STL FENCEWORKS

I had my fence installed in February 2022. I called that STL fence works to let them know that the gate to enter my backyard with sagging difficult to open and closed and could somebody come out and fix it I sent them a video and an email as well as spoke to them. They said they would email me back and let me know. Please keep in mind. I have a lifetime warranty on an extremely expensive fence. I was told via email that here’s the instructions to adjust your gate. If you have any questions give us a call back but it’s not covered under warranty. Are you kidding me? I spent almost $10,000 on this fence. My gate barely opens and you’re not even gonna come out and fix it. Do not I repeat do not, engage with this company they’re a hot mess

We originally chose STL Fenceworks due to a recommendation and the positive experience we had with Chris during our July bid. We were informed of the 8-10 week wait for installation and paid $2000 down on $4600 the same day. We were informed that any overhanging brush would need to be removed from the fence line. We were fine with doing so and agreed to have everything mentioned removed prior to install. We were never told we should dig up and remove all roots from the fence line. Our time frame for install was Oct. 14-28th. We called the week prior, twice, and left voicemails to have someone come out and verify that the work with the vegetation was sufficient as we wanted confirmation to ensure we did not cause extra work for the crew. We never received a response to this request. We tried to get in touch with the office for 3 weeks before receiving a response to an email (already past our install time frame at this point). This email stated a member of the crew had COVID and our job was pushed back to the last week of Nov or the first week of Dec. We responded expressing our sympathies and asking that they keep us updated. The last week of Nov came and went with no communication. We reached out by email the first week of Dec to get an update and received a response that simply said “you are scheduled for Dec. 14th”. There was no explanation for the further delay. Unfortunately, our install date passed again and a few days later we received a phone call that we would be delayed further because materials did not arrive on the truck; materials that should have been ordered for us in Oct. Obviously, there was never any intention of installing at the other dates. We were rescheduled again for the end of Dec or beginning of Jan. At the beginning of Jan, we were told that, not only had the materials not arrived, but there was a manufacturing shortage and our pickets were not available. The company stated they would get a different size and cut them down. We were extremely disappointed, but continued to wait. Prior to our mid-Jan install, we reached out to the company and asked for a 10% discount for wait time. Our email was ignored. The second follow-up email my husband sent was responded to saying they could not give us any discount and that their material prices had increased and that they were doing us a favor by not increasing the price of our original bid. They said our entire delay since Oct had been due to the manufacturing delay. We had not been informed of any supply issues until Jan. We would have been understanding of a backorder that was completely out of their hands, but this was information they provided after our 4th reschedule and backtracked in order to avoid any responsibility for poor service. I have emails from each reschedule and none of them mention material shortages. We were rescheduled twice more until our job finally started Jan 14th--three months after our original install date. We hoped the company would redeem themselves upon install. Unfortunately, this was not the case. We were told at our bid to cut down branches from the fence line and clear vegetation, both of which we did (and attempted to get the company to come out and check). When the two man crew arrived, they informed us there were a lot of roots along the fence line and that we may incur extra charges for “difficult digging”. At their suggestion, we agreed that it would be easier, to help avoid roots and extra cost, to move the post back 6 inches. We explicitly expressed that anything more than a day or two of extra charges would be out of the question. We asked for the crew to mark out where the posts were going and we would work over the weekend removing roots. The lead crewman stated that we already paid for the labor to dig the holes and it wouldn't be necessary. Regardless, we spent 2.5 hours Sunday going through pulling up any rocks, roots, and a stump that we thought could still be in their way despite moving the post. It was also our understanding that since we moved the corner post the extra digging would be mitigated. The two men on the crew were nice, however, they work an average of 4hrs/day (9-2 with an hour lunch). The four days they worked amounted to, being generous, 21 hours of work. For these 21 hours, we were charged an additional $1200 in labor ($395/day). An additional 25% increase to our original price. It may be reasonable to charge three days of extra labor if there was a standard crew and 8 hours of work each day, but that was not the case. Our email on the final install day from the company states that they were sorry they were not able to keep us more informed of the added charges, but here was the bill. All of this could have been avoided had any call in Oct been returned.. Working with STL Fenceworks has been an abysmal experience since the first delay. Communication the first two months was non-existent, requiring us to reach out for updates. The amount of excuses stopped being acceptable after the first three. No sincere apology was ever given nor was any discount offered for a three month delay. We signed the contract in July based on material costs at that time; the company ordering materials late and incurring extra costs is not our responsibility. Most of what we have received at an attempt at an apology has been defensive and evasive. Blame has been shifted in every direction and they have taken no responsibility . In the final email we received, it was insinuated we were delinquent on payment (on our job that was finished the afternoon prior) because we wanted clarification on $1200 dollars of extra charges. They had our $2000 down payment for three months and, yet, they were suggesting we were being unreasonable by taking less than 24 hours to ask for further details? This was an extra slap in the face that exemplifies their extremely poor customer service. Every company has failures. If they had done anything to make us feel we were valued as customers, we would not have posted this review. We hope the fence is better than the company.

Too long. Five months. Install was terrible, the fence looked like a rollercoaster because the installers followed the terrain of the yard rather than using a level. Driveway gate was delayed twice because the contract sat on the owners desk for weeks without action, and then the wrong post was ordered for the gate, so another delay of weeks.

I sent them an email and they were responsive, calling back the next morning. However I was informed that, unless I was looking to replace the entire fence they weren't interested, they will only repair their own work. Needless to say I was disappointed. With many contractors you start with small jobs and work your way up and you spread your take by word of mouth. Just as it is their right to not want to repair fences installed by other companies, it is my right to not recommend them nor consider them for future work. So basically unless you are looking for a new fence or are an existing customer, don't bother calling.

SIt went great! Everyone was a pleasure to work with and kept up with communication with us constantly and quickly. I never had to wait for a response. The weather wan't cooperating with us due to rain but the team still kept working until it started to thunder. The team was polite, professional and a great group of guys. I can't speak highly enough of Shawn, Greg and his crew.