I contracted for a wrought iron driveway gate anchored to 6-foot tall brick columns. All the work was done by nameless subcontractors whom I did not approve.

The bricklayers took 5 days to do a 1-day job. They used substandard mortar with excessive gaps between bricks. The partial bricks were simply broken to approximate size instead of being cut to fit. A couple bricks were not cemented. The top cap was not finished properly - it was an 1/4" thick flat masonry instead of a thick, slightly domed cap that water would run off of. They did not backfill the columns, but left them sitting in large holes in the yard.

The wrought iron is rusting after less than two months.

I called numerous times to get the columns backfilled and proper masonry caps finished. The final caps are cracking after 1 week because the masonry was improperly mixed. Before the job was even finished properly, Vicky at the "customer service" department was dunning me for the final payment. She never did act as an advocate to provide proper customer service - she acted in the role of bill collector.

I paid the final bill and will correct the deficiencies myself.