Problems having pool company finish the job

[Timmy]

Well, my wife and I chose a company that was highly recommended to install a new liner, add steps, a light in the pool, and move the filter away from the house, so they had to install new lines.

They came last Thursday at 7:30 AM and spent all day here. They replaced the liner and installed the light and steps. The pool was filling when I got home from work. Really nice job. They told me they would possibly be back Friday or Saturday afternoon to finish, otherwise they would be here Tuesday.

Well, they never showed Friday or Saturday. The pool has been sitting for the past 5 days now without a filter running.

I called multiple times yesterday and they told me they would be here to finish. They showed up at 7PM and setup a couple of lights and worked until 9PM. They weren't even close to being done. I asked the head guy if they would be here this morning. He said no, maybe later in the day because they had another job to do. I asked if it was a new job and he said yes.

So, they will not finish a job in progress, but have no problem sending the crew to a new job.

I asked for the owners name and left a message for him this morning. No return call yet. And all the calls I made yesterday, they never once called me back like they said they would.

I called the original salesman's cell number today and told him the story. He said he would look into it when he gets back in the office.

I understand it is a decent size job, but come on, finish it up already. All I am concerned with is getting algae growing in the pool that has been sitting in 90 degree weather for 5 days without a pump running.

Any advice? Should I contact the BBB?
Sorry to ramble, I just hate it when someone doing a service doesn't seem to really care about the job once they get that initial deposit.

[Bleach=Chlorine?]

Sorry to hear about the problems getting the job done. I would continue calling the office requesting an update. If they do not provide one then I would file with the BBB, depending on the company, that may light a fire you know where. If they are owed additional monies then have a partial hold on them.
Until the filter is up and running you can add chlorine but must be very careful with a liner to DILUTE IT! I would dilute bleach in a 5 gallon bucket and then slowly pour around the perimeter of the pool. The size of the pool and testing #'s would be needed for specific quantities.

[Phillbo]

Typical contractor pattern.. start a job, get a deposit on another and start it , get a deposit on another and start it, etc.... Stay on them or you will fall to the bottom of the chain real fast.

I'm having the same issue with mine. He came 2 weeks ago and picked up a deposit. The next day his crew showed up and chipped out the plaster and ground down the old decking ... nothing since then and every call to the office gets the same ' we'll have someone out in the morning ' response. Today they got a voice mail from me stating I would be charging them 200.00 per day until the job is finished since the original contract stated they would complete by June 1st.


It's not just a pool thing. The construction industry is like that in general. It's all about cash flow.

[Timmy]

Thanks guys. I just hate the idea of the pool filter not running. Usually I let it run 24hrs/day and in less than a week everything is perfect. Hopefully there won't be too much stuff growing on the bottom when they are finally done.

[Simmons99]

Do they have an office? They tend to want to help people more when they are in person. Also - I always try the "honey" approach first. Like "you came highly recommended, I find it hard to believe that such a good company would want to tarnish it's reputation by treating its customers this way" - although that will probably only work with the owner/general manager/sales manager.

[waterbear]

Stories like this just seem to be too commen. First let me say that my builder came highly recommended and specializes in fiberglass and gunite pools but does more fiberglass than gunite . I checked references, looked at his completed work, and talked to customers about him before signing the contracts for my fiberglass pool with lots of bells and whistles. My pool was supposed to be finished last June. It became operational last November. My builder was out today (May 31) to finish the caulking and (Hopefully) fix the leaks that he is convinced are from my light niches (he did no leak testing) only because I have been calling his office and cell phone daily for the past 3 weeks. right now the lights in both the pool and spa are just suspended in the water by the power cords while the epoxy putty hardens. He said he would be back tomorrow to put them back in but based on his previous track record it might be weeks or months before he gets around to it. I am not joking here! I have leaks from bad cementing of valves on the pvc pipes and he still needs to replumb the water features since he did it wrong the first time. He already had to tear up part of the concrete deck to move some pipes that were in the wrong place and the deck still needs to be repaired! My skimmer was never cemented in place, equipment that was specified in the contract was substituted with other brands which means my color changing pool and spa lights do not sync with the fiber optics illuminator. There are still many other problems. He has had to replumb various parts of the system several times now because it was not done correctly and most of the pipes are buriend in the deck!. I really have only touched on the surface. Oh yes, have already failed one inspection. I do have an attorney lined up and have complaints ready to file with the state board that licenses pool contractors and have talked to the local building inspector.

In his favor he has said that I do not have to pay the final payment (which is only 10%) and has upgraded some of my equipment and automation for free to try and make up for some of the screw ups but the bottom line is I have signed contracts that were not fullfilled and if I need to I will see him in court and get his license revoked! The original list of problems to be fixed was almost 4 typed pages. It is now down to just under two! (partly because I did some of the work myself like the tiles that fell off and had to be replaced)

thanks for letting me vent! I feel better now!

[Timmy]

That is terrible. Unreal what these guys get away with.

Well, when I got home from work yesterday they were there, large crew. They finished, at 9PM again. I was lucky enough to get the filter going and add some CL. It was so dark I was praying there were no issues with leaks with the filter.

Woke up this morning and noticed very little pressure in the system. I have a feeling the DE clogged up the filter. I usually premix the earth in a 5 gallon bucket before dropping into the skimmer. Since it was dark out I scooped the DE directly into the skimmer.

I bumped the Hayward filter and the pressure at the returns was great, just hope it is that way when I get home, may have to backwash.

Thanks again everyone, and I hope you get your problems resolved quickly with your builders.

[Phillbo]

I don't think low pressure indicates a clogged filter.. That would drive the pressure up.

[Timmy]

I meant low pressure at the return jets. You are correct, the pressure was higher on the gauge at the filter.