LAKELAND, Fla. – Fence Hut, a fence-installation company in Lakeland, has closed its doors permanently, leaving many customers still waiting for the work that they paid to have completed.

Most customers who were expecting work to be finished received the following email on October 21.

 

Leanna Vance said her Facebook post detailing her dilemma with Fence Hut was her last resort.

“Not even an hour went by, and dozens of other people were reaching out to me, saying that Fence Hut also took their money for work they had no intention on completing,” Vance explained.

Fence Hut’s closure came after some customers said they had their installation date pushed back and others said they had just paid the company for a service.

“A lot of people didn’t even see the email or told me they didn’t get it,” Vance said. “I’m a single mother of two kids so that $1,200 dollars I paid back in August took a lot for me to save up, and they gave me no indication previously that they were filing bankruptcy.”

Vance and dozens of others said they were asked to stop calling the office because the company was being inundated with calls.

“When I called, she said 297 people had already called and the lawyer would get back to me,” Cynthia Allard said.

Fence Hut received a Paycheck Paid Protection loan for up to $350,000 on May 1. The company shut down four months later.

“They owe me money, too,” a previous sales associate said. “I stopped working for them a month before they shut down because they stopped ordering material, and they weren’t paying me for my commission. Now, I just don’t know what to do, or if I’m even going to get my money back.” 

More than 20 people contacted Spectrum News 13 claiming that Fence Hut in Lakeland owes them money, some amounts totaling more than $4,000.

“I didn’t see anything wrong with the company before I put the money down,” one customer said. “They had great reviews on Yelp, and I honestly didn’t see anything out of sorts.”

Fence Hut’s lawyer, Luke Lirot, confirmed the company permanently shut down and that a bankruptcy trustee would reach out to each person who paid for services that were never done. He said the process could take a while and indicated that the company has not officially filed for bankruptcy.

“I went to file a police report, and authorities told me I had to file a claim on their bankruptcy with the courts because this hasn’t been deemed criminal,” Vance said. “But I guess we can’t even do that since they haven’t filed.”

There is no guarantee that people will get all their money back, Lirot said, adding that each person’s claim will be reviewed after Fence Hut's assets are liquidated.