Cali Bamboo LLC Rotting/Splitting Bamboo Fence crossboards in only 1 year! Literally split off from the 2 inch screws San Diego, California

In May of 2010 I was looking for a high quality picture frame fence that would last a long time and be fairly maintenance free.  I consulted with two different sales people, Matt Ezzo and Ryan Borton at Cali Bamboo regarding their picture frame fencing.  Asked them about durability in cold/snowy temperatures and warm summers like Spokane.  They bragged about it's durability far exceeded any other wood, stood up to hurricanes, blizzards and inclement weather and told of the "high quality standards and processing" it went through. 

The salesmen Ryan and Matt  hurried me to place my big order of 425 feet of picture frame bamboo fencing so that "I could get my shipment sent with someone else in Washington.  I could get a great deal on shipping if I ordered now". So they saved me a $1000 on the original price.  I spent a total of almost $8000 in fencing!! 

I was really excited about savings trees, supporting something ecofriendly and felt this was a unigue fence that would last a very long time.  My husband and I studied installation on their website and how to stain/seal the fence.  We used a very expensive high quality sealer/stain designed for very dense woods like bamboo.   We put up about 220 feet of fencing, and still have 200 more feet to put up!

When all of the materials were delivered to our house the end of June, 2010, I contacted Ryan Borton and Matt Ezzo the same day seriously concerned about the inferior quality of the crossboards and posts having some of the layers delaminating. That there was something wrong with their quality control in their warehouse.  Told them that I had a second rate inferior product sent to me. 

They switched me to customer service, and she instructed me to send digital pictures and she would review them.  She called me the next day and claimed that this was totally natural, and that once I stained/sealed the boards, that they would be fine and it would not affect the durablity of the wood.  I contacted her again and told her we were not ignorant to construction and I had legitate concerns.  She never responded.  So we decided to go ahead and stain and install the fencing, with the attitude that everything will be ok.  Maybe we were paranoid, afterall, we never have had bamboo before. 

Oh my lord!  It is Feb 12, 2011 right now, winter is almost over with, and all of the bamboo crossboards are splitting/separating and pulling off of the 2 inch screws, and the fence sections are barely attached to the posts.  Basically, this fence is falling apart and needs to be replaced in less than 6 months. The only thing intact is the bamboo pole/rolled sheeting and many of the fence posts need to be replaced (which are in concrete)??!!! I am just totally sick, to think about the hours I spent carefully sanding and staining the crossboards and posts. Not to mention all of the hours installing 200 ft of fence with only two people . . . .carefully leveling posts and setting them in concrete with my husband.

I will not let this go!  I am taking action, as I cannot afford to loose this kind of money.  Are you with me people??  My mom ended up in a convalescent home, and my 3 brothers and I had to sell her home.  My parents  hard earned money from the sale of their very average simple home helped pay for this fence.  If they were still alive then would be just sick!!