I would turn off the chlorinator for now. My guess is that the pool had CYA in it at one time which has biodegraded into ammonia. We see this a lot when people are opening pools in the spring. In fact, we have several threads going right now where people are in the middle of this problem. The only way to correct it is with lots of chlorine. At some point, the chlorine will hold but it can take awhile. You can't shock a pool with trichlor tabs. For now, just use plain, unscented household bleach --- generic is fine.

You will need to give us more information about your pool. Type, volume, type of filter, size of pump and exactly what all you have put into the water --- meaning ingredients. It is also going to be necessary to have a good test kit. The one we recommend is the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C which you can get through the link in my signature. Try and order one asap so you'll get it quickly.

We need some current water testing results. Until you can get a good kit, at the minimum, go to Walmart and get an OTO/Phenol Red kit (yellow and red drops). If they have the HTH 6-way kit, that one would also suffice until you get a good one.

Come back with more info and somebody here will try and help.

Lose the servicing people. Any one who is supposedly in the pool business that tells you that, "it will not hold a chlorine level until there is a consistent level to hold" doesn't have a clue about taking care of a pool.

Welcome to the Pool Forum!