Charles & Ivy Reviews 

I purchased Aspen slatted composite fence panels to be installed between new concrete posts as part of my driveway installation.

The website is impressive, the product looks excellent and the pricing certainly suggests a premium product. Unfortunately, my experience suggests that the company’s customer service and after-sales support fall a long way short of the standards you would expect at this price point.

Promises made to secure the sale

Before ordering, I specifically asked about delivery times and whether the panels could be cut to size. I was initially quoted six weeks, which was too late for my driveway installation. When I said I would look elsewhere, the salesperson offered a four-week turnaround by manufacturing the panels onsite rather than sourcing them from the factory. I was also assured that all their composite panels could be cut to size.

These assurances were instrumental in my decision to place the order.

Poor communication and delivery disruption

The promised four-week delivery never materialised. Communication was virtually nonexistent, and I had to rearrange my driveway installation to accommodate the delay, as the contractor was also responsible for installing the new concrete fence posts and panels.

To make matters worse, having finally received confirmation of a morning delivery, the delivery window was changed to the afternoon on the actual day of delivery. This resulted in tradesmen being left standing around doing nothing, unable to continue with the planned installation while waiting for the panels to arrive.

Despite explaining the situation, the company was unwilling to reinstate the original delivery slot.

During my conversation with the company, they acknowledged that there had been a communication failure on their part specifically regarding the four-week delivery timescale I had been promised when placing my order. They offered a £50 credit towards a future purchase, which I declined. Given my experience, I had little confidence in purchasing from them again.

Premium product, but inadequate installation information

To be fair, the panels themselves are aesthetically very pleasing. However, they arrived with no inventory list and no fitting instructions, which I find particularly disappointing for a premium-priced product.

Two concerns remain unresolved:

* The top rails don’t appear to lock securely into position. One of the company’s installation videos shows brackets and caps being used, but none were included with my delivery.
* Although I was assured the slatted panels could be cut to size, no instructions were provided explaining how to do so without potentially compromising their strength.

After-sales service that adds to the frustration

One particularly frustrating aspect is the contrast between the sales and customer service departments. Sales enquiries are answered promptly, whereas getting through to customer services involves lengthy waits.

The online chat service deals only with sales and order enquiries rather than technical questions, directing customers back to customer services.

I eventually managed to speak to someone regarding the potentially missing fixing brackets and caps. A support ticket was raised, and I was advised to expect a response within 48–72 hours.

A full week later, I have received absolutely no response or explanation. Remarkably, I have received a customer satisfaction survey asking how my enquiry was handled, despite the fact that nobody has actually answered it!

For a company marketing premium-priced products, this level of after-sales support is extremely disappointing.

My overall experience

This is a company selling what appears to be a premium product at a premium price, yet the service I have experienced has been anything but premium.

The attractive website and attentive sales approach initially inspired confidence, but that confidence quickly disappeared following the order.

Missed delivery assurances, poor communication, last-minute scheduling changes, a lack of basic installation documentation and an apparent inability to respond to straightforward technical enquiries have made this a thoroughly disappointing purchase.

When customers pay a premium, they should reasonably expect the service, reliability and support to match. In my experience, this company has failed to deliver on those expectations.

Steve and Russell were very professional and so helpful. They took great care with unloading our boxes and carefully placing them in our garden. Would highly recommend them.

Steve and Russell made a super smooth delivery 👌

Steve &Russell were extremely polite and respectful of our property. Very Helpful

The delivery driver Anthony was very courteous and professional and helped move the fencing to an appropriate place in the garden. The delivery was also made within the allocated time slot
Thanks Anthony

Our order has been delivered by Anthony who was excellent. He was friendly and helpful, nothing was too much trouble. He checked everything and went through the order with us.

Had another great delivery today, wall panels are amazing. The delivery driver Paul was a real gentleman as always. Thank you again 🙏

Friendly & helpful

Great service, top guys Steve & Russell extremely helpful and polite. Thank you.

easy website and ordering.
The delivery service was amazing and Mike was a lovely pleasant guy

Prompt . Delivery driver helpful and courteous.
Would recommend best service for a long time.

Original delivery of our custom cut decorative panels not possible as driver couldn't locate it as had been put on the incorrect van.
Both panels arrived a week later under "Buy 1 Get 1 Free" but not packed very well. One panel had a chip out of one corner which I found in the plastic packaging and there were sundry marks on other outside edges, Glued the chip on and as both will be used outside I don't think I'll notice the minor defects. There is also marks where the router tip has gone a bit deeper than the surrounding area but these would sand out fairly easily.
No issues with Anthony the driver but the factory should improve quality inspections and protect edges with foam or cardboard

Excellent products and delivered on time by the driver Pedro

great price , superb quality , excellent communication and delivery not only punctual but delivery person Mike b so polite , helpful and knowledgeable

Anthony was polite, punctual and very helpful when delivering the items to our home. It completed an excellent experience with Charles and Ivy

We’ve just received our water feature from Charles and Ivy and the delivery guys - Steve and Russell - couldn’t have been more helpful. Friendly, professional and definitely going the extra mile. A real credit to the company!

Helpful sales team, friendly delivery from Mike-D

Superb service
Delivered by Paul who went out of his way to ensure everything was delivered to my first floor flat 🌟
Also the customer service who kindly amended my order (my calculation error). Would recommend and will use again for future projects 😊

Perfect delivery from Paul on time and he was a happy helpful chap absolutely spot on

I ordered fencing panels from Charles & Ivory in July, which were not delivered until November. Almost four months of waiting, with inadequate updates, very poor communication and me having to repeatedly chase the company for information.

What I find particularly unacceptable is that I repeatedly requested a call back from a manager via email. Every request was ignored, with generic email responses sent instead. Not once did anyone acknowledge my request or take ownership of the issues I was raising.

Charles & Ivy, please do not respond to this review with a generic apology asking me to get in touch. I have emailed you consistently and given you numerous opportunities to address my concerns. You have chosen not to respond meaningfully or arrange the management call backs I repeatedly requested.

An absolutely dreadful customer experience. The delays were bad enough, but the lack of communication, accountability and basic customer service made it considerably worse.

I would not use Charles & Ivory again and certainly would not recommend them.