Tweet
Hi guys,
I'll try to cut a long story short so I don't make the details too long a read, but I have an issue with a neighbour's fencing contractor and would like some advice or feedback if anyone's been through this sort of thing before.
We were living on our 3 acre property for 2 years before a house was built next door and the new neighbour's hired a local fencing contractor to do their perimeter and horse paddock fencing. He strained from our metal personal access gate post at the back corner of our block that I used to mow the long grass strip on the other side of (due to ongoing Brown Snake issues we have with the creek there supplying them in abundance). We have star picket fencing with 90mm dia metal corner posts and strainers that's been in perfect condition until the fencer strained from it. Next door has timber split posts and heavy 300mm dia logs for corner posts with metal strainers for support. 2 weeks after he strained from our post, it and the strainer post was pulled onto a noticeable angle, causing the concrete footings to partially lift out of the ground and pulled the chain link on the gate so damn tight that I couldnt unhook the chain to open the gate. I made the neighbour aware and left her a detailed note to pass onto the fencer on how I wanted it to be fixed, so it was done properly. I requested he disconnect her fence from mine. Put in a new cnr post and strainer near mine and strain her fence from that. I asked that he pull out my Cnr post and strainer and knock the concrete off them, then reset the posts back into the ground with new concrete to restore their strength as simply pushing it straight again would compromise the strength and I didn't want to have to painfully fix the issue myself down the track due to it being someone else's fault. I said he can bridge the gap between my cnr post and hers with mesh that has slack in it in case his new strainer gets pulled off course. So the next day while I was at work the fencer simply pushed our post straight again which lasted all of 2 weeks before it was on the same lean again. It took me a few weeks more before I was able to talk to the neighbour about it.
I contacted the neighbour and asked for the fencer's name and contact number to save her being the middle man only passing on information so to speak. I phoned him and he said he'd come back to look at it. I advised him of how I wanted it fixed again as simply pushing it straight was only a short term fix. I respectfully gave him a month to do the job but he never came. I phoned him again and he said he'd be around the next morning to look at it. That was 4 weeks ago and he never turned up.
At this point I'm really ticked off with this bloke because he's fobbing me off and clearly has no intensions of fixing the issue. I spoke to neighbour about it on the weekend and she said all her fencing has moved significantly and just put it down to the weather causing soil movement. I just personally think he's a crap fencer and probably has to fix up almost every job he does. He'd been back at her place fixing her fencing on and off I was told. I advised her that I was going to send the fencing contractor a long, detailed text msg which I did do. I explained in writing of what I wanted done exactly and pointed out the times he's never turned up and never contacted me after my phone calls to him. I put in my text that if its not fixed to an acceptable standard then he'll be doing the job all over again and that I was giving him until the C.O.B Monday to respond or I'm reporting him to the ACCC because it's my right as a consumer to have my Cnr post fixed to be exactly the way it was before he damaged it. The neighbours said they'd contact him as well and ask that he fixes it as per my request.
Given the form of this guy I'm not expecting him to contact me at all. I know if I call him again he'll give me the old, "Yeah, I'll pop around tomorrow to look at it" and never turn up again. I just want this issue resolved instead of it dragging on to no end.
What's your advice on what my next move should be if he predictably doesn't contact me by tomorrow arve, and are the ACCC worth contacting or would they just sit on it for months before they get to it due to a full-on workload of complaints they have to get through. I know it'd be difficult for them too when they're just outsiders to the issues put before them and there'd be a lot of liars out there and many times they'd get two entirely different stories from both parties.
I'll try to cut a long story short so I don't make the details too long a read, but I have an issue with a neighbour's fencing contractor and would like some advice or feedback if anyone's been through this sort of thing before.
We were living on our 3 acre property for 2 years before a house was built next door and the new neighbour's hired a local fencing contractor to do their perimeter and horse paddock fencing. He strained from our metal personal access gate post at the back corner of our block that I used to mow the long grass strip on the other side of (due to ongoing Brown Snake issues we have with the creek there supplying them in abundance). We have star picket fencing with 90mm dia metal corner posts and strainers that's been in perfect condition until the fencer strained from it. Next door has timber split posts and heavy 300mm dia logs for corner posts with metal strainers for support. 2 weeks after he strained from our post, it and the strainer post was pulled onto a noticeable angle, causing the concrete footings to partially lift out of the ground and pulled the chain link on the gate so damn tight that I couldnt unhook the chain to open the gate. I made the neighbour aware and left her a detailed note to pass onto the fencer on how I wanted it to be fixed, so it was done properly. I requested he disconnect her fence from mine. Put in a new cnr post and strainer near mine and strain her fence from that. I asked that he pull out my Cnr post and strainer and knock the concrete off them, then reset the posts back into the ground with new concrete to restore their strength as simply pushing it straight again would compromise the strength and I didn't want to have to painfully fix the issue myself down the track due to it being someone else's fault. I said he can bridge the gap between my cnr post and hers with mesh that has slack in it in case his new strainer gets pulled off course. So the next day while I was at work the fencer simply pushed our post straight again which lasted all of 2 weeks before it was on the same lean again. It took me a few weeks more before I was able to talk to the neighbour about it.
I contacted the neighbour and asked for the fencer's name and contact number to save her being the middle man only passing on information so to speak. I phoned him and he said he'd come back to look at it. I advised him of how I wanted it fixed again as simply pushing it straight was only a short term fix. I respectfully gave him a month to do the job but he never came. I phoned him again and he said he'd be around the next morning to look at it. That was 4 weeks ago and he never turned up.
At this point I'm really ticked off with this bloke because he's fobbing me off and clearly has no intensions of fixing the issue. I spoke to neighbour about it on the weekend and she said all her fencing has moved significantly and just put it down to the weather causing soil movement. I just personally think he's a crap fencer and probably has to fix up almost every job he does. He'd been back at her place fixing her fencing on and off I was told. I advised her that I was going to send the fencing contractor a long, detailed text msg which I did do. I explained in writing of what I wanted done exactly and pointed out the times he's never turned up and never contacted me after my phone calls to him. I put in my text that if its not fixed to an acceptable standard then he'll be doing the job all over again and that I was giving him until the C.O.B Monday to respond or I'm reporting him to the ACCC because it's my right as a consumer to have my Cnr post fixed to be exactly the way it was before he damaged it. The neighbours said they'd contact him as well and ask that he fixes it as per my request.
Given the form of this guy I'm not expecting him to contact me at all. I know if I call him again he'll give me the old, "Yeah, I'll pop around tomorrow to look at it" and never turn up again. I just want this issue resolved instead of it dragging on to no end.
What's your advice on what my next move should be if he predictably doesn't contact me by tomorrow arve, and are the ACCC worth contacting or would they just sit on it for months before they get to it due to a full-on workload of complaints they have to get through. I know it'd be difficult for them too when they're just outsiders to the issues put before them and there'd be a lot of liars out there and many times they'd get two entirely different stories from both parties.
Comment