Summit Fence South

Highly disappointing from a company who registered with Angie's List

They came earlier than I thought and finished earlier than I thought. I was pleased with them.

Apparently, they did not use treated pine for the posts and baseboard as these rotted and the fence is falling down after less than 6 years. See photos. The driveway gate is hard to close because one of the posts tilted left after about 2 years.

We worked with Philip Strohbehn with Summit Fence. They did an excellent job. They worked with us on price, responded immediately to any questions we had and showed up on time. They were much more professional than the other 2 companies I had bid on this project and the fence looks great.

Their sales manager, Philip Strohbehn, came out at the scheduled date and time and walked the project with us and gave us suggestions on how and what to install. Philip was very responsive and easy to talk to...I didn't get the heavy sales pitch that almost immediately turns me off. The work was of top notch quality but I do have several complaints: 1) An assessment of the "lay of the land" was not as thorough as I would have liked. The issue is that in order to line up the top of the two side entry fences with the top of the gate a good size gap was left at the bottom of the fences. What should have been done was the side fences manufactured to be taller so that there would be minimal gap at the bottom of the fence. I would have understood a price adjustment as more material would need to be used to do this but it would have looked a lot better and been more functional in the end. We are now going to have to put in decorative rocks or something to close up the gap so that our dogs can't crawl under the fence. 2) Installers were supposed to be out on a Sunday to begin the installation but never showed up nor called to say that they would have to cancel. We had turned down an invitation to go to a football party/BBQ because of the appointment. I have a very low tolerance for companies blowing off customers and not caring about what their personal schedule may be. If not for this no-show, I would have given them an "A" for Punctuality as they were on time for all other scheduled appointments. The above critical comments not withstanding, I would highly recommend this fence company for their overall customer service and the quality of the product that they install. Their prices seemed to be maybe a little higher (based on other quotes we got) but, in the end and except for the two comments above, I am happy I chose them and would use them again...I would just be smarter in evaluating the project and would tell them up front that any non-contact, no-shows for scheduled appointments would cancel the contract.

The work was delayed due to the weather which was no fault of the company and Phillip was good about communicating via email. My only issue was that the project was supposed to start yesterday and Phillip informed me his crew would be at the house at about 830 am. There was no one at the house at 10 am so I contacted Phillip who informed me that the truck had broken down and they could not make it yesterday. I understand things happen with trucks but they could have called me an hour earlier so I could have gone to work instead of waiting at home. Anyway, Phillip and his team showed up at 7 am today and by 445 pm they are completely done and are cleaning up and removing the old fence. The work is great and of a very high quality and I have two identical good looking cedar fences. I would highly recommend Phillip and this company for any fence work.

A huge limb from our neighbor's Oak tree fell on the tall shrubs between our yards. The neighbor cut down their smashed shrubs.We wanted to have more privacy. We asked Summit Fence South to install 7' of fence to our existing fabulous fence they built in 2009. Philip helped set this up and fit us in since this a was smaller job than they usually do. Jose' (Shorty) who built the original fence and his assistant had the fence up in no time. We are thrilled with our fence! I will continue to recommend Summit Fence South to everyone.

The wood fence and the wrought iron fence was installed by Summit Fence South. Philip came out and said the wrought iron fence should have held up better and he would look into why it had not lasted as well as it should have. He said the wood fence would need some pickets and some boards replaced. We haven't heard a word since and a total waste of time. Glad to see a response fro Summit and all I was wanting was an estimate to replace the iron fence and make any repairs needed to the wood fence, the salesman brought up the warranty. If you are not sure what the customer is wanting again it was just a simple estimate and a call back which we never received. I am quite sure you have my information and could have contacted me before now. The frustration is the customer took the time off work to meet the salesman and it seemed like we would get the estimate but even after a call to your office, no one contacted us back, put yourself in my shoes. Your explanation seems like I am asking for something unreasonable when I wasn't.

The gate itself looked good. The process of getting the work done was not good. Bottom line they left me p***** off and i'm still p***** off months later. In any event, I was not told when the gate would be installed but I did come home to find the team installing the gate. The gate was too close to a tree, shrubs and garden and couldn't open fully. It opened about 45 degrees. I told the guys to move it back so it can open it 90 degrees and they said call the office and they'll send us to move it back. Well i've been calling the office for months. Every time I did I got a promise from Phil that he would come out and look at it. Finally I called after months of realizing I wasn't getting Phil out and talked to Linda to complain and she pretty much told me to "Do what you have to do", because I told her I am tired of the BS. She said this is the first time she's heard of this. I don't doubt that, but that's irrelevant to me. Your employee or your team screwed up and you have to own it. I'm not sure if she is the boss. Lots of companies can install fences. Its the service and the ability to take care of disputes or what a customer complains about that gives you a good reputation. I will admit that I got p***** off because the first thing out of Linda's mouth was "Why am I only now hearing about this", why did you take so long to complain". "I don't understand". I don't want to hear that BS, i've been dealing with this for months. Own it. Now you want to charge me another $600 to dig three hole posts and move the fence back a few feet for a mistake that you created in the first place. What I want now is a refund. You can have your $1300 gate back or was it $1600. I'm looking for my receipts. I really didn't want to write this and I told Linda I would and she basically said go ahead. So now I have to call the credit card company and find other places to warn people about the bad service I had. Guess i'll look up Yelp too. Linda, please take care of your customers. This sucks for both of us. Philip Strohbehn Senior Sales Rep. Summit Fence South, Inc. "When Qualities Matters..." pstrohbehn@summitfencesouth.com Mobile: 832-341-9396 Office: 713-838-8848 Fax: 713-669-0061

It was very good. It was a fairly small job but they did what I asked them to do. I have used them a couple of times over the years. They have been on time and every time, they do whatever I want. Their price is comparable to everybody else.

I called Summit Fence South on Monday, 11/17/14 because all my troubleshooting attempts had failed. My gate wouldn't work and the remotes seemed dead. I reset it numerous times but it just wouldn't do anything. When I called, I was told 3-5 days, or by the end of the week. I gave a synopsis of my problem over the phone. By the time I came home from work tonight, the gate was fixed. This is the second time I have had to call for service to my gate (last time the ground shifted and we needed it leveled) and both times they were out by the next day. I cannot tell you how impressed I have been with the stellar service I have received since my fence, gate and remotes were all installed by Summit Fence in May 2013. I love my fence and I know that they will always have my back and respond to my needs. I highly recommend this company!

They did a great job on this. They came over to quote very quickly, answered all of my questions and gave me several options. We were on a time crunch to get this done and they had it done in plenty of time. Highly recommend these guys.

Their rep, Russell, was very timely and professional. He came out to understand the request and quickly sent a proposal. Russell informed me that the proposal was in error and they could not build the fence for the amount they had proposed. After pointing out that the proposal had been signed and the deposit paid, the company graciously agreed to honor the contract. In an effort to be a good citizen and to help Russell, I offered to pay an extra amount as a good will gesture and they agreed. They then scheduled the install, showed up on-time and installed a great looking fence for us. The service and product is excellent. The measure of a company is how they chose to resolve disputes, and they get high marks on that measure.

Tore out existing hurricane fence on two sides of yard and replaced with cedar fence and 6 ft gate. The work was done impeccably and the fence looks great! After 4 months, I had a small issue with the latch to the gate and they fixed it right away at no charge. I have a friend who builds fences and who was visiting us briefly. He was impressed with the quality of the work. They were punctual, professional and provide a great product. What more could I want?! Very satisfied!

I have called twice and after the second try they called me back and promised me that they would call me back regarding the work I needed done, but nobody has been in touch with me since. If they can do the work, that is fine, but I would just prefer that someone call me back and let me know this.

Fence looks ok, but terrible customer service! My neighbor and I decided it was time to replace the 30 year old fence that boarders our properties. We selected Summit Fence South because it APPEARED that they were professional, would do quality work, and were reasonably priced (not the cheapest bid we received). The sales rep Russel would return calls, answer questions etc. promptly. That is, before sending in the contract and deposit for 1/2 the work. Once we did that, Russel was MIA. I never heard from him again. Russel told me that it would be 2 weeks after receiving the contract for the work to begin. LIAR! FIVE weeks go by and I haven't heard a thing from Summit Fence South. I thought I was scammed by a fly by night company and had just lost $1200. I finally spoke with the scheduler at the office and he said that due to rain, they were running behind schedule. Would it have killed him to call me and let me know that? Mind you, I am 32 weeks pregnant and I don't have time for games or added frustration. So after five weeks of waiting, they finally come and put the fence up. It took about a week. Of course, before the fence is completed, they thought it would be a great idea to nail their cheap Summit Fence South sign on my fence in the most noticeable place, without asking my permission. Excuse me, but I am not paying Summit Fence South $2500 so that my property can be used as a billboard for your company! Of course, the day after the work was completed they were very prompt to send the bill for the other 1/2 of the payment and I received several phone calls asking me when they could expect the check. I told them that since they were in no hurry to respond to my phone calls, I was in no hurry to pay them. They would be treated as well as they treated me.. Sure the fence looks fine, but there are 10 other companies in Houston who could do just as fine work, minus the frustration. If this is how they treat all their customers, I would be surprised if they are still in business in a year.

The job did go very well. The person who came to do the estimate took a month to do it. They took a month to do a repair. I was not happy and they did call me. I would not recommend them. One they did the quote they did not care.

They just never would respond. Still want. We are not to far away from them. I told them where we are. We have had the same gate company for over 12 years and now need a new one. Guess they are to busy.

Russell arrived at my home on time for the estimate, that is the only good thing I can say about this situation. He got his measuring tape from his car and the neighbor's dogs were barking and he looked at me and said "Do you know how to get rid of that?" I asked him what he meant, he then said "Do you have any antifreeze? It's sweet, so give the dog some in a bowl and he will drink it up and go to sleep never to wake up again." I looked at him horrified and he told me he had done it once to a pit bull, then he said he was just kidding. Didn't think it was funny or very professional. Really?!? These are the people they hire? When he was done measuring the yard, he said I would have a quote by the end of Tuesday. Well, Tuesday came and went, called him Wednesday at noon and he told me that he was told we lived to far away and wanted too little fencing. If that was the case I should have been told sooner rather than having me wait almost a week for nothing.

I was very impressed with Summit Fence South. The quality of the materials was excellent and the work was outstanding. Our salesman, Russell Rhone, was always professional and really knows the fence business. I would certainly use them again.

From the estimate appointment to the installation they were always extremely punctual. The work is performed as estimated. I plan on calling them back when the rest of my fencing needs replacing.

We contact Summit Fence South about repairs on a fence they had previously installed on our property. Someone came out to provide an estimate. He evaluated the repairs needed and stated he would return an estimate by email that week, confirming with me a correct email address and phone number. When I did not receive the estimate, I called and spoke with him. At that time, he said he'd have it to me the following day. I have called two more times in the past 6 weeks since he came out. His secretary has called to let me know that he would return my phone call, but I have never received a call back nor information on how to proceed with repairs. We will be looking elsewhere for future services.

Some weather delay, but once begun work was done in one day. Pleased with result.

poor quality work, very sloppy, inconsistent detail, and not per specific details. walked all over mulch beds. poor communication btwn sales and work crew on clearance to ground, house, etc. fence was crooked and trim out very sloppy. all had to be torn out and reworked. owner or mngr wanted same crew to rework but i refused and insisted new crew reinstall. 2nd crew did fair job but didn't have proper gate latches so had to purchase and install myself.

After I requested an initial estimate, the company came right out and assessed what I had and what I needed. Most of my lot was enclosed with an 8' painted wood fence with lattice at the top. The original fence did not have rot boards and was getting a little ratty after 15+ years of service. It took a little while before we proceeded with the work given the cost - I don't get the sense that Summit is going to be the lowest cost provider - but we finally got it taken care of in June 2013. The workers appeared as scheduled and removed the original fence. They had to work around existing landscaping, nearby neighbors and a pool and related equipment, and they were careful while going about their business. We opted for a different fence design for the replacement (staggered horizontal boards rather than vertical pickets and without lattice at the top). We also replaced a couple of rusty iron gates with wood gates (a total of four for the entire job). After removing the original fence, they neatly loaded it up and carted it off which was fortunate given the amount of material involved. They reset each of the posts around our lot in concrete (the original fence was not set in concrete) and got to work on the new fence. We had a last minute "change order" on the alignment of the board and opted for a design that used a bit more materials - Summit did not charge us for that change. The fence went up fairly quickly - I believe the entire process from start to finish too parts of four days, with most of the work completed by the end of the third day. They cleaned up the yard fairly well - we found the odd scattering of old nails and such, but nothing to complain about. The fence looks great if a bit more imposing than I was expecting. They used large (and replaceable) rot boards for the entire fence and the fencing itself is red cedar (smells wonderful). They used stainless steel nails to attach the fencing. The gates were each constructed onsite with aluminum frames. My only minor gripe about the materials is that the fencing boards are fairly thin - you could punch a hole in them with your hand even if you are not a Kung F* master. The good news is that they are readily available at home centers, so you could replace a broken board without much difficulty or cost. Summit will also paint or stain their fences (single or double sided). We opted to dispense with staining - at least for now - while our bank account digests the fence costs. Double-sided staining ran about an additional $4,500 given the amount of fencing involved. Although the fence was a bit pricey, it was more or less in line with what I expected to pay for that much fencing, and we are pleased with the experience. I'd use Summit again if the iron fencing in the front of the house ever needs work. Here's hoping the wood part of the fence outlives me.