Action Fence

Although it took a couple of months between signing a contract and the actual installation of our cedar, semi-private fence, the wait was worth it. The fence itself is beautiful and the installation took less than two days. The installers were polite and responsive to questions and cleaned up the area nicely before they left. Although the cost may be pricey compared to some others, in this case we indeed got what we paid for. Highly recommended.

They were incredible!

I would have liked to have had just a little more professional/experienced consultation throughout the decision making process. Our Installer, Bob, was incredibly friendly but was very much, "tell me what YOU want and I'll make it happen." I guess I wasn't all that confident in my own vision and would have preferred a little more guidance. That said, the install is beautiful. Everything is solid, tight and level. Looks better than I'd imagined and gates are so smooth.

TLDR: 1. Generally, I like the fence and it still looks good more than a year later. 2. I am happy that I chose to get the sunken metal posts rather than posts anchored in concrete. 3. One side of my fence was installed incorrectly. 4. Action Fence did not admit to this mistake and decided to tell me a false story about why this happened. 5. Action Fence works hastily and may choose to sacrifice good workmanship to save time and money. 6. The customer may find themselves responsible for supervising and checking the work to ensure the job is done correctly and completely. 7. The customer may need to clean up any waste the workers leave behind. Action Fence built a good looking and strong cedar plank fence around my backyard. I am very happy that I chose the sunken metal fence posts rather than the style that is anchored into the ground with concrete. Fast installation, no digging, good strength. The steel posts are covered with a cedar plank so they are mostly hidden from view. All of the workers were nice and pleasant to me. There were some things I wasn’t happy with: I went over the plans with the supervisor (Matt) who provided the quote but he was not on site during any of the work. So I went over all the instructions with the onsite foreman before the work began to avoid communication gaps. On one side of the yard they were to remove the existing fence and install the new fencing along the property line, about a foot’s distance from the old fencing. Action had planted flags ahead of time. I was present during the entire installation except for two hours, where I was unexpectedly called away. Before I left I spoke with the foreman again and requested that he call me if any questions arose. While I was gone he wanted to confirm the placement of the side fencing, and instead of calling me he called his supervisor. By the time I returned the new side fencing was installed incorrectly at a crooked angle along the same line as the old fence. I asked him why he did not follow a straight line down the side of our property and the planted flags as I had requested to both him and his supervisor. The foreman explained that he called his supervisor to verify the position of the fence and these were the instructions that he was given. I then brought up this issue with the supervisor and he explained that the foreman wasn’t able to place the corner fence post where I had requested because there were several obstacles about two feet down in the ground. I did not believe this so I took a metal pipe and sunk it four feet into the ground in several spots around the area where the fence post was supposed to be placed and as I expected I did not find any obstacles. The ground along my backyard has some uneven spots. There were several areas in the fencing where the gap between the ground and the fence was much too large to keep my pets inside the yard. I requested that this be fixed, and instead of cutting and installing a longer plank that would reach the ground, they took some of the sawed plank ends and patched the holes horizontally. This was not a very professional solution and one of those patches fell off a year later. It didn’t take long for one of my pets to find this hole and escape for a few hours. The installers worked hastily and many details were overlooked. I pointed out about 10 areas that needed to be addressed after the fence was up and they cheerfully took care of these. But since they were in such a hurry to get to the next job I felt pressed to find as much as I could before they left as I felt like it would be difficult to get them back to address small odds and ends. In addition, the foreman had already gone to the next job and no one that was left onsite was concerned about checking for loose ends. I didn’t catch everything that was missed and a few days later I saw the first plank fall off the fence because there were no nails in it at all. After that I discovered 20 more that were missing half or all of their nails as I went about the yard clearing some of the mess that they left behind. More than a year later the fence still looks good. I added some additional support to the wooden gate this summer. I expected that the gate would need some adjustment over time, but it probably wouldn’t have needed it so soon if some extra support had been built in from the start. One small thing is worth mentioning-- our old fence was a chain link and they sawed off the posts at ground level so the concrete anchors didn’t need to be dug out of the ground. We had two chipmunks think these open pipes at ground level looked like good tunnels to run into and they became trapped. I would suggest that anyone who has their old posts sawed off fill the pipes with rocks and dirt to prevent this.

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Fence looks beautiful and the workers were kind and helpful. Only complaint is regarding their communication. A little slow on responding, setting up a time, processing payment and getting me a receipt. But the fence is everything I wanted. Had to pay a little more to have them hand dig holes by power cables...

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Overall the quoting process and early communications went well with Action.  They were prompt on feedback and had good detail on their quotes. Everything went smooth and looked very promising at the start. 
They arrived on the first workday and did a nice job laying out the fence based on the flags and markers that we had agreed upon.  
The second work day they completed the pickets and put in most of the metal fence - they were short a section because I asked for the gate to be centered.  However, on inspecting the fence that evening I realized the spacing on the pickets was very inconsistent.  The job was quoted to be a 1" spaced fence with a 6" picket. However, they had spaces within a given 8' section varying from 3/4" to over 1.5". More than half the sections saw this kind of variance at some point on the section.  Also, some pickets were not straight top to bottom.  They first blamed the variation on the pickets themselves when I pointed it out, but after showing them measurements they then said the spacing has to vary to make sure the posts were covered.  That would have been reasonable if it was consistent or varied near the posts, but this was not the case.  Also, I had to have them adjust a metal post height where it met with the wood pickets because it was not matched to the height of the pickets. They initially matched the rail height, which while it made sense did not look good. 
After discussing the issue on the spacing, I went through and measured all the sections and allowed up to a half inch of variance on a section. I then tagged any pickets that needed to move to even out a section, and had to mark 4 sections that needed to be replaced totally to even out the variance. I then measured out the spacing and tagged each section with a spacing that would work.  Again, instead of getting the 1" spacing even on all sections I had expected, I was getting anywhere from .875" to 1.375" spacing on sections, but at least spaces adjacent to one another would be more consistent.  
They came back a couple weeks later to then make those corrections and complete the steel fence. When I came home after the corrections were complete there were a new set of problems. While most of the sections were corrected, two of the three sections they had decided to rip down the 6" pickets to 5" because the foreman stated that he couldn't match my spacing. Keep in mind that in one case they replaced five 6" pickets with six 5" picket still 30" of board.  The spacings labeled were correct, and I still don't know why they had an issue trying to meet them. Additionally, they created a significant mismatch with the metal posts where they redid one of  the mating picket sections.  The metal fence section met the wood picket with one side 2" above the pickets, and the other end over an inch below.  
At this point, my frustration at having to explain and ask for a consistent fence repeatedly, combined with their continued confusion, "we don't know what to do to make you happy" resulted in trying to find a resolution that worked for us both. In the end I requested they provide me additional bare pickets so that I could resolve the issues on my own.  They agreed. They invoiced the job at the agreed price, and we called things complete. 
In the end I still am surprised that consistently spacing, or at least declaring a reasonable spacing variance was such a problem with this job.  Additionally, having to repeatedly explain through objections and "prove" that things were incorrect was frustrating.  They did a very good job on other areas, and the quality of the materials was good. However, having to go through the correction process, and having nobody call when they felt there was an issue (they had my cell number) or a question on the job was disappointing. They had come highly recommended, and others had good luck with them from what I understand. But it was not a good experience overall for me.

First off, the estimator was very responsive, went over all the details of my project, gave me multiple estimates based on different fence styles we were interested in, and stayed in constant touch with me. I had issues working through my HOA for approval, and they were able to tentatively schedule me for install without the initial deposit. This was a huge help, since they project could have been denied by the HOA and then could have been issues with refunding the deposit (note: my materials were in-stock materials so that helped make this happen with me and the company). The install date was only 4 weeks after the estimate, completed on time, and done in just 2 days. The foreman also delayed the start just to ensure that all aspects of the job were correct, as they did not want to start prior to making sure everything was to my exact specifications. Fence looks amazing, craftsmanship is great. Would recommend for sure.

Mike and Matt responded promptly to my e-mails, their crew was prompt, polite and professional. They responded to all of my questions with respect. All the work was done exactly as promised and when promised. We are very happy with our fence.

It went great! As a customer who didn't really know what she wanted, Matt was very patient and provided a few different estimates for me before we nailed it down. About a week later, Matt was over to map out the fence location and a day or two later, they installed the fence. I couldn't be happier with the outcome. It looks great.

-Audrey

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Overall, our experience with Action was great. They were prompt in returning our phone calls and scheduling service. We had positive interactions with the owners and the quote they gave us was less than their competitors. The employees who installed the fence did leave some trash and fence remnants around our yard, which was slightly irritating to have to clean up after their personal garbage. However, they did a great job and the fence looks awesome. We would recommend them to anyone and would use them again in the future.

They did an excellent job.  I was particular about what I wanted the fence (height, gate details, etc) and they were great to work with.  The quality of materials and their craftsmanship were outstanding.  For example, they handled grade changes beautifully and went to extra effort to make sure I was happy with how everything looked and functioned.  All for a competitive price. 

I have worked with dozens of contractors and Action Fence is among the best. I would use them again in a heartbeat and recommend them to anyone. 

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The company is wonderful! They were extremely responsive and punctual. All of the workers were great. We were extremely pleased with the final product. The price was very competitive and the quality of the product is very good.

Matt from Action Fence came out to see where I wanted the fence- in the back yard, parallel with the neighbors fence? Along the side, yes, but not the rear no -it was to go to the  rear property line(I pointed to the stake which marked my property line),  he asked if wanted mine attached to the neighbors fence? No. He stated they then make a lawn mowers width between the fences, I agreed. The documentation showed there were no obstructions to the fence(IE tree branches, lines, etc,).They dropped off all the supplies and one of the workers asked if they could trim some lilac bushes, and since there were no obstructions, I said yes. Well, they cut off 3 parts of the TRUNK where the branches originated. There was a HUGE PILE 3 feet high, 6 feet in length- there were 3 6 foot trunk "branches", This was all left in the yard for me to clean up, I called Action Fence, and Matt sent me  an e mail apologizing, but  stating  the guys(3 or 4 of them) made rounds after they were finished, and did not see anything, Matt called it "an honest mistake". I then sent the pictures of the debris, with no response. For that "honest mistake" I filled 5 large lawn and garden bags, had to buy a tool to cut the "branches". The fence was NOT installed to the edge of my property line, as there is landscaping bark going out beyond the fence and then under the  fence in 2 spots, it is not even with the property line stake, MISSING it by 6 inches.  The space between my fence and the neighbors fence is NOT a lawn mowers(24") width-It is 17 INCHES. Now what am I to do with that space?  I had to call the office to find out when I could stain the fence? Patty said "They didn't leave instructions with you  for staining? I am sorry, they should of left those when they finished". I have received the other half of the bill and sent Matt an  email stating I will pay the bill when the work is done to my specifications. No response from Matt/Action Fence  with no resolve.  I have received the other half of the bill and sent Matt an email stating I will pay the bill when the work is done to my specifications. No response from Matt/Action Fence  with no resolve. Was the work done? Well, yes, Action Fence did install a fence, but NOT to my specifications.
     So, in summary,
     1) They left a huge pile of trunks/ branches, that according to their documentation,did not need to be removed, in my yard for me to take care of "An honest mistake"
     2) They did not make the rear of my fence to my specifications, it is short by 6 inches, allowing landscape bark  to extend beyond the fence in 2 different spots.
    3) They did not make the side distance to my neighbors fence "A lawn mowers width" per Matt's recommendation/ our agreement.  That would of been 24 inches, not the 17 inches I was left with.

Action Fence provided me with a quote for $1452.53 for a 6' tall fence (which I signed and returned on May 28), collected my 50% down payment ($726.27), and scheduled fence installation for Friday, June 27. So far, so good.
On installation day, workers arrived, tore down the existing fence, and began installing a 4' fence. When my husband brought the height error to their attention, they confirmed with Matt Parnell (sales rep who did the estimate) that it should be 6', returned to the shop and brought back materials for the 6' fence. Shortly thereafter, the installers received a phone call from Bob Parnell, the owner of the business, to stop work, pack up and leave the site. When I got in contact with the office, they explained that they couldn't find a contract for $1452.53 in their system, and the project would cost more $1600 - a $200 increase. If we wanted them to continue work, we needed to pay their increased price.
Despite repeated requests to speak with Bob, the only person who would talk with me was the office administrator, Patty. On Friday, Monday and Tuesday, I asked that they 1) honor the existing contract or 2) refund the 50% down payment so we could hire a different company. On Monday, Patty accused me of altering the numbers in their contract from $1600+ to $1452.53.
Finally, Action Fence informed me that they cannot complete the job for the $1452.53, and also refuse to refund my full down payment, stating that I am responsible for the costs of labor to tear down the existing fence, so they will refund the down payment less costs of labor. Unfortunately, contract law states that because they called off the work, they're responsible for all costs.
In addition, because Bob called his crew off the site after they had demolished our old fence, we were  left without any fence at all, so my husband and I had to purchase and install temporary fencing, as well as haul away the materials from the old fence.
Our credit card company is disputing the $726.27 charge. All I want is my deposit back so I can hire another company to do the job. Ironically, other companies I've talked to have been shocked, stating Action Fence is a "large, reputable company." I wish I'd been able to work with them when they lived up to that reputation.