Location: Colorado USA.
I contracted with XXXXX Fencing to replace an old fence. I am a Senior Citizen with disabilities, and wonder if he though I was an easy target.
Mr XXXXX website states under the heading “The XXXXX Fencing Difference”: “Fully licensed and insured [my city] fence contractors.”
This led me to believe that he is a locally licensed fence contractor, and it had a significant influence on my decision to hire his company. [local building authority] informed me that they have no record of him or XXXX Fencing having any kind of contractor’s license.
A license is not required to build this type of fence, but I hired this more expensive company because they were [or claimed to be] licensed.
In my professional opinion from many years in residential construction, the work that he completed was unsightly and substandard. Some of the defects were like WTF? bad.
He fixed two serious structural issues, but only with arguing, hostility and reluctance.
I paid him the full amount letting him know that I was unhappy with the work. I left an unfavorable review on Google. He then texted that he would replace the entire fence at no charge. I replied “That is acceptable” and he reaffirmed that he would replace it, so I removed the review. The next day he sent me a diagram from a [city] web page that showed that the fence he built did not meet safety regulations. He said that if he replaced the fence, as he promised, he would have to have city approval and I would get in trouble. [And no, no city approval is required for this type of fence]
He ultimately refused to fix anything beyond the two structural issues. He told me that he would sue me if I left a bad review, that “My response would be a legal one. A legal one would get really ugly and would include all the violations and shit* [see below]” He also stated that if I want the fence brought into compliance with city regulations That I can do it myself [He knows I am disabled and can’t.]
“If we are going to do a complete remake we’re going to have to call Compliance. And we don’t want to do that.”
“Once we do it [replace fence] They come crawling up your ass and if your [existing] fence isn’t on the line, that’s it. So we just leave it.”
Mr. XXXX built a fence that violates city safety regulations. I believe that he already knew, or should have known from the start because his website says:
“XXXX fencing is your go to local expert for fencing that meets [City] regulations “At XXXX Fencing, we take care of the local regulations for you…we handle the compliance process so you don’t have to.”
Under “This guide explains how to ensure your fence project complies with [city] regulations” he lists “5 Key takeaways.” One of them addresses the rules that cover this exact situation.
I believe I was polite to him, and went above and beyond to try to work with him and give him every consideration, and even assistance in resolving the problems.
* [The reason he said “shit,” is because when I said that the fence was built improperly he claimed that they couldn’t build it right because there was dog shit in the yard. There was none near the fence, he never said anything when he bid the job, and his workers didn’t seem to notice anything. Then he went on a crazy rant about dog shit, how you can get sick if you accidentally eat shit, you can get shit in your salad at a restaurant and get sick, etc. Every time I talked to him thereafter he ranted about shit. He told me that the shit in my yard was so bad that he had to buy his workers new shoes. I was secretly videoing him and my video shows no shit near the fence.]
He accused me of being nit-picky and when I said that he wouldn’t like that kind of work in his yard he said “No, no, no. None of this would be acceptable at all.”
When I last spoke with him he said that he didn’t feel safe and was leaving the property. I asked him why he didn’t feel safe and he said that it was because of firearms. There were no firearms, and nothing of the sort was ever mentioned or implied. Him bringing up firearms out of the blue scared my wife.
He refunded [by mail] an inadequate portion of the money I had paid him and stated that neither he nor his workers felt safe on my property and to not contact him. [His repair crew, BTW, was great and we got along wonderfully.]
I made another review on Google, and it received many views. At the moment he has somehow [after a month] has managed to get it taken down.
At 11:45 AM, 6/28/2025 I heard the dog bark, and looked out the window to see a midsize white car speed through my pull-through driveway. I recognized [with 90% confidence] the driver as Mr XXXX. This scared my wife again, and she tells me that she is afraid that he might become violent. She has been jumping at shadows ever since.
Between the night of 7/16 and morning of 7/17, someone entered my driveway, backed themselves up to the new fence and shit on it.
The man seems mentally unstable, and my wife is scared. I don’t think he is the type to do anything violent, but I am still watchful.
I have kept photographs, screenshots, texts, email correspondence, and audio/video records supporting the statements above. I believe I have exhausted my attempts at constructive resolution.
The local building authority says they can do nothing because he has no license and they have no jurisdiction. The State licensing Board says it is not in their jurisdiction.
I was advised to make a criminal complaint for fraud, but they only way they let you do that here is to tell an individual police office. The police here are notorious for only bothering to show up for serious crimes, and I would expect the cop to tell me that it is civil and to call a lawyer.
I know that his company does do some good work. He told me after I complained, that they had farmed this job out to a subcontractor because they were so busy.
He has all five star reviews on Google, and they look pretty vague like “These guys are great! The always show up on time, and even my neighbors tell me what a beautiful fence it is…”
I know I can go to Small Claims, but that is a PITA, and even more of a PITA to collect a judgement.
I would be glad to state the name of the company, but I do not want this post to show up on Google searches at this time.