I have this problem.
When people say things, I decipher their meaning based on the common meaning of the words they use.
For example, back in March we had a fence put in. We paid for treated wood (says so on the bill). We got treated wood (says so on the tags stapled to the wood).
The fence warped, so I called the vendor to have it fixed. They just called me about it. the conversation went roughly like this:
Vendor: Oh, it warped because the wood hasn’t been treated. You’ll have to pay for us to fix it.
Me: But I paid for treated wood.
Vendor: Yes, but….
Me: Did I not get treated wood?
Vendor: Well yes, but….water got in it because it’s not treated and….
Me: You just said I bought–and you installed–treated wood. What, exactly, was it treated for?
Vendor: I’m not sure…
The end of it is that I have to pay for the labor to fix my in-warranty fence. I’m thinking about using an obscure definition of the word pay, since they didn’t clarify they wanted me to give them money instead of cover them with tar.
I still have no idea what the hell I bought when I paid for treated wood.
Termites maybe?
Contact your Attorney General, I think you may have a solid case.
I think what GD was getting at is, perhaps it was “Pressure Treated” with an insecticide (usually alkaline copper quat or ACQ), but not “Treated” with a sealant (like Thompson’s Water Seal)?
There’s two different treatments that must (for a proper job) be applied to outdoor/ground-contact wood – one applied before installation, and one applied after installation – Pressure Treat before (usually just bought that way), and water seal after (must be done manually).
If it was a funny color of green, or obviously painted brown, and had all these funny slits pressed into it (like this), then that’s PT wood – used for decks and fences. Gotta use that stuff or your fence will rot in a year or two and fall down.
But you also need to stain/water-seal your fence, or… it will warp/fade/weather. And you need to re-apply that water seal every year or two as maintenance.
It doesn’t sound like you got cheated, but your vendor needs a clue.
Dave’s about half right. What passes for “treated lumber” nowadays makes the Baby Jesus cry. OTOH, the guy quite likely just had a palletload delivered and didn’t pick. The culls rate on a palletload can easily run over 50%, and some yards get downright pissy if you hand cull. Next time, spec “select” on the PT, or better, DIY, using decking screws, and a batch of buddies bribed with beer.