AG pool company nightmare

Hi everyone

My husband and I are fairly new to this site and I would like to thank everyone for their help. We have learned so much from this site. Our pool is finally up and ready to go after dealing with a nightmare of a company. I wanted to share my story just in case someone else out there is trying to decide where to buy a pool. I wish we would have found this site earlier. We live in a small town in ND and really don't have any pool companies near us, so depended on the internet. We chose what we thought was a reputable company (mistake number 1). This company in Gray ,TN, or Johnson City, TN (not sure of the physical address) has been HORRIBLE to work with. They have repeatedly lied to us and tried to ignore us (Not sure I can list their name, so if you have any questions before buying a pool let me know). We ordered our pool in April and finally received everything for our pool a week ago. They sent us the wrong filter and when we contacted them they said "sorry, that just happened to someone else, too. We will get one sent out." This was on a Wednesday and wasn't a serious problem because we weren't putting up the pool yet anyway and knew it would take a while to fill (30 x 54). The following Wednesday we figured we better call to make sure it was sent as we had still not received it. They told us "I believe that was sent out this morning, let me check and I will call you right back." By that time you can imagine I was not happy. They didn't call back, I finally called back three hours later. This time I got smart and asked for a tracking number. Guess what, they didn't have one. (IMAGINE THAT)!!! I told them to call me back within a few minutes with a tracking number and miraculously they found one, because it was just being packaged for shipping (they lied again and again). They said "we are sorry, we will send it overnight and you should have it no later than Friday." I checked the tracking number that evening and discovered it was not being sent overnight but would be arriving the following Tuesday! Okay, as I ground my teeth I figured we will be okay, we will set up the pool and start filling the pool and it should be full around then anyway. Well, UPS comes and brings me a small box that says multi-port valve. By this time I was so frustrated it was probably a good thing I was here and they were there. After another phone call and a promise of a call back, which never came, they said "We finally have sent you the right part, here is the tracking number, we will send it out overnight." Of course, when we checked the tracking number that evening it was not due to be delivered for about another seven days. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Thank God for this website, we just kept putting bleach in the pool to hopefully control any algae before it started and waited for the filter. It worked!!! We finally got the correct filter and everything is hooked up and running, and water is balancing nicely.

I have already steered one potential customer away from this company and hopefully can steer more away. I have learned once again that customer service is so important. If these companies are not willing to take care of their customers they should not be in the pool business.

Thanks again everyone.

Kaydee,
One part of me thinks this story should be put in the 'Hall Of Shame' forum. I have a story that could go there too. The other, logical, part says there is too much room for libel, slander, and defamation lawsuits. Grrrr! Sometimes companies just screw up for whatever reason but overall they have a good reputation. The problem with something like the Hall Of Shame forum is all the negatives would appear, very little of the positives. Right now I'd like to take a road trip and put my hands around some necks, but I won't.
Al
BTW: I hope some of the heads attached to one of those necks is reading this.

So very, very true... At least we have this website to vent our frustrations and know we are not the only ones out there. If nothing else, it might help us feel better.

I live in the area let me know the place and I will drop by and be one of those "impossable pople". I enjoy doing that to places that give me problems.