Blacksmith Fence Company

Kelby Currier

I contracted Blacksmith Fence Company to take out a section of my existing vinyl fencing and build a new sliding gate for the driveway that I had poured for a new shop in my backyard. The gate installation began on 2/19/14. On 2/20/14, the owner of the fence company called me to discuss how the finished gate should look, he needed to know if I wanted the fence to be raised to meet the height of the new gate on each side. He explained that it would be an additional $600 to add this to the project or he could finish out the fence at the current height. I was out of town on business at the time, so I told him that I would need time to get home and look at it in person and I would make my decision at that time. The owner asked that I pay him the remaining balance due on the contract which was $900, and he assured me that he would complete the gate as soon as I made the decision about the final appearance. In good faith, I had my wife pay him the balance and the check was processed through my bank on 2/21/14. I came home on 2/25/14 and looked at the gate and made the decision that I liked the appearance as it was. I contacted the owner on 2/27/14 to let him know my decision. I also explained that, per our contract, the gate was supposed to be designed with a 2” x 6” frame and ¾” metal pickets spaced so that my dogs could not get out through the gaps. The original design was hand drawn on our contract with dimension included. The gate was also supposed to be powder coated, so I questioned why the gate was painted white instead of powder coated white. He told me that he the powder coating company told him that they could not powder coat the 25 foot gate because it was too large to fit in their equipment. I told him that I would accept the gate without the powder coating, but he needed to paint the entire gate and frame work. I never received an explanation as to why the gate was not built to the original design, but he assured me that he would fix the gate so that my dogs could not get out. I accepted this and told him to finish the gate as soon as possible. He told me that he would be able to finish the gate by the following week. I called back the following week because the gate was not completed. I told him that I had to fly out of town on business on 3/11/14. He told me that he would try to get the gate finished before I left, but it was not. I contacted the owner on my way home on 3/25/14, and asked him when he would finish the gate. He informed me that the gate was already completed. I arrived home to find that the gate was not completed. His crew had come out and welded a piece of wire fence onto the back of the gate and installed two terminal posts. I called him on 3/26/14 and told him that the gate was not completed. The welds where the wire fence was welded on, and the frame work had not been painted. There was also no latch for the gate. He assured me that he would come out and finish the gate before the next week. On 4/4/14, I called the owner and told him that I had to have the gate completed and I was not going to tolerate being lied to anymore. I told him that I wanted a refund of $450 dollars, which was ¼ of the $1800 contracted amount for the job so that I could have a different company finish the project. He explained that he would have to review our contract when he got to his office and he would call me back to discuss further. I called him on 4/5/14, and he told me that he worked late the day before and did not have a chance to review the contract. The owner contacted me on 4/7/14 and offered me a $300 refund. I refused that amount and told him that I wanted the $450 dollar refund. After discussing my complaints, the owner agreed that he would refund me $450 and that the check would be put in the mail on 4/11/14. On 4/18/14, I received a text from the owner that he was sorry but the refund was just placed in the mail. On 4/24/14, I contacted the owner because I still had not received the refund. He told me that he would check into it. Finally, on 4/30/14, I contacted the owner once again and told him that I had not received my refund. I explained to him that I could only assume that he was not planning on giving me the refund that we had agreed upon, and that I was going to form a complaint and give his company an honest review of the poor job and customer service that I had received. He told me that he was going to give me the refund, but I could do what I felt I had to do. I asked him when I could expect the refund, and he told me that it would be put in the mail that afternoon. I have had no further contact with this company. As of today, 5/7/14, I have not received a refund from this company and I don’t believe that one is coming.