had called me the day before to see if 8:30 a.m. was okay. Matt was very conciliatory, assuring me RF would rectify the situation. He took many photos, told me he agreed the fence needed to be torn down and redone, said he would need to talk to his boss and probably the “top” boss. Said he would be in charge of the new installation and would “pick” the wood himself to be sure there were no cracks or huge knotholes. The rest of June, July and August went by—I heard nothing. (But received another invoice in August.) No phone calls, nothing. Thursday, Sept. 14. 8:30 a.m. I see a truck filled with fencing materials pull up outside, with Matt driving. “Remember me?” he asks. Indeed I remembered him. As it happened I was leaving for Europe in several hours, told him I was done with RF and to take his fence back. When I returned from my trip, awaiting me in the mail, dated Sept. 15: an invoice giving me a “deduction per customers request” of $1160, leaving a balance of 0. After decades of home ownership I have never dealt with such outrageous behavior from a contractor or business. Obviously RF decided to cut their losses, perhaps figuring that it was a small job and, probably more to the point, I am an older retired woman. NB: Photos capture only some of the defects in the wood.

They accommodated my schedule perfectly. I then received a quote and flexible scheduling for the completion. They are fantastic. Truly and totally Reliable!

Completed within a 2 day period. Very professional and cleaned up after themselves. I would hire them again if the price wasn't so steep.

Minor issues but corrected professionally