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yeptx

Bad contractor - Terry Foster's Fenceline Systems, Houston TX

yeptx
14 years ago

Foster's Fenceline Systems

14007 Force Street

Houston, TX 77015-3032

(713) 453-6963

www.1fenceline.com

This is the most unprofessional company that I have ever had the misfortune to deal with. They did a horrible job that they did not bother to finish - both materials and quality of labor were completely unacceptable, not to mention they never showed up when they were supposed to. My complaints are:

1. Failed to show up for work 4 times

2. Failed to rebuild a retaining wall on time so several trees along the fence line fell

3. Left wet dirt on the grass for a long time so the grass is dead in many places

4. Never finished the retaining wall

5. Built only 75% of the frame and disappeared.

6. Used non-galvanized nails that rusted already

7. The baseboards are not beveled so water does not shed properly

8. Damaged the sprinkler system, never fixed

9. Left old fence on the empty lot behind my house

10. Did not do proper clean up of the left over concrete and dirt.

We were very patient and tried to work with them, but they just stopped returning calls. The phone continually goes to voice mail or, on the rare occasion, if you get a hold of Genaro Murillo (the company representative/owner we originally dealt with and the only person to ever pick up the phone other than vm), he promises to get back to you, hangs up and never returns the call. He promised to refund part of the money since they never finished the job, and on those rare occasions when he actually picked up the phone, has told me that 'the check is in the mail' for the past 2 months. They just straight out LIE. I drove out to the Fenceline Systems 'site', which consists of several trailers and a locked gate so that you can't even get in to talk to anyone. Spoke with the businesses on either side of them who all informed me that people in my situation come looking for them all the time. Their BBB rating is "F"

Here is a link that might be useful: Bad fence contractor

Comments (12)

  • Rudebekia
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    So why in the world would you hire a company whose BBB rating is an F? Didn't you check into this before hiring them? If not there is no one to blame but yourself. And this forum is NOT the place to slam--potentially slander--companies. Careful!

  • FatHen
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The OP didn't say if the BBB rating was F when they chose this co; depending on myriad factors ratings can change overnight. I learned quite a lot about the BBB a number of yrs ago when I used them to do part of my research on builders before buying. They do not divulge all complaints or at least didn't at the time, and often the consumer only finds this out because they file a complaint then wonder why it's not showing up. To get the highest rating now, even businesses are complaining it's "pay to play." The BBB is a private business membership org, not a consumer protection org. IMO consumers put way too much faith in it, though of course negative info found there SHOULD be heeded.

    Ultimately, shoddy work and fraud are the fault of the one who commits it, though of course it's wise to do one's research before choosing a business. The problem is, complaints aren't as public as people think. Unreported complaints, confidential complaint files in some state agencies, arbitration clauses that take disputes to private kangaroo court, and even glitches in search engines can all cause even a very diligent and intelligent consumer to come up with nothing, when there is something.

    Add to that, that it really takes above average research skills to find hidden complaints, and you can just assume many seniors (to name a large group) are at a distinct disadvantage because many do not use computers. I don't think blaming the victim is appropriate; we should be holding bad business people accountable. Not only do they owe what they were paid for, but when they are not viewed as the bad guy it sends the message that it's ok to cheat. That is is big problem w/business in this country and blaming the victim is game these business org's started. It's sad that so many consumers believe it as well, (until it is them personally who get scammed).

  • sherwoodva
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I agree with fathen - shoddy work is fraud.

    We had some terrible contractors and finally joined Angie's List. It's not perfect, but it is better than just asking a contractor for references and checking with BBB.

  • sunnyca_gw
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    So you paid them before they were finished?? Big mistake! I understand paying for materials when they start but I refuse to pay in full until work is done & that includes cleanup!

  • GammyT
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    yeptx, visit ripoffreport dot com and file your complaint there with facts. Then you or an anon friend let the company know a ripoff report was filed.

    Companies reported there often fix things quickly.

  • texasredhead
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I always wondered about posters who sign on for the first time for the specific purpose of telling how they got "ripped off". Almost to a person they pay up front leaving them no way to pressure the contractor.

  • mom1993
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Before you blast the poster - we have a landscape contractor that we used for about 10 years who was fabulous, our last job (and we did NOT pay up front) was amazingly shoddy work, walls that cracked, plants that died, tile poorly grouted, etc. Sometimes good contractors go bad in this economy, you are only as good as your craftsmen and they expect to be paid.

  • yeptx
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    1. To marita40 I did check them, Houston BBB has two records. One with B- rating and one with F rating. B- is given when company replies regardless of the outcome. I missed the second record with 3 complaints. So I guess in your view that justifies their shoddy work. And it is not a slander if it is true. FYI this forum is called "Home Disasters" and has many posts about bad contractors.

    2. To sunnyca and texasredhead where in my post do you see me paying in full upfront? I paid only half and they performed about half of the work but they did more damage compared to what their work was worth.

  • tracy_4586
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I just want to let everyone know that I used to work for Fenceline Systems, and that this Customer "YEPTX" is posting nothing, but LIES,LIES,LIES!!!!! I remember this Customer very well because she was a pain. First, of all she was not even involved when the contract was discussed or signed. Genaro took the time on a Saturday morning to go visit this Customer because according to him he was very busy during the week. The crew did show up on time to install the fence. After 2 days of hard work these guys had all the posts, and the wooden frame built. When the crew was ready to go nail up the pickets he called Genaro and told him to wait because he had to go out of town, and that he wanted to see the pickets before they were installed because he wanted to make sure that they were #1 cedar pickets. Genaro told him that he never said he wanted #1 cedar pickets, and that they were a little more expensive, but that it was ok he would install #1 cedar pickets at no extra charge. After, 2 weeks went by Genaro called him, and told him that they really needed to finish the job because due to the weather the wooden frame was going to start warping due to the bad rainy weather, and he insisted for them to wait. A couple more days went by and Genaro again asked him if they could please come out and finish the job, and he said "NO" again. Genaro did not want to wait any longer because he knew that @ the time of installing the pickets the way this Customer was being very picky they were going to be have problems. The Customer told Genaro that Fenceline had to wait until he was ready or that he was going to cancel the contract w/Fenceline. Genaro told him that Fenceline could not wait and for him to do as he pleased so the Customer canceled his contract. He had gave Fenceline a down payment of $1200.00 which really only covered the labor, and materials that were bought for this job. The Customer's wife(YEP) out of nowhere called Genaro and asked him that she wanted Fenceline to refund her $600.00 because she was going to have to get someone else to finish the job. Genaro told her that he was not going to be able to do that, and she got very,very,very angry. She then would call the office, and Genaro's cell phone about 5 times a day, she got to be very annoying.. Then, she would even block her number trying to act like if she was someone else, but as many times as she tried calling everyone already knew it was her. She even drove over there and criticized of how the office buildings looked. Fenceline may not be a very fancy fence Company, but it is a real Company that is insured and bonded. This Company is not just running out of someone's back yard. I honestly think that instead of her taking pictures of Fenceline, and criticizing the Company she should of took pictures of the so called messy yard they left, and of the so called poor job that Fenceline did. She got very angry when Genaro would not refund her the $600.00 she wanted. I mean come on she wanted this job built almost for FREE!! The $600.00 she wanted to pay wouldn't even cover all her materials. She also said that they didn't use galvanized nails which is a big lie, because Fenceline has always used nothing but galvanized nails, and will continue to do so. She also said that Fenceline hit her sprinkler system and that they didn't fix it that's another lie because yes, they did hit the line by accident, but Fenceline made sure they fixed it before they left. I bet anything that if this Customer can prove Genaro that they had to pay another real fence Company to re-build the wooden frame, and to fix her sprinkler system he would refund her the $600.00 that she is so disappointed about. I would of posted this earlier, but I just found out she had posted all these lies. If anyone decides to get Fenceline Systems to build their fence they could always ask them for any residential or commercial references and Fenceline would gladly provide that information.

  • yeptx
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    At first I thought that maybe we somehow had a miscommunication due to a language barrier. Now I know that this is how this company FosterÂs Fenceline Systems operates. Doing shoddy work and blaming the customer. Lets look at tracy_4586 post:
    1. 'First, of all she was not even involved when the contract was discussed or signed...' Did you notice that every bad contractorÂs excuse is that the spouse was not involved in signing of the contract? She just followed up on GenaroÂs promise to refund the money. She did not dispute the contract and did not post this complaint.
    2. 'Genaro took the time on a Saturday morning...' The only reason Genaro came in on Saturday is because they missed the appointment on Friday  no call. The crew showed up on Saturday unannounced, Genaro had to come in as well to collect the money.
    3. 'After 2 days of hard work...' The crew did work hard and put all the posts in a rain. But not the frame. However it took almost a week for the concrete to cure. Not sure because of the rain or poor quality concrete. Genaro promised to come in twice to check the concrete  never came, again no call.
    4. Finally after him not showing up I called leaving him a message to check the concrete, instead the crew showed up at 3 pm on Friday. The concrete still was not ready so they could not start the work. The pickets they had with them were subpar. Besides, Genaro was supposed to bring a sample first  never did.
    5. 'install #1 cedar pickets at no extra charge..' We discussed the pickets and I told Genaro that I want better pickets and I will pay for it. He never offered to install #1 pickets for free, that is a lie. Why would I refuse free #1 pickets? The whole dispute was about the pickets! I also offered to pay for new retaining wall after the crew used the old wall boards to walk in the mud behind the house and thrashed the boards.
    6. 'and he insisted for them to wait...' The fence was framed as soon as the cement cured. I never asked them to wait nor did they wait. They did not frame the front of the house, donÂt know why. The only thing they waited for was nailing the pickets because I was out of town. Genaro promised to call me when I am back and to bring sample pickets.
    7. I came back from vacation and found the old fence still behind my house, broken sprinkler line, mud all over my grass and trees behind the house all loose because Fenceline failed to rebuild the retaining wall. Called Genaro for several days, finally he picked up and was surprised that the wall was not built, he did send a crew again to finish the wall. They put the boards in but did not nail it. Did not fix the line, did not stake the trees and did not clean the old fence behind my house. After that Genaro disappeared for two weeks. Called him almost every day, no response.
    8. Finally I decided to hire someone else to finish the job. I solicited three bids and accounting for all the clean up and fixings the bids were almost as high as if I had no frame at all.
    9. 'Customer canceled his contract...' Basically tracy_4586 is claiming that despite FencelineÂs repeated attempts to finish the job with #1 pickets at no extra charge for some reason I prevented them to do so and canceled the contract? Why would I do that? This is what really happened: on the day the new contractor was going to come in Genaro called as if nothing happened. I told him that I could not wait for him anymore and that someone else is coming to finish the job today. I demanded he pay for all the damage he did to my property. He told me that he can give me all my money back but he has to come in and pull the posts. I said fine, come in and pull the posts. He immediately changed his tune and told me he has no crews for several days. At this point I knew who I am dealing with and if I agree to wait he will just disappear again. So I told him that if he cannot pull the posts in the next two days then I want part of my money back. So he agreed to refund part of the money. Even with this refund the fence was going to cost me more than the original estimate.
    10. 'out of nowhere called GenaroÂ' So my wife did not call out of nowhere, she called because we were moving to TN and I was out of town a lot. I asked her to follow up because we did not receive the money he promised.
    11. 'Fenceline has always used nothing but galvanized nailsÂ' The fact that the frame was build with non galvanized nails was confirmed by three contractors who bid to finish the job. They could not believe it either.
    12. 'made sure they fixed it before they leftÂ' Here tracy_4586 not just twisting the facts, she is lying because they did not fix the broken line. It was documented in the bids by the contractors that bid to finish the job.
    13. 'pay another real fence CompanyÂ' I did hire a real fence company to finish the fence. I would have gladly given the estimate to Genaro if he ever picked up his phone or returned a call.
    14. 'ask them for any residential or commercial referencesÂ' Should they ask for references from customers that filed 3 unanswered complaints about FosterÂs Fenceline Systems with BBB before my complaint?

  • PURPLEMAVEN_MSN_COM
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    WOW...i AM AN ELDERLY DISABLED LADY IN KUNA, IDAHO and we also have a landscaping,sprinkler,rock provider who successfully rips off us old people...about 9 small claims court cases, 4 bad BBB results with an F rating. But he is such a loveable, convincing cuss, and he sure gets away with it...over and over...and no one can stop him. Thanks for sharing...I sure leared my lesson, not to deal with Rock of Ages

  • appage21
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow that sounds like a nightmare. Luckily i've never had an experience anywhere close to that bad. Hopefully you'll let other people in your area know to stay away from him.

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