The Post Hole Diggers

I just used this company yesterday, and I have to say that I wish I never did.

1-HIDDEN COSTS no.1
The contractor started off by telling me that because it was going to take so long, he was going to charge $275 per hour after 2 hours of work!! NOTHING was mentioned about this when I called and inquired about the fees. My neighbour and I argued and he said, “ok, but I have to start charging after 3 hours”....First of all, that's called a hidden cost, and secondly, I sent very clear pictures of my terrain so they could have mentioned any issues at that point. All that was mentioned was the $35 fee per 6”x6” post, and that the machine was able to pass between the houses.
He finished in 3 hours...luckily I suppose, but it was a rushed job.
Telling a customer about fees on the day the work is to be done is dishonest and puts the customer in a corner, we had already bought all the lumber and scheduled other appointments afterwards. So it's very hard to say no on the spot....but I'm sure they know that.

2-HIDDEN COSTS no.2
Although we had the centre lines marked, and I specifically told him the spacing I was looking for, he still put his own centre line and marked his own spacing, and ended up charging me and my neighbour $45+HST EACH...ANOTHER HIDDEN COST!!

3-MEASUREMENTS NOT CORRECT!!
On one side, they put the posts COMPLETELY ON MY SIDE, not on the centre line!!!! How bad or just careless do you have to be to mess up a property line....My neighbours and I spent so much time measuring our property lines based on the plans, and he just came in and quickly with no regard put the posts completely on my property. I'm extremely upset about this.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND USING THIS COMPANY at all.....but if you do, you better be out there with them measuring every post and every distance from every wall...otherwise you're in for a nasty surprise like I was...but remember if you go over your time limit, expect to pay a heavy hourly rate!!

The better advice I could give you is to use a completely different company that respects property lines, a customer's request for spacing and doesn't surprise you with hidden fees when you're 'under the gun'.

Here's the fine print that's supposed to cover them from any responsibility:

7) The prices provided are just an estimate. Once the contractor has started digging, he will assess the site and if there are any issues that might affect the price, he will let you know at that time before proceeding.    
 
8) We accept Visa, MasterCard, Debit, and cash. Please inspect the job upon completion to ensure that the job has been completed to your satisfaction. If you have any issues with the work that has been done, please address them before you make payment. Once payment has been made you are approving that the job has been completed to your satisfaction.   
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.    

So once payment has been made, the customer is supposed to shut up and suck it up...I don't think so.

Their ads say $25 per post and if you call to verify details they are friendly, professional and helpful. When they arrive at your house they have all the necessary equipment and prep the area for digging. After digging 3 holes they tell you that your ground is "too hard" and it will take more time. $250 per hour and you need to agree to this or they will leave. The meter keeps running and the bill goes higher and higher. "We can leave and you can do it yourself." They know you need it done and they know you likely have other contractors waiting for the posts to be installed. I called the office to complain and they said I have to deal with the contractor onsite. They rely on their quote that says, "any delays will add to the cost" but if you dig holes in the GTA all day, everyday, you would assume they understand that some ground is hard and some ground is soft. Some jobs are fast and some may take longer? It was not a good experience, I felt like I was being taken advantage of and was stuck once they started. I will say the workmanship was good. The holes were deep, the posts were set straight, the crew was friendly but the price is no where near $25 per post. After my experience, I spoke to other contractors who confirmed that this type of low ball quote is very common. Quote low, get the job, start the job and then add in more costs as they go. I would not recommend you use this company. Find someone locally, reputable who cares about their customers and reputation.

good service and good price. on time , on schedule. thanks very much. i will recommend to my friends.

From the moment they answered the phone to the second they left the job it was absolutly fantastic. the crew that showed up were proper and did a super job. The ladies answering the phone were very helpful and full of information. would absolutly recommend and use for my next job!

Professional. Quick. Experts. Originally, I called them only to put in the posts for my fence. I wanted to save some money. But inquired about their fence building capabilities--and they said they could do it. I was hesitant to go with them, as they really specialize in post holes, but was willing to take a leap of faith. They were organized from the back-end office process part, to when they arrived at my house. Fully equipped with pro machinery and a crew of 3. In 5 hours they finished a beautiful fence. So happy with high grade of materials they used and quality of their workmanship. Put these guys on your go-to list for building your entire fence. You won't regret it. Money well spent.

The crew was very respectful of the property, curtious and extremely efficient. 8 holes with cement and aligned brackets in 1:20. No mess with any of their clean up. Would use them again for sure.

The team that came to help us out on our deck and fence project were top notch and professional. The Admin team was prompt, helpful, and organized and was able to get a team available for our job in under a week. The guys showed up when they said, they were polite, knowledgable and were in and out in half a day leaving us ready to build our deck and fence with little distruption. I will definitely not be hand digging a whole again....ever, lol. I'll be using the Post Hole Diggers

We had to drill 22 holes in ground for fence posts. The work was carried out neatly, efficiently and i was very satisfied.

Work was done quickly and accurately. Ran into some issues with large rocks and they were able to switch auger bits to one designed for drilling through rock and gave us our footing right where we needed it!

Holes were drilled, posts set, everything was plum and true, a very good job by super nice staff; will surely use them on all future projects! Also office staff bent over backwards to help me with all aspects of documentation needed! Great job and I really appreciate the accomodating me on short notice!