
SUNNYVALE FENCE AND IRONWORKS
About us
SUNNYVALE FENCE AND IRONWORKS HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS SINCE 1965. WE EMPLOY OUR OWN CREWS AND ALSO HAVE OUR OWN IN-HOUSE FABRICATION FACILITY. WE ARE A NATIONAL AWARD WINNING COMPANY AND HAVE INSTALLED OVER 85,000 FENCES ACROSS THE DFW METROPLEX.
Business highlights
Services we offer
ARBORS, CUSTOM IRONWORKS, CUSTOM WOOD, ESTATE GATES AND ACCESS CONTROLS, FENCE REPAIR, OUTDOOR KITCHENS, RETAINING WALLS, STONE PATIOS AND PATHWAYS, VINYL FENCE SYSTEMS, WOOD PRESERVATION & MASONRY
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
---|---|---|
60% | ||
11% | ||
9% | ||
6% | ||
14% |
Thanks Sunnyvale. Top notch!!!
Background: In October of 2007 I hired Sunnyvale Fence and Ironworks to erect a fence in my front yard on one side of the house. They wrote up a multipage contract which I signed along with a payment of half of the cost. Two weeks later as they agreed to in the contract they erected the fence with a automatic solar powered 10 foot fence gate. The work was excellent and done on time and the gate has functioned perfectly ever since.
Currently: In early September of this year my neighbor and I decided to split the cost of a fence in our front yards going from the other side of my house where I had no fence to his. I solicited three bids and included Sunnyvale as I had had such a positive experience with them in the past. Of the three bids, Sunnyvale's was by far the lowest so I contacted them on September 4th and a sales rep came out and took measurements and wrote a one page contract and I paid a deposit of $1150.00 which was 1/2 of the cost. The rep said there was a 2 week wait time before they could install it which was what I considered routine. After 3 weeks I hadn't heard from them so I called and they said they were running behind but they would have the scheduler call me to set up an installation date. He called and said it would be another 2 weeks. On October 9, I called again as I hadn't heard from them and they said it would be in 3 days but on Oct 12 I hadn't heard from them so I called again and they said the rains had set them behind and that they would contact me when the grounds were drier. At that point I lost my patience and asked my neighbor if he could contact them and see if he could get a specific date from them as he is more diplomatic than I am. He called and texted the scheduler Todd and was receiving responses from them but they continued to give excuses and at that point I was ready to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I also was considering taking them to small claims court as I felt they had just absconded with my deposit and I was left high and dry. I had other projects going on and relegated to my neighbor all communications with Sunnyvale as I knew I wouldn't be polite with them. All texts and calls to Sunnyvale after that were met with the same response: next week. Then, out of the clear blue, on the morning of Dec 2 when my neighbor and I were out running errands, he received a text from Sunnyvale that they would be there in a few hours to start the installation. My neighbor had forgotten he had turned his phone off and didn't turn it back on until we were headed home. At that point we rushed back to find the laborers had already trimmed bushes back, more so than we had wanted, and were digging the post holes. Why we didn't receive a heads up notification the day or night before just blows my mind - such a simple effort on Sunnyvale's part would have allowed us to reset our schedule. The laborers did an excellent even though they punctured a water line (which they repaired) and after the posts set overnight, they came back and finished installing the fence panels. The fence looks super and the gates were where I had requested them and they worked properly. The sales rep came by for the rest of the payment and I told him in no uncertain terms how furious I was with the responses communicated from Sunnyvale; he apologized for it but there was really nothing he could have as he wasn't the scheduler. I've never been so frustrated with a company before and so shocked I was at the difference between the way I was treated 8 years ago versus this time. The installation and materials used were excellent but the communications were just the pits. it was so unprofessional compared to what I've experienced with other companies. Three months to install a 70 foot fence - seriously???!!!! Sunnyvale just burnt their bridges and I will never do business with them again.
Our problem was with communication. Many calls were needed to get the job scheduled, and then they showed up a day later than promised. We were told the wood portion would be completed the first day, but the the first day only the posts were completed. The crew left about an hour or so after starting, and never came back. I was home but their plans were not communicated to me.
They did come back the next day and completed the fence except for the latch on the gate. I was told they didn't have the right part but would return in the morning to install the latch. That was five days ago, and still no latch. Our contact called and wanted to pick up the last payment, but we said we would pay after the latch was installed. I assume they will eventually get around to it in order to get their money, but we have had no communication. Phone calls to the office just result in a promise to check into it and call back, but they don't call back.
I'm fine with using a rope forever if it means I get the fence half price.
"[member name removed] gave us a low mark on responsiveness to his customer service issue, yet failed to add that we had sent crews out on separate occasions but couldn't do any work because no one was home (even though he said he would be there). And his "multiple" issues were actually just "multiple pickets". The Mfg. had not applied "pre-stain" to the tips (ends of the pickets), and we had to brush the stain on. Sunnyvale Fence Co has always provided and will continue to provide first rate service to it's many customers."
I sent a diagram of exact measurements and specifications. I explained the fenced area was to keep the dogs in. The crew came out and put posts too far apart, in the wrong place and not within the dimensions drawn. I called and they came back out and took out the posts, spaced them correctly and corner gate posts in the correct places. The crew came out again and put the fence wire from 2-5 inches off the ground - this does not keep in dogs that can dig. I called again and the warranty guy came out, took pictures and I explained to him what I wanted. The fence was to contact the ground and the top bar to be semi level - not rolling like ocean waves. I explained that this is accomplished by dragging a little dirt out of the way with a hoe and leave the fence running straight. The crew came out and put the fence against the ground in most areas but left the top bar unleveled and spaces where the dogs get out. (kudos to the crew for not letting rain keep them from working) The warranty guy stated that he forgot to tell the crew about the leveling and he wasn't sure when he could get them out again. The Contract was agreed to on 4/9/14 and as of 10/30/14 the fence is still not as requested.
I am disappointed that there were this many glitches dealing with a professional company like Sunnyvale. They may build good wood fences, but I suspect that they contract out the chain link.
Sunnyvale was the lower bid but I wish I had spent the extra and gone with Blackwell. He understood what I needed when I wanted a fence to keep the dogs IN, without having to spent extra money for stones and metal edging for the lower edge.
"When installing a chain link fence on rolling terrain, you can try to keep the top of the fence as straight as possible, but that means the bottom of the fence (which has to run parallel with the top) will be off the ground in places where the terrain dips. Vice Versa, If you want to keep the bottom of the fence on the ground, that means you are going to have to "roll" the top of the fence with the terrain. There is no way to have it both ways unless your terrain is level (no valleys and peaks). The customer says we could have "dug" out the high places, but this was a very large area with natural rolling terrain. You can't just "dig" out the high places. We have responded to the customers complaints and put the fence on the ground as requested."
"Sunnyvale Fence responded to each one of this customers more than two dozen complaints. Half the time he wasn't there when he said he would meet us and we wasted numerous trips. Other times when we did have access, his gate operator was working fine (we have video proof). We tried to tell this customer from the beginning that his slide gate operator needed to be electric (hard wired) versus Solar Powered because of the size of the gate. The customer wouldn't take our professional advise and, as a result, we have spent numerous trips out to work on a system that we advised against."
"We have responded to this customers complaint several times and serviced his gate at no charge even though it wasn't covered by warranty. The problem is he had severe ground cracks that caused the gate post to shift. Our warranty specifically states that we do not cover damage due to acts of nature, droughts, ground cracks, etc.... North Texas has been in a severe drought for three years now and it's creating havoc with fences, foundations, and other structures. No service company's warranty covers this."
We purchased red cedar that was sealed and stained. The salesman told us when we purchased the fence that it would need restaining in 3- 5years. However, it appears that our stain was substandard.
"It is unfortunate (and we think unfair) that we have been given an "F" across the board for the stain issue. The boards come pre-stained from the manufacturer and only have a one year warranty (the fence itself has a longer warranty). A Mfg Rep inspected the fence, documented it with pictures, and concluded that the stain color showed nothing more than ordinary fading after almost two years exposure to the elements. No one ever suggested the stain would still look like new after this long. However, we would be more than happy to give this customer a discounted price to have the fence re-stained with another coat. Again, we think it is extremely unfair to be graded this way and we object to it even being posted prior to getting our response. We also think it is very unfair that a complaint remains posted on Angie's List if we show it to be unwarranted. Angie's list is great for exposing bad and unscrupulous contractors. However, it can also damage the good reputations of excellent contractors. Angie's List operates under the assumption that every single customer has a legitimate complaint, and therefore they are going to post those complaints no matter how absurd they might be. And they will be posted even before the contractor is given the opportunity to respond. That's not right. Even the BBB will first send a copy of the complaint to the contractor and give them the opportunity to respond and / or work with the customer. If they don't get a response, then they post the complaint. That's perfectly fair. If Angie's List continues to operate under their current reporting and grading format, eventually every contractor in the country will have some bad marks. It's just a matter of time. We have been in business a half century longer than "Angie's List". We stand behind our business model. I'm not sure Angie's List can say the same."
"First, it’s our policy on all retail jobs to secure a deposit before beginning work. The customer is informed of this policy up front and it’s written in the contract. Second, we never told the customer he would get all his money back in the event he was not completely happy with everything. That was never communicated verbally or in writing. We’ve never instituted a “Money Back Guarantee.” It’s too easy for someone to take advantage of a policy like that. Instead, we strive hard to make all of our customers happy, and in our 48 hears in business, we’ve never had a single customer request their money back. Third, we don’t deny the customer had to furnish information about his property lines. It’s common sense that the customer has to furnish this information in the form of Survey Plat. The city requires it. Fourth, the customer could have cancelled the contract within three business days and received a 100% refund of any deposit (stated in bold face in the Agreement). After the three day grace period, the customer could still cancel for any reason as long as work had not commenced. On his job, we had already bought the material and started work. In this case, the customer is responsible for a 15% cancellation fee (again, stated in the Agreement.) Fifth, as the customer pointed out himself, we have been out at least ten times on customer service calls. This doesn’t sound like someone who is ignoring the customer. Most of the calls have been regarding the Solar Slide Gate Operator. We told the customer from the beginning that it would be better to “hardwire” the operator (less mechanical issues). But he went against our advice and selected the Solar option. It should be noted that we have been there more than once to perform service at his request, only to find the gate working perfectly. It is working perfectly as of this response. We have it on video. Sunnyvale Fence has continued to provide service to the member. He, on the other hand, has told our technician (and the owner) that he gets “satisfaction” out of continuing to call Sunnyvale Fence out on service calls, whether he needs service or not. He has called the owner on his personal cell phone at 1:00am in the morning. We welcome him to call us as long as he has a genuine problem. We would just ask that he go through our office and call during normal business hours. Respectfully, Terry Shupp"
"Sunnyvale Fence disputes the facts as related by {Member name removed}. It has never taken our company 2 months to finish a retail project. We have documentation that it didn't even take 2 weeks. I don't know how the customer came up with this figure other than the fact it has been almost six years and she doesn't remember. But, as stated above, we do keep computer records of customer files and have documentation proving otherwise. Also, had {Member name removed} called us back on the leaning posts, we would have fixed the problem. We have no record of a call back. Sunnyvale Fence has been in business almost 50 years and we pride ourself on Quality Projects and Customer Service. We have completed over 80,000 projects in the DFW Metroplex area. We welcome any and all feedback and the chance to rectify any problems."
We were called back in 4 days and they wanted to start that same day. The workers were quick, professional, and did a great job.
We will use them again when the need arises. The new fence looks amazing.
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