Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  01/31/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a hidden fence from SafeBet Hidden Fencing of Michigan in May. Approximately one week ago after heavy rain our system was beeping & not working. The following day it seemed fine. Then we received a large snow fall this past Tuesday, Jan. 30th. The system stopped working again. Then 2 of my dogs acted as though they had gotten shocked while inside our house. Both my *********** called the company to come see what was wrong. The owner called me back & accused us of digging & breaking the line. He was extremely unprofessional & condescending to me. When I requested him to call & speak to my husband he refused until I threatened to make this complaint. He did call my husband. He blamed our dogs getting shocked on us putting in another system on the same frequency. He told my husband that he could go buy a tracer & see where the line is broken. My husband asked him to come out with a tracer to walk the ********* husband would fix it himself. The owner refused. He told my husband that he cant employ people over the winter because he doesnt get many calls for repairs. He also told me that IF the line is broken its not warranteed. The company has a message that states they wont start scheduling repairs until March 1st because of inclement weather. This man was so rude & unprofessional!! How can a business install *************** be available to repair it when something goes wrong?!

  Business response

  02/01/2024

  We didn't blame her dogs getting shocked in the house on anything. The customer mentioned it but we did not discuss it in detail. This is probably a result of the repair she needs. Her wall unit is beeping indicating a broken wire. We did not refuse to repair her fence. It was explained to her that it's winter and the ground is currently frozen and we do not start scheduling repairs until March when the ground starts to thaw and all of the snow is gone. I also explained to her husband that we may get lucky and get an early thaw and we could possibly be out sooner.  He is on our list and we would call him as soon as we can start scheduling. Her husband is actually the one who brought up buying a tracer.  I told him some people have had luck with those but the cheap ones were not very reliable and also get interference. That is the interference part of the conversation she is referring to.  ********************* was not on the call so she is confused about the conversation. I was not rude to her or her husband in any way. I simply explained to her the circumstances, and that was not what she wanted to hear so I guess she considered that rude.  We offer very good service to our customers.  I do understand her frustration however, we live in ******** and weather is a factor.  Writing bad reviews and filing complaints, creating a hostile, adversarial relationship  isn't going to change the situation or assist ********************* with her service. 

  Customer response

  02/03/2024

  My husband, ***************************, wrote out a response as he spoke to him about the tracer & the interference. 
   From My husband: When I spoke to the owner of SafeBet Fencing of ********, he said he didnt have anyone that could come out and check for a break having told me that the only reason it would beep is because there is a break in the line. I asked him if I ohmed it would it indicate a break. The owner said that other customers have tried it, but they were unsuccessful. He then said I need a tracer. He added that the inexpensive tracers were not that good and that is why he spent $1000 on his tracer. I asked if he could come out and trace it and  I would do the repairs if there was a break and he responded No. I told the owner that this happened approximately a week earlier and then started working again. He said that the fence wire could be corroded somewhere. I asked how could it be corroded when it isnt even a year old. He responded by saying that someone probably hit the wire and damaged the coating when digging. I told him that we havent done any digging. I told him that 2 of our dogs were shocked inside our home. He said we must have installed something on the same frequency. I told him that we havent installed anything since the fence was installed. 
  

  The owner WAS extremely rude to me while I spoke to him about the fence not working. I had to ask him several times to speak to my husband about the problem. He repeated said, No. Im talking to you. Im not going to call your husband. Then I said, As a woman, I am requesting that you call my husband & speak to him man to man about this issue because you are just going to give me the run around. He blamed us on digging & breaking the line. He blamed us for installing something in the same frequency causing our dogs to get shocked inside of our home. He clearly stated to both my husband and I that the only reason that the system would be beeping is if there was a break. The same evening that my husband & I spoke to the owner our system stopped beeping. Whether or not its working correctly we have no idea. Yes, we live in ******** & the ground freezes, however, construction does not stop in ******** in the winter. Additionally, the lines are, if installed correctly, approximately 4-5 in the ground. I understand if the owner does not want to install new systems in the winter, but he MUST continue to take care of the systems that HIS company installed ALL year round. Just the fact that he stated to my husband that he has a $1000 tracer, yet REFUSES to even come out says it all! I want this owner to employ someone who knows what they are doing to come out to our home and figure out what is wrong with our fence and repair our system. We have done nothing to cause issues with this fencing. I am a licensed veterinary technician. I am extremely concerned about my dogs getting shocked inside my home. I terrified to even use the collars on them. We want this taken care of immediately. 

  Business response

  02/09/2024

  Once again we did not refuse service, we only told them we would not be out until the ground had thawed. Also told them the wire is not covered under any warranty and there would be a charge if that is the problem. However we reserve the right to refuse service on broken wires or sending a tech out to the site if we feel it is a hostile situation which at this point with the bad reviews and this complaint, it is. We do understand the collar is still under warranty of 1 year and they have lighting protection which covers them for lightning damage but this does not require a service call onsite. Those items can be handled via the US mail. If they think the wall unit is defective or has been damaged by lightning or surge they can mail it to ******************************** ** ***** . If it needs replacing we will mail them a new one. They may contact ** anytime at ************

  Customer response

  02/20/2024

  As you can see by one of my photos we recently had a thaw in ********. We live on a lake. Prior to this thaw our entire lake was frozen at least 6 inches thick. After the week of February 8th our lake was completely thawed again. I even sent my husband a text on February 8th to see if he had received a call from Safe Bet Hidden Fencing because it was 60 degrees out at our home. 
  

  I am baffled over the owners comments that he reserves the right to deny service or send anyone out if its a hostile  situation. First, we have a right to review a company whether it is a glowing review or not. Secondly, we also have the right as a consumer to file a complaint with the BBB if we feel that there is a lack of services provided by the company. In this case, the owner has refused services prior to any review or complaint being filed. Thirdly, we have not made any threats toward the owner of this company or any of his staff. Neither my husband nor I have had any contact with the owner since each of our initial phone conversations. Simply making complaints does not constitute a hostile situation or hostile work environment. This situation in no way gives SafeBet Hidden Fencing the right to deny services to us. Lastly, we still have no way of knowing what the issue is with our fence whether it be the fence itself, the installation of the fence, the collars, or the systems control pad which was placed in our garage by the technician that installed the fence. If this company does not send someone out soon we will be forced to hire another company to fix this issue and we will expect SafeBet Hidden Fencing to reimburse us for any expenses incurred. 
  
  Sincerely,

  Mr. & ****************************************************

  Business response

  02/28/2024

  Once again we did not refuse service, we only told them we would not be out until the ground had thawed. Also told them the wire is not covered under any warranty and there would be a charge if that is the problem. However we reserve the right to refuse service on broken wires or sending a tech out to the site if we feel it is a hostile situation which at this point with the bad reviews and this complaint, it is. We do understand the collar is still under warranty of 1 year and they have lighting protection which covers them for lightning damage but this does not require a service call onsite. Those items can be handled via the US mail. If they think the wall unit is defective or has been damaged by lightning or surge they can mail it to ******************************** ** ***** . If it needs replacing we will mail them a new one. They may contact ** anytime at ************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩