ORLANDO, Fla — An Orlando woman turned to Action 9 after she paid more than $2000 for a new fence that was never built, and she couldn’t get her money back.
Debbie Hendrickson said, “It’s been going on for several months now through the holidays. I mean, $2,400 is $2,400.”
She told Action 9 Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal she spent months trying to get her money back and even filed a lawsuit in small claims court.
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Hendrickson said last year she just wanted to replace a fence that was on its last legs.
“The fence was probably 40 years old. I was looking for new fence company,” she said.
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A friend had luck with Knight Fence and recommended the company. The photos on the website also looked nice, so she had no concerns when the owner went out to her home and gave her an estimate.
She paid the entire $2400 price tag up front, but when it came time to build, she said there were excuses and missed appointments from Knight Fence.
Hendrickson said, “Like every hour or so texting them. What’s going on? What’s the status? Oh, their truck broke down. They’re on I-4.”
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That’s when she decided to call the job off and ask for her money back. She said an office worker promised to send the money and even claimed at one point they did send it via Zelle. But Debbie Hendrickson told Action 9 she never received it, and the company stopped responding. She had to hire another company to build the fence.
Jeff Deal asked, “How frustrating has this been for you?”
Hendrickson responded, “Extremely frustrating. This happened… this started October 16th, is when he came.”
Knight Fence has an “F” rating with the Better Business Bureau. We saw similar complaints made online about the company. One woman wrote on the BBB website, “STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY” after she claimed the company took money and didn’t do the job.
Debbie Hendrickson isn’t the only one who has filed a lawsuit. Other people and businesses have also sued claiming Knight Fence owes them money.
Action 9 tracked down the owner, Charles Ronald Brown who goes by Ron, at his home in Orange County.
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Brown claimed someone at Hendrickson’s home threatened them when they showed up to do the job, so they left. But he admitted he owes Debbie Hendrickson $2400 and owes money to several others.
Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal asked, “So, you’re going to give her the $2,400 back?”
Brown answered, “Yep.”
Deal asked, “How are you going to get her the money?”
Brown replied, “All she has to do is communicate with me and I’ll Zelle her the money or give her cash.”
That was a welcome message for Debbie Hendrickson who’s been trying for months to get that money back.
Jeff Deal asked, " What do you think about somebody who’s treating customers like this?”
She responded, “They need to be out of business, definitely.”
Ron Brown also apologized when he spoke with Jeff Deal. After that conversation, Hendrickson said Brown agreed to pay her $100 a day for twenty-four days. She said Brown made payments for a few days, but then stopped.
When hiring for home repairs or renovations, its best not to pay for the entire job up front. It’s less of an incentive for companies to do the work or do a good job. It’s also important to research any company you’re thinking about hiring.
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