You all know how my luck runs, right? Nothing ever goes the way it should.
We knew when we bought our new home in August that we would need to fence in the back yard so Puppy Cody can run free like she’s used to. Not being a stupid or naïve consumer, I called three well-known local fence contractors for estimates. The first contractor was one we had used at our prior house, and we would have contracted with him except that his staff failed to mail the contract to us on a timely basis.
The second contractor came in with the same estimate and a promise that the fence would be installed by Halloween. We were quite impressed with the salesman’s knowledge and suggestions for how the fence should be constructed. We were tempted to sign with the second contractor, but decided to wait for the third estimate.
That’s when the stars and planets apparently became misaligned.
The third estimate was from Classic Fence. Classic has been in business since 1967 and we’ve seen their fences all around Western New York. The salesman was as knowledgeable as the previous guy, and this salesman had some better ideas for the installation. The kicker was that we were promised installation within 4 weeks! Even though this third estimate came in a couple of hundred dollars higher than the second one, we went with Classic Fence because we were sure they could do the job quicker. We felt comfortable hiring a well-known local company with long-time roots in the community.
We signed the contract and paid the half-down deposit of $2900.
Then we waited.
And waited.
Once the 6-week mark had passed, I began calling for updates. The young lady who answered my first call was very pleasant and set up the installation for a specific day in mid-October.
Prior to the scheduled day, I called to confirm when the crew would arrive as we needed to run a hose out of the house for their water supply. That call was picked up by the owner, Fred DeNormand. Mr. DeNormand indicated that we were not, in fact, on the schedule. He pulled our file and reviewed the survey with me. He assured me that we were near the top of their installation list and that there were only one or two other jobs ahead of us. He indicated he would check their schedule and call me.
I never received that call.
And then it began to rain … and rain. I understood that no one would be installing anything until the rain stopped, but being me, I wanted to keep apprised of when we might expect the work to be done. I was afraid if the weather turned cold, the sidewalks would become slippery, and I could fall and break something during Puppy Cody’s early morning walk. That thought was terrifying.
Halloween came and went, and we did not have a fence. It was still raining.
I began calling Classic Fence weekly. The older woman who subsequently answered the phone was pleasant but it appeared that English was not her first language. Be that as it may, she repeatedly assured me that we were next in line for installation.
In desperation, I called the salesman who had drawn up our contract in hopes that he could maybe put some pressure on. The salesman informed me he had left the company three weeks before, after a five-year employment. He didn’t go into details, but I gathered it was not a particularly amicable parting. The salesman did, however, give me the cell phone number for the crew foreman, so I could check status. I hesitated to use that number because I thought it would be too pushy. I would give the office the chance to get their schedule in order.
Had I Googled “Classic Fence” at that time, I would have discovered that there was a long list of customers awaiting installation, all of whom had given sizable deposits. But I didn’t run that Google search.
Finally, in mid-November I received a call from the foreign-accented lady at Classic Fence, informing me that our installation was scheduled for Thursday, November 30. What with Thanksgiving coming up, and the fact that it was still raining, I didn’t think it odd to schedule so late in November.
On November 29, I called Classic to confirm the crew’s arrival time the next day so that hubby could run that hose outside. There was no answer, and no voicemail. I tried numerous times throughout the day, with the same result. In desperation, I dug out the cell phone number for the crew foreman and left a voicemail message on that. I received no return call.
Being optimistic, we went ahead and set up the water supply for the next day’s installation.
The morning of November 30, I waited … and waited. The foreign-accented lady had previously told me the crew would likely arrive between 9-9:30 am. They didn’t. The office phone remained unanswered with no voicemail. The cell phone for the crew foreman went unanswered.
It was then that I did the Google search and was stunned by what I learned. Our local TV station, WIVB, had received numerous complaints to their Call 4 Action line, and they tried to step in (see WIVB stories: “Fence company racks up customer complaints, pledges to improve” and “Fence contractor to ‘pay it forward’ for firefighter’s widow“). Fred DeNormand claimed a bookkeeper had absconded with his money, and he was having trouble finding competent help, but he indicated he would start issuing refunds to anyone who wanted one and would make every effort to catch up on the backlog of work orders.
People who contracted with Classic Fence months before I did were still waiting for refunds and/or installation. It didn’t make me happy.
Classic Fence has $2900 of my money, and now I was pissed. I drove to their office, only to discover a locked door with a notice that the business was closed “for inventory/audit” and would reopen “on Wed” – but the notice didn’t specify which Wednesday.
I returned home and tried to call WIVB Call 4 Action. The phone was picked up by a poorly spoken woman who merely said “hello” and when I questioned why she didn’t answer “WIVB” or “Call 4 Action“, she said she had something in her mouth (sounded like a mouth full of caramels, actually – if I may be so snarky). The Call 4 Action lady said they did not have any information on story updates regarding Classic Fence, and gave me a different number to call. The second number turned out to be the WIVB switchboard, which got me a list of menu options – one of which put me right back to the first number I called. I gave up.
It appears that hubby and I may be out $2900, although we will take every legal step available to try to reclaim it. Winter is upon us, and there’s no sense trying to sign up with a different fence contractor at this point. Puppy Cody has learned to walk on leash, and the two-walks-a-day routine seems to be working for all of us.
The good news is – I won’t have to immediately shell out the second $2900 which was set aside for the fence installation. Considering the present reduced finances at my house, having a little extra cash (especially at Christmas time) is rather appealing.
By spring, I will be working again and able to hire a different contractor, assuming we still want the fence. I think I’ll call back that second guy and hope he doesn’t go under, too.
Such is life in the world of Cordelia’s Mom. How’s it by you?
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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Cordelia's Mom, Still 
Ouch! I hope you do indeed get your money refunded. This is a disgraceful state of affairs.
I got loads of estimates for double glazing when we needed it, invited them all for a chat, emphasising I would not be making a decision that day. Hubby checks everyone out on the ‘net as a rule as we got caught with a gas fitter who attacked our boiler with a hammer, then left it in pieces. Luckily we hadn’t paid anything and contacted our bank to ensure nothing was claimed on our card from that company.
When we wanted the boiler serviced here, we asked the neighbours for recommendations. The guy who came didn’t charge us for his two prior visits as we opted for a complete replacement. He had all the recognised qualifications, and we had to pay for the materials up front, some 75% of the total cost. It seemed a bit steep and I was extremely wary, getting signatures for receipt on everything. This guy doesn’t advertise and relies on word of mouth. He has our vote and we would certainly recommend him.
As for fencing, we did that ourselves, replacing the front fence in the cottage in less than a day much to the surprise of the locals who weren’t used to DIY-ers like us. We couldn’t afford the professionals so had no choice!
Glad Puppy Cody is responding to leash training.
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This is the only time we’ve had a problem with any kind of contractor. I did my due diligence properly, and was already well aware of this company and trusted them. I guess even with well-established, well-respected companies, shit happens.
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Sadly it does. We found the hammer fitter in the Trade Yellow Pages so thought we’d be OK.
Maybe the company will be able to get back on a even keel and honour its customers.
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One can only hope. If not, there’s always Small Claims Court.
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Somebody is responding to leash training. It might be Cody. 😆
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Haha! 🙂
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All I know is my leash arm no longer feels like it’s being pulled out of the socket, so yes, one of us is doing better.
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That’s terrible. Check with your state’s customer protection office. If they were in business that long, I’m guessing they were registered. In CT, the state maintains a fund to provide partial refunds to customers who are stuck like you. The fund is collected from the registration fees that licensed contractors have to pay.
Good luck with this. $2,900 is a big number.
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Thanks, Dan. I’ll do that. Yes, $2900 is a big number, but there was another customer who gave a $15,000 deposit and might not get it back.
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Yikes!
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That’s horrible. Hope it all gets sorted out.
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Me, too. I’m more upset about not being able to use my yard until spring than I am about losing the money.
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Especially as Puppy Cody can’t enjoy the yard either.
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Damn. So sorry to hear that. I had a fence installed on a new construction home years ago. I set it up with a local contractor while hubby was working on the west coast, we had a golden retriever at the time, and didn’t want to wait till he was home. It all went well, but since he is a DIY kind of guy, he always finds ways he’d have done it differently. Hope you can reclaim your $$$. I’d be so angry.
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Cody would have loved having her own fenced-in yard to run around in. For now, we’ll just have to take her over to my daughter’s house a couple of times a week. Could be worse.
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You are being a better sport than I would…. poor pup. Can you guys run some chicken wire for now? thats what I had for a long time.
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We thought about chicken wire but decided against it. We’ll be ok with just walks until spring, and the occasional run in someone else’s fenced-in yard.
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That sucks. Just totally sucks. That’s a lot of money. I’m glad you can see the silver lining your holiday pockets, but I’m angry for you.
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Thanks. I just chalk it up to the way my life always goes. Could have been worse.
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Oh, I’m so sorry to hear this, CM! It’s terrible that the contractor had taken $2900 of your hard-earned money and still no fence installed. I think this company should change its name to
“Classic OfFence”! ฅ(*ΦωΦ*) ฅ
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Darn, NBC, wish I would have thought of that play on words! That would have made an even better post title.
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LOL! ♡＾▽＾♡
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You didn’t, by chance, move to Texas did you? A friend of mine has had nothing but trouble with all building companies since she moved there. It seems that some of the companies need to have stetsons and spurs on their accounts to identify them as cowboys.
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Well, then, I’m glad I’m not in Texas. This is the first contractor I’ve ever lost money to. Usually, the companies we hire are reputable, responsive, and efficient.
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Horrible story. I think I read somewhere that it’s not a good idea to pay anything down to a contractor, unless it’s a small amount (maybe 10%), or if it’s for materials, payable on delivery. I hope you eventually get your money back.
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I know, Tippy. Unfortunately, in this area every one of the fence contractors requires one-third to one-half down, as do the window and bathroom contractors. There’s no way to avoid that, so you do your best to go with a contractor who’s been in business a long time and has always been dependable. I don’t know what happened with this one – the company has been in business for more than 40 years and had a wonderful reputation prior to now.
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Sounds to me like you were right place at the wrong time.
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I read this and was just outraged, CM! I am so sorry you had to got through this horrible experience. I may make fun of hubby at times for his OCD-ness as in checking thoroughly a company before we deal with them but his research has saved us many a time. I am also very shocked how you were treated by Channel 4. What is this world coming to???? BIG HUGS!!!!!
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Thanks, Amy. I was also somewhat surprised that Channel 4 didn’t have someone more professional on their Call 4 Action line. I probably could have called the News department, but didn’t feel it was important enough to do so. I have to wonder how the lady they interviewed got through to them …
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Oh, and BTW, I also sent WIVB an email, and have not received a response to that, either.
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I don’t know why I am even bothered feeling shocked or being surprised by anything anymore. How anything is happening today is totally beyond me. I really do wish you luck in getting at least your money back because that is a lot of money to loose. You are in my thoughts and in my heart, CM!
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And no matter HOW many times I get ripped off, it doesn’t mean it won’t happen again. Got ripped off for our front door. $1000 bites the dust. Actually GOT the next two items as specified, so I was feeling better. Laid out another $90 to get screens for our gutter … and a few days later, everyone in Uxbridge was hunting him for the money he took and the work he never did. At least it was only $90. I felt it was a bargain, considering the alternate possibilities. And this guy HAD worked for us successfully in the past, so I figured I was safe.
We are NEVER safe.
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I know, Marilyn. My husband’s been telling me I should have gone with the first estimate, which was from a company we had used in the past. But, I was concerned because I had to call more than once to ask for the contract, and still hadn’t received it by the time we got the other two estimates. That made me nervous and made me wonder if that company was having issues, so I rejected them. Hindsight being 20/20, maybe I should have done things differently.
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