WESTERN FENCE CO INC

Our builder used this fence company for our new build. Less than a year after our move-in date, both gates have sagged. One gate had to have two call-outs to be fixed. The other gate had to get fixed due to a soil settling issue, but now has been misaligned and does not latch. Western Fence has told me: I need to use more strength to close it (I'm a small person, but I can lift and carry 50 lbs) and I need to be patient, since call-backs are not high priority. This was in mid-August, after multiple calls since emails and single calls went unanswered for weeks. It is now November, and our gate still doesn't work. We have since had multiple fence companies out to quote us for a fence replacement for a segment of fence our neighbor held off on replacing during construction--multiple have mentioned the shoddy design of the gates, saying they would inevitably sag. Would NOT recommend this company at all. Poor service all around. They only readily answer calls and emails before you pay them. Less than a year out it looks like we will need to replace the fence segment the gate is in and the gate itself, with a different company since they won't stand behind their so-called warranty. Oh, and they also installed our fence backwards the first time. Poor communication, but caused our neighbor on the other side to berate me and call me names. Western Fence had to come back and flip the pickets to how as our request clearly stated (the builder made them). Fence was built 8/20/2019, gate was readjusted late January or early February 2020, and again stopped latching (entire gate has to be lifted about an inch) 8/4/2020. Today is 11/5/2020 with no fix and no updates since 8/19/2020.

5 years ago when we worked with Mark, he was great! But he's not there anymore and now we have, Steve. I have been out of the office since March so imagine my surprise when I call to schedule a service appointment and am met with "it's not worth our time to go out there when you don't want to fix anything." Apparently, while I was out, a technician had been out to service our gate maybe 2 or more times. A "list of fixes" was given to whoever was at the office and we never scheduled a repair. I checked with my team and no physical list was ever given, no quote for repairs or replacements. It was just a technician who couldn't clearly explain why our gate would stop working..."it could be the sensor is broken. You should replace the chain. Maybe that's why it's not working. These are all old." Our intention was to replace whatever needed to be replaced when I called asking for a service appointment, but I couldn't even get to that before Steve cut me off to tell me it was a waste of his time and his technicians' time. I called his office twice and left messages with the receptionist (?) but never received a call back. The receptionist gave me Steve's cell number on my 3rd call. So were we not even worth a call back? Steve is very unprofessional and according to my team, his technicians are not very knowledgable and couldn't answer simple questions. We decided to have another company come look at our gate. Turns out, the computer controlling our gate was set up incorrectly and burning out our motor. I don't know if this was the setup from when we first installed the gate 5 years ago, or if it was something that their technician did on the previous visits. The other company said we could replace some parts but that it wasn't entirely necessary since the controller was only 5 years old. I would not recommend Western Fence Company to anyone.

Western Fence Company installed a gate at my business a little less than 2 years ago. The gate is no longer closing well, so our warehouse manager called the office to see if someone would come out to service the fence. He left a message and did not receive a return call. When he finally reached someone 3 days later, he was told that the service call would be $500. We are about 10 miles from the company. I thought surely there was some miscommunication, so I called last night and left a message. No one returned my call, so I called this morning. The person who answered the phone said there would be a $250 service call, and that no one would come look at the gate until the $250 was paid upfront by credit card. I asked for a supervisor and was again told that no one would come out without a $250 service charge. I told the supervisor that we will be paying someone to fix the fence but a $250 service charge before they have even looked at the fence is unreasonable. He was not willing to having someone fix our fence without the upfront $250 service fee, so I told him I would find another company to repair our gate.

I contracted with Western Fence to install a wrought iron fence and some wooden fencing in Jan 2009. The Western Fence team did a good job installing the fencing despite having to do a great deal of ground clearing (also included in the quote). The wooden fence continues to hold up well and is a credit to Western Fencing. The Wrought Iron fencing has, in the last six months, started to rust and fall apart (the vertical slats in many segments of the fence are physically separated from the base of the fence). I called Western Fence and was connected to Mark McDonald. Mark came by and after looking at the fence commented that the fence would have lasted if it was work they had done (apparently he had forgotten or not been notified by the company that they had in fact done the work for us). I pointed out that they did do the work which led to him wondering who the original sales person was... etc. Since that time in early December, I have been trying to get a quote (notice a quote, not for a free repair) from Western Fence to repair the wrought iron fence. I have had multiple calls with Mark McDonald where he claims that he sent a quote though none have been received. I have checked my email (inbox and spam) on multiple occasions. Last week, having given up on getting anything from Mark, I contacted the HQ and spoke with Don. I explained to Don that I, despite many attempts, could not get a quote from Western Fence to repair the work. Don indicated he would be talking to Mark in the afternoon and would get back in touch with me. I insisted it was important that I hear from someone and provided Don with my cell number and asked him to call me back. He promised someone would be in touch with me. After 10 business days, no response. My patience with Western Fence Company is exhausted and I am now encouraging any Angies List members to heed this warning and find a more reliable company to do business with.

Within 60 days after the work was completed the gate started sagging and dragging on the driveway when being opened and closed. Western's repairs consisted of adding additional concrete around the base of the hinge post. At least two more times in 2010 and 2011, the gate started sagging and dragging against and Western attempted to "repair" the post by adjusting the hinges. In June 2011, the gate started sagging and dragging again, this time causing the control arm to break at the weld. After making several unanswered phone calls and sending a 10-day "demand letter", Don Fender (company representative) came out to inspect the problem. Western initially proposed to fix the problem AT MY EXPENSE for $1300 by re-setting the posts and re-attaching the operator arm. After talking with other contractors who install automatic gates, I questioned Western about the depth of the replacement post holes, the diameter of the holes, etc. and other aspects of the repair work. I also told them emphatically that I did not intend to pay for the repairs since it was clear that the original work was not performed consistent with industry standards. After negotiating with them for 6 weeks, Western was unwilling (or unable) to give me a clearly defined scope of work for the repairs. Two other contractors gave me clear scopes of work and estimated repair costs at around $1650 and I awarded the work to one of them (Automatic Gate Company). AGC completed the repair work on September 26, 2011. The hinge post installed by Western was found to have been set at around 31 inches deep: the industry standard for such posts is at least 48 inches. The latch post was set at 16 inches: the industry standard for such posts is at least 24 inches. The gate failed because it was not set deeply enough: "ground movement" or other mysterious causes had nothing to do with it. Western is not competent to install automatic metal gates and is unethical in dealing with customers who have legitimate complaints about their work. I was a "good customer" of Western Fence Company--Western installed all of the wooden fences around my house since 1991--but I will not use them again for any kind of fencing.

The person I worked with was very friendly and professional. He provided a quote very quickly. I wasn't home when they did the actual work, but everything was complete very, very quickly. The quality of the work was very high. It cost a bit more than I was expecting, but I have no complaints about the work that was done.

I have the most beautiful new fence! I contacted Western Fence a year ago and had Mark McDonald give me an estimate. Due to financial strains on neighbor and deed restrictions we put the fence on hold for a year. Mark McDonald called on a regular (but not too pushy!) basis to see if we were able to put in our fence. We got a small, but welcoming, discount because we put in the complete fence. I put in a 7' fence and it is wonderful! I have had 4 complete strangers driving by stop to tell me how much they like my fence and ask the name of the fence builder. The gentlemen who put in the fence were very professional. I have absolutely NO complaints. Ladies, if you are single and do not want to be taken advantage of, PLEASE call these folks. They are very honest and have great integrity. The owner's name is Ray Umsted and he also owns Alamo Fence and several others. I called one of his fence companies for my boss who lives in the Galleria area and they came out immediately to put up a temporary fence around a multi-million dollar spec house that had been vandalized. The price was VERY reasonable. Please use these folks -- you will not be sorry.

I just paid another company to repair it because Western didn't put the posts far enough in the ground. Once your work is complete and paid for, Western basically shoots you the finger. The owner gave me his word, and promised me the posts were installed deep enough. The owner, Ray, blatantly lied to me. Not to mention he's a rude and unprofessional individual with no credibility. I sent emails, called and faxed within 4 weeks after installation of the gate because it was moving by then. Once you pay, they won't deal with you anymore. Lifetime warranty means nothing. After all, what good is a lifetime warranty from an incompetent company? I had to pay another gate company to fix my gate for which I have a "lifetime warranty". We called Western about 10 times before doing so, and they never returned our calls. Avoid salesman Dave Hutchinson at all costs. Odds are you won't even get what you ordered (our iron gate design wasn't what we ordered either). Western Fence, Atlas Fence, Southwestern Fence, Alamo Fence, etc, ALL THE SAME COMPANY AND SAME FAMILY. Go elsewhere. And just look at all the "F" ratings for Western over the last year. **"The Company Response to my giving them a "B" in 2008 for a wooden fence, under the category "fencing". Not an IRON DRIVEWAY GATE. This company may be able to install wooden fences okay, but they are entirely incompetent when it comes to IRON FENCING. I had 4 professional companies all tell me that Western didn't install the gate posts deep enough - i.e. incompetent. This Company referring to a report in a DIFFERENT CATEGORY only reflects that even moreso.**

They finally showed up but then they never got back to me. I have since stopped trying to work with them. I would not use them in the future and I would not recommend them.

I really like the salesman that came out. He was really accommodating. He really went out of his way. After sometime I noticed the wood was split and I called him and he said he was on his way that weekend and fixed the split. He did not charge me for this even though it had been months later!

We have tried to use this company twice and have been disappointed on both occasions. After Hurricane Ike we called to have a section of wood fence replaced. They told us they were quite busy and were trying to to service on a "neighborhood by neighborhood" basis and would call back when they were going to service our area. They never called us and we eventually got the work done by someone else. We chalked that experience up to post hurricane issues so when our gate opener recently broke we called to give them another chance. We left a message on voicemail and again never got a call back. If you can't do the work fine but at least have the decency to return calls.

They did good work. The reps that worked with me checked on their workers, coordinated the timing of everything and were very responsive. Everything went very well. They also worked around a couple of trees that were in the fence line by adjusting the fence and keeping the trees in tact.

How did it go overall? It didn't. And not because I didn't try.

The quality of the fence is very good. Workers showed up when expected. A few weeks after installation, one of the doors would not latch (I suspect due to settling) and they came back out to adjust it at no charge.

Never got off the ground with Western Fence.

They project went OK, but not up to my expectations. The salesman had told me that he would be checking on the job as it progressed. Supposedly because of family problems he was having that day, the salesman did not show up until the job was essentially completed. The two installers did not speak English, and to me seemed to have an attitude. Overall, I was disappointed but cannot say dissatisfied.

After several weeks to get the job scheduled, Western sent a Spanish-speaking fencing crew to remove the old fence and install the new one. Bottom line: they did a great job on the fence, but due to unforeseen events it took quite some doing: The fencing crew started working on the day that a mandatory evacuation was ordered for all Nassau Bay residents because of the expected landfall of Hurricane Ike which was bearing down on Galveston. They tore down the old fence, including the next door neighbor's fence, and I got a call from a painting contractor saying I needed to call the neighbor behind my parents' house and that she was "hot" because "some Mexicans had torn down her fence and were trampling in her flower bed" (or words to that effect). When I called (thinking I had screwed up), I learned that the next door neighbors had miscommunicated and Western had torn down her old fence while she was away from her house and she threw a fit when she returned to find her fence gone and people "trambling" in her sacred flowerbed where no one--not even her gardener--is permitted. Around 11 AM, the supervisor pulled the fencing crew off the job in response to a 12 noon evacuation order and left the newly installed fence posts sticking up and various other material in the yard. Fortunately, my brother was there and got them to put the concrete in the garage, but the other neighbor told me later that he and his son had to come over and secure loose material to protect the neighborhood from possibly loose, flying debris expected when the storm struck. Post-hurricane, nearly all the old fences in the whole neighborhood were blown down by Ike so Western was swamped with calls to come fix or replace fences all over Houston. But they were able to send in a new crew within a week of the storm to complete the partially-finished job. The fence looks great, but they initially forgot to attach the neighbor's existing fence to the new fence on the right side of the property (despite the neighbor asking them to do so--but he didn't speak Spanish) so they had to come back a 3rd time to finish the job.

There were no problems of any kind. I chose them after obtaining several other bids.

I got prices from four companies. Western's salesman, Dave Hutchinson, in his 70's, is a cool dude. He impressed me talking about his Prius and his GPS. Of all the sales people I dealt with, Dave provided the most detailed bid & illustration. His company also offered some carpentry touches that the other companies did not such as the beveled cap rail. The crew arrived when they said they would and they worked quickly. The bulk of the job was completed in two days. The materials are top quality and the fence looks gorgeous. The crew hauled all the old fencing away and took care with shrubbery. We had an unusual concern about a pet: all yards are uneven, so there are places where the baseboard will touch the ground and others where it might be a few inches off the ground. We have a very small dog - 3.5 lbs. Western was so kind to make sure that the fence did not allow any place for our critter to escape. We are very grateful to owner Don Fender and his staff. Western Fence's privacy fence sustained Hurricane Ike's Category 2 winds beautifully. Again, they build a TOP QUALITY product.

Went very well. We are pleased. We had an issue with one of the wooden gates not closing correctly, but they fixed it. Not immediately, but they fixed it. We also had to be very careful with the posts for one of the gates on the side of the house, because of extensive drainage pipes underground. They dug by hand and did everything as they said. Overall, we are very pleased with the wooden fence work. However, due to the ongoing issues with another project we hired Western to due, I cannot recommend them, and would probably never use them again. Customer service is the most important thing, in my opinion, that a business must adhere to. I find it virtually non-existent in this Company, and only thank my lucky stars we didn't have any big issues with the fence work.

The gentleman was on time to look at the area where I want a wrought iron electric driveway gate. When discussing the gate, he seemed impatient and uninterested. I told him I also needed two wooden gates, each at a different area in the backyard. I told him that time was of the essence because I needed to make sure our dogs were safe. He said hurriedly he would get back to me and I never heard from him. I did not want to call because his attitude was so unpleasant. I am very disappointed. We used Western Fence 12 years ago for a backyard fence and they did a wonderful job and the gentleman who came out to bid the work and then check to ensure it was completed properly was a treat to work with. I had recommended Western Fence in the past but now will neither use them nor recommend them.

The man who did the estimate was very professional and discussed our options. Before we signed the contract he again went over everything. We were notified the day before work would start. The first day the old fence was taken down and new posts were placed. My yard was totally clean when they left. On day two the fence was installed - it took all day. The workers were extremely careful as they installed - using their levels constantly. The materials are excellent. Clean up was thorough. A week or so later the front gate was installed. Our only problem - the gate for the backyard fence blew open during high winds. We checked and the metal stop piece that fits into the concrete gave way. The hole it sets in was only drilled down l/4 inch. Not enough. We called to have someone come and do more work on the gate. This was Monday, today is Saturday and no one came or called. We fixed the gate ourselves.

Western provided a competitive quote for the fence (I received quotes from 3 companies). The sales person was responsive, knowledgeable and trustworthy. The gate was installed near the estimated date; weather caused a slight delay. The lock on the walk through gate did not function properly, but it was replaced with a new one, although it took about two weeks for the replacement to be installed. Overall, I am pleased with the service and installation.

I emailed Western Fence on a weekend night explaining my situation and asking if they worked on chain link fencing. Most fences now are wooden, so I was unsure if they worked on them and also if they would do a small job like mine. The owner, Don Fender, emailed me back on the following Monday advising he'd have an appraiser call me to set up an appointment. To my knowledge, the appraiser never called in the next week or so; this wasn't terrible because I was working on other things and this repair wasn't critical. I emailed the company again explaining I never got a call, and the owner called me the next day apologizing. He gave me the name and number of the appraiser and asked me to call him directly to set up an appointment. I played a little phone tag with the appraiser but this time I was the one who didn't call back promptly, the appraiser diligently tried to reach me. Once we connected, he came out quickly and did the estimate. The repair was done the following week.

Their invoice wasn't as detailed as I would have liked. There was no break down of what was going to be done. For example, they estimate in their quote to haul away all the debris when I didn't need them do. My neighborhood offers a heavy trash pick-up.