Bob's Fence

I obtained bids from three vendors. Frankly I did not feel comfortable with the lowest bidder even though we'd used him on a couple of projects before. Bob's Fence was the middle of the pack from a cost perspective, but it was clear from the job walk, submitted bid, and reviews from others that he paid attention to detail and the resulting project would be of good quality. They kept in touch continually throughout the project. The crew that came to work the job was top notch and very easy to work with (but then again, so are we). We negotiated a couple of details prior to the job starting, like stepping or contouring the fence to the slope of the ground, how to handle a chain link fence area, etc. They were sensitive to our requirements and desires, and the end product is, indeed, very nice.

I called Bob's fence to get a free estimate.  They came about a week later and took their measurements and then it was another 2 weeks of emails back and forth trying to get the estimate based on the fence we wanted.  I was happy with the estimate and booked the job on March 17th and was told that the earliest date they could schedule the job was Tuesday,April 26th.  Ok, fine, they're busy, good for them.  I didn't hear back from them until 2 weeks before the job, they asked that I mail them 50% of the amount due.  I did and waited to get confirmation that they received the payment and that we were still scheduled for April 26th.  I finally had to contact the company on Monday, April 25th and ask if we were still on for the next day.  John (I'm not sure what his title is....Office Manager,Secretary, Assistant).  said we were still on, I then asked, well how long is this job supposed to take, what time are people showing up, etc.  He was no help divulging any information unless you pulled it out of him. 
The crew of three workers showed up around 8:30a the next day, they tore down the fences, took an hour lunch, then set the posts on one side of the house,then proceeded to leave at 2:30p with hauling away about 3/4 of the fence,leaving a mess of posts and wood in my front yard.  I was thinking they were making a run to dump off the wood and would be coming back to at least set the other fence posts.  I mean they didn't even work 6 hours that day.  It was only 2:30p. The next day, they were supposed to show up between 8:30a-9a.  Well at 9:30a, I finally called John and asked where they were, he said he didn't know.  I then told him about the lack of work on Monday, he said "well you can talk to them."  That's not my job John!  The lack of customer service at this point was extremely frustrating!! John was no help whatsoever, and thought it was my job to reprimand the crew.  I did have a talk with them when they finally arrived at 10am.  I had to leave for work, when i got back and checked out the work they did, i found spit out sunflower seed shells, all over my brand new decomposed granite and new grass that i had just spent a lot of money on. Who does that?  Who spits seeds all over a customer’s backyard.  And they had one side of the fence done and had killed 4 feet of new grass on the hillside and 4 feet of ground cover on the neighbors side.  The lack of professionalism by this crew was unbelievable.  They would leave wood and their tools on the new grass when they left for the day, they didn't clean up after themselves at the end of the day.   I then called John again around 5p after i got home and no one answered so i had to leave a message.  He returned the call the next day, and was condescending and told me "it's construction so it's going to be messy." - Are you kidding me?!?! I told John that i just spent 50K re-doing my backyard and that company was here for 6 weeks and they didn't leave nearly the mess that his crew of 3 people had, nor did they disrespect my property like a garbage can and spit seeds all over the ground. There was just silence at the other end of the line.  No apologies, just nothing, no help.  I told him that i was letting him know that as a customer i was not happy with the professionalism of the company and the customer service and the huge lack of communication from the company. He said, "I'm taking notes."  Yeah, right.  I'm just warning other consumers....if you want communication, professionalism and respect, this is not the place to go.  The fence did come out nice and I gave them an A for the actual work, but everything was miserable.  ***This is an update as of 5/11/16 - Bob the owner contacted me after reading the review and said he was "humiliated" and apologized profusely.  He said he talked to his team and that this was a learning experience for them all.  He made no excuses and "owned" what his contractors did and kept apologizing and wanted to know what he could do to make it up to me.  I told him to make sure this didn't happen to any other customers. I didn't want any money back, because the final product (2 fences and 3 gates) came out great, but the overall professionalism and customer service was not great.  Hopefully this was a learning experience and they will provide better customer service.  After speaking with Bob for about 25 minutes and getting the service I wish I would have had throughout the original process, I would definitely consider using them again if I had any other fence needs.

unknown

They did an excellent job from promptly providing a quote to the final installation.  The crew arrived on time and finished the project in two days.  We highly recommend this company.   A very professional group as well as very nice.   Couldn't ask for anything better.

I had a positive experience with Bob's Fence.  The owner, Bob Ghen, responded promptly with a site visit and estimate.  His bid was significantly lower than another highly rated company.  It took a while to negotiate with the owners of the property next door who live out of town.  Bob's Fence was patient while we worked things out, and they were willing to bill separate invoices.  I was mildly put off by the request of a 50% prepayment.  As a California Licensed Contractor, they should only ask for 10%.  For this reason, I marked them a "B" for professionalism.  
The work was carried out largely to my satisfaction.  I was pleasantly surprised with the crew's professionalism and attention to detail.  Although there were a few minor issues arising from quirks in my particular site that I wish were handled differently,  I now have an attractive and well-built fence that I am confident will outlive me.  I am pleased with the end result

They were the most pricey and they did a really good job. They put up the fence really good and it looks really nice. Our only objection was an extra little 5 cents they have them do for us which I never did complain about because they kind the finished it off with a little wrong but I think it was a help for resolve. The main fence is beautiful.

The job was done in one day and looked great. They also added an extension to a sliding chain link fence at the front of my driveway. I would hire them again.

unknown

They discussed the various fence designs and picked out the best lumber. They worked with us whenever we had a question and they got our input rather than just making assumptions. They have experienced supervisors and the company owner responds to emails. We have a beautiful looking fence. They have a fencing system of metal posts so if they would rather use a wood board, it would be better.

Bob Ghens came to measure for an estimate of our project and within 48 hours he emailed the written drawings and the estimate. 7 days later the project is complete. The three man crew were professional, courteous and cleaned up the work area so that it is better than when they got here. This company is a pleasure to work with and if you need vinyl fencing I would heartily recommend them.

The work started at the agreed upon date and was finished on the estimated date. The workmen were very professional in every way cleaning up after the job was finished. Overall it was a very pleasant experience with fence turning out even better and more beautiful than I expected. I would highly recommend Bob's Fence to anyone needing fencing.

Bob's crew was prompt, courteous, professional and clean. They arrived exactly at the agreed-upon time, were respectful of our property and extremely clean when the job was completed. The fence has been up and in great condition now for over 2 years. Very easy maintenance to keep it looking new. I just take a soft bristle broom with some dish soap, scrub the grass clippings that adhere to it after the grass has been mowed and the fence looks brand new again.

Pricing for the job was excellent in comparison. Job was professional and to my expectations. Workers were courteous and informative. Most important was that my wife liked it!