Robert O’Neal of 78 Fence Backyard Concepts has been in the business for 44 years. Recently, he became a Certified Automated Gate Operator Designer and also a Certified Automated Gate Operator Installer. In one of his engagements, he told the story of one client who fell victim to the allure of cheap labor.
78 Fence Gets Certified as Automated Gate Operator Installer
Going Cheap, Getting Cheated
He was hired for a job in 2018 to build a gate. However, the client hired another company instead as they were $10,000 cheaper than what Robert was going to do it for. The other company installed the gate, but the client wasn’t satisfied. The gate had problems which the company they hired didn’t want to take care of. So, they ended up calling Robert to help them fix the problems.
When he got the call, Robert thought that he’d just do his good turn and so he went ahead and checked what the problem was. He instantly noticed that they did not install the required safety equipment on the gate. This is required by law for all gate operators across the United States. Not only that, they also built the gate incorrectly – it was too close to the fence. They just notched the gate to the fence posts which also damaged the fence.
Pay for Value, Get Good Service
78 Fence Gets Certified as Gate Automation Designer
After the inspection, Robert told the homeowner about the issues he found. They needed to replace the gate operator and fix the fence. Coincidentally, the total cost of the replacement and repairs is about $10,000; the same amount they thought they had saved by hiring a cheaper gate installer company to do the job. In the end, they had to pay almost twice the amount to have their gate and fence properly fixed.
The lesson of this story is obviously that you shouldn’t cheat yourself out of getting good service. Your gate and fence are a long-term investment so pay your contractor the price they deserve. You are paying for their years of experience, which made them good at what they do, as well as the hard work they put in to earn their certifications. You are also paying for good materials and the best equipment. In return, you get good value for your money. You can enjoy a gate and fence on your property that will be safe, function properly and look good, and will benefit your family for a long time.