Superior Fence & Rail — Local services in Sarasota

Let me start off by saying that our sales rep, Tom ,and the receptionist, Stephanie, were wonderful and tried to help us but it went beyond their control.

This is a lot, but if you are considering to go with this company then I suggest you read.

When the installers first arrived on Friday to our house, they couldn't read the survey left by the sales rep and couldn't figure out the measurements so my husband had to go out and spend a good amount of time out there figuring it out for them. Then, we noticed that there were no flags in the ground (to locate gas, electric pipes etc) and when asked they said they weren't sure but started anyways. Well they ended up hitting 2 of our sewer pipes & neglected to tell us about one of them until Saturday. This was because they installed WITHOUT having any of the locator flags down, which come to find out, they should have NEVER started installing without those flags and are supposed to document those flags before even breaking ground. Since the installers didn't tell us about one of the broken pipes until Saturday it was difficult to get in contact with anyone in the company since it was the weekend. Our sales rep was kind enough to answer our calls/texts and tried to get ahold of the owner, whom did not communicate with us at all. Meanwhile, we have guests at our home and we are not really able to use the restrooms because of the two broken sewage pipes. One of the installers comes to our door WITH A SAW saying that he was going to fix the broken sewer pipes(who was supposedly told to do so by the owner)....you can imagine our reaction. My husband had to go out & stop him and explain that he is clearly not qualified to fix the sewer pipes.

When leaving, they for some reason decided to park in our front lawn (we live on a corner lot so there was plenty of room in the street which was actually closer) and when he left the weight of the truck wouldn't budge on our grass and he spun out his tires until they got out which completely damaged our front lawn (see pictures attached). Also, they were extremely negligent when leaving & left the water running on the hose on the side of our house with water pouring out of it, which I didn't see until 6+ hours later.

We then had to call a plumber to come out who said one of the pipes are so close that they have to jackhammer the side of our house to fix it. However, he was astonished to learn that the fence company started to install without any flags down & that he isn't able to do any work without the flags because it is actually illegal. So we had to wait for the locators to come out and the plumber was able to fix it later that week . Even more of our lawn was destroyed because the plumbers (not their fault) had to dig bigger holes to be able to repair it. And again, had to live with broken sewer pipes for a week. The fencing people were able to come back and fix it over a week later than than the original time.

We were extremely upset & wanted to get in touch with the owner about all of these issues. We were never able to get in touch with the owner. The sales rep was generous to inform us and communicate with us even though it was no longer part of his job description. He notified us that he had spoken to the owner and they agreed to pay the plumbing bill (as they should because THEY broke the pipes and it shouldn't have ever happened because they shouldn't have installed without any locator flags which according to the contract they are responsible for doing). He also notified us that the owner decided since they were losing money by paying the plumbing bill they weren't going to offer any discounts or reimbursement for any of the other issues we encountered. This made it very clear to my husband and I that this company and the owner do not care about their customers or doing things the right way and that they ONLY care about money. The fact that the owner wouldn't even reach out to us & communicate with us about all of our issues after multiple attempts is so unacceptable.

I DO NOT recommend...

Beware. When you check reviews for this Co. they initially look good but you need to look only at the reviews for this branch, they are horrible and are riding on the reviews of other franchises. The Sarasota branch has an "F" rating with the BBB.

They sent two workers to install, they spoke no English. They did not give me the walk through per contract that would have likely eliminated all our issues. They breached the contract 4X changing the layout and 1X materials used. They did not include me in on troubleshooting even though I was available. All of the changes that they made were negotiated with me after they authorized the change and of course their solution wasn't necessarily my solution. It's my yard and my money shouldn't I have a say in how the fence works for my needs?

8 weeks after install, I thought we are still trying to negotiate a resolution, I receive a register letter that's dated 12 days earlier informing me that they are placing a lien on my house for the unpaid balance in 7 days, that's 4 days BEFORE I received the notice. Yes, comical when it's not your life. Ironically they had never requested the final payment because of their numerous breaches that they made yet they went straight to the lien. Turns out there was an error in their paperwork so no lien was placed.

The workers also damaged my irrigation system. Hey, it's not marked and per the contract they aren't liable but does that mean they can hide the fact that they caused damage? I think not. They damaged the irrigation system, hid the fact, attempted to fix the issue, failed and now refuse to tell me where the breach is located. I am unable to have the problem fixed without knowing the location of the breach, instead I have to have the system replaced, Who does that kind of thing? The system is stressed now and putting out a weaker flow of water and areas of my yard now need to be re-sodded.

I recently paid in full because I just want this saga to be over, the negative energy is simply unhealthy and I find them impossible to work with as they say one thing then take it back.

They have threatened to sue me over my bad review. I just want the negativity out of my life and I am tired of trying to work out a solution only to have the rug pulled out on me. It's all such a shame because I do like the quality of the fence, or at...

I had originally given Superior Fence and Rail 3 or 4 stars after it was installed. It was beautiful can’t complain how it looked. I don’t remember the sales rep as it has been 3 years ago but I do remember asking him about how much cement they were using. I didn’t think they were using cement on all posts but he assured me they were. I don’t know how since he wasn’t here supervising and they didn’t read the layout because they went right by where the gate was supposed to be. But that was my concern 3 years ago. Fast forward to today after Milton wiped out by whole back fence I was right, they did not use cement on the posts only at the gate. If they did use cement it was probably 1 bag for a post 3 feet deep. If you decide to use Superior , be aware that you will have to be out there with the installers watching them and showing them how to do their job because the company itself just sells the product but doesn’t have a supervisor out there to be sure they are doing the job properly. Best of luck if you go with them. Oh and yes, the labor warranty is expired.

Just felt I had to add, I never said the previous storms hadn’t done any damage. Few months after the install a good wind blew off half the post caps, Ian blew some posts slightly off center, not noticeable when facing the panel but when looking diagonally you can see some posts off. Helene blew two sections where three posts were bent and unusable, Milton just finished the rest. My updated review is for future customers, if you decide to go with Superior, get a lawn chair, a cold drink and an umbrella and you sit out there and you watch them. The two guys who did the install, didn’t speak English, they never even knocked that they were there, if I didn’t have a camera looking out back I wouldn’t have known they had started. So, if you use them, just keep an eye on them because no one from Superior will. Pay attention to how much cement because one bag for a 3 foot hole is not enough in my opinion. Go to Home Depot and check out the bags for yourself. I installed a wood post 3 feet deep and used 3 bags. That post ain’t going anywhere. Just...