Do NOT use this company. They are so disorganized I don't know how they stay in business. It took them nearly a year to install our fence. I should have cancelled and demanded my deposit back at the first sign of trouble.
If you use this company, plan on calling them daily to keep them on schedule because they obviously don't act as if that's their job.
Here's what happened:
Part 1: Scheduling follies
I meet with their salesperson in July 2020.
The salesperson warned us that due to the trade war with China it will take at least 2 months to receive the parts, "so don't even expect an install date until October."
I mail them a check for half the amount and they cashed it immediately.
In October I call and say, "Hey, when can we have an installation date?" They deny that they've received the check. I have to produce the check image to convince them that they're sitting on my money.
So, now the 2 month wait begins.... which puts us in the middle of December and they can't install it because the ground is froze.
When they finally decide to move forward and get the permits, they discover that my house is in the historic district and needs additional approvals. Challenger refuses to help with this. The approval meetings are monthly so I act fast and get on the next meeting. I get approval without their help.
Part 2: Lies about installation
They schedule the installation. A few days earlier they tell me it should take "1 day... or maybe 2 if they need more time."
March 10: Some people show up and install most of the fence but not the gates or the caps.
They don't show up the next day to finish the job.
Or the next day.
Or the next day.
Or the next day.
March 16: I call and ask for status. They said they're waiting for the gates to come from the manufacturer. They promised an estimate by the end of the week, or next week.
This is a lie. The gates are sitting in my yard. I know this because a big wind blew them around, damaged my house, and I decided I should inventory what they left behind.
April 5: I email them asking for a status update. I add: "I'm rather disappointed that the yard was left in the current state. The post caps haven't been installed. The front yard looks like a mess. I've cleaned up around it but obviously I don't want to move any of your things. The high winds earlier blew some of the uninstalled pieces around."
No reply.
March 11: I call and ask if they got my email. I'm told it was printed for her on Monday, she was waiting for the installer to reply.
Printed email?
Waiting for the installer to reply?
Don't they talk to the installers every day? If I ran a company like that, the installers would check in at the end of each day with a status report. It's been more than a week! How could they not know why the job wasn't finished?
I'm starting to develop a theory that this isn't an actual fence company. They just take orders for a commission and hand them off to an actual fence company.
Part 3: Finish the dang job!
I'm very frustrated. I tell them that if the gates can't be installed by Friday they better send someone to come clean up my yard. She said she'll do that.
Friday comes and they complete the job. They leave some things behind but I'm just glad they're done.
Part 3: Icing on the cake
Weeks later I get voicemail asking why I haven't paid the remainder of the balance.
I call them and ask why they haven't sent an invoice yet so I know how much to pay. She emails me an invoice. (Why didn't I know the amount? Because they never told me how much the permits cost.)
I mail them a check and send email asking for them to confirm when it arrives. I don't want to repeat the problem we had with them cashing checks and not realizing it. They say, "Will do, thanks!"
May 25: They've cashed my check.
June 4: I email asking them to confirm they received it. They had. In my reply I pointed out that they had promised to confirm when the check arrived but it was more than a week later and I was the person confirming, not them.
Conclusion:
It took them nearly a year to install this fence. I first met with them in July 2020 and it is now June 2021.
I'm sorry that I put up with their outright lies.
I'm sorry that I didn't see the initial deposit problem was a red flag. I should have asked for my deposit back and gone elsewhere.
I'm sorry I didn't call them out when they lied to me.
I'm sorry I used this company.
How do they stay in business? Oh, maybe it's because people forget to check Yelp! reviews like I did. The one time I forget to check and... ugh. read more