I began my fence project (a simple straight line, dog-earred cedar) with another company. I knew there were covid-related delays/challenges to contend with, but I felt completely ghosted by them and grew concerned that maybe they succumbed to the pandemic. I ended up parting ways.
When I discovered Bespoke (in Mar/Apr '21), they were extremely friendly and easily reachable by email, phone, or in-person. The office and warehouse were situated together so you got the admin side of the business as well as the owners and installers. If I had questions, I was quickly referred to the appropriate party. That being said, when supply interruptions reared their ugly head once again, the phone/email accessibility wasn't AS great as it was initially, but at this point I kind of knew what to expect and kept my cool.
The project was delayed several weeks. I did receive a courtesy email to alert me, but the rescheduling thereafter was a little clumsy. For one of the target dates, a rep had told me that they were "very busy" and I should call them a couple days before to confirm install because they might not get around to it. This made me wonder if they were continuing to add new jobs when the original orders weren't yet filled.
I got a last minute call to install while I was at work. (They weren't able to install the day I had taken off due to rain.) She said I didn't need to be present for the job. Since the fence project was pretty straightforward (remove existing chain link for cedar), I went ahead and agreed to it. When I got home, the fence was about 20 feet short!!! I called immediately and left an after-hours message. Within minutes, I got a call from the owner who assured me a crew would rectify it the morning before I left for work. He also called and texted that next day to confirm his crew was there, to notify me who the foreman was, and to let him know if I had any other concerns about the fence. The foreman was sincerely apologetic and seemed a bit embarrassed about the shortage. A couple of fence boards within the sections themselves were imperfect and he happily replaced them. The crew was quick and efficient and I made it to work on time. In retrospect, the lawn wasn't as clean as I thought they'd leave it. There were traces of dried cement embedded in the grass around the posts. To be fair, I didn't bring it to anyone's attention. I figured it'd wash away with the rain and it largely has. I don't know what's considered sloppy and what's to be expected. Again, I never mentioned it.
I had opted for cash payment to take advantage of the discount. Ultimately, the installers left my home two times without the cash. The owner was more concerned that I was satisfied with the end result than collecting the money which I thought showed trust and integrity. One of the secretaries even offered to pick it up personally so as not to inconvenience me. Instead though, I dropped off the payment at the facility unexpectedly. There wasn't anyone in the office that morning and so one of the warehouse guys had to accept the payment. He never once made me feel like I was inconveniencing him and he handled the transaction very nicely for being out of his wheelhouse. (:
All in all, I was pleased with the service and the project results. Everyone I spoke to was articulate, friendly, and knowledgable. I would recommend them to others and use them again myself. The price was on par with the research I did. And if a snag should arise, just take a deep breath. Let Dan know it, and give him the opportunity to make it right. read more