Bundaberg woman out of pocket after fencing job gets botched

A Bundaberg homeowner has been left $800 out of pocket after engaging a self-described ‘qualified fencer’ advertising his services in the community. DETAILS

A Bundaberg woman says she has been left hundreds of dollars out of pocket after a self-described qualified ‘fencer’ advertising himself in the community botched her fence repairs.

Retail worker “Jenny” has lived in her North Bundaberg home for three years.

Before Christmas last year, she said she put the call out for simple maintenance repairs on her timber fence, and received at $300 quote from a man who advertised himself online as a “fencer”.

The job required the installation of two hardwood posts, which Jenny provided, and a realignment of small side fence.

As an owner of two dogs, Jenny said the repairs were needed to keep her pets in.

But she said she quickly realised there were issues with the job.

Bundaberg North resident, Jenny, supplied the hardwood posts, that were completely unusable after the botched fence job she paid $450 for.

Despite what Jenny said were obvious “red flags” she suggested the man only work half the day to avoid the heat, which he said wouldn’t be necessary.

“I even made milkshakes” for him, she said.

Besides a bag of cement, Jenny provided all the materials.

“I had to babysit them all day,” she said.

As a single woman, she said she felt taken advantage of.

“I work very hard to get things done and hire people,” she said

Three pinewood posts were loosely nailed together in the botched job to fix the fence.

“You have to trust them,” she said.

Jenny also noticed the fence had been installed upside down, which she pointed out.

There were nails going in the wrong way, gates hung incorrectly, and a latch on her main fence, used to keep the dogs in, had one screw holding it all in place.

Jenny paid for her pinewood posts to be replaced by hardwood, and then ended up paying more than $400 for a botched fence job made of pinewood again.

The fence was left in worse shape than it was before the work started, she said.

“I couldn’t close them (the gates) at all.”

Photos of the job posted online showed the shoddy craftsmanship, including the original hardwood that Jenny provided, virtually destroyed.

Bundaberg based repairman Peter Bess tried to fix it for her, and agreed that it seemed the man had “ no idea”.

“A 12-year-old in woodwork class could have done a better job,” he said.

What one of the hardwood posts Jenny supplied looked like after the dodgy job.

“It’s an eyesore.”

Sometime after the original job, on January 3, the man returned to Jenny’s house to fix the mess.

A service he said required an upfront payment of $150, which Jenny said she regretfully paid at the end of the day.

When he returned, he replaced the butchered hardwood with cheap pinewood.

A Bundaberg woman says she has been left hundreds of dollars out of pocket after engaging the services of a dodgy fence builder.

Jenny said that even so, it was poorly cemented in place and infilled with dirt from her garden.

He “took the money [and] blocked me,” she said.

After Peter Bess fixed the dodgy work of the fencer Jenny found online she can now use the gate.

Mr Bess, who was paid $200 to fix the job, said all the qualified tradesmen are employed by major construction firms.

He said this meant there was a shortage of good tradesman for small handy work jobs.

“There’s a few of them around town doing the same sh*t,” he said.

Attempts were made to contact the fencer.

If you or anyone you know has had issues with a contractor, contact the Queensland Building and Construction Commission on 139 333.

Originally published as Bundaberg woman out of pocket after fencing job gets botched